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"hitoyam" some rights reserved. flickr

These are slices of pickled cucumbers.
Hmm. It looks yummy, doesn’t it?

"hitoyam" some rights reserved. flickr

And this is rice bran paste. Maybe it doesn’t look so yummy…

The cucumber mentioned above has been pickled in the salted rice bran paste. Vegetables pickled in this kind of paste are called nuka-zuke. Nuka is rice bran, and zuke means “pickled”. They are slightly smelly, but the vegetables still taste good and are healthy. Nuka-zuke contains a lot of lactobacillus and yeast which help to rid our bodies of poisonous substances and keeps our intestines healthy.

Wow! That sounds wonderful. But wait!  The title of today’s post is “Japanese Traditional Cosmetics”, right!? Yes, it is (^^).

Today, I would like to write about cosmetics made from rice bran!

Nuka (rice bran) is used as face washing powder.

The product in the photo above is called “Bijin-nuka” produced by Kobe Bijin Nuka Honpo. Nuka contains several effective ingredients for moisturizing, whitening, and encouraging the skin’s metabolism.

Here is a how-to video. Check it out!

You can buy nuka at rice shops for next to nothing (or no charge), and it can be used as a facial wash. However, I recommend buying “nuka products” for especially sensitive skin.

Nuka is also used for soap, skin lotion and many other skin care products. You should try some Nuka based remedies if you have dry skin!

Source: Kobe Bijin Nuka Honpo Website

This is JAPAN Style!

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