Published: 08/28/2013 - Updated: 12/08/2016
Author: Miriam Reyes14 Comments
This plant grows in arid and cold climates, but does not mean that it is in any way less nutritious. In fact, the cactus is a source of fibre, usually deficient in the modern diet, and contains 17 amino acids of which 8 are essential.
For skin, hair, and facial appearance, the cactus can be a natural and very useful alternative. Renowned for its nutritional properties, this plant has been consumed in recent years to combat cholesterol, being overweight and control blood glucose levels, however, its flesh hides secrets of beauty that can be very helpful.
Cactus haircare
The cactus can also help us to nourish our hair, you just need to cut some cactus leaves into small pieces and leave to soak in water, covering overnight to loosen the pulp. With the resulting pulp, apply a thick mask on your hair and leave on for as long as possible before rinsing off with warm water.
To show off more radiant and healthy hair, you can use the following recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 tender cactus
- 1 dash of almond oil
Procedure
- In a blender, gather the ingredients and mix well. Before bathing, apply on hair and leave on for about 20 minutes.
- Proceed to wash your hair with the products you normally use, then use warm water to remove all products from the hair.
For oily skin
If you usually notice a distinct shiney appearance on your face or you are prone to oily skin, you can use the following astringent lotion made with cactus:
Ingredients
-
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- 150 ml of rose water
- 3 capsules of cactus
Procedure
- Place the rose water in a bowl and add the contents of the capsules. Mix well and store in a spray bottle. Let the formula concentrate for about 3 days.
- Spray on your face every night and clean. Its components are astringent, allowing the face to balance oils, control acne and shine.
Another effective way to get rid of excess oils and even combat acne is to use cactus pulp directly on your face. Cut a piece of cactus and take the slime that comes from the pulp, spreading gently on your skin. Leave on for 10 or 15 minutes and then remove with cold water. Later use a moisturiser suitable for oily skin.
Combat Acne
The benefits of cactus along with the aloe vera plant are vast in skincare and natural beauty. In cases of acne, use the following mask:
Ingredients
-
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- 1 piece of aloe vera
- 1 cactus stalk
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- ½ lemon
Preparation
- Blend the aloe vera and cactus evenly, add honey and lemon until the mixture is smooth.
- Apply to your face and leave on for around 20 minutes, then rinse off with warm water to remove.
Cactus for healthy skin
Cactus contains abundant mucilage and cellulose components resulting in emollients, which is why it can be used in a poultice on wounds, bruises and also act on irritated skin. In order to use it as a poultice, all you have to do is chop and mash the cactus and apply to the affected area.
Another way in which this plant can contribute to the health of the skin is by ingesting it. Drinking a glass of cactus juice with pineapple juice or the juice of two lemons with a little added honey. This helps to detoxify and cleanse your body from the inside, preventing and fighting acne.
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Cactus is a not so used ingredient in the common food but yes in other time like the healthy one, as it contains so many substances to supplement your body, and well, there are many cosmetics that use the benefits of the cactus but only in their propaganda as the only way to get the real benefits is using natural.
I am going to try the preparation for the face to look a younger face and because I love trying new treatments only if they are natural, so this is perfect to continue helping my beauty with natural means, thanks a lot for posting articles for the skin and hair, those are my favorite.
Nothing better and a good juice of cactus to recover all the things that are going bad in your body, my mother used to drink a glass all the mornings and she was the healthiest woman in earth, I swear, so I was thinking on trying this too, but the juice is not so tasty so I was thinking in other recipes and this is pretty helpful
What about the juice? Do you know how to do it or where to buy it fresh to drink at hte morning, it would be amazing if there would be a store that makes fresh drink of natural ingredients aimed to heal the body, so I was wondering if someone knows that place
Nothing better and a good juice of cactus to recover all the things that are going bad in your body, my mother used to drink a glass all the mornings and she was the healthiest woman in earth, I swear, so I was thinking on trying this too, but the juice is not so tasty so I was thinking in other recipes and this is pretty helpful
My son Alex has a very bad problem of acne, his father had the same when younger and he is afraid of staying in that condition for several years, we have tried almost everything, pills and creams and that stuff, but well a friend told me that I should search about the natural medicine and this came up, sound pretty interesting, the cactus sound like a good option to treat my son so thank you very much I will tell what happened
thanks for the many ways of using it! I think I will start with the skin!
I remember my grandmother used to always have an assortment of cacti around the house, and when we were kids I remember her warning us so sternly NOT to play around the plants. If they poked you it was like needles, and I always thought “well, why do you even have them in the house then??”. Now I’m beginning to see…
Awesome information!! I have used cactus pulp to combat balding and bear witness to it’s healing properties when taken as a drink . I grew bald by thirty and heard about cactus and gave it a shot . I soaked the pad and massaged the pulp into my scalp and left it to dry and witnessed results after two weeks of doing this routine twice or thrice a week , I then started drinking cactus water and noticed my skin look radiant and people told me I looked younger. I also grew muscles faster and continue to use this miracle to detoxify my body and stay healthy.
what kind of cactus do you use to make a drink from and how do you make it?
hat kind of cactus did you use to make a drink and how do you make it?
This is a nice article with a lot of really helpful information, but can I just ask one question… Have any of you ever actually tried “mashing up” a cactus and applying it directly to the skin on your face? You couldn’t pay me to do it hahaha! If anyone can suggest a safer way to extract the pulp from cactus leaves, then I’m all ears!
Also, does this article refer to a specific species of cactus? There are hundreds of varieties and I’m not sure which one this article is speaking about. Thanks!
No, I haven’t applied it to my skin. But I have thrown it into the blender. It was bitter, and the texture was thick like a raw egg. (A little bit is all you need to mix with orange juice). I believe they are talking about the prickly pear cactus, or nopal. Some are more prickly than others. I met an elderly Mexican couple, and they said, “We are more Mexican than nopales.” In fact, a prickly pear cactus is featured on the Mexican flag. So, Mexicans have already solved the prickly pear for you. I think there are more than 100 species of Opuntia, or prickly pear cacti. The better ones for eating are young and tender, with less spines. To prepare the nopal remove the spines with a sharp knife, wear gloves. If you miss one, bad times. This is definitely a skill. In Mexico, usually a guy in the market is de-spining, he’s super fast. (In contrast, I am not). Where I live in southerrn California, I can buy the prickly pear pads in the grocery stores. In the rest of the U.S. I would definitely look for them in Mexican markets. BTW, the “pears” are the fruits, which grow on the edges of the pads. They are also called “tunas”.
I used cactus and aloes on my hair and it was really great. It moisturize well and after rinsing and styling it was beautiful and hair darker.
I rubbed little of the cactus on my face and it is glowing. I plan to wash the cactus, cut into pieces then drink in the morning.
I believe this will work wonders.