We’ve all seen (and tried) a beauty hack or two, and thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to find out what’s trending around the world. Right now, India has seen an influx of videos recommending turmeric and wheat flour dough for hair removal. According to the coverage, this gently exfoliating combination of household ingredients can help remove peach fuzz and may even have some skin-care benefits. So, is this dough hair removal hack a dough-dud or a new favorite recipe?
How It Works
According to India Times, the viral recipe is easy to knead into dough. It goes as follows:
- 2 teaspoons wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon clarified butter
- 2-3 spoonfuls of milk
When gently rubbed on the face, this dough mixture works as an exfoliant. While it may help remove peach fuzz and fine hairs, the trend is better suited for exfoliation and as a DIY skin-care hack.
Is Dough Hair Removal Safe for Skin?
As many outlets in India have noted, these ingredients have been staples of home-made skin care for a long time. For example, ingredients like turmeric are often used in serums that utilize their anti-inflammatory benefits.
A quick warning: “The only potential issue is a potential allergy to one of the ingredients,” explains West Palm Beach, FL dermatologist Kenneth Beer, MD. Otherwise, he deems the method “fine” to try at home.
That said, clarified butter probably isn’t the best idea if you have oily skin. Additionally, this process requires clean hands and a clean workspace to minimize the risk of bacteria.
Does it Work for Hair Removal?
“Rubbing turmeric dough on your face may exfoliate and remove some peach fuzz due to friction and the shallow roots of the hair, but it’s not an effective method for hair removal,” explains medical aesthetician and founder of Skincare by Amy Peterson, Amy Peterson. “This process only dislodges a small amount of the hair and can actually lead to skin irritation or over-exfoliation without addressing the hair follicle, meaning the fuzz can grow back quickly.”
If you’re looking to remove your peach fuzz, there are more effective ways to do it.
“For blonde peach fuzz one of my absolute favorites is dermaplaning,” Peterson says. “It gently exfoliates by removing dead skin cells and fine hair. Your skin is left feeling smoother, brighter, and prepped for better product absorption. Plus, it makes makeup application a total dream!”
Those of us with darker hair can turn to options like laser hair removal.
“Laser hair removal offers a long-term solution by targeting hair follicles to reduce regrowth and remove hair from the root for extended smoothness,” Peterson explains. “Aerolase hair removal is one of the top treatments at my practice for targeting dark hair removal, leaving the skin silky smooth with minimal to no downtime.”
