Beauty Secrets from the Turkish Kitchen

Every culture is different and beauty means different things in most cultures.  Turkish women want to be beautiful just like every woman on the planet.  There are some things they do to help nature along straight out of their kitchens.


1.  For those who want long beautiful dark eyelashes try using almond oil on your lashes at night.  Put a drop or two on your clean fingertips to rub onto your lashes, starting from the eyelash base to tip.  Any excess can be massaged very gently onto the base of your eyelashes.  I have been assured this will work wonders.


2.  Watermelon juice dabbed onto your face with a cotton ball and left for 15 minutes or so is great to revive tired looking skin.


3.  Rose water splashed straight onto your face works as a good tonic and alot of Turkish girls use it before moisturising and putting on makeup.


4.  Lemons cut in half and rubbed all over your body while you are in the bath or shower will make your skin squeaky clean plus rubbing onto your face whilst being careful not to get any in your eyes is better than all those expensive vitamin C creams in any makeup department.

5.  Cleopatra came to Turkey to soak in some natural springs and while she was sitting there she took some of the local clay and used it on her face and body. Any colour clay made into a paste with water used as a mask will bring all the blood to your face so increase circulation and tighten it for a few days.  Doing this once a week is a great idea.


6.    Olive oil is really just great for everything.  Rub it all over your face and body as a safe moisturiser.  It is suitable for all types of skin even oily, just use sparingly in those oily zones.  For your hair you can do an oil treatment to make you hair shine.  Pour oil over your hair and massage into your scalp and hair ends, wrap it in plastic wrap or a towel for a few hours or overnight.  Rinse off in hot water the following morning.


7.  Hazelnut oil is produced in Turkey and is a very reasonable price as in the Black Sea Region they grow 75 percent of the global production.  Hazelnut oil is not an oily oil so is good for oily skins and not only moisturises your skin but aslo tones it.


8.   Henna was used in Ottomon times in the harems for body art but also had practical uses.  There is a whole cultural thing that dosnt seem to be particular just to the Turks where they would go to the Baths after menstration   to purify themselves.  They would use it in thier hair as a natural hair dye. Various body regions after epilation.  On thier hands and feet for decoration but also the deepness of the colour would show when the woman was ovulating.  When the colour was at its deepest would show when she was at her peak for conceiving, thats why henna was applied after her menstration.  

The point for henna I want to focus on for beauty is for your feet.  A paste made from henna and spread over your soles and heals will protect and also stop cracked heals.  We all know that cracked heals arent particularly attractive especially when the hot weather comes and we want to wear flip flop and sandles.

9.  Sugar, used for  hair removal.  Sugaring as it is called is a method of using sugar for epilation instead of waxes.  2 cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water mixed together, brought to the boil then simmer for 25 minutes until it is a nice dark amber colour.  This is supposed to be not as irritating to the skin as most waxes.


10.  Yogurt! what Turkish beauty tip list would be complete without yogurt.  Used as a mask for your face will soothe your skin plus help get rid of blemishes.  It can be used for your hands and nails as well when mixed with a bit of lemon juice to make them look younger. 




All of those things may not be in your kitchen cupboards but they are in mine.  I try and use natural items when it comes to my maintence program as it is usually best, easiest as we dont have to go out searching and cheapest because you arent going after brand names that are filled with all sorts of chemicals.  Turkish women look after themselves and thier skin and hair usually always look great.  Now you know some of thier secrets you can look great too.