How To Make Ubtan At Home For A Glowing Skin

A powerful powdered concoction to give you the skin you have always wanted.

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Sameeksha Chand, MBBS, MD DVL
By Oyendrila Kanjilal, Certified Skin Care Coach

If you have never heard of the term “Ubtan” and do not know how to make ubtan at home, this article can guide you. There are two groups of people in this entire universe: those who understand what an ‘ubtan’ mask is and those who use it but have no idea what ‘ubtan’ means. If you belong to the latter group and do not know how ubtan works and what it is, stop worrying. Here, we will answer your queries and explain how to utilize it and maximize its benefits in whatever manner possible.

Therefore, for the convenience of those unfamiliar with the term, let’s define ubtan – it is made with chickpea flour, turmeric, and sandalwood powder. It is also most likely the world’s oldest face mask. It is often considered an important aspect of Indian weddings. Ubtan is almost like a pre-bridal facial routine. Because of the natural elements in the ubtan, we recommend making it a permanent part of your beauty routine. This article will take you through the top 5 tried-and-tested ways to use an ubtan to get rid of a dark, uneven complexion. Continue reading.

Ubtan For Fair Skin – Various Recipes

Ubtan can be incorporated into your daily skin regime, depending on your respective skin problems. It will not only help you with noticeable skin lightening but also take care of other issues like blackheads, whiteheads, dark spots, pigmentation, sunburn, etc (1).

Ubtan can be used in various ways to attain that desired fair complexion and flawless skin. The top 5 trusted recipes to use an Ubtan to get rid of a dark and patchy complexion are as follows:

1. Simple Ubtan Face Wash

Make a simple ubtan face wash at home

Shutterstock

You Will Need

  • 1 tbsp sandalwood powder
  • 2 tbsp besan (chickpea/Bengal gram flour)
  • ½ tbsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • Mixing bowl
  • Applicator brush (optional)

Prep Time

  • 5 minutes

Processing Time

  • 15-20 minutes

Process

  • In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, and then add milk.
  • Mix it with your hand or an applicator brush to ensure that it’s not lumpy. It should be neither too thick, nor too runny – just enough to spread over your skin smoothly.
  • Apply this about 15-20 minutes before you take a shower.
  • Let it sit until it’s dry (which is usually about 15 minutes).
  • Wash your face. Avoid applying any face wash or soap, because the ubtan does the job for you.

How Often Should You Do This?

If you can completely replace your face wash or soap, go ahead and do it. Otherwise, use it thrice a week at least or as often as possible. You will start to see a difference soon.

Why This Works

Anecdotal evidence suggests that raw milk may have a range of benefits for skin, such as hydration, deep cleansing, oil control, and gentle exfoliation. When this is mixed with the ubtan, your daily skin needs are taken care of.

Sandalwood has anti-inflammatory properties and soothes your skin, while besan exfoliates it and removes dead cells (2), (3). Turmeric is an antiseptic and helps with pigmentation, besides a lot of other things (4).

2. Ubtan Face Scrub

You Will Need

  • 1 tbsp oatmeal
  • 3 tbsp chickpea/Bengal gram flour
  • 2 tbsp sandalwood powder
  • ½ tbsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp ground cucumber
  • Mixing bowl

Prep Time

  • 5 minutes

Processing Time

  • 15 minutes

Process

  • Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  • Add the cucumber paste and give it a good stir.
  • In a circular motion, rub this on your face by taking just a little at a time.
  • Do this for about 5-10 minutes at least.
  • Wash your face like you normally would.

How Often Should You Do This?

We need to scrub our face at least once in a couple of days because of all the dust and dead skin that accumulates on our skin. They are also one of the reasons most of us end up with blackheads. Always follow up your scrubbing and cleaning with a toner. All your pores open when you exfoliate your skin, and a toner helps to seal these.

Why This Works

Cucumber, as we all know, is an excellent hydrant for your skin. However, most of us are not aware that it has antioxidants as well. It also helps with removing dead skin cells, sunburn, tan, etc (4). And, oatmeal, as we all know, is the cheapest exfoliant and cleanser available (5). Mixing them with the ubtan mask helps you reduce wrinkles and fine lines, and cleanses your skin overall.

3. Ubtan Moisturizer

Make an ubtan moisturizer at home

Shutterstock

You Will Need

  • 6-7 almonds
  • Fresh milk or cream
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp tulsi powder
  • 3 tbsp chickpea/Bengal gram flour
  • 2 tbsp sandalwood powder
  • ½ tbsp turmeric

Prep Time

5-8 hours

Processing Time

5 min

Process

  • Soak the almonds in fresh cream or milk overnight or a few hours.
  • Peel off the skin.
  • To this, add sesame oil and tulsi powder, and pulse it in a mixie or a processor.
  • Add the ubtan mix to this and make it into a paste.
  • Apply this to your face and leave it on for 10 minutes. Take a shower.

How Often Should You Do This?

At least twice a week or as often as you can. You can save the paste in the fridge and use it for a few days consecutively too.

Why This Works

It works great as a moisturizer, and keeps your skin supple, clean, and lightened. Almonds are no news to the beauty industry; they contain Vitamin A and help reduce any flare-up on the skin (6). Tulsi works wonders for acne-prone skin and is loaded with antioxidants (7). When these are combined with the ubtan and sesame oil (which helps with pigmentation and uneven skin tone) (8), it works like a charm for oily or pimple-prone skin.

4. Excellent Ubtan Face Mask For Daily Use

Make an ubtan face mask for daily use at home

Shutterstock

You Will Need

  • 1 tbsp wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
  • 1 tbsp sandalwood powder
  • ½ tbsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp rose water
  • Mixing bowl

Prep Time

  • 5 minutes

Processing Time

  • 15 – 20 minutes

Process

  • Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  • Now, slowly add rose water and make a paste.
  • Add more rose water to it till you get the desired consistency.
  • Leave it on for about 20 minutes or till it gets dried up.
  • Wash your face with cold water and moisturize.

P.S – You could add a little milk if you have dry skin.

How Often Should You Do This?

Apply this mask for two weeks continuously, and you will notice a remarkable change in your skin. Do this before you take a shower or at the end of the day.

Why This Works

Wheat flour is known to help with the regeneration of skin cells (9 ), and thereby lightening the skin. When mixed with the ubtan mask, it works as a catalyst to improve your skin. And, rose water (which contains tannins), like we all know, is an astringent that helps with skin tightening and locking your pores (10).

5. Ubtan For Tan Removal And Dark Patches

You Will Need

  • 1 Tbsp besan/chickpea flour
  • 1 Tbsp milk powder
  • 1 Tbsp sandalwood powder
  • ½ Tbsp turmeric
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp lemon
  • Mixing bowl

Prep Time

  • 5 minutes

Processing Time

  • 15 – 20 minutes

Process

  • Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  • Now, add honey, lemon juice, and milk to make a paste.
  • Apply and leave it on for about 15 -20 minutes.

How Often Should You Do This?

Apply this at least twice a week and more often in summers.

Why This Works

Lemon is supposed to be a natural bleach, and when mixed with honey, it is considered to be one of the most effective anti-tan packs.

Ubtan is one of the oldest face packs made with turmeric, sandalwood powder, and chickpea flour. Though used mainly as a pre-bridal facial routine, you can use it to solve skin care issues like pigmentation, blackheads, whiteheads, sunburn, and uneven complexion. The article here discusses how to make ubtan at home and use it to avail several skin care benefits. You may use ubtan as a face wash, scrub, moisturizer, and face pack. However, if you are using it for the first time, do a patch test to ensure you are not allergic to any ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which ubtan is best for fair skin?

You can mix ubtan with besan, oatmeal, or cucumber to exfoliate your skin and give you nourished and glowing skin.

What should I apply after ubtan?

You may apply a gentle moisturizer after washing off ubtan to keep your skin smooth and healthy.

What is the best time to apply ubtan?

You can apply ubtan every morning as a face scrub to remove excess dead skin and rinse it off with water after 10 minutes.

Which is better, Multani mitti or ubtan for skin?

Both Multani mitti and ubtan offer various benefits for the skin. You can use either ingredient individually or mix both as per your needs.

Sources

Articles on StyleCraze are backed by verified information from peer-reviewed and academic research papers, reputed organizations, research institutions, and medical associations to ensure accuracy and relevance. Read our editorial policy to learn more.

  1. Evaluation of Ubtan – A traditional indian skin care formulation
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874116304585
  2. Re-discovering Sandalwood: Beyond Beauty and Fragrance
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6536050/
  3. In-House Preparation and Standardization of Herbal Face Pack
    https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1ca2/5c17343fd28d0dfa868e2abd0919f8e986dd.pdf
  4. Current Review on Herbs for Derma Care
    https://opendermatologyjournal.com/VOLUME/13/PAGE/41/FULLTEXT/
  5. Oatmeal in dermatology: A brief review
    https://ijdvl.com/oatmeal-in-dermatology-a-brief-review/
  6. Vitamin A as an anti-inflammatory agent
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12230799/#:~:text=Vitamin%20A%20also%20has%20aof%20precancerous%20and%20cancer%20states.
  7. Tulsi – Ocimum sanctum: A herb for all reasons
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC4296439/
  8. Sesamol decreases melanin biosynthesis in melanocyte cells and zebrafish: Possible involvement of MITF via the intracellular cAMP and p38/JNK signalling pathways
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC4744993/
  9. Whole wheat flour coating with antioxidant property accelerates tissue remodeling for enhanced wound healing
    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335717307_Whole_wheat_flour_coating_with_antioxidant_property_accelerates_tissue_remodeling_for_enhanced_wound_healing
  10. Astringency: A More Stringent Definition
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC4064959/
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Oyendrila holds a master's degree in English Literature from the University Of Calcutta, West Bengal, and is a certified skincare... more

Dr. Sameeksha Chand

(MBBS, MD DVL)
Dr. Sameeksha Chand Malhotra is a board-certified dermatologist with 10 years of experience. She is well versed in general dermatology,... more

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