Boost skin health with saffron: Here's how to brighten skin, reduce wrinkles, prevent dryness

Utilising saffron in your skincare regime in the festive season can impart a sheen that is ideal for the upcoming rejoicing occasions. (Image: Canva)

As the festive season is here, quite a few of us want to be at our best, looking all healthy and radiant. Indeed, this is a season characterised by family get-togethers, social activities, and happy events where every individual is required to present the best of himself or herself. Although beauty products and treatments offer a quick solution, the use of natural ingredients is always the best when it comes to achieving a glow that lasts. Yes, one of them is the saffron, or kesar, which has had beneficial properties for skin since as early as ancient times.

Saffron, or kesar, is rich in colour and has a fragrance that is one of a kind, and it has health and beauty benefits that can work towards the improvement of one’s natural glow. Beauty products use kesar spice for varied purposes, one of them being for enhancing the skin’s brightness and another one being for the treatment of skin blemishes.

Leading Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Anaya Kapoor shares: ‘Kesar is a beautiful skincare ingredient that can give your skin an internal glow. Its constituents are beneficial in retaining moisture, illuminating the skin, and preventing wrinkle formation, which is perfect for face preparation before any festive event’.

Utilising saffron in your skincare regime in the festive season can impart a sheen that is ideal for the upcoming rejoicing occasions. Here is how this wonderful ingredient helps in festive glow enhancement.

Brightens complexion and evens skin tone

• One of the most commonly known advantages of saffron is its ability to brighten the skin. Saffron carries antioxidant elements such as crocin and crocetin, which help in lightening one’s skin by minimising pigmentation, thus giving the skin a natural shine. In regular usage, kesar is used to balance skin tone and reduce dark pigmentation spots due to the sun or old age.
• The natural skin-brightening ability of saffron is a very useful property to possess during festive periods when one wants to have a radiant, fresh look. Quite easily, a quick Kesar face pack can be prepared at home by boiling a few strands of saffron soaked in milk for a few minutes and then applying the paste to the face for about ten to fifteen minutes. This very mild procedure is capable of making the skin a shade brighter and more even in tone.

• Due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory attributes, Kesari acts as an effective treatment for acne, defects, and scars. It assists in the removal of blockages within the skin and eases swelling, therefore encouraging the use of the product amongst those with challenges with acne. As well, the saffron nuts contain antioxidants, which elevate the skin cell rates. This is crucial in filling up the scars left behind by acne and other skin irritations.
• To treat the skin with Kesar for any content related to acne or blemishes, add honey to the Kesar, and a few strands can be used as a spot application or face pack. To get rid of spots caused by excessive work during the festive season, a combination of the antibacterial properties of honey and the medicinal properties of saffron can do wonders.

• Another advantage of saffron is its ability to keep the skin moist. It is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, which serve to retain moisture inside the skin and keep the skin supple. Kesar can also work wonders to keep skin hydrated even with the dry and hard winter months because adding Kesar on required months helps hydration and dryness flaking.
• It is enriched with saffron oil and helps to increase hydration levels. How to make Use almond or jojoba oil and infuse a few strands of saffron, and the oil used in the face will be applied at night. It hydrates the skin as well and helps maintain the skin in a bouncy, dewy state, which is ideal for the winter as well as the festive season.

Kills ageing signs

• One of the reasons for premature skin ageing is the presence of free radicals, and saffron contains antioxidants. With the continued use of saffron, the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin is minimised. The antioxidants that are found in saffron help the skin gain back its elasticity, making the surfaces look firm and smooth with time.
• To bring Kesar into the anti-ageing regimen, one can opt for saffron oil or apply a home yoghurt honey mask with a few strands of saffron. This mix nourishes the skin and cures the signs of ageing, which helps achieve good and beautiful skin.

• Saffron is advantageous because it possesses anti-inflammatory qualities that are useful to those with inflamed or sensitive skin. It is ideal for people who experience things like redness, rashes, and skin sensitivity. Whether your skin is irritated by the hustle and bustle of festivities or changes in the environment, Kesar will soothe the inflamed skin and help in quick recovery. It also aids in fortifying the protective layer of the skin against external factors that may be harmful.
• Make saffron-infused water by soaking a strand or two in aqua warmer than room temperature, allowing it to cool before use as a facial toner. This mild procedure has anti-inflammatory properties and facilitates recovery of irritated skin, leaving it smooth and rejuvenated after the inflammation.

• It is quite unlikely that saffron has any other medicinal property that is as attractive to the users as its skin-whitening properties. If incorporated into skincare products regularly, the effect of saffron will take the skin from just healthy and a little dull to gorgeous before the holidays. It works as a skin tonic too, because of its blood circulation-improving properties, and that healthy glow is achieved.
• To put the glow in a very simple manner, one can simply make a saffron-infused mist and use it on the face. One can soak a few strands of saffron in rose water and use this mist all day to uplift the mood as well as the skin. This is a quick fix to an absolute glow on the skin amid all the drama of the festivals.

Disclaimer: This article only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for a specific health diagnosis.