Christopher Columbus had titled Papaya as “The Fruit of the Angels” because it is loved by all and is quite famous for its luscious taste and rich texture as well as benefits. Talking about benefits, papaya also known as ‘Papita‘ in Hindi, ‘Boppayi Pandu‘ in Telugu, ‘Pappali‘ in Tamil, ‘Omakaya‘ in Malayalam, ‘Pappayi Hannu‘ in Kannada, ‘Papaiya‘ in Gujarati, ‘Papai‘ in Marathi, ‘Papita‘ in Bengali is one of those fruits that can offer tremendous benefits to your skin, hair and health.
Papaya – A Brief
Papaya is available throughout the year. It has a delicious sweet taste with a soft butter like consistency. This pear-shaped fruit is usually 7 inches long. The inside flesh is rich orange in colour with a slight shade of pink or yellow. Papaya has a lot of hidden benefits for skin, health and hair. Not just the fruit itself, but other parts of papaya also are very beneficial. Like ‘Papain’ commonly known as papaya enzyme is helpful in digesting proteins. It is extracted from the tree and the fruit to make dietary supplements, and is also used as a major ingredient in some chewing gums.
Papayas were originally found in Central America, while the explorers from Spain and Portugal helped bring this fruit to many other subtropical lands, which then journeyed to places like Philippines, some parts of Africa and India. Today, the US, Mexico and Puerto Rico are said to be the largest commercial producers of papaya in the world. Apart from Papains, papaya is also a rich source of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. The pulp of this fruit is also a basic component of many facial creams, and shampoos.
Skin Benefits Of Papaya:
Papaya, which is rich in so many healthy components, is best for skin care as it promises and works to provide you with healthy and glowing skin.
- Being a good source of Vitamin A and Papain, this fruit helps in removing dead skin cells along with breaking down the inactive proteins.
- The best feature of papaya is its ‘Low Sodium Quality’, thus resulting in very little retention of water. In simple words it means, it helps you keep your skin hydrated.
- Papaya is actually a wholesome fruit as it contains more Carotene when compared to other fruits like apple, custard apple, guava and plantains. Not being an expensive fruit, papaya is a common man’s fruit which is beneficial in many ways.
- The application of finely grounded paste of raw papaya on the face for 25 minutes helps reduce those unwanted pimples and other embarrassing blemishes on the face.
- Both, direct application and eating will help you achieve smooth, supple and soft skin.
- Regular consumption or application of papaya also provides shine to the skin, which comes from within and is long lasting.
- The mashed papaya can be used for treating the sore and cracked heels.
- Papaya also acts as a natural skin exfoliator.
- Application of papaya also helps in removing skin discoloration.
- The peel of papaya can not only be used on the face, but it can also be used for whitening the legs.
- The use of raw papaya helps you treating the ringworms as well. You just need to rub some slices of raw papaya on the ringworm patches and see reduced inflammation.
- Papaya helps the skin by reducing the aging signs on the face.
How To Use Papaya For Skin:
- The papaya peel helps in reducing and treating the signs of aging. Just rub the peel on the face after eating the papaya. Let it stay for 5 minutes and then wash it off with cold water. Regular use offers visible results. The most coveted ingredient, AHA’s or Alfa-Hydroxy Acid, are found in abundance in papaya to offer anti-aging properties, but this is the only reason which makes papaya an acidic fruit. So, do not apply it for more time as it may cause dryness and irritation to sensitive skin.
- Papaya is also fruitful for treating the dark spots. The application of mashed and uneaten papaya with or without milk on your face can help in removing the dark spots and evens out the skin tone which results into a fairer and glowing skin.
- For getting hydrated skin, mix mashed papaya with honey and apply on your face.
- Papaya is also effective for treating dry skin. All you need to do is to mash a small section of papaya and mix it one tbsp ofmalai or milk cream. Apply on your face for 20 minutes and then wash it off.
- A very simple method for moisturizing the skin is applying papaya on it. Take a ripe papaya, clean it and blend it into a fine paste. Now apply this paste on your face for 15 minutes. Wash it off using a wash cloth and pat dry to get great results.
- For skin tightening, apply mashed papaya mixed with honey and rice-flour for 20 minutes, three times a week.
- Papaya is also suitable for using as a body scrub. It can be made by mashing raw papaya and mixing it with honey, salt spa and olive oil.
- For curing the skin tans and brightening the complexion, the simple face pack can be made. Just follow the steps mentioned below:
- Make a paste of pulpy papaya.
- Add yogurt, honey, lemon juice and egg white into it.
- Mix all ingredients till the mixture becomes thick which can be applied on the face.
- Wash your face thoroughly so that it becomes clean and dirt free.
- Apply this facial mask on your face and leave it for 15 – 20 minutes.
- Wash off with the lukewarm water and pat dry.
Papaya benefits for skin are truly endless. We will now proceed to the benefits of papaya for hair.
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