Aspirin, the common pain reliever, not only alleviates headaches and fevers temporarily but also improves your body and skin — from acne to reducing cancer.
Check out these six health and beauty hacks with aspirin that can improve your overall health.
1. Acne treatment
Pain relievers alleviate body ailments but also can reduce swelling, unclog pores, and even soften your skin.
The active ingredient in aspirin, acetyl salicylic acid - a synthetic derivative of the salicin compound - naturally occurs in plants, specifically the willow tree, according to the Aspirin Foundation.
The salicylic acid in aspirin can help clear anything that is in the hair follicle or pore. You could simply crush five tablets and mix a tablespoon of plain full-fat yogurt and honey which helps double as a moisturizing face mask.
2. Callus remover
Calluses, often spotted near the heels of the feet, could be uncomfortable and such an unpleasant sight.
Here’s how aspirin can help: crush six tablets and mix them with one tablespoon of lemon juice. This will create a paste that should be applied to the callus.
3. Repair chlorinated hair
Regular trips to the beach and pool are undoubtedly refreshing during the hot summer season, but the combination of chlorine and sun exposure can severely damage your hair.
Here’s an advice: dissolve between six to eight aspirin tablets in a glass of warm water, followed by running the mixture through your hair for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing so as to restore your original hair color, according to Good Housekeeping magazine.
The green in your hair should disappear after a couple of aspirin washes.
4. Control dandruff
Numerous shampoos aimed at treating dandruff use salicylic acid to control these pesky flakes.
You could add aspirin to your shampoo to help keep dandruff under control by simply crushing two uncoated aspirins into a powder and combining them with a tablespoon of shampoo.
Exfoliating the scalp helps remove dead skin layers that cause dandruff.
5. Get rid of a hickey
A hickey, or a “love bite,” could make you feel uncomfortable if you have work the next day.
Luckily, the appearance of the hickey can be quickly reduced by letting one or two uncoated aspirin pills dissolve in half a cup of water and applying the paste to the affected area.
6. Prevent cancer
The benefits of taking aspirin to prevent some types of cancer outweigh the harms, according to a recent study published in the Annals of Oncology.
“The effects of aspirin only appear after at least three years from the start of use, and some benefits are sustained for several years after stopping daily aspirin therapy in long-term users,” researchers say.
“If those between 50 and 65 began taking aspirin on a daily basis for at least 10 years, there would be a 9% reduction in the number of cancers, strokes, and heart attacks overall in men, and around 7% in women,” said Dr. Jack Cuzick, head of the Centre for Cancer Prevention at Queen Mary's University of London in the United Kingdom.