Yogurt is one of the easiest food or ingredient we use and consume on regular basis. It is nothing but fermented milk product and is rich in essential bacteria. I love using yogurt or curd in my beauty routine and I also regularly consume it. You can easily find it commercially but did you know that you can make your own at home as well? I always prefer making my own and today I am going to share a recipe along with its benefits and multiple uses for health and beauty –
BENEFITS OF YOGURT:
- Yogurt is rich in lactic acid and lactic acid- producing bacteria that makes it a very nutritious food and ingredient.
- It helps balance micro-flora in the intestines and keeps your gut healthy.
- Boosts metabolism and regulate digestion.
- Also a great skin care and hair care ingredient! It keeps your skin clear, hair shinier and helps fight dandruff.
- Yogurt contains lactic acid which is a mild chemical exfoliant and can be used to retexturize your skin and also fight pigmentation.
RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE YOGURT:
Things you need-
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon culture or curd/yogurt
Directions-
In order to make this curd or yogurt, you can either use pre-biotic capsules or cultures or you can use yogurt or curd from a recent batch. Normally in my house, we keep some quantity of yogurt to make a new batch and then further keep some quantity from that particular batch to make another batch. The cycle goes on.
You first need to boil milk, it is said not to use raw milk for this. Let the milk cool down and while it is lukewarm or warm, add in the curd from previous old batch or your pre-biotic culture powder. Mix it well and let it sit on the counter top or warm area for 1 to 2 hours. If it is winter season, you might want to keep this into slightly pre-warmed microwave for 3-4 hours. Once it sets, transfer it to a refrigerator and let it sit overnight. Your curd or yogurt is ready.
Now, you might ask how is it different from curd. The only difference is in the bacterial strain or different strains together that have been used.
USES:
Skin Care
- Apply yogurt directly on your facial skin as a 30 minute face mask. It helps add a beautiful glow to your skin and also helps fight acne.
- Mix together equal quantities of yogurt and honey and use it to massage your facial skin. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse it off. This works in lightning pigmentation and also makes your skin super soft.
- If you have dry skin, blend together equal quantities of avocado pulp and yogurt and use it as a 20 minute face mask.
- I love using it with whole wheat flour and turmeric as a face mask. It helps brighten skin, reduce suntan and help light and dark spots as well.
Hair Care
- Helps fight dandruff and soothes itchy scalp. All you can do is apply yogurt directly on your scalp and hair and let it sit for two hours before you use a shampoo.
- Blend together two whole eggs and half cup of yogurt and use it as a two hour hair mask. It helps repair hair damage and has a beautiful shine to your hair.
- Blend it with some fresh aloe gel and use as a hair mask. Helps control frizz and makes your hair shiny and manageable.
Healthy Recipes
- I love using it to make Lassi which is nothing but sweetened yogurt drink. You can combine together equal quantities of thick yogurt and water and add in a sweetener of your choice. Blend it together and consume. Adjust water depending on how thick or thin you want the Lassi to be.
- You can add it to your gravies to make it thicker and also to give it a creamy texture and taste.
- Add yogurt in your morning breakfast shakes and smoothies.
