We all know aspirin as a blood thinner, a heart protector and an inflammation reducer… But did you know that aspirin can add oodles of goodness to your DIY beauty or home care routine?
The main ‘salt’ or drug behind aspirin and its many other names is acetylsalicylic acid, which is found in nature as a plant derivative of the willow tree. This dissolvable medicine is not just an essential drug -- it can be used for so many different beauty, garden and home care hacks. Read on…
- Keep Cut Flowers Longer: Dropping just a smidge of aspirin (a quarter or so) in a mid-sized vase will help keep those flower arrangements fresh for longer and also keep the water from going stinky. This is because aspirin prevents fungal and mold growth.
- Wash That Dandruff Away: Plagued with an itchy, flaky scalp? Instead of running to the drug store to get remedial shampoos and treatments, try an aspirin dandruff treatment instead. Take a handful of your normal shampoo and crush two aspirins in it – apply it all over the scalp and let it stay for two minutes. Wash off for a clean, dandruff-free scalp.
- Give Your Garden A New Lease Of Life: Aspirin is actually a great plant rejuvenator – it increases root growth, prevents fungal formations and activates the natural defense mechanisms of a plant. Water your plants with an aspirin cocktail by mixing three crushed tablets in four gallons (15 liters) of water and use this to water your garden or pots every month or so.
- Remove Any Skin Stains: If your garden or lawn work has left you with grass or chemical stains on your skin, then remove them with the help of aspirin – crush 2-3 aspirin with a little water to form a paste and apply over stained skin. Keep on for 10-15 minutes and wash off. Follow up with moisturizer and sunscreen.
- Whiten Those Yellowed Clothes: It’s heartbreaking to see new clothes look old because of sweat stains, and using harsh chemicals only makes the fabric fray faster. Aspirin can come in handy here, too. Just drop one aspirin in every load of whites you wash: they’ll be visibly brighter. And if the whites are pretty soggy, then soak the clothes overnight in a mixture of 5-6 aspirin mixed in 2.5 gallons (10 liters) of water. Wash as usual.
- Clean The Bathroom: Aspirin can do wonders for your bathroom. Make a paste of 10 aspirin with a little water and apply this paste to wherever the stains are ickiest. Think grungy tiles, bathtub rings and more. Keep the paste on for an hour and then scrub off with a brush.
- Remove Warts Naturally: Warts are unsightly, irritating and can sometimes be painful, too. While you can always use salicylic acid paint as per doctor’s orders, even an aspirin can treat a small wart. Dampen an aspirin and place it over the wart, securing it with a bandage or tape. Try and keep the aspirin in contact for 2-3 days consecutively and the wart should wither and fall off.
- Clear Up Acne With A Mask: Aspirin is a great exfoliator and can treat mild acne, inflammation, and uneven tanning or pigmentation. Crush 3-5 aspirin, add enough water to form a paste, and then apply it to affected areas and keep on for 10 minutes. Wash off for soothed skin.
- Moisturize Skin With A Mask: To the same paste above, mix in a teaspoon of honey for extra moisturizing and anti-bacterial action – apply this paste on your face, neck and décolletage and keep on for 15 minutes. Wash off for glowing skin.
- Treat Stings And Bites: The next time you get a bug bite or sting, moisten an aspirin and apply it over the sting as it may help to reduce the redness, swelling, and pain.
We hope you like these tips. We'd be happy to hear of any more that you might have – do write to us in the comments section below…
