Bran, gramflour and oatmeal are a few of the ingredients that hold the key to a glowing, well scrubbed complexion.

Our grandmothers swore by the exfoliating properties of chokar (wheat husk) mixed in malai that sticks to the bottom of the pan after the milk is heated. The scrub was used for rejuvenating and removing dead skin. Coarse gram flour or besan is yet another effective homemade scrub they used. Traditionally used, a turmeric scrub, over time, is known to remove facial and tender body hair altogether.

It’s a shampoo, face scrub and hair remover powdered into one. There is more to besan or gram flour besides making great pakoras.

Though besan has been primarily used in the kitchen, it has other uses too. Gram flour or besan is considered safe enough to be used on an infant’s head during their first head bath. It even finds its place in solah singhar or the 16 steps that a bride uses to adorn herself. It is also supposed to be an effective depilatory. Apart from the above, besan or gram flour has many more uses.