Did you know that both ripe and raw papaya benefits your skin, hair, immunity system and overall health? Papayas nourish you from within, help improve your health and alleviate some common health concerns.
A rich resource of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, even one small papaya contains about 300 times more vitamin C than the recommended daily value. Let’s find out what papaya can do for your skin and how you should be using it.
Papaya fruit nutrition
Papaya is a fruit of all seasons that provides the body with all essential nutrients. High on vitamin A, eating papaya regularly helps in treating vision-related problems. The extract of this pulpy fruit is also the main ingredient in a wide range of skin and hair care products. The whopping amounts of essential vitamins A, C and antioxidants lycopene present in papaya make your skin look radiant, toned and youthful.
Also Read: Best Hair Growth Vitamins: Which Vitamin is Good for Hair?
Papayas are a high source of vitamin C. One small fruit provides about 95.6 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, which meets or exceeds the daily recommended intake for adult males (90 mg) and females (75 mg). One medium papaya has approximately:
- 120 calories
- 30 g of carbohydrate — including 5 g of fiber and 18 g of sugar
- 2 g of protein
Papayas are also a suitable source of:
- vitamin A
- magnesium
- copper
- pantothenic acid
- fiber
They also have B vitamins, alpha and beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, vitamin K, and lycopene, the powerful antioxidant most commonly associated with tomatoes.
Is Papaya Good For Your Skin?
There are many studies supporting the goodness of papaya for the skin. A recent study shows that papaya is beneficial to all organs and in all stages of life. Besides being a delicious fruit, papaya is a huge source of antioxidants and beneficial enzymes that offer a number of health benefits.
According to a 2013 study, the high content of vitamins A, B, and C make papaya significantly beneficial for human health. Proteolytic enzymes of papaya, such as papain and chymopapain, also have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
Papaya also showed promising results in treating warts, corns, sinuses, eczema, and other hardness of the skin.
Several other scientific studies support the fact that papaya benefits the skin and different organs as well. Let’s have a look at the benefits of eating papaya for the skin.
Benefits Of Papaya For Your Skin
1. Acne Control
Proteolytic enzymes of papaya, papain and chymopapain are helpful in reducing inflammation. The papain enzyme has a protein-dissolving property which helps in exfoliation. So, papain-containing products can help to reduce acne. It works by clearing out the dead skin cells that clog pores.
Papain is good for damaged keratin removal, which may otherwise create build ups on skin. A recent study also showed that papain shows significant results in treatment for scarring.
A high concentration of retinol, a topical version of vitamin A in papaya, also makes it useful for treating and preventing inflammatory acne.
2. Wrinkle Reduction
Papaya is a rich source of antioxidants, like lycopene, that help to reduce the visible signs of aging. According to a 2017 study, antioxidants present in papaya can help to combat free radical damage, which helps to keep your skin smooth and youthful.
As per a 2012 research, papaya components can also help improve the elasticity of your skin, which can minimize the appearance of wrinkles.
3. Deeply Cleanses Skin
Papaya is enriched with helpful enzymes and plant-based antioxidants. These components can remove impurities like dead and damaged cells, tissues, and debris from the skin’s surface.
Papaya also helps to clean the pores and make the skin bright and clear. It also provides a fairer complexion by penetrating the inner layers of skin and thoroughly removing dirt and excess oil discharges.
4. Helps To Treat Skin Diseases
For ages, papaya has been used as a natural remedy for scars, burns, and other skin disorders. Papaya enzymes exfoliate dead skin cells and remove pollutants from the skin. Direct application of papaya pulp to the affected skin region can help you to treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It can also help to alleviate itching and redness.
5. Moisturizes Skin
Papaya is also a good skin moisturizer. A high concentration of antioxidants and enzymes aid in treating dry, flaky skin and restore the natural skin moisture. Regular application of papaya pulp to your skin can soften it and help to bring back its natural glow.
6. Reduces Skin Pigmentation
Papaya is a wonderful combination of ingredients like enzymes, beta-carotene, vitamins, and phytochemicals that can help you get rid of scars and uneven skin pigmentation. These ingredients offer skin-lightening effects that are beneficial in removing blemishes and discoloration. Papaya’s richness of beta-carotene and plant components improves the appearance of your skin and makes it smoother.
7. Treats Facial Hair
Instead of the hassles of regular waxing or threading, a raw papaya face pack can be a unique solution. Papaya contains enzymes that can lighten your facial hair like a bleach, and also weaken facial hair follicles. Regular use of this pack can prevent hair re-growth as well.
8. Helps To Treat Dark Spots
Papaya can also help to lighten your skin spots and eliminate tan. The enzyme papain can be an excellent cure for darkened skin patches, like acne spots or dark elbows and knees.
Papaya is also popular as a home remedy for melasma, a skin condition that causes dark, discolored patches. It is already clinically proven that papain in papaya can dissolve inactive protein and can lighten and soften the skin.
9. Stimulates Collagen Production
Instilled with ample amounts of papain enzyme and beta carotene antioxidants, papaya efficiently flushes out all toxins, harmful free radicals, and inactive proteins from the skin. It bestows valuable components for restoring smooth texture, elasticity, banishing creases, and sagging, by vastly elevating the synthesis of collagen proteins, to provide soft, supple skin.
Benefits of Papaya for Hair
Be it hair fall, damaged hair or even dandruff, papaya is one of the best natural treatments. Papaya has a soft consistency which makes it easier to use on the hair and scalp. Here are the 3 main benefits of papaya for hair:
1. Promotes hair growth
You can eat one slice of papaya everyday or apply it on the scalp to improve hair growth. According to many studies, there are several nutrients present in papaya that can help in preventing baldness. Papaya can drastically increase your hair length and prevent hair fall too.
The wealth of folic acid and antioxidants present in papaya enhance the circulation of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles and promote the growth of healthy hair. Regular intake of papaya ensures that you get a long healthy mane. Furthermore, the antimicrobial properties of papaya help in thwarting numerous infections resulting in scalp damage, for enhanced hair thickness, texture.
2. Treats dandruff
Another hair care benefit is that papaya can treat dandruff too. Moreover, papaya fruits comprise a multitude of remarkable elements – B complex vitamins, lycopene, flavonoid antioxidants. These components heal all concerns associated with hair, such as dry tresses, breaking, split ends, hair loss and scalp infections.
Applying a homemade hair mask that has papaya in it can help in treating dry and flaky scalp, which is more common in winter season. To make this, you have to remove the seeds of a raw papaya and use the blended pulp part and mix it with yogurt. You can let it stay on your hair or scalp for at least 15-20 minutes and rinse it off.
3. Natural conditioner
As mentioned above, papaya is a good source of many essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Abounding in proteolytic enzymes of papain, chymopapain, as well as vitamins A, C with antioxidant characteristics, papaya extracts nurture, condition dull, damaged hair. Applying a mask with papaya juice, coconut oil immensely nourishes the scalp, strands from root to tip, thereby promoting the growth of healthy hair from follicles and infusing moisture, softness to the mane.
Another method of using Papaya as a Hair Mask; you can see your hair turning smoother, shinier and softer. You just have to grind a slice of papaya and add yogurt and coconut oil to it to form a smooth mixture for application. You can choose to use it just on the damaged strands as well. Let it stay for half an hour and wash it off using water later.
Also Read: Gray Hair: Causes and Ways to Care for It Naturally
How To Use Papaya For Your Skin?
How you choose to use papaya for maximizing benefits will depend on your unique skin type. Given below are a few ways to use papaya for your skin:
1. For Dry Skin
A pack with papaya pulp, milk and honey can moisturize your dry skin and make it glow. Take half a cup of mashed papaya pulp and mix it with milk and honey. Make a smooth paste and apply the pack to your face and neck. Wash it off with water after 15 minutes. For best results, repeat once or twice a week.
2. For Oily Skin
Papaya and orange both contain vitamin C. A mixture of their juices is believed to act as a natural astringent that can minimize sebum production. Make a smooth blend of chopped papaya and orange pulp. Apply the mix to the face and neck and leave it for 15 minutes. Then rinse with cold water.
3. For Irritated Skin
A face pack with cucumber, banana, and papaya pulp will moisturize skin and help to lighten it. The anti-inflammatory and anti-acne properties of papaya can soothe your skin and reduce itchiness and redness. Keep the face pack on for 15 minutes and wash off.
4. For Acne-Prone Skin
Papaya contains enzymes that help cleanse the skin and unclog pores. Together with honey and lemon juice, it can also kill harmful acne-causing bacteria. Take mashed papaya and add honey, lemon juice, and sandalwood powder to it and make a smooth paste. Apply this to the face and wash off with water after 15 minutes.
5. For Skin Brightening
Mashed papaya with lemon juice can brighten your skin with its skin-lightening, bleaching, and astringent properties. Apply it on your face and wash off once it dries.
Conclusion:
Papaya is undoubtedly a powerhouse of nutrients and benefits for both skin and hair, offering a natural and effective way to enhance your beauty regimen. Its rich content of vitamins A, C, antioxidants, and enzymes like papain make it a versatile ingredient in treating a variety of skin issues, from acne and dark spots to wrinkles and dryness.
Whether used as a mask, scrub, or consumed regularly, papaya helps promote healthier, more radiant skin by exfoliating, moisturizing, and stimulating collagen production. Additionally, its hair care benefits—from promoting growth to treating dandruff and conditioning strands—make it an excellent natural solution for a luscious mane. By incorporating papaya into your routine, you can enjoy a simple, yet powerful boost to your overall hair and skin health.