Sifa's Corner: Cinnamon scrub

Cinnamon, known for its distinct aroma, is a spice that is not only useful for cooking but also remarkable for health benefits.

Here are some of the benefits of cinnamon on your health:

Increases the blood flow
Has anti-microbial property
Lowers cholesterol
Increases collagen production
It’s a great anti-oxidant.

Researchers have found that, cinnamon increases the production of collagen on skin. You will not get miraculous result overnight, but regular intake of cinnamon specially topical usage (using directly on the skin) shows improvement in skin quality.

Many well known companies are making & marketing cinnamon scrubs and facial creams. The main ingredient of these products is lying on your kitchen counters, Cinnamon.

I like Cinnamon as a scrub. Many people use Sugar for scrubbing their face. I find it too harsh. After all I am using it on my face, not on my floor!

WHAT WILL IT DO:

This scrub will get rid of flaky skin.
Get rid of blackhead/whiteheads. Click here for the complete article on black-white head removal process.
It can also be used as a lip-exfoliator!
Gets rid of acne.
You can also use this scrub on your body for glowing and smoother skin.

So scroll down to know how I use cinnamon as an exfoliating scrub.

WHAT WILL YOU NEED:

Oatmeal (or Flour if you don’t have oatmeal)

Cinnamon powder.
(If you don’t have powdered cinnamon, then just take some cinnamon sticks and grind into powder with your blender or food processor.)

Warm water

PROCEDURE:

1. Take 1 teaspoon of oatmeal or flour. I am using flour.

2. Take 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

3. Mix these 2 ingredients with warm water. Mix well.

4. You don’t want the mixture to be runny. It should be thick so that when you apply it to the face it does not drip. (If it has become runny, then add more flour, but not cinnamon. )

5. Apply this scrub gently with your finger tips in a circular motion. Scrub from inside to the outside of your face & neck.

6.

Scrub for 30 sec to 1 minute and then wash with cold water.

7.

If you are using this scrub for your body, then mix some body wash onto the scrub. If you are using a soap bar, then just use the soap 1^st, then take the scrub mixture and massage it on your body.

CAUTION:

Cinnamon causes a tingling sensation when applied on the skin. So when you are using this scrub for 1^st time, take a small amount of the mixture in your finger tips, dilute it with water and gently apply on the face. When you get accustomed with the sensation, take more mixture and scrub as usual.

If the tingling sensation is bothering you too much, don’t panic! Just wash your face with clean water and the tingling will be gone.

If you use too much cinnamon in the scrub mixture, it will cause more tingling. The very first time I used it, it felt like my skin is burning. That’s because I didn't measure the cinnamon and kind of “poured” it onto the bowl. So that’s why it is important to measure the ingredients while making the scrub.

Avoid using near the eye area and on any active acne area.

The skin will look a little red after using this. That’s because cinnamon increases the blood flow, and the scrubbing-massaging-skin part also increases blood flow. This will minimize after 10-15 minutes.

Here are the pictures to prove the result.

The following picture is showing the redness after using the scrub.