Kavi (El Dorado, Tunapuna, Trinidad ) on 08/11/2009

My mom suggested that I use tumeric powder as a paste on my face to remove some dark spots around the crease of my mouth. Having tried it several times over the past 2 weeks (not quite every day), I can say pretty confidently that it has been the best thing I have ever used on my skin, even beating ACV.

It is a commonly known home remedy among Indian people, since we use tumeric powder (or hardi/haldi, as we call it here) daily in curries, in tea and also in Hindu prayers. In fact, during Hindu weddings, which can last for days, we have something called Hardi ki Raat (the Night of Tumeric, lol), when the bride's whole body is consistently rubbed down with tumeric and coconut oil for hours during general festivities so that her skin looks amazing on her wedding night. Well, I wonder why we ever switched to store-bought stuff, since this works so well!

Needless to say, it did remove those marks and the dark areas under my eyes which I've always had (and my mom and grandma also have). It generally evens the tone of my skin to a very noticeable extent. It tightens the pores and makes my skin very smooth and even gives it a beautiful warm, healthy glow - which is amazing as I have PCOS and my skin has suffered many hormonal ravages. Though my PCOS is under control, I sometimes get one or two pimples and the tumeric starts drying them up upon application so that they never develop. It is also the only thing that helped the dry patches of skin on my legs left from recently using a soap that I was allergic to - clearing it up and leaving it healed in 2 days after a few days of it not healing on its own.

I basically use it by mixing 1 tbsp. in a small bowl with some milk and a bit of sugar (as a mild exfoliant). I rub my face and any other problem areas with this and leave it on for as long as possible before I shower, usually for about 15-20 mins.

One **major warning** is that tumeric stains very easily and it is difficult to get out of fabric, which is why I apply it while naked and before a bath. It can slightly stain your nails too, so I use it at night and the color fades by morning. I'm experimenting with using something thicker than milk as a base, such as honey or beeswax, so it doesn't drip everywhere. I tried using 1 tbsp. tumeric in some honey with a tiny splash of ACV and sugar, which worked fantastically, even better than the milk.

You can try a lot of different things, but the tumeric itself is great for your skin!