Potatoes: Fight spots, even out skin tone and even cover grey hairs, a new study

A new study has found that potatos to have the qualities to keep a women beautiful as it fight spots, even out skin tone and even cover grey hairs. Like many women, I spend a sizeable chunk of my income on moisturisers, facial scrubs, spot-zapping creams and anti-ageing serums. But none of them, however pricey, seem to work the promised miracles.

I’ve long been tempted to adopt a more natural — and, crucially, cheaper — beauty regime, so I am delighted to discover the latest must-have for beauty devotees is, the, er, potato. The humble spud is said to fight spots, even out skin tone, de-bag eyes and even cover grey hairs, according to natural beauty bloggers. So, are any of these tips worth their chips?

Juice to plump up your skin

Every morning for a fortnight, I put two or three medium raw potatoes into a juicer and glug them down. You have to mix the juice well and it’s best to drink it straight away rather than leaving it in the fridge. I got through a lot of potato varieties: King Edwards, Maris Pipers, Red Desirees and Rosevals. The juice tasted vile, like earth mixed with water, but I persevered. To see what effect potatoes had on my skin, I didn’t make any other changes to my diet or beauty regime.

Dermatologist Dr Emma Wedgeworth thinks there may be potential benefits of consuming potatoes in juice form. ‘Fluids are essential to maintain skin firmness and elasticity,’ she says. ‘Potatoes also have a high concentration of antioxidants including natural polyphenols, which are micronutrients present in a large number of plants. ‘There is emerging evidence that they play a role in cell function and reducing inflammation, so these benefits may extend to the skin. Anything fresh is likely to contain higher levels of nutrients and increased concentrations of vitamin C, which is an essential component of healthy skin.

‘Potatoes also contain vitamin B6, which helps process amino acids — the building blocks of the skin. Potato peel is particularly high in vitamins and minerals, so make sure you keep the skin on.’

It’s an old wives’ tale that raw potatoes are poisonous, but they can cause bloating, so go carefully. Avoid green or sprouted potatoes, which do contain toxins.
Raw is said to be the best way to get the health benefits of potatoes because some vitamin C content is lost in the cooking process, but no one wants to eat uncooked potato, so it’s easier to knock back a glass of juice.

Verdict: The weather has been so cold that I’d expect my skin to be dry and flaky. But while I don’t look ten years younger, I haven’t succumbed to ‘winter face’ in the same way as usual. I’m impressed with the benefits of juicing. 3/5

Pulp them to kill spots

Potato juice is supposed to reduce inflammation and irritation, including spots, ulcers, bruises and rashes. I wanted it to get rid of some stubborn spots, but I wasn’t sure how to apply the juice. I started off by dabbing it on with cotton wool pads, like a toner. My spots failed to vanish. I consulted naturopath Louisa Hallowes, who advised that to get the best anti-inflammatory effect from potatoes they should be left on the skin for as long as possible, ideally several hours. Simply wiping on juice won’t give it a chance to penetrate the skin and much of it will be absorbed by the cotton wool.

Pulped flesh rather than juice works best, as you can leave it sitting on your skin, like a face mask, while juice will just run off or evaporate. Louisa suggested grating potato and mixing it with lemon juice — or you can use the pulp saved from juicing — and apply it to the affected areas with a gauze and plaster. I tried this and, to my surprise, a burgeoning spot near my nose did seem to shrink a little after wearing the poultice for half an hour. She also recommended putting chilled slices of potato on a spot or blemish.

I felt a bit silly clutching a piece of potato to my face while watching TV, but it did slightly shrink a nasty pimple on my chin.

Verdict: Poultices are a bit of faff, but the chilled slice of potato trick is easy and worth a go if a spot rears its ugly head. 3/5

Eye Mask to banish puffiness

I don’t normally suffer from puffy eyes, but my eyes do look tired and there are shadows around my eye and nose area, so I try lying on the sofa after dinner each night with a chilled slice of potato on each eye. Dr Wedgeworth says: ‘Puffiness is caused by little blood vessels that become too open. Because of its high water content, potato will be soothing and cooling and cause the blood vessels in the skin to constrict as part of the body’s natural heat regulation.

‘However, you need to be cautious during the application because potatoes contain a starchy residue that you must avoid getting into your eyes.’

Potatoes also contain catecholase, an enzyme that acts as a natural bleach and is said to lighten the skin. Over time, this may fade brown sun spots and age spots, and brighten the eye area. The dark shadows under the eyes are caused by blood vessels showing through thin skin or by darker pigment. Either way, potato should help, shrinking blood vessels and lightening pigment.

Verdict: I can’t see much difference, but potato is a time- honoured cure for age spots, sun spots and other skin pigmentation problems, so it may be worth while persisting. 2/5
Mash to smooth away Crows Feet

I follow the instructions of the online natural beauty gurus and make a face mask of grated potato, skin and all, mixed with the juice of one lemon, and leave it on for ten minutes.

It feels soothing and much nicer than many expensive face masks. I’m sure I can feel my skin tightening beneath it and I hope it is lightening blemishes and scars.

But will it really plump out my wrinkles and smooth away my crows’ feet? Dr Wedgeworth says: ‘Vitamin C will help protect the skin from ageing environmental damage. The antioxidant content in potatoes will also absorb and block the activity of free radicals, which are believed to harm cells, ageing skin. However, the vitamin C and antioxidants may not be in the right concentration to be effective.

‘The skin is good at blocking out molecules, so it may not penetrate the skin. Companies spend billions working out the right formula to ensure that the right minerals do get absorbed, while there’s been no research on whether potato juice, or pulp, can adhere to the skin and have any effect.’

Verdict: I can’t say a potato face mask has given me flawless skin, but it did seem to have a temporary tightening effect and it made my skin feel soft, too — probably because of the hydrating properties — so I’d try this again. 3/5

Use the peel to get rid of grey hair

It seems unlikely that potatoes can lighten the skin and darken grey hair, but since my greys have started multiplying faster than I can pluck them out, I’m more than happy to have a go. The natural beauty websites recommend boiling up the peel from five large potatoes with two litres of water, letting it simmer for up to 30 minutes and then discarding the peel.

After washing and conditioning your hair as normal, you pour on the murky, potato-skin water (or you can apply it with a paintbrush) and then rinse it out after 20 minutes.

The science behind this is hazy, but it’s worth a try. So I tried the potato peel hair treatment after washing my hair every four days as normal. Afterwards, I smell slightly of potato, but the scattering of grey hairs along my parting seems less obvious and, best of all, my hair is softer and silkier. This trick only works on brunettes, though — blondes should stick to lemon juice.

Verdict: Though it’s effective, it’s a bit of a hassle. ‘Eau de compost’ is not a scent I’m keen on, so I think I’ll buy some vegetable-based hair dye or ask my hairdresser to apply it.