DIY Topical Curcumin (Turmeric)

There are two versions of topical curcumin treatment. The first one uses an oil base and the other one uses a hydroalcoholic base. For oily skin, use the curcumin dissolved in a water alcohol base.

• For an oil base Curcumin mask. Get 1 tsp. of McCormick Turmeric powder and 1 tsp. of olive oil or virgin coconut oil. Mix the ingredients until you have a paste like consistency. Apply the mixture on the areas to be treated.
  
• For a hydroalcoholic base Curcumin mask. Get 1 tsp. of McCormick Turmeric powder and 1 tsp. of 70% ethanol 30% water rubbing alcohol. Mix the ingredients and then put a small amount on inflamed pimples.

Topical curcumin is said to reduce the inflammation of pimples overnight. However, curcumin also imparts a "yellowish" color on the skin. If you are a "light skinned" person you should use topical niacinamide instead of topical curcumin.

References:

• The Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Uses of Curcumin in Health and Disease
  10.1007/978-0-387-46401-5_21 Bharat B. Aggarwal, Young-Joon Surh and Shishir Shishodia
• CLINICAL STUDIES WITH CURCUMIN by Chih-Hung Hsu and Ann-Lii Cheng
• Pharmacological activities of curcuma longa extracts - US Patent 6841177
• (WO/2004/047717) TOPICAL APPLICATION OF CURCUMIN

Page last modified: December 07, 2007