Buttermilk is a cooling beverage that doesn’t get much attention in most of the culinary traditions as required. It is light on the stomach, extremely nutritious, and good on the taste buds. There is no doubt that buttermilk is one of the staple food items found in most households, but since it has a short shelf life, it gets really difficult to make it available for use. For this reason, buttermilk powder is quite popular. Made by hydrating the water from liquid buttermilk, it can be used in any kind of baking without the need of using liquid buttermilk.
Why only use buttermilk for drinking when it is quite versatile. It not only cools the body from within but can also be applied externally to benefit from its healing properties.
Buttermilk for skincare
- Improves skin texture
Buttermilk is loaded with milk protein and lactic acids which are important for enhancing the texture of your skin naturally. It also rejuvenates the skin.
For this, mix gram flour and turmeric powder in buttermilk. Make its paste and apply it evenly on your skin as required. Let it dry and then wash off with lukewarm water for smooth and shining skin.
- Lightens marks
Rich in lactic acid and alpha hydroxy acid, the buttermilk powder helps to lighten spots, marks, and blemishes on the skin naturally. Both these ingredients work by exfoliating the layers of dead cells from the skin surface, thereby revealing the new layer of skin underneath, and speeding the elimination of spots and marks.
You can do so by crushing a dry orange peel and mixing it well with buttermilk to create a paste. Apply this and softly massage it on your skin for at least 30 minutes. Now, rinse it off with cold water. Apply the paste twice or thrice a week to notice the results within a month.
- Removes suntan and soothes sunburn
Banishing suntan in a few minutes can become a lot easier when you have buttermilk. An effective buttermilk face mask not only gets rid of the uneven tan and sunburn but also helps in making the skin smooth and glowing.
Blend fresh buttermilk with raw organic honey in a 3:1 ratio and add a whipped egg to it. Beat all constituents together to form a soft paste. Now apply the paste to the tanned part of your skin and massage for a few minutes. Let it stay for at least 15 minutes and wash it away with normal water.
For soothing sunburn, add cold buttermilk to fresh tomato juice and apply on the affected skin. Let it rest and wash away after it has dried.
Buttermilk for hair
- Straightens hair
You no longer need to spend a fortune on hair smoothening treatments. The best ingredient is present right in your homes. Mix buttermilk and fresh coconut milk in the ratio of 1:2 and apply it onto your dry hair. Let it rest for 2 hours to get significantly sleeker and glossier hair.
- Makes the scalp cool
You can add buttermilk in its liquid or powdered form to various other ingredients or making hair masks. You can mix some buttermilk powder with an egg depending on your density of hair. Then add some olive oil, two tablespoons of raw honey and mashed banana to it. Mix them well and apply on your hair. Leave the pack on for at least 20 minutes and wash off for healthy hair.
- Eliminates dandruff and scalp itchiness
You can also apply buttermilk directly on your scalp or after combining with lemon juice. Massage the liquid onto your scalp, and leave on for 15 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water to get rid of the itchy scalp as well as dandruff.
The all-rounder buttermilk can benefit you completely from inside-out. It is also an ideal energy drink recommended for people trying to lose weight.
