Besan turns skin black?

Ok, so this might be a surprising news for you. But, the good news is that this is NOT TRUE. It is one of the long living myths which came into my notice yesterday. I had a talk about it with one of my friends and she told me that besan turns your skin dark even though it makes it glow. Kinda conflicting, right? I tried telling her that it is not possible but all my words were for deaf ears. Seeing her conviction in this myth, I decided to clear it on a mass basis and state the reason why the skin might turn dark after using the scrub. And, I know that this is not true because of my personal experiences and also because I have asked a lot of people about this.

Besan or 'Sunnipindi' or whatever scrub you may use like masoor dal (red lentils) or rice flour polish your skin by removing the dead skin. And, in this process, they reveal a new layer of skin. Thus, the result is a clean glowing skin. As a matter of fact, besan is extremely useful in getting rid of dark spots and other conditions of the skin and gives a flawless complexion. But, if you venture out in the sun unprotected by sunscreen, your newly revealed skin is going to be subjected to a lot of environmental factors like dust, pollution and sun. The result is dull and tired looking dark skin. Thus, the connection that besan turns skin black. So, always wear a sunscreen. And, clean your skin well after a session in the sun.

And, I would love to know of any such myths which might be existing and clear them.

Masoor Dal Body Scrub {DIY}

[Source: http://www.sailusfood.com]

Pulses in our kitchen prove to be good scrubs as well. Earlier, I had talked about 'Mung Dal'. Today, I would be talking about 'Masoor Dal' (Red Lentil). Ground red lentil is a very good scrub for the body.

How to make the scrub?

Grind the masoor dal into a fine powder and pass through a utensil with small holes (percolated utensils) to seperate the fine powder and the impurities. Store the fine powder in an air-tight container and use a little occasionally. If you find that the texture of the powder is too harsh for your skin, you can mix it with cornflour or chickpea flour (besan). 

Using the Scrub

• Mix it with honey or milk and use as body scrub while in shower.
• Use as a face scrub twice in a week for oily and combination skin and once for normal to dry skin.
• Alternatives: If you do not want to store it as a scrub, you can soak a cup of red lentils in milk or water overnight and make a paste in the morning and use it as a scrub or a face pack. You may even add the skin of almonds soaked overnight. It would make your skin glow like never before.
• You can even mix the powder with pure ghee (made at home) and use it as a scrub. Pure ghee acts as lubricant reducing the harshness of the scrub on your skin and simultaneously nourishing it with the necessary fats to make skin look beautiful.
• You can mix other ingredients like dried tulsi leaves, rose petals or orange peels also and make the scrub a invigorating scrub. They will provide a scrub a distinct smell if use separately.