Washing your face with milk every day, yay or nay

We’re constantly told that milk is great for our health, it gives us strong bones and teeth.

Milk is also a product you can use to achieve beautiful skin.

It contains a variety of vitamins and minerals which nourish the skin and make it healthier. You can use it topically on your skin.

This article looks at how washing your face with milk every day will improve your skin.

Milk has been used for hundreds of years to improve the appearance of the skin. It softens the skin, moisturises it, soothes it, exfoliates it and can be used on the rest of the body as well.

It is a well-loved and widely used ingredient in skincare products and can be used straight out of the carton onto your face

Washing your face with milk every day

Can I apply milk on my face everyday?

Yes, you can apply milk on your face every day.

Using milk on your face every day will form a part of a content skincare routine and this consistency will ensure that you get the best results out of your skincare products.

Nothing happens overnight, if you have skin issues they probably took a while to develop so you need to give milk time to change your skin.

It takes a while to get to a point where you can see a great difference.

Using milk on your face every day will also maintain your skin after the improvement.

This maintenance is needed so that your skin doesn’t go back to how it was before you started using the milk.

Benefits of using milk on skin

Skin brightening:

Milk contains an ingredient called lactic acid. This is a natural chemical exfoliator. The skin constantly products new fresh skin cells.

The old dead skin cells create a barrier on your skin and this barrier makes your skin dull.

This barrier needs to be removed by some form of the exfoliation to allow the newer fresher skin cells to come to the surface.

When you use milk on the skin the lactic acid loosens and breaks the bonds between the dead skin cells and the new skin cells.

This sloughs off the dead skin cells. The new skin cells become exposed, when the dead skin cells are removed you get brighter skin

This exfoliator also contains lactic acid, it is well-loved and widely used.

Softer skin:

Dead skin cells collect on your skin if not removed.

This can result in rougher and drier skin. You need to get rid of this layer of dead skin cells from your face to achieve softer skin.

You can remove this layer by means of exfoliation. When you remove the dead skin cells you’ll be left with the fresher, newer skin cells and this translates to soft skin

Cleanses the skin:

Milk contains a fat-soluble enzyme called lipase. This enzyme removes oil-soluble impurities from the skin.

These impurities include the excess sebum (skin oil) on your skin. Because of this enzyme, milk is a great product to use if you want to cleanse your skin in a  natural way.

Moisturising:

Not only can milk help cleanse your skin but it can also moisturise as well. Many facial cleansers can be harsh on your skin, they are amazing at cleansing but they also strip your skin of its sebum and moisture.

Milk cleanses while moisturising your skin thus preventing dry skin. Milk contains water, fats and proteins which nourish and moisturise the skin

Soothing and antiflamitory:

If your skin is irritated or sunburnt you can use milk as a treatment for your skin issues. It is anti-inflammatory, soothing and can be used as a cold compress.

The moisturising properties of milk also make it a great skin repairing treatment.

Tip: When using milk to heal irritation or sunburn do not use milk cream or whole fat milk as the high-fat content can insulate the sunburn.

Nutrients in milk:

  • Vitamin A
  • Biotin 
  • Vitamin D
  • Protein 
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin B12 
  • Lactic Acid 
  • Potassium 
  • Calcium 

How to use milk on skin:

As a cleanser: You can use milk to cleanse your skin and remove the excess sebum as well as unclog your pores. Here is how to wash your face with milk:

  1. Combine a few drops of rosewater to your milk and apply it to your face
  2. Massage the mixture into your skin using circular motions for 1-2 minutes. This gives the mixture enough time to work on your skin
  3. When you’re done massaging your skin wash your face off with warm water
  4. Pat dry your face with a soft clean face towel or wipe the water off with a cotton round.

As an exfoliator: This method will also help unclog your pores and to remove dead skin cells from your face

  1. Crush mung beans into a fine powder so it does not scratch your skin
  2. Add the milk to your powder. Mix the two ingredients to create a smooth paste. You can add more or less milk depending on the consistency you want
  3. Apply your mix to your clean face and let it sit for 10 minutes
  4. When time is up add water to your face and rub the mixture off

To soothe skin: This simple method helps soothe irritated or sunburnt skin

  1. Dip a cotton ball or a cotton round into your milk
  2. Place the soaked cotton round or cotton ball on the skin
  3. Remove the bottom ball when the skin feels calmer

Other cosmetic uses of milk

Anti-ageing treatment: Milk can help improve the appearance of a few signs of ageing. It can be used as an antiaging treatment to help treat fine lines, wrinkles, peeling skin, sunspots.

Face mask: Using milk in your face masks will give the skin more time to absorb the nutrients in the milk. You can add ingredients such as bananas or honey to your mask as well. This face mask is well-loved and contains milk.

In soap: Milk can be used in soap as well (like this one). There are hundreds of recipes online on how to incorporate milk of all kinds into your soap making recipe. Your skin will love the treatment it gets as you use the milk soap.

Washing your face with milk every day

Are other milk products beneficial for skin

Yes, other milk products are beneficial for the skin as well. Milk products contain vitamins and minerals that are great for your skin and hair as well.

Lactic acid, found in milk products, is a very beneficial ingredient that helps with exfoliation. The fats in other milk products help to moisturise the skin as well.

Other milk products that are great for skincare include yoghurt and ghee.

Is raw milk better than pasteurized milk

Yes, for the skin raw milk is better than pasteurised milk. Raw milk contains more vitamins and minerals than pasteurised milk.

When you turn raw milk into pasteurized milk the heating process changes the milk fat and protein structure.

In addition, when you pasteurize milk the enzymes in it which benefit the skin are destroyed. Both can be used on the skin but raw milk is superior because the vital nutrients are still intact.

Read more about using raw milk on your face here.

Side effects of milk on skin

Using milk on your face or ingesting it can come with some side effects.

There are many people who are lactose intolerant, if they digest milk they can develop some digestive issues.

Some people can develop a reaction if they use it on their face. This can result in itching, hives, redness and inflammation on the skin.

Before you use milk on your entire face you need to do a patch test to see how your skin reacts to the milk.

Do this by applying the milk on a small patch of your skin. Let the milk sit on your skin for 24 hours uninterrupted.

If nothing happens after 24 hours then you can use the milk on your whole face. If you experience any reaction then you shouldn’t use milk on your skin.

Can milk lighten your skin?

No, milk cannot lighten your skin but it can brighten the skin.

It has been thought that because lactic acid and exfoliation removes the top layer of dead skin cells that the milk will then lighten the skin, this isn’t the case.

Milk does remove dead skin cells from your face but this doesn’t alter the pigmentation of your skin and make your skin lighter.

There is no clinical evidence that suggests that milk will lighten the skin.

There are lightening treatments used by dermatologists which help with dark patches but these should not be used long term and without supervision as they can be harmful on the skin.

Which milk is best for skin?

The best milk for skin is full-fat cow milk. Full-fat cow milk has no fat removed.

This fat clings to the skin making your skin smoother and more moisturised. After use, your skin will feel well moisturised but won’t feel oily or greasy.

Another great milk to use on your skin is soured buttermilk as it contains high amounts of lactic acid. It is tarty because of the high amounts of lactic acid. This makes it great for exfoliation and cleansing.

Other types of milk you can use include goats milk, coconut milk and camel milk. These are harder to come by but they offer your skin a plethora of nutrients, vitamins and minerals

Read more about using goat milk here. Read more about using coconut milk here.

Can I leave milk on my face overnight?

Yes, you can leave milk on your face overnight. Using milk as a skin treatment at night rather than the morning is very beneficial for a variety of reasons:

Rejuvenation: The skin uses the nighttime to rejuvenate itself. At night, the skin creates new fresh skin cells and the dead skin cells die off.

The skin needs the optimum conditions to do this and it also needs nutrients. The nutrients in milk help the skin rejuvenate itself.

Your skin is cleansed: Throughout the day the sebum on the skin attracts dirt, bacteria, environmental irritants, debris and anything else floating around in the air.

You wash all this off in preparation for your nightly skin treatments. This cleansing allows the skin to breathe and absorb your products better, including the milk

Exfoliation: We generally don’t exfoliate in the morning because exfoliation removes the protective shield that the dead skin cells create.

Exfoliation exposes the fresher, newer, more fragile skin cells to the environment. If you exfoliate in the morning and don’t use sun protection you can cause sun damage to the new skin cells.

If you exfoliate at night and apply the milk after exfoliating the new fresh skin cells can absorb the nutrients in the milk without the hindrance of the dead skin cells.

How can I use milk on face at night?

You can choose to apply the milk on your face on its own and leave it overnight.

Alternatively, you can mix it in with another ingredient and apply it on your face overnight.

The additional ingredients you can choose to use include turmeric, egg white, honey or oats

  1. To make the overnight mask simply combine your milk and your other ingredient in a bowl
  2. Mix the ingredients until the mixture is runny or is at the consistency you like
  3. Apply the mask with a foundation brush or your fingers
  4. Let the mask work on your skin overnight as you sleep
  5. In the morning you can wash the mask off with warm water

Is milk good for oily face?

Because milk has a high-fat content using it on your face if you have oily skin may not be the best decision.

The high-fat content of the milk may make your skin even more oily and greasy.

Milk can combine with the excess sebum on your skin and can eventually clog your pores. This can cause breakouts such as blackheads, whiteheads and acne.

If you want the benefits of using milk on your skin without using milk then you can use milk powder.

Milk powder is a great alternative and you can find a milk powder for most kinds of milk. Read more about using milk powder on your skin here.

Can I apply yogurt on face everyday?

Yes, you can apply yoghurt on your face every day.

Using yoghurt on your face benefits your skin just as it would if you’re using the milk on your face as they are both from the dairy family.

In addition, yoghurt is more of a thick consistency, it applies easier.

Yoghurt contains nutrients and minerals which will give you glowing, radiant and rejuvenated skin.

It moisturises the skin, gives you a more glowing complexion, helps with inflammation and irritation and protects the skin from free radical damage as well as exfoliates the skin.

I hope you enjoyed this article looking at washing your face with milk every day, if you did please share it.

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