POTATOFACIALS

YOU TOO CAN FLOURISH FROM RUBBISH

FACIAL RECOVERY WITH GARBAGE

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While potato is one of the most important vegetables in every Indian household, its distant cousin sweet potato is one the most nutritious foods when it comes to health and beauty benefits. Sweet potatoes contain Omega3, fatty acids magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc and vitamins A, B, C, K and E. Sweet potato is considered as an excellent source of natural, health-promoting compounds known as beta-carotene and anthocyanin. Beta-carotene is known to reduce risk of several chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Anthocyanin fights pigmentation and provides anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin. Vitamin A, B and C have anti-oxidant properties that help in fighting against damage caused by free radical.

Sweet potato is a true super food item for skin care . What makes it so virtuous is the fact that it is loaded with Vitamins A, B and C which are essential for keeping skin healthy and radiant. Moreover, the anti-oxidant properties of sweet potato helps in fighting against all sorts of free radical damage; protecting.

Besides, sweet potatoes contain Anthocyanin and other colour related pigments that provide anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin. No wonder it is highly recommended for people suffering from skin problems like acne. There can’t be a more delicious recommendation than this but regular consumption of the delectable sweet potato can keep skin healthy and glowing.

Studies have proven that sweet potato is highly effective in keeping skin nourished and replenished from within.

But it is advisable to consume steamed or boiled sweet potatoes, since they retain maximum nutrients, as opposed to the ones cooked using a different method.

If you love your skin, make sure that you have enough of this delightful vegetable by eating it on its own or by preparing various dishes keeping it as the main ingredient. Smooth and supple skin is promised!

In case you are boiling sweet potato, do not throw away the water. It is packed with nutrients that can improve your skin texture and colour.

After boiling remove sweet potato and pour the water in a small bowl. Allow the water to cool and then dip cotton ball in it. Apply to your face and neck. This sweet potato water acts as an excellent toner for skin. It absorbs impurities and deep cleanses pores, while also soothing irritated skin.

You can store the water in a bottle and keep in the refrigerator. Use it several times a day in place of your regular toner.

BENEFITS

1. Treats Oily Skin:

Boil sweet potatoes. Let them cool and then mash them. Add a table spoon of honey and spread this over your face. Let it stay for 20-30 minutes and wash off. You can also add 2-3teaspoon lemon juice to it in case you have oily skin.

2. Improves Skin Texture:

After boiling sweet potato, do not throw away the water. It is packed with nutrients that can help in improving your skin texture and clear your complexion. After boiling sweet potatoes, strain the water. Store this water in a bottle and keep it in the refrigerator to cool down. Use this sweet potato water as a toner for skin. This natural toner will help to absorb impurities, deep cleansing your pores and soothing irritated skin

3. Cures Dry & Cracked Heels:

In case you have dry feet and cracked heels, instead of cooling the water in which the sweet potatoes were boiled completely, let it remain a little warm and soak your feet in it. It will help in getting rid of painful cracked heels.

4. Heals Dark Eye Circles & Eye Puffiness:

The next time you decide to eat this tasty vegetable, just take two slices and place them on your eyes. As mentioned before, anthocyanin helps in reducing pigmentation and hasanti-inflammatory properties that will help in getting rid of dark circles, wrinkles and puffiness of eyes.

5. Prevents Pre-Mature Ageing:

To rejuvenate your dry skin, take one big sweet potato and boil it until it is soft enough that the skin can be pulled of easily. Take 1 tablespoon honey, 1tablespoon of milk and 1 tablespoon of ginger juice extracted by grating the ginger root and then sieve the juice out using a muslin cloth. Blend all the ingredients together until you have a smooth paste. Apply the mask to your cleansed face and neck. Let it sit for 20-25 minutes minutes. Rinse off with warm water. This mask will leave your skin fresh, hydrated and prevent pre-mature ageing. Also you can easily refrigerate the remaining unused facemask in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

6. Moisturizes the Skin:

To make a mild scrub that doesn’t dry out your skin, take half a cup of boiled sweet potato cubes, 1 tablespoon oats and 1 tablespoon yogurt and blend them together to form a thick, coarse paste. Use this to scrub your skin in slow circular motions and wash it off with lukewarm water followed

by moisturizing your skin with your favourite moisturizer.

7. Treats Hair Dryness:

Sweet potato works really well for your hair as well. With the abundance of different nutrients, the nourishment it provides to thirsty strands is almost unmatched. Take one big sweet potato, 1 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon of olive or almond oil. Blend all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth, apply it and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. For those who have very dry hair, you can also add 2-3 tablespoon of coconut cream with the rest of the ingredients.

8. Promotes Metabolism & Treats Premenstrual Symptoms:

Manganese found in sweet potato helps in promoting metabolism and maintaining healthy blood sugar balance. It also helps suppress your appetite to prevent you from overeating, thus helping in losing weight. It also helps in treating anaemia and severe premenstrual symptoms.

Sweet potato is a large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous root vegetable. It is categorized as a super food, as it has a higher amount of nutrients in comparison to other foods. Sweet potato provides a good amount of vital minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium that are essential for enzyme, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism. This starchy root vegetable is a rich source of flavonoids, anti-oxidants and dietary fiber that are essential for your overall health.

The health and weight management benefits of sweet potatoes far exceed the nutritional value found in ordinary white and yellow fleshed potatoes. It is one of the average calorie starch foods (provides 90 calories/100g in comparison to 70 calories/100 g of potato). However, the tuber of the sweet potato contains no saturated fats or cholesterol and is a very rich source of dietary fibre, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

9. Maintains Elasticity of Skin:

Sweet potato is a very rich source of vitamin C which is known to produce collagen. Collagen helps in maintaining the elasticity of the skin and makes it look youthful.

10. Anti-oxidant:

Sweet potato consists of beta-carotene or vitamin A which is an important anti-oxidant and is known to prevent different types of cancer. It repairs cell damage caused by excessive UV exposure and provides an internal layer of protection to the skin from harmful UV rays of the sun.

11. Anti-stress Agent:

Sweet potato contains a good amount of minerals such as magnesium andiron. Magnesium is believed to help in relaxation and acts as a stress buster for the skin.

12. Beauty Food:

Sweet potato, apart from vitamin A & C, also contains vitamin E which is known to be beneficial for the health of the skin. It improves the complexion, thus providing flawless skin. These vitamins (A, C & E) comprised together are known to be ‘beauty food’ for the skin.

13. Hair Growth:

The presence of vitamin A or beta-carotene in sweet potato makes it an ideal food for hair growth. Its deficiency may lead to hair problems like dull, damaged and lifeless hair. It can further lead to dandruff.

14. Offers Natural Shine to Hair:

Sweet potato mask along with other ingredients like honey, yoghurt and olive oil works wonders for dull and rough hair, making them hydrated and imparting a natural shine.

Tips to Select Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes with a deep orange colour possess the highest nutritive value. Sweet potatoes with firm skin and even shape and colour are the best to pick.

Small to medium sized sweet potatoes are less starchy than the larger ones. Sweet potatoes with a deeper pigmentation are richer in anti-oxidant beta-carotene than the lighter ones.

Sweet potatoes with any white marks or signs of decay should be avoided as they are not fit to be consumed.