How many times have you heard to place sliced cucumbers on your eyes to reduce puffiness? Or to drink (or even make!) spa water with sliced cucumbers in filtered water. The reason? Cucumbers are high in silica.
Silica is a critical ingredient in healthy skin, hair, and nails, and it commonly declines with age. Studies show that daily silica supplementation significantly improves the condition of hair and nails. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 48 women with fine hair, those in the group who took silica enjoyed significantly thicker, stronger hair.
Silica also helps reverse graying and is critical for healthy bone density, which helps explain why prematurely gray hair is linked with bone loss.
So, if your goal is natural anti aging skin care, you cant go wrong with cucumber. Just be sure to leave the skin on, as the majority of silica is found in the skin. Other silica-containing foods include beets, soybeans, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains. Combined with cucumber, aim to make at least one of these natural skin care ingredients part of your food-based beauty plan every day.