Cucumber is very well known all over the world for its versatile benefits. From western dishes such as salad mixture to the famous Japanese sushi rolls cucumber has made its way into many people’s heart. With its fresh taste and crunchy yet watery texture, cucumber eaten raw is as good as it is in a dish.
Not only cucumber is tasty, but it also contains health benefits such as vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese and beta – carotene. These nutritious substances are not only good for our health from the inside but also can be beneficial for our hair and skin appearance.
CUCUMBER BENEFIT FOR OUR SKIN
If you recall some of the movies that you watched growing up, did you not remember some scenes where the woman were just simply putting sliced cucumber on their tired eyes every time they are having some down time?
It turned out that cucumber and its benefit for our skin has been very famous since a quite long time ago. Below are some facts about cucumber compounds that are good for our skin especially for our sleepless eyes.
1.Ascorbic and Caffeic Acid
These two ingredients in cucumber are highly responsible for easing the puffiness under your eyes or many people know it as your eye bag. This is due to their ability to lower down the water retention under your eyes.
2.Anti – Oxidant and Silica Compound
Sleepless eyes usually can cause your skin to be less rejuvenated. Simply putting the sliced cucumber on your eyes can also help to rejuvenate the skin around it as anti –oxidant and silica compound can help to hydrate your skin and make it look less tired.
3.Vitamin E and Potassium
Nobody wants to wake up in the morning and find those fine age line on the side on their eyes this can simply be not the best way to start your day. However, due to the vitamin E and potassium substance that is found in cucumber, putting cucumber eye mask or sliced cucumber around your eyes regularly can help to reduce these fine lines.
4.High Water Level
There is a reason why there are many cucumber based skin product out there, from moisturizer to eye mask. This is due to cucumber contains about 95% water in its fruit. Using cucumber as ingredients of your skin care can help your skin to maintain its moisture level and also it can keep your skin texture subtle.
5.Skin Lightening Compounds
Cucumber also contains mild skin lightening effect that you can rely on. This is why using the cucumber eye mask or sliced cucumber regularly around your eyes can help the tired skin under your eyes can look more glowing and lighter.
MAKING YOUR CUCUMBER EYE MASK
Even though there are wide ranges of cucumber eye mask out there sold at the counter, however it is always best to make your own eye mask. This is not because all of eye masks sold out there contain chemical ingredients, but our eyes and the skin surrounding them can be slightly more sensitive compared to the other skin part on our body. Hence, it is always better if we know the content of the mask very well to make sure our eyes won’t be irritated from the mask.
There are two ways that you can make the cucumber eye mask, the first one is with cotton dipped in your mask, and the second one is simply cucumber mask mixed with other ingredients and just apply that mixture under your eyes
COTTON SOAKED IN CUCUMBER EYE MASK
All you need to have for this recipe most of the times can be found in your house already or if not, you can easily buy them in your usual grocery stores. You will need 1 piece of fresh cucumber and soft square cotton pad, organic is better.
How to make this eye mask is very easy. Diced your cucumber with its peel and place them into your food processor or blender. Why with its skin? Because its skin contains high level of anti – oxidant that is good for your skin.
Pour your mixture to a bowl. If your puree is not watery enough due to the ripeness of your cucumber, you can add a bit of water to your mixture to get a paste-y texture that can stick to your cotton pad.
Now start placing the square cotton pad into your mixture. Make sure that your cotton’s size is a bit wider than your eyes, if it is too big, you can cut and adjust the size. Leave the cotton pad soaked in the cucumber mixture for at least one minute.
After one minute, you can take out your cotton pad and place them in a zip lock bag and store in refrigerator. Simply take a couple of cotton pad every day and wait until they are not too cold before placing them on your eyes, and relax. Let the cucumber do its job.
You can keep this cotton pads mixture for a week or two. It probably can last longer than that, but it is always best to use the freshly made soaked cotton pad as your eyes area can be pretty sensitive.
To add more anti – oxidant compounds in your eye mask, you can replace the water with green tea. Simply boil the green tea and filter the waste and use only the green tea water to soak your cotton pad
CUCUMBER PUREE MASK
The second recipe is even simpler than before. All you need to have is a piece of cucumber and food processor.
Place your diced cucumber, with or without its skin, in your food processor and blend them well. Once you achieve the right consistency. The consistency of this mixture has to be denser than the mixture to soak your cotton pad.
Apply the mask to the skin under your eyes and let it rest for about couple of minutes. Rinse with cold running water after about 10 – 15 minutes and repeat the use of this eye mask every day to enjoy maximum result.
MAXIMIZE THE RESULT
All the above recipes can help you with your tired eyes. However, it is always best to support the job of your cucumber mask with healthy lifestyle. Getting enough rest can be vital when we talk about the healthiness of your skin in general and especially the skin around your eyes. Eating proper diet filled with fruit and veggies can also help your skin to be better looking. All this effort won’t let you down in making you and your skin healthier than ever.
Leave a Reply