The onion bulb is widely used in cooking as a vegetable or flavoring for several dishes.
The use of the onion is not limited only to the culinary field but finds space also in cosmetics: thanks to its antibacterial properties, in fact, the onion can be used successfully to combat skin impurities . Let's see how.
Impure skin
Impure skin is characterized by the presence of black spots, white spots and pimples .
Often impure skin is oily skin and tends to be oily especially in the forehead, nose and chin area. The impurities of the skin are mainly due to an excessive production of sebum by the sebaceous glands, which clogs the pores of the skin causing the formation of blackheads and pimples.
Impure skin needs specific treatments that help regulate sebum production, which absorb excess sebum and disinfect the skin.
Use onion cosmetics
Thanks to its antibiotic properties, the onion is useful in fighting bacteria that cause boils and acne; the constant use of the onion helps to cure skin infections and improve the scars due to acne. Furthermore, the onion softens the skin, improving its appearance and elasticity.
The best results are obtained by applying the onion both internally and externally . For external use it is possible to directly apply some raw or cooked onion slices on the areas to be treated, or you can make packs and lotions using fresh juice.
Discover the other remedies to fight pimples
Fresh juice against skin impurities
To prepare fresh onion juice you need:
> an onion
> a tablespoon of lemon juice
Peel the onion and centrifuge it. Then add the squeezed lemon juice. Transfer the juice to a clean bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to five days.
At the time of use, apply on the areas to be treated with a cotton pad or sponge and rinse with warm water.
Decoction of onion
Instead, to prepare the onion decoction boil an sliced onion in 250 milliliters of water. Strain and apply a gauze soaked in the still hot decoction on the skin.
Leave to act for about ten minutes, then rinse with warm water: the decoction is useful to ripen the pimples, speeding up healing and preventing the formation of scars.
Characteristics and properties of the onion
The onion (botanical name Allium cepa ) is a perennial plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. The onion plant has cylindrical leaves, white or red flowers gathered in umbrellas and has a bulb. The onion is grown in different varieties, divided essentially according to the color of the bulb, which can be white or red.
The bulb is used before flowering, normally at the end of spring, when the leaves begin to dry out: in this way the active ingredients contained in the bulb are preserved, represented by bactericidal substances, essential oils, vitamin C, mineral salts and sulfur substances.
The onion is normally used in the kitchen and has several beneficial properties for the body : raw or cooked it has an action against cough and constipation; infusions and onion decoctions are useful to fight water retention and urinary tract diseases ; onion extract is used against mouth and throat diseases while hot poultices are used to make abscesses mature.
