Urad Dal Homemade Beauty Recipes

Urad Dal (Black gram), a very popular ingredient in South Indian cuisine is widely used in the preparation of mouth-watering probiotic culinary delicacies like  Dosa, iIdi and Vada, and crispy, delectable  Urad Papads.This highly nutritious pulse is low in fat and cholesterol and a rich source of protein and fiber and is recommended for diabetics also. The nutritional protein in Urad dal is comparable to the protein derived from animal sources and hence a wonderful substitute  for vegetarians to make up for mineral deficiencies arising from an all-veggie diet. Apart from its use in culinary delights, Urad Dal is also an ingredient  in quite a few Ayurvedic medicines. Furthermore, in ancient times, Urad (Black Lentil) was also used as a beauty aid, in fact as a scrub to massage the body.

"black lentil" is usually the whole urad bean or urad dal.Buy from here.	"white lentil" is the same lentil with the black skin removed. Buy from here.

Here are some Homemade Beauty Recipes with Urad Dal

Urad Dal Pack for removing tan and healing sunburn

Soak 1/4 cup of Urad Dal in water overnight. In the morning, grind it in a mixie, add curds / yoghurt to this mixture and apply it to your face and other affected parts of your body such as hands and neck. Let it stay for 15 minutes and then wash off. Do this every alternate day to get rid of tan and ease sunburn.

Urad Dal Face Pack for soft, smooth skin

To impart softness and moisture to the skin, use the following face pack. To  a fine powder of ural dal,  add Rose water, Glycerin and almond oil and apply it to your face. Leave for 15 minutes and then wash off with cold water.

Urad Dal Pack for back acne and prickly heat rashes

For acne on your back (commonly called as bacne) and even for prickly heat rashes on your back, the following pack will provide considerable relief. Prepare a mixture of  1 tsp of masoor dal (red lentils) powder, 1 tsp of urad dal powder and 1 tsp of orange peel powder. Add cucumber juice to this mixture and apply it on the affected parts on your back and let it stay until it dries. Then wash off with cold water.

Urad Dal Fairness Face Pack for facial skin lightening / brightening and bleaching

For those with dull and uneven skin tone, this Urad Dal Protein Mask will work wonders. Additionally it will bleach your skin, nourish it and make you look fair with a radiant glow. You can prepare this mask by first soaking 1/4 cup of urad dal and 8 almonds in water overnight. In the morning, grind them to a pasty consistency. Apply it to your face and let it stay for 20-25 minutes.  Then wash it off with cold water.

Urad Dal Face Pack for Oily Skin

Oily skin will benefit greatly with this face mask. To 1 tbsp of Urad Dal, add 1 tbsp of multani mitti (fuller's earth) (buy from here), Rose water, 1-2 tsp honey and 3-4 drops of lemon juice.

Urad Dal Body Scrub

As mentioned earlier, Urad was used since ancient times for massaging the body. For this body scrub, you have to prepare a slightly coarse powder from 1/2 cup of Urad Dal and add 1/2 cup of Besan (chick pea flour). Mix well. Now add sufficient milk to this mixture to form a paste. Now gently rub this  paste all over your body. After 10-15 minutes take a bath without using a soap. The pack will not only get rid of dead skin cells but will also make your skin soft and moist. Check this Body softening mask as well.

Urad Dal Hair Packs for Nourishment

1) Make a hair pack by mixing one egg yolk, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp Urad Dal (black gram) flour in 1 cup yogurt and apply to your hair. Wash after 4 hours.
2) This  pack conditions and nourishes the scalp. Take 1 tbsp urad dal powder, 1 tbsp henna powder, 1 tbsp methi (Fenugreek) powder, 1 tbsp Amla Powder, 1 tbsp of Brahmi Powder, 1 tbsp of Besan (chickpea flour), 1 tbsp Reetha Powder, 1 tbsp Shikakai Powder, 1 tbsp coconut oil / olive oil /Mustard oil/ Sesame oil. Add sufficient curds /yoghurt to this mixture and combine well and keep it aside for 1/2 an hour. Before applying this pack, blend a few hibiscus leaves, egg yolk and 1 tbsp lemon juice and add to the above mixture mixture. Massage it gently into your scalp with fingers and all along your hair as well. Let it stay for 1-2 hours. Then wash off with a mild shampoo or homemade herbal shampoos. Also read the post Eggs for beautiful hair.

Urad Dal hair pack for dense, thick and black hair

Washing the hair with a paste of cooked black gram dal, (urad dal) and fenugreek (methi) promotes hair growth. Soak 1/4 cup of Urad dal and cook it in a pressure cooker; then blend it in a mixie to a pasty consistency. Add methi (Fenugreek) seeds powder  or a paste of fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves to it and apply on your scalp. Leave it for 2 hours. Then wash off with lukewarm water. This is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy that promotes lush growth of hair and makes it grow strong and black. Do this once in a week. You may also try this Herbal hair oil and herbal remedy for hair loss.

Urad Dal Hair Pack for Split Ends

This pack is almost similar to the above one. Instead of cooked urad dal, you have to grind  3 Tbsp of raw urad dal powder with 1 Tbsp of fenugreek (methi) seeds to a coarse powder. Then add sufficient curds / yoghurt and mix well. Apply generously all over the scalp. Apply thoroughly to your scalp and hair. Wash after 1-2 hours with lukewarm water. Works well for split ends. Also read the post Aloe oil for split ends in the hair.