Homemade Ayurvedic Herbal Bath Powder : Snan Ubtan
India is a country that boasts on its rituals, culture, traditions and customs. We have a rich cultural and traditional heritage in almost all the aspects of human life, beauty being one of it. We love ubtans and oils, all homemade running down from generations and passed on to the genext. Be it Haldi ceremony during wedding when we apply Haldi Ubtan for bride and groom, or Abhayang Snan done one day before the grand festival Di
wali, on the day of Narakchaturdashi, we cherish our traditions. Ayurvedic herbal bath powder, ubtan and homemade oils were the daily requirements in Royal India but today its glory is fading, the major reason being the shortage of time in our daily schedules.
Homemade Ubtans, Oils, Keshkalps (Hair packs) and bath powders are prepared and used in Indian homes since time immemorial, although the busy and competitive life of present day has changed the scenario and such things have now been reserved only for festivities and ceremonies yet the rituals are still alive and celebrated time and again with full zest.
Homemade Indian Herbal Bath Powder (Utne / Ubtan)
This recipe may resemble the “Sugandhi Utane“, the herbal Bath Powder applied before Abhayang Snan, but I do not claim it to be authentic, I am still searching for the authentic recipe and once I succeed in finding the traditional Sugandhi Utane (Ubtan) recipe, I will post it here. For now this recipe is given by an acquaintance, its an amazing bath powder that is nothing less than a treat for the skin.
“Utane” as its called in marathi or “Ubtan” in Hindi is a combination of herbs and spices that cleanses and nourishes the skin leaving it radiant and smooth. It is mixed with fragrant oils,rose water or milk and applied all over the body. You do not need any soap with this, the herbal bath powder is just enough to clean and enrich your skin.
The Ingredients
Red Lentil Flour (Moong Dal powder / ata) 250gms
Sandal Wood Powder (Chandan Powder) 25 gms
Turmeric Powder (Ambe Haldi Powder) 5 gms
Camphor (Kaphoor ) 5 gms
Manjishtha Powder 25 gms
Orange Peel Powder 100 gms
Rose Petals Crushed 1 tbsp
Khas (Vetiver) 10 gms
How To Prepare
Mix all the ingredients and store in an airtight jar.
To use this fragrant bath powder, mix the ubtan with water or Rose water and apply all over the body, leaving the parts where the skin is too delicate and sensitive.
Gently scrub this ubtan on the skin, this will exfoliate and clean the skin. Rinse off with warm water. Now massage your skin with an aromatic / fragrant herbal oil. Use a natural soap for bathing, this will help removing the oil. If you are not going in for the oil massage, soap is not required while bathing as the Bath Powder works well all by itself.
Benefits Of Using Natural Homemade Herbal Bath Powder – Ubtan on Skin
Masoor dal is known for its skin brightening properties, Camphor and Vetiver adds fragrance and soothing effect. Vetiver also helps is reducing the appearance of dark spots and will also deals acne due to its antiseptic properties. Rose petals makes the bestows glow to the skin, Orange Peel powder removes spots and provides even tone to the skin.
The biggest plus point of using a bath powder is that it does not strip off the natural oils from your skin, thus leaving it supple.
Overall this herbal bath powder is quite therapeautic for the skin as well as the mind. The fragnaces removes negativity and relaxes the mind, and the other ingredients provides deep pore cleansing and exfoliation to the skin leaving it smooth, glossy and fresh.
If all the ingredients of this bath powder are not available to you, try the Masoor dal Ubtan it simple and has less ingredients, but an effective brightening mask.
Haldi Chandan Ubtan For Bride
The Importance of Haldi (Turmeric in Indian Culture)
Among the various preparations that are done to make a wedding ceremony the perfect one, is one tradition that involves applying a turmeric paste on the bride’s body. Turmeric is considered auspicious in Indian culture and we Indians possibly make the most use of it. In India Turmeric is used as a spice in every household, it is also given a very high regard in our ancient medicine system i.e. Ayurveda. The classic Haldi ubtan for bride is not just a face pack or a beauty regime but in true essence it is a tradition that has been followed since time immemorial.
Haldi, Halad or Haridra all these names refer to the golden spice Turmeric which comes from the Ginger family. Turmeric is used to improve blood circulation, ensure digestive health and is also a very good and effective home remedy for cough and cold. Apart from numerous health benefits of Turmeric, it is also acknowledged as a beauty aid. It is used in several beauty formulations like sun screens, fairness pack, anti acne creams, antiseptic creams etc. and thus in an Indian wedding a whole ceremony is dedicated to Turmeric, to beautify a bride and groom prior to their wedding day.
The Haldi ubtan is applied on the arms, legs and face of the bride and is gently scrubbed and is followed by a customary bath. The Uban helps in brightening the skin and removing the tan, it also gives glow and radiance to the skin.
How To Make Haldi Ubtan For Bride
Ubtan is a paste made with different ingredients like besan, haldi, masoor dal powder, sandalwood powder, fuller’s Earth etc. to improve the complexion, smoothness and radiance of the skin. Using Turmeric in the ubtan will not only bestow glow and suppleness but will also help in treating pimples, fading the scars and killing the bacteria from the surface of the skin.
Also Read: Skin Brightening Masoor Dal Ubtan
The base of ubtan used by brides in Indian culture is Haldi, a few more ingredients are added to balance the intensity of turmeric and to make the ubtan more enriching for the skin.
To Make Haldi Ubtan You Will Need
1. Dried Turmeric Roots : 1 part
2. Besan (chikpea Flour) : 3 parts
3. Rose Water
4. For Dry Skin: Mustard Oil / Sesame Oil or Buttermilk
For Oily Skin : Lemon Juice
5. Sandal wood powder : 1 part
So if you take 1 tsp of haldi paste you must add 1 tsp of chandan or sandal wood powder and 3 tsp teaspoon of besan
The reason for adding the ingredient listed under no. 4 is to tackle the dryness that can be caused to the brides who already have dry skin. Those who do not have dry skin can delete the oil from this ubtan.
How To Make The Turmeric Paste For Bride (with sandalwood)
1. Soak the Turmeric roots for 24 hours so that they become soft and convenient to be ground or pounded. Pounding is the traditional approach applied while preparing Haldi paste for brides.
2. Make the paste from the soaked roots
3. In a bowl, mix turmeric paste, besan and chandan powder
4. Add rose water to adjust the consistency and finally the oil or buttermilk if you are willing to use it.
Voila you are ready with your pre-bridal Haldi ubtan, this ubtan can be used in Haldi ceremony and also as a face pack before wedding for that unparalleled glowing skin every bride deserves to flaunt on her big day.
If you find soaking and grinding turmeric roots a little tedious, you can replace the roots with turmeric powder. Ensure that you get your turmeric powder from a herbal store and not from the spice shelf of a supermarket.
If you loved this article Im sure you will also like to make your own bath powder i.e snan ubtan.
Homemade Ubtan Recipe with Masoor Dal
In Indian culture using ubtan has been a tradition followed since the vedic times, it was used by the queens and princesses as a pre-bath ritual, in modern times the store bought face packs and soaps have taken the place of traditional ubtan. In the present day the use of homemade ubtan (eg. the masoor dal ubtan) for skin glow and fairness is narrowed down to weddings only, and is used by the brides as she prepares herself to look the most beautiful on her big day.
However there are many women who still prefer to use homemade and natural face packs and body scrubs for their skin. Natural beauty recipes are gaining their glory back and a lot of women are now returning to the roots and have started showing interest in herbal and homemade preparations. Although the market is full with Herbal and Ayurvedic products but many of those contain preservatives which means they are not 100% chemical free.
Making a homemade ubtan is not as messy and time consuming as the homemade scrubs are, Ubtan can be prepared easily and stored, you can make it in small batches and use them twice a week. The recipe im sharing today is for skin brightening and for fading the dark spots and blemishes.
This Homemade Ubtan recipe prepared with masoor dal / red lentil /orange lentil as the base ingredients reaps the best results if applied twice a week, you will notice the difference after first application itself. it can be used by brides-to-be one month prior to their wedding or you can also use Haldi ubtan for bride if you are preparing to carry that unmatched radiant and flawless skin on your wedding.
Benefits of Using Red Lentil Ubtan For Skin
Get Glowing Skin Naturally
This ubtan / body pack will give your skin that radiance you ever wanted to flaunt. Masoor dal or Red lentil as it is called in English is a wonderful pack all by itself, combined with other marvelous ingredients its properties enhances and it becomes a complete nourishing body pack.
Nourish Your Skin
This ubtan howder will enrich your skin and make it flawless.
Naturally Brighten The Skin
The orange peel powder and rose petals will help is removing tan and make skin fairer and brighter.
Get the Smooth And Supple Skin
Has your skin lost its suppleness due to aging and exposure to environmental pollution? This body pack will help you get that childlike suppleness and smooth skin.
Reduce Dark Spots and Blemishes
It will also fade those dark spots and give you an even skin tone.
Homemade Masoor Dal and Orange Peel Ubtan For Fair Skin
This ubtan contains red lentils and orange peel and both these ingredients works good on dark spots and for skin brightening a few more ingredients will be added for smoothness and fragrance.
Ingredients
Masoor Dal (Red Lentil) ground to powder
Orange Peel Powder – dried and ground
Dried Rose petals
Sandal Wood Powder
Method
Ubtan should be prepared as a paste just before application, but here we are making it in powdered form to make it more convenient and handy. The most precious thing today is time, so we will just be preparing a small batch in powdered form which can be hydrated before application by mixing it with water.
You can store this mixture in an airtight jar and keep it for a month. The only precaution that you need to take is that you dont drop water or put wet spoon in the ubtan powder as moisture will lead to fungus formation.
Grind the masoor dal and keep.
For making the orange peel powder dry some orange rinds and grind them in a grinder.
Crush the rose petals
Now Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
Making sandal wood powder at home is a lot of hard work so it is always wise and convenient to grab a pack of ready made but pure sandal wood powder. You can buy it from any Indian herbal / Ayurvedic store, it is known as Chandan Powder in India.
How To Use Masoor Dal Ubtan For Glowing Skin
Take the quantity that you will require for the application, now add water and make a smooth paste, if you are making only for face than make a thick paste. For using it as a body paste you will want to make it slightly thinner in consistency so as to ease the application. While using it as a body pack you can add Olive oil or sweet Almond oil to the paste, this makes the pack even more enriching.
Once your ubtan is ready, just smear it on your body and gently massage, leave it for 5-10 mins. (but dont let it dry) and then take your shower. Do not use any body wash or soap after rinsing off the ubtan.