You guys! The western world just figured out one of our oldest beauty secrets: haldi (tumeric)! “12 Beauty Reasons You Need Turmeric in Your Kitchen, STAT” popped up on my Facebook feed the other day, and all I could think was “arrey! This is our ubtan!”
Ubtan is that haldi (tumeric)-based paste that gets smeared all over the bride during pre-wedding festivities for a more radiant complexion. Side note: calling out the internalized racism in our culture here – its also said to make you fairer. To which I say: fairer is not lovelier. Also, I don’t even think that’s true, if anything haldi stains yellowish?
Image courtesy of goingevergreen.org
Because my skin is annoyingly sensitive, on my mayoun, my mom mixed a tiny amount of haldi into my trusty Nivea cream (the face moisturizer that I swear by) to get the ubtan effect so that we could keep the tradition, without risking any potential skin reaction. Still, I was too scared to put it on my face because I just didn’t want to take the risk! Ladies, what do you think about our miracle haldi ingredient as part of the beauty routine?
mybigfatpakistani 
I use it all the time! I’m also getting married this year so need to keep my skin clear ahhhhh
I’m totally going to try it now in its pure form! And yay! Congrats!