Yogurt is well known for its many health benefits from its nutritional value as a source of calcium and protein, to its incredible potential for improving sluggish and failing digestive systems, and even as a preventative against yeast infections. No secret to Grecian women, yogurt’s beautifying and soothing effects on the skin are now being discovered by women around the world.
Yogurt has been a mainstay of skin care in Greece for hundreds of years. Today, several companies have developed products which take advantage of yogurt’s effects on the skin both as a topical application and when taken internally.
Externally, lactic acid and enzymes in yogurt help to hydrate and sooth the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. The cleansing properties which make it beneficial to digestion purify the skin as well, both when applied directly to the skin and when ingested. As a sunburn remedy it soothes the pain and improves redness. Applied to the scalp it can relieve itchiness and improve dandruff. When combined with honey and lemon juice, yogurt makes a moisturizing and exfoliating mask, great for softening the face and neck and minimizing discoloration.
Yogurt can be used alone or blended with other natural ingredients in your own home. Whether you are using yogurt externally or in food or beverages, you must be careful to choose yogurt with live active cultures in order to get the full benefits. When using yogurt topically it is best to use plain, not flavored, yogurt.
For those who prefer to purchase their skin care products premixed, Korres Natural Products offers a wide variety of yogurt based solutions for the face and body. Founded by pharmacist George Korres, the company has its roots in Athens’ oldest homeopathic pharmacy. Combining generations of folk remedies with modern science, Korres has turned the tiny pharmacy into a world-renowned natural cosmetics company, favored by beauty experts and celebrities from around the globe.
Korres Yogurt Cooling Gel provides instant relief from sunburn, soothing and hydrating the skin while eliminating burning and stinging. The Yogurt Cream combines full-fat, Greek yogurt with vitamin E, olive oil concentrate, and macadamia nuts to hydrate the skin and provide antioxidants protection. Yogurt Body Butter restores elasticity, with nourishing ingredients including Sunflower, Almond and Avocado oils. Korres Yogurt Mask adds watercress for an even more soothing and hydrating effect. Unlike many moisturizers, these products are appropriate for all skin types, even oily skin.
Eating yogurt can benefit the skin as well. A French dairy company, Groupe Danone, is taking advantage of yogurt’s healthful properties and combining it with borage oil, vitamin E, and green tea, to produce a new product called Essensis, set to launch in Europe in February, 2007. The yogurt will come in four flavors – natural, litichi-white grape, raspberry-pomegranate and peach-apricot. Danone is known for its probiotic dairy products aimed at digestive health. Essensis, which Danone says “will nourish the skin from the inside,” is the company’s first cosmetic product.
As food and beverage companies expand their product lines to include beauty products, and the beauty industry continues moving toward natural ingredients, as well as rediscovering ancient beauty recipes from around the world, expect to see more beauty products based on ingredients we typically think of as food.
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