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Dairy Kefir for Your Skin




Yum

May 27, 2014 by Andrea Fabry 30 Comments

Cream kefir makes a nourishing face cleanser, moisturizer, exfoliating mask and offers a wonderful boost to your overall skincare regimen. Combine it with lavender essential oil, or any other desired oil, and you’ll not only feel pampered you’ll get plenty of beneficial microbes in the process.

cream kefir skin 1

What makes dairy kefir so beneficial?

Each one of us carries a unique set of microbes on our skin. An imbalance in this microbial community can lead to all sorts of disorders such as psoriasis, acne, seborrhea. The more we are learning about this hidden garden of living organisms, the more we see the value in nurturing them as opposed to stripping them away with harsh chemicals. For more on this topic, see the website Skin Microbiome.

In addition to the 30 or more strains of probiotics, kefir is loaded with lactic acid, which is one of the alpha hydroxy acids. Many expensive skincare products contain AHAs because these acids, naturally derived from foods,  increase blood flow to the skin helping to minimize fine lines and wrinkles. (see which foods contain AHAs here.)

To make cream kefir blend 1/4 cup homemade dairy kefir with 2 cups raw or store-bought cream (avoid ultra-pasteurized as it will not hold a culture as well.) Allow to ferment for 24-48 hours, stirring several times. (For more specific directions on making dairy kefir see this previous post.)

Directions for skin care:

Apply cream kefir directly to skin. You may wash it off or leave as is.  The sour milk will continue to work its magic if you leave it on. Feel free to apply your regular moisturizer after kefir is applied.

No kefir available? Use store-bought or homemade yogurt instead.

Have you tried sour milk on your skin? I’d love to hear!

 

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Filed Under: Beauty, microbes and mold, Natural Living Tagged With: dairy kefir, microbes, skin care, skin flora

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Comments

  1. kathy says

    June 3, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    I make water and milk kefir along with kombucha. After deaths in the family, I had repeated problems with strep throat and various flu, colds, sore throats, etc. until I just went months being sick, would be well for a week or two and then be sick for months all over again. I took all the dry probiotics and tried everything. I will say now that after making my own kefir, etc. I can get a few cold symptoms, that these disappear right away. I know that the probiotics are working.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      June 3, 2014 at 3:49 pm

      That’s awesome, Kathy. I applaud your determination to find different options.

      Reply
  2. Brittany says

    October 8, 2014 at 11:29 am

    I’m new to the world of kefir and wanted to clarify if this recipe is made from cream or milk since you refer to it as cream? Thanks for your blog it has been helpful and educating! I am working to change my husband and I’s lifestyle and start our 9 month boy off the right way! My husband is type 1 diabetic as well so it was interesting to read how the changes in the family diet has effected your son positively!

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      October 8, 2014 at 12:40 pm

      Brittany,
      For skin I like to use cream simply because of the fat content. Our skin LOVES good, healthy fats and oils. For consuming I use either milk or cream. Thanks for the encouragement! You’re smart to go down this road as a young family.

      Reply
  3. Caromien Reitz says

    July 8, 2015 at 5:04 am

    Hi there,
    I live in South Africa and have started to give my 31 year old daughter the kefir whey to use as a toner on her acne prone skin.
    She has found it to be very beneficial.
    I put 2 drops of T-Tree oil in it and we keep it in the refrigerator. It lasts for more than a year without going off.
    We use the curds, or cream cheese part as a skin mask and apply it over the eye area as well, it is excellent and leaves the skin soft and rejuvenated.
    Greetings from South Africa

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      July 8, 2015 at 9:01 am

      Thank you for taking the time to comment, Caromien! All the best to you and your daughter.

      Reply
  4. Mary says

    July 13, 2015 at 8:16 am

    I make kefir at home with kefir grains, raw cow’s milk and a splash of cream, double fermentation. I drink a small amount daily and apply it to my face and skin like lotion after showering, the cheesy fragrance only lasts a few minutes!

    Re: the addition of essential oils – e.g. tea tree E.O. – this is an antimicrobial – it will kill the beneficials in the kefir. There are two methods – fighting harmful microbes by killing them with alcohols, essential oils, soaps or keeping harmful microbes in balance with beneficial microbes as in kefir. Combining both methods cancels out the beneficial microbes.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      July 13, 2015 at 8:30 am

      That’s interesting, Mary. I appreciate you sharing that. I question whether the tea tree oil would eliminate all of the beneficial microbes as it still tests to be very fermented after blending the two. You raise a good point and it’s worth a true lab experiment to find out!

      Reply
    • Anita Whateley says

      May 24, 2017 at 1:38 am

      Thank you Mary, have also found this very interesting, as was just going to make a homemade cream by mixing kifer with avocado oil, and lavender oil.
      Maybe rose petals would be better.

      Reply
  5. Dawn Tinsley says

    December 13, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    Hello,
    I was interested in making the skin care Homemade cream kefir mixed with lavender moisturiser.
    How long do you think this can be kept before going off and does it need to be refrigerated after,please.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      December 13, 2015 at 7:09 pm

      Hi Dawn!
      I just put several drops in the cream kefir and refrigerate for a couple of weeks. It seems to last just fine. I haven’t kept it for longer. I make enough for two weeks.

      Reply
  6. Noelle says

    May 14, 2016 at 11:17 am

    I make Skyr (Icelandic yogurt/cheese) at home, and it is I believe similarly high in probiotics as well as the alpha-hydroxy acids as the kefir. I eat this yogurt daily for its probiotic benefits (and protein) but lately have begun to run about a teaspoonful on my skin. I let it dry, then wipe it off with a warm washcloth. The results have amazed me: far fewer lines on this 45 year old skin, skin is very soft and exfoliated “dewy” I’d almost say. It even appears to have some bleaching abilities on sunspots -I’m a believer!

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      May 14, 2016 at 11:48 am

      Thank you so much for taking the time to share this, Noelle! This is great feedback.

      Reply
  7. Lorainne says

    October 20, 2017 at 11:33 am

    I just started using kefir as a cleanser, face mask and added a drop of jojoba oil as moisturizer. Turned 62 and almost all the lines
    Around the eyes, neck and lips almost disappeared. I am from South Africa and also take 3 glasses of kefir per day.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      October 23, 2017 at 7:32 am

      Thanks for sharing your experience Lorainne!

      Reply
      • Sonia says

        August 4, 2019 at 3:46 pm

        Can i make kefir body scrub? How would i do it? My son haves terrible acne on his back

        Reply
        • Andrea Fabry says

          August 5, 2019 at 11:47 am

          Hmmm…maybe add some ground oatmeal to it…sure couldn’t hurt to try.

          Reply
  8. Adriana says

    March 22, 2018 at 4:49 pm

    Thank you so much for this article! I especially like the comments afterwards and I also wonder about essential oils nullifying the probiotics in kefir. If you find anything out about this in particular please update so we can learn along. with you . 🙂

    Reply
    • Christine says

      August 5, 2019 at 3:01 pm

      Ti tree oil, otherwise known as manuka oil, is a known antibacterial. Bees feed on the same bush to make manuka honey. This doesn’t mean that all essential oils have antibacterial properties.

      Reply
  9. Leanne says

    March 25, 2018 at 10:00 am

    Hi Andrea
    I have started drinking Kefir every morning sometimes straight or with some honey and berries I have started to put the residue from the jar on my face every morning or leave on overnight I am interested to make,a face cream will try with lavender but wondered what you mean by raw cream to add to Keffir
    Can you use thickened cream please advise?
    Thankyou
    Leanne

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      March 26, 2018 at 7:21 am

      I think raw cream or even pasteurized cream works the best. Simply ferment the cream and add essential oil and it should work fine.

      Reply
  10. Rhonda Knott-Twine says

    September 16, 2018 at 11:42 am

    Hi, I would like to make a lotion with kefir cream…if I added Shea butter and some essential oils, do you think this would harm the bacteria of the kefir… So I have to store it in the fridge or would it be OK in a dark corner.?

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      September 18, 2018 at 9:08 am

      As long as you don’t melt the shea butter with the kefir which might kill some of the beneficial probiotics.

      Reply
  11. Vessela says

    May 23, 2019 at 7:36 am

    Hello! I’m thinking of doing my own face cream. The ingredients I am going to put is: Chea butter, jojoba oil, carrots sead oil and kefir whey. Do you think it’s a good idea with the whey? How long this cream could last? The oils are preservatives for the whey. Thank you in advance

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      May 24, 2019 at 6:52 am

      I’m not sure! It’s worth a try. I would definitely keep it refrigerated.

      Reply
  12. Muriel says

    June 12, 2019 at 12:40 am

    Hello,
    I have just followed the instructions to make the kefir cream. It is now fermenting.
    What happens next?
    Do you add essential oils?
    Do you put it in small jars?
    Do you keep it in the fridg?
    I am very new at this and would like some answers plese.
    I make my own kefir and realise that I need to make much more.
    Thanks for your reply.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      June 12, 2019 at 8:58 am

      Yes, you definitely keep it in the fridge in whatever size container(s) you would like. Add essential oils once it’s fermented.

      Reply
      • Muriel Corcoran says

        June 12, 2019 at 8:54 pm

        Thanks Andrea.
        I guess the fermentation process happens on the bench and not in the refrigerator?
        How long does the cream last once in jars, and refrigerated?
        Appreciate your help.
        Muriel

        Reply
        • Andrea Fabry says

          June 13, 2019 at 7:19 am

          Yes, it’s fermented at room temperature and preserved in the fridge. Not sure how long it lasts!

          Reply

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    July 4, 2014 at 7:13 pm

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MEET ANDREA

I am a certified Building Biology Advocate, a former journalist, mother of nine, and avid CrossFitter who likes to think outside the box. After our family's health crisis in 2008, I learned to ask questions about what's in our food, our water, and our air. I hope to empower you as you seek to live safely in a complex world. Thankfully, small steps lead to big changes. Let's travel this road together, one step at a time.

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