6 New Ways to Use Cucumber
Cucumbers are a grossly an underrated fruit – yes, they’re classified as a fruit (go figure). And try out these new and amazing cucumber uses.
- Using cucumbers as a beauty-agent is hardly unheard of, but not enough people avail this option to fullest. Grate them and apply the paste around your eyes. It’s an amazing way to get rid of dark circles.
- You can even use cut slices and place them over your eyes for ten minutes while you’re lying down. It’ll work wonders.
- Dabbing your face with cucumber juice is great way to alleviate sun-burn. This juice is also great for getting rid of blemishes.
- Mix it with coconut water and apply to whiten your tone, or mix it (in equal amounts) with lemon juice to help fade your acne scars. You’ll be amazed at how incredibly effective this homemade solution is.
- You could even mix it with curd and lather your face, leaving it for 15 minutes to get rid of an oily complexion. And the best part is, it’s cheap, easy to make and completely organic!
This fruit is quite possibly one of the best things you could use for on your skin. Not only does it have the same pH as skin, but the high water content helps relieve tenderness. Cucumbers go a long way in soothing irritation and reducing swelling, especially around the eyes.
- Let’s not overlook cucumber’s culinary utility. Not many people do this, but consider eating cucumber with its peel on. The ‘chilka’ is a storehouse of nutrients, the least of which are silica, potassium and magnesium. Dieticians actually recommend cucumbers for the skin, to raise you serum silica levels as this is essential for healthy connective tissue – we’re talking bones, skin, muscles, ligaments and cartilage. Yeah, we said skin again. This wonder-fruit helps your skin from the inside AND out.
- This is going to sound completely wacky, but adding cucumber to your bath is great for your whole body. The proportions recommended are:
- 2 cups of Epson salt
- 1 sliced cucumber
- Handful of peppermint leaves
- Few drops of any essential oil
This batch mix has been proven by a research conducted by the University of Maryland to decrease stress and depression, relieve headaches and alleviate skin irritation due to hives or poison ivy.
- Has your regular swim routine damaged your hair from all the chlorine? Fear not, cucumber is the cure you’re looking for. It’s said to be a magical quick fix to chlorine damage.
- Just blend one egg
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- quarter of a cucumber
- Spread it evenly and rinse after 10-15 minutes
If you hit the pool regularly, try doing this every month for maximum impact.
- Cucumbers are the perfect raw material for any ‘raita’, due to their tangy taste and high water content. Just toss in two cups of low-fat yogurt, one minced cucumber, 2-3 tablespoons of fresh mint, a quarter table-spoon of spice and salt and pepper and voila!
- We would be remiss without talking about pickles. The recipe is a bit long, so we won’t include the whole thing (it can easily be found with any quick internet search), but their claim to fame is that they’re a great way to add pizzazz to your meal and they last ages if canned, and a month if uncanned and just in the fridge.
Whatever way you look at it, cucumbers need to be at the top of your shopping list!
