Benefits of Cucumber for Skin

While luxurious skin treatments and luxurious facials may seem tempting, you don’t always have to break the bank to get healthy, glowing skin. Sometimes simple ingredients like plants are just what your skin is craving. One of our favorite skin-friendly plants? Cucumbers!

What does cucumber do to your skin?

Cucumber belongs to the gourd family, which also includes squash, pumpkin, and zucchini. Cucumbers are known for being crunchy and cooling, but they’re also great for your skin and are a known skin superfood. They have been used in skin care for decades to address common skin concerns such as hydration, aging, and inflammation. Let’s take a look at the main benefits of cucumber for the skin:

Packed with Skin-Lovin’ Nutrients

Cucumbers contain a lot of vitamins and nutrients that make them a priority when it comes to skincare. Vitamins play a key role in overall health but are especially effective in promoting skin health when applied topically.

Cucumbers are filled up with antioxidants, which are molecules that help in fighting oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Vegetables and fruits are mostly rich in antioxidants, but cucumbers in particular contain vitamin C, folic acid, and caffeic acid. Vitamin C, often associated with citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, is an antioxidant that cleanses and brightens the skin. Folic acid and caffeic acid help increase collagen production and defend against signs of premature aging. Collagen production typically decreases over time, so it’s beneficial to incorporate ingredients like caffeic acid and folic acid into your daily skincare routine.

Hydrate the skin

Keeping skin hydrated helps improve elasticity and firmness. A lack of hydration can make a visible difference to your skin in that it can look dry and flaky and more prone to fine lines and wrinkles. Keep your skin healthy and glowing by adding moisturizing ingredients like cucumber to your skin.

Similar to aloe vera, cucumbers contain polysaccharides that help the skin attract and retain moisture. Cucumbers also consist mostly of water; they are 96% water to be exact. This high water content is a key benefit of cucumbers in that it allows them to provide excellent hydration to the skin.

Even though cucumbers have such a high water content, they can’t keep your skin properly hydrated by themselves. Follow the tips on how to hydrate your skin and remember to hydrate your skin every day – no excuses!

Soothe inflammation

Cucumbers have a soothing and cooling effect on the skin, making them particularly useful for those with sensitive or irritated skin, although they are suitable for all skin types. They also have anti-inflammatory properties in that they help reduce morning puffiness and swelling. 

Alleviate heatstroke

Spending too much time in the sun? Or maybe you forgot to reapply sunscreen? Aloe vera is popular for sunburn relief, but cucumber also does its thing. It can soothe slightly burnt or damaged skin and, thanks to its cooling properties, helps to reduce sunburn.

Great for acne-prone skin

Cucumbers are mildly astringent, meaning they tighten and tighten pores, help regulate oil production, and also reduce the appearance of enlarged pores.

7 ways to use cucumber

1. To get help with puffy eyes apply a cooling eye treatment 

We all lead hectic lives, and many of us sleep less than we need (or want). For this reason, puffy eyes are something that we all experience at one point or another. Fortunately, a chilled cucumber can help decongest the eye area as well as provide some cooling relief for general irritation.

Cucumber juice can not only reduce puffiness in the eye area, but it can also soothe damaged skin and make your eyes look and feel fresh. This is due to the vitamin C and folic acid content of cucumber.

But don’t forget the eye cream! Cucumber does not have the power to moisturize the eye area based on its water content alone. To lock in hydration, you should use an eye cream of your choice after the cucumber eye treatment.

2. Spray on a personal toner to soothe burned or damaged skin

Sometimes, even on the best days with sunscreen, we still get sunburned. Homemade cucumber toner can help with damaged skin and provides a cooling effect.

Make your own cooling toner (based on this recipe):

Wash, peel and slice the cucumber and add to a pan with enough water to cover the cucumber pieces.

Heat over low heat for about 5-7 minutes before transferring the contents to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth.

From there, pour the mixture through a fine sieve or wring it out with a cloth to remove any unblended bits.

Transfer the remaining liquid to a sprayer or other sterilized container.

Feel free to add a teaspoon of rose water or witch hazel to enhance the hydrating and healing mixture.

3. Make a cucumber mask to help with irritated and acne-prone skin

Cucumber is also extremely beneficial for people with irritated and acne-prone skin. Infuse the soothing ingredients of cucumber water with bentonite clay to create a mask that may protect against swelling and skin irritation.

For acne-prone skin, cucumber juice may help dilute strong essential oils like tea tree oil. This way, you can fight pimples without drying or stinging your skin. Cucumber can also be rubbed directly onto the skin, over acne blemishes, or even put under the sheets while you wait.

4. Wash your face with cucumber water

For an easy morning wash, mix cucumber water with other beneficial ingredients like aloe vera, green tea, or castile soap. (Also, if your tap water source is questionable, cucumber water might be a good substitute.)

You can also splash cucumber water on your face to feel fresh and awake at any time of the day.

5. Make a DIY cucumber body lotion

Making your own cucumber-based body lotion is quick and easy. Take your regular DIY milk recipe and use cucumber water instead of normal water.

A blend of aloe vera, vitamin E, and coconut milk to create an all-natural hydrating body lotion.

6. Relax with a hydrating cucumber mask

Since cucumber is 96 percent water, you can mix it with other natural ingredients to create a mask that helps exfoliate your skin and absorb the cucumber’s soothing properties.

Use kitchen scraps: A mixture of cucumber, honey, and yogurt combine to create a moisturizing and pleasantly smelling mask. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add ingredients like oats to the mix for soothing and exfoliating properties.

7. Eat, drink and mix your skincare

Water is something your body needs to perform vital functions—from temperature regulation to maintain a healthy digestive system—so adding sliced ​​cucumber to the water you drink is a wonderful way to hydrate. Especially if you don’t like the taste of clean water.

5 cucumber products to try

Want to cut right to the chase and not worry about your DIY treatment growing moldy? Try professionally formulated products instead. You will find it labeled as a “Cucumis sativus” ingredient.

And if your skin really drinks cucumber, make sure it’s one of the first ingredients on the list. This increases the likelihood of potency.