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The health and beauty industry is enormous, and that means there are various truths and myths regularly doing the rounds. Finding out which of these are reliable, and which are worth ignoring is an essential factor in not only ensuring you don’t fall foul of health complications but also gives you a better chance of grabbing the genuine benefits of certain items.
Have you ever heard about cardamom? If so, you’ve probably heard about it in relation to cookery, because this powerful and aromatic spice is commonly used in Middle Eastern, African, and Indian dishes. It’s therefore no surprise that cardamom is from these regions, and it is also known locally as the ‘queen of spices’, with the official name of elettaria Cardamomum.
The cardamom that is talked about in terms of an ingredient in health and beauty products is in oil form, and is steam removed from dried cardamom itself.
For years, cardamom has been used for the body, skin, and hair, and one of the most popular products over the last few years is cardamom soap. This has been used for skin softening and or its anti-inflammatory properties, but is also heavily reputed to help with skin whitening endeavors.
Does Cardamom Work For Skin Whitening?
The jury is out, but what cardmom does do is reduce the amount of melanin in the epidermis of the skin.
Melanin is basically what determines your skin tone, so the more melanin which is present in the epidermis, i.e., the top layer of your skin, the darker your skin tone will be. There are also many environmental factors which can determine how dark your skin will appear, including exposure to the sun’s rays.
Turmeric is another spice which has the same type of effect on the skin, and both have been bandied around as ways to lighten skin tone.
Again, does it really work?
There is no 100% solid evidence, however, the reduction in melanin is linked with a lighter skin tone, so there may very well be some truth in this rumor.
Cardamom soap has long been used in the beauty industry for this very reason, but even if it doesn’t drastically reduce skin tone for you, you will will grab some very beneficial skin effects from making use of cardamom in your skin care routine.
The Benefits of Cardamom for the Skin Include
- High vitamin C content, which nourishes and boosts circulation
- Helps in the battle against aging
- Can help reduce the effect of sun damage (although best to avoid sun damage in the first place)
- Helps to give a brighter, glowing complexion
- Antibacterial properties are good for skin irritation, including acne
- A great natural cleansing product
- A great natural toning product
Cardamom also has many benefits for the body, including the digestive system, and the hair. Many hair mask recipes include cardamom, especially as a natural answer to dandruff.
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Would You Try Cardamom?
It is a personal decision on whether to try cardamom with the sole intention of lightening skin tone, or whether to simply benefit from the anti-bacterial properties, as well as the natural cleansing and toning effects.
Cardamom soap is sold online widely, promising lighter skin with prolonged use, but you should always exercise caution in listening to such claims solidly. Yes, there is evidence to suggest cardamom could lighten skin over time, but this is not likely to be a very strong lightening, and it would also need to be used on a continuous basis, to maintain the lightening effect.
The skin will simply revert back to normal melanin production after a period of not using the oil, be it in an oil mixture or as a soap. The same can be said for turmeric, which is sold with a similar claim.
Cardamom has long been used in ancient Ayurvedic medicine, as well as aromatherapy. For that reason, if you choose to make use of cardamom in your skin care routine, then you certainly won’t be disappointed in the positive benefits, whether it works on lightening your skin or not.
Perhaps the best course of action is to see how it works for you as an individual, as it does totally depend on the amount of melanin your body produces for your skin alone.
If you are looking for a natural ingredient that has some solid evidence for lightening the skin, check out Kojic Acid. We like this serum from Amazon for lightening the skin.
To your beautiful skin,
Nicola
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