Washed Ghee – My new Skincare Mantra

Yes, you read that right. I said Ghee. Ghee, the strong smelling, fat friendly ghee! The very ghee that our grandmothers and mothers lovingly dole up on food and we plead them not to. A little bit of an effort and the very same ghee turns into a wonderful, all natural skincare product. It is an Ayurvedic recipe called Shata Ghaut Dhrita that literally translates into Hundred Times Washed Ghee. The procedure is simple and transforms the texture of ghee to an incredible soft cream that gets absorbed into the skin easily, leaving behind super soft moisturised skin. Apparently, this recipe helps the ghee penetrate through all the seven layers of the skin! So even an oily skinned person like me benefits from it. If you are worried about the scent, don’t worry. It disappears! Plus, I added something special to my recipe. Read on to know what it is…

What is Washed Ghee?

Washed Ghee is traditionally prepared by placing organic cow ghee is a copper vessel and washing it with purified water a 100 times. In ayurveda, the process is done by hand entirely and special mantras are chanted. The result is a cool cream that is said to soothe the skin as it becomes very cool. I first heard of this on Tanveer’s blog Addicted To Blush. She deserves the credit for introducing me to so many new things regarding health and beauty. One day, I will do a post on all that I learnt from her!!

Why I tried Washed Ghee for Skincare?

I read about washed ghee when my skin was being very very temperamental. It was dull and lifeless and with dry patches. Yet, when I would moisturise it with a chemical cream or oils like olive and almond, it would resemble an oil slick. I needed something that would deep nourish the skin and this was perfect! Within a week of regular usage, my dry patches had disappeared. I apply a thin layer and massage the cream for about 30 seconds. That is all. I made no other changes to my skin routine in terms of face wash or even makeup so the difference was truly due to this.

Why I love Washed Ghee?

After two batches, my cream was over. I was gifted a huge tube of a face cream by a friend. This is one of the best brands in skin care so had to be good. Right? Wrong!!! Within three weeks of shifting to the cream my friend gave me, my dull and dry skin was back. Work was hectic, I was travelling and tired so I kept putting off the making of washed ghee. My skin kept getting worse and worse. To hide that, I was piling on layers upon layers of concealor and foundation each morning. By afternoon, I would be reaching for blotting paper every hour. Then, I kept myself awake one night and made a big batch of washed ghee. Guess what, a week down the line and am back to my BB cream. No more foundation and heavy concealing for me!

How to make Washed Ghee at Home?

The first time I made washed ghee at home, I followed Tanveer’s recipe. But the beauty of a DIY recipe is that you can experiment and add your own touch to it. You can make it your own. So after that, I changed things a bit and followed these steps:

Get your Ingredients for Washed Ghee Together

1. Bowl & Spoon – You will need a large clean bowl. There will be fare amount of splashing and sloshing. Also, the ghee will expand in volume. So, large bowl helps. I have used steel and glass both. I was happier with the results in the glass bowl. The biggest benefit of using glass is that there is no possibility of a reaction with the other ingredients. You will need a clean spoon as well.
2. Cow Ghee – I used store bought cow ghee at room temperature. Each time, I used 4 table spoons. The cream was good for two months in each case. This is also because being oily skinned, I use a small pea sized amount. In case you are dry skinned and need heavier moisturisation, it would last lesser.
3. Water – I used water from an RO filter both times. I did wonder of pure water here meant distilled water. But since I made both batches on impulse, I did not have distilled water.
4. Secret Ingredient – Now this is simple. Any essential oil. Whatever rocks your boat! I used lavender in one batch and mint in the other. I preferred the mint one because the fragrance just wakes me up in the morning. Lavender one is good when you are in the mood to relax 🙂
5. Towel – The process can be a bit messy so it is a good idea to have a large towel around. I wore an old tee and spread the towel on my lap.
6. Container – An air tight container is what I would recommend. I stored it in a metal tin once , a plastic tub and then a glass bottle. I found no difference in either! Choose the prettiest container you like for your DIY cream!

Wash the ghee with water

Pour the ghee in your bowl and add an equal amount of water. Use the spoon and whisk the ghee. This is where the splashing and sloshing happens so be careful. I stirred the ghee and water clockwise ten times and then anti clockwise for another ten. Then repeated it twice and throw the water. There is no logic here.  The change of direction ensures my wrist and fingers get exercise and the count helps me track time. That is all.

Strain the ghee

This step is really tricky. You are supposed to strain the ghee and get rid of the water completely. So, I cheat here. I use the spoon to scoop the ghee to one side of the bowl and pour the water out. You would find that the water settles to the bottom if the bowl and the ghee floats on top. So it is a good idea to scoop and drain two three times.

Repeat washing and straining

Once you have drained out the ghee, add more water to it and keep washing it till the ghee expands in volume and develops a sheen. I generally wash at least 4 times. Each cycle takes me about six to seven minutes. You can do this for as long as you wish. In all my research, I did not come across anyone who actually did this for a hundred times.

Add essential Oils

Once my four washes are done, I add essential oils. The scent of the ghee would have subsided by this time. I add five to six drops of essential oil and then wash two more times at least. Each time, I add the essential oil. I read a few blogs where the essential oil was added at the end. I believe that would retain a stronger aroma. However, I wanted the oils to be nicely mixed up in the cream and preferred to repeat the washing.

Store

After the last drain, transfer your washed ghee in a container. Ensure that it is air tight. I prefer to store the cream overnight in the fridge. That firmly sets it and dries off any water still in the ghee. The ghee lasts for two months easily even in the hot humid Indian summer. If you can store it in the refrigerator, it will have an additional cooling and soothing effect on the skin.

So that is it!! Have you tried making it? What was your experience like?