Health and Beauty Benefits of Yogurt (Dahi)

Yogurt is a healthy food which contains a lot of vitamins. It is good or dry skin as well as oily skin. It helps to remove acne from face, reduces dandruff from hairs, and provides soft, smooth and shiny skin. Yogurt's got power-boosting protein and bone-building calcium. It can also help you lose weight and fend off a cold. Here's the scoop on the benefits of yogurt -- and how much you should eat. Whether you opt for greek yogurt, organic or soy you'll starting seeing results instantly.

11. Health and Beauty Benefits of Yogurt (Dahi)

1. Yogurt is Loaded with Vitamins

One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. "Vitamin B12 is found mostly in animal products, such as chicken and fish, so strict vegetarians can easily fall short," says Jackie Newgent, RD, a FITNESS advisory board member and author of Big Green Cookbook. Eating more yogurt can help close the nutrient gap: An eight-ounce serving contains 1.4 micrograms of the vitamin, about 60 percent of what adult women need daily.

2. Calcium

Much of the epidermal layer of the skin consists of calcium! It is not only necessary for strong bones and teeth but also skin regeneration. Being a derivative of milk, yogurt is jam packed with calcium, which has great anti-oxidant power. The anti-oxidants provided by calcium help prevent and also heal dry scaly skin. Calcium in yogurt also facilitates skin renewal.

3. Yogurt may prevent high blood pressure

Every day 70 percent of us consume more than twice the recommended amount of salt; over time that can lead to hypertension and kidney and heart disease. The potassium in yogurt, almost 600 milligrams per eight ounces, may help flush some of the excess sodium out of your body. In fact, adults in a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition who ate the most low-fat dairy -- two or more servings daily -- were 54 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate the least.

4. Natural Moisturizer and Skin Brightener

Revive a tired and dull complexion by gently massaging thick yogurt on damp skin. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then wash with tepid water. The lactic acid is a natural hydroxyl-acid that helps exfoliate, hydrate and sooth skin.

Add natural glow to the skin by making a homemade face pack using yogurt, masoor lentils and orange peel. Grind the ingredients together, apply the pack on the face and leave it on for 15 minutes before washing to reveal a fresher and brighter complexion. If you have dry skin, add some honey to provide the extra moisture required by the skin.

Another face pack can be made by blending 4 tbsp. yogurt with 1 tbsp. cocoa powder and 1 tbsp. honey. Apply the mask on the face for 20 minutes before washing with lukewarm water to get rid of dull and tired skin.

5. Tightening skin pores

To shrink and tighten large pores on skin, gently spread a teaspoon of plain yogurt on your face. Wait for about 10-15 minutes to let it get absorbed and then rinse with cool water. Immediately after removing the face mask, remember to use a moisturizer (if you want to go natural, you can use olive oil). This is because the yogurt mask can leave your skin feeling a bit stiff and tight.

6. Cures Sunburn

Yogurt helps a lot to treat sunburns naturally. Yogurt contains zinc that helps provide relief from the burning and itching sensation that sunburns provide. Make a mixture of yogurt by adding some chamomile essential oil. Rub the paste over the sunburn and let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing it off.

7. Fights Pimples and Acne

You can include yogurt in your daily diet or make a nourishing face pack to cure acne. Due to its acidic nature, yogurt destroys various acne-causing bacteria, fungus and germs within the body.

Apply some creamy yogurt on the face and wash after 30 minutes with water to deep cleanse the skin and reduce breakouts.

Alternatively, you may make a paste of yogurt with some turmeric powder, sugar and sandalwood powder. Massage the paste on the skin and rinse off with cold water after 15 minutes.

8. Curd pack for oily skin

The face pack made for individuals with dry skin will not suite with someone having oily skin. But, it is possible to create a healthy and effective face pack for oily skin by using curd. Here you have to take a teaspoon of powdered multani mitti and add some curd. But it is essential to add hung curd in this mask. This hung curd can be made very easily at home. You have to take a muslin cloth and add 2 tablespoon of curd in it. Tie the cloth containing the curd and hang it for a period of two hours. Keep a container in the place where it is hanged as water will drop down from the curd and form hung curd. Now mix it with dried neem powder and apply on your face.

9. Wrinkle-free face

One of the most valued benefits of yogurt for skin is that it has anti-aging properties that help fight off free radicals. These free radicals damage skin cells by stripping off oxygen molecules from them. They also cause fine lines and wrinkles to appear on skin. When waiting for the yogurt to settle and dry out on your face, ensure that you don’t smile, talk or move your face muscles as these may actually form wrinkles on your face.

10. Adds shine to dry hair

Hair usually becomes rough and dry in winters. This can pose a problem for many but you always need expensive haircare products. Whip out half cup of curd with 2 tablespoons of almond oil and 2 beaten eggs. This paste may be a bit messy but will give you good results. Apply it on your scalp as well as hair and wear a plastic cap to let it nourish your hair. Wash away with a shampoo after 30 minutes.

11. Get Rid of Split Ends and Hair Fall

Split ends indicate under-nourished and less hydrated hair. Make a pack by mashing 250 grams papaya with half-cup yogurt. Whip the ingredients together until you have a smooth consistency. Apply the mixture on the hair and let it do its work for 60 minutes before rinsing with a mild shampoo. If hair loss is your concern, make a paste of yogurt and some ground fenugreek seeds. Apply it on the scalp and leave it on for 45 minutes before washing.