Michelle’s got milk: I am 54 years young and when I was 22 I was told to put buttermilk on my face to get rid of wrinkles. I’ve been using it ever since and there is no question that my skin looks much younger than women my age. I have also stayed out of the sun and don’t smoke and today I also use pricey beauty products like ReVive and Origins. Do you think it’s buttermilk that’s keeping my skin wrinkle free?
The Right Brain goes sour:
Michelle, thanks so much for your email. We had to edit it to fit today’s post, but we’ve started a forum thread with your entire email in case anyone’s interested in learning more. Now on to your answer…
Could buttermilk be responsible for your youthful appearance? Mmmmmmaybe. But doubtful. Here’s why.
What the heck is buttermilk, anyway?
For those of you who aren’t up to speed on your dairy products, buttermilk is a thickened, sour type of milk that is made by adding bacteria to regular milk. The bacteria cause fermentation which changes the milk sugar (aka lactose) into lactic acid. Sound familiar? It should! Lactic acid is an alpha-hydroxyacid (or AHA) the same chemical that’s used in anti-aging lotions to exfoliate your skin. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like buttermilk is better than lotions you can buy.
Why isn’t buttermilk better?
Milk contains 4 to 6% lactose. When it’s converted to buttermilk, you end up with about 3 or 4% lactic acid. Lactic acid skin creams contain about 12% lactic acid, about 3 times as much as buttermilk. So while it’s theoretically possible that buttermilk could be helping, you’d probably see more benefit from a relatively inexpensive lactic acid cream like Lac-hydrin.
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So, if it’s not the buttermik, why does your skin look good?
There could be several other reasons you skin looks so good. First, genetics plays a large role in the health of your skin. It might also be your healthy lifestyle. By staying out of the sun and not smoking you’ve avoided two of the major causes of premature aging. Finally, you said that you’re using other beauty products like Revive and Origins along with the buttermilk. If any of these products contain sunscreen that could be prevent your skin from aging too. But the important thing is – keep up whatever you’re doing. It’s working for you!
And if anyone out there is still interested in buttermilk but you don’t like the stench of sourmilk on your face (and gee, who doesn’t want that??) you also might try Burt’s Bees Buttermilk Lotion. It’s 98.31% natural so it MUST be good. Right?
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In india my aunts who have beautiful skin – leave a tiny bit of milk soaked in almond powder out overnight. in the morning they put it on their face and neck as a mask, and after 5 minutes scrub it out in the bath. they swear by it. i tried it and it really makes your face glow
I have been using Olive Oil as a mask for years. It’s wonderful, and keeps my face hydrated.
Had not heard about Buttermilk being so good for skin. Great article!
Great post! You know, Cleopatra used to soak in milk baths. She probably didn’t know it contained lactic acid; she just knew it worked. I work in cosmetic industry, specifically with a plastic surgeon who specializes in everything from non-surgical treatments like botox to tummy tuck in st louis, and I love that posts like this promote living right… it really does help you to look better and look better longer. Wear sunscreen, moisturize, get your beauty rest, don’t smoke, and don’t drink excessively (except water). It’s not the fountain of youth, but it certainly helps.
Hello all – I would like to say that I tried Estee Lauder Creme de la Mer its it did NOTHING for my skin.
It is very expensive at $165 for 2 ounces! It was supposedly to heal burns received in an accident; The reality is that this very chemical laden cream doesn’t contain anything particularly extraordinary ingredients. In fact, the majority of ingredients can be found in CVS-Brand Moisturizers.
For long term effect on wrinkles and a treatment that naturally aided my skin, I used the Vitamin Enhanced Face Firming Serum from the Made from Earth skin care line. This serum uses natural organic ingredients to improve your skin cells around your eyes and I have already seen a MAJOR DIFFERENCE AROUND MY EYES.
In 3 days around my eyes, I have seen a reduction in the fine lines. . You can actually feel it working right after you put it on. . . .I highly recommend it as an EX-crème de la mer user….and a woman who is healthy…and a woman who is tired of all the different expensive creams out that that make promises that they do not live up to….you can find them at madefromearth.com.
I recently switched to only using face creams that contain real plants, fruits and/or juices. No more chemicals for me! Chemicals in skincare products will cause your skin to sag in the long run. That’s because those chemicals don’t belong there and impact your skins elasticity.
It baffles me that the above poster would state something so contradictory…they have used the Vitamin Enhanced Face Firming Serum from the Made from Earth skin care line and also state “No more chemicals for me”…did this person actually research the ingredients in that product??, because the product contains Propylene glycol which is a chemical.