 The humble tomato is one item no kitchen shelf is ever without, no matter what the season or location. Perhaps this is why most of us take the tomato for granted and do not appreciate the tremendous health and beauty benefits it brings. Not many of us relish getting pelted on the face with tomatoes, but believe it or not, tomatoes are excellent for the skin. In fact, as far as anti-ageing products go, tomatoes rank high on the list. Tomatoes are rich in anti-oxidants and so they counter the ageing effects on the skin, by cutting out the number of free radicals in your body. Free radicals break down the support system for your hair and skin, so it makes sense to eat a tomato a day. In addition, tomatoes help preserve moisture levels in the body. In the summer or winter, when our skin is exposed to artificial heating or cooling, moisture levels in our body fall. We need to constantly replenish this water supply, or our body will start sucking moisture from the skin and the hair. In addition to eating a tomato a day, it makes sense to drink no less than 10 to 12 glasses of water daily. If your skin is oily, you can apply tomatoes to your face. It counters oily skin by absorbing surplus oil and also helps get rid of pimples and acne. Apply undiluted tomato paste to your face and leave on for 15 minutes. Wash off with warm, not hot, water. In addition, tomatoes also help lighten the complexion, especially if mixed with cucumber juice. This makes a great face mask for oily skin. Place a cucumber slice on each eyelid and cover the rest of your face with the mask, taking care to avoid the delicate under-eye area. If your skin is dry, you can add some day-old curd to the tomato paste and then apply to your skin. Tomato masks have excellent anti-ageing properties, so start applying them once you cross the age of 25. If your skin starts burning when you apply to tomato mask, wash it off. You should feel a gentle tingling sensation after applying the tomato but if it stings too much, you could wash it off and add curd before applying the mask. Do you have a boil or a pimple? Apply tomato paste to it. The acids from the tomato will soothe the pain of a boil and will also speed its recovery. Slightly red cheeks look healthy and very appealing. Eating tomatoes regularly gives you a pink and glowing complexion, so eat up!  Hair Tip If ever your hair has absorbed foul odor which you are not able to lose despite shampooing it, a great way to neutralize this odor and get rid of the smell would be to apply undiluted tomato paste to your scalp. Leave on for fifteen minutes and then wash it off. Your hair should be odor-free, and dandruff free. |
