6 beauty & health uses for cucumbers that will amaze you

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Cucumbers have a slew of vitamins and minerals that are essential for the health. But what most don't know, you can have it any way you can because of its versatility. Here's a few wonderful uses for this great fruit that you can easily do at home.

1. Cucumber as a refreshment. Noelle Swatland told Shape that her favorite skin booster is cucumber. She said, "Consisting of over 90-percent water, cucumbers are a naturally cooling and hydrating food."

Shape further reports that cucumbers are packed with potassium, magnesium and silica, which helps improve one's complexion. Swatland said, "Fruit and vegetable juices, prepared in the right combinations, can help you to remove crud from your blood and tissues and restore alkalinity and balance to your system. You see the benefits of this crud removal in younger looking skin and greater energy."

2. Cucumber soup. Sure, it might sound a bit odd at first, but you can create a creamy, delightful cucumber soup with just a few more ingredients such as extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and onion, lemon juice, avocado, low-fat plain yogurt, and fresh parsley. What's best is that you can prepare the soup in just 35 minutes. Get the recipe at Fitness Magazine.

3. Cucumbers to fight cellulite. Real Farmacy suggests rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers on your cellulite-ridden skin for a few minutes, as the phytochemicals in the cucumber helps tighten the skin's collagen, making it firmer. This reduces the visibility of cellulite on the skin.

4. Cucumbers as breath freshener. Venue Magazine suggests pressing a cucumber on the roof of your mouth for about 30 seconds. The phytochemicals in the cucumber kills bacteria in your mouth that cause odors, thereby relieving you from bad breath.

5. Cucumbers as a hangover solution. Binged all night with your girlfriends and dreading the morning after? Real Farmacy suggests to snack on some cucumber slices before sleeping as to avoid the morning headache and hangover. The sugar, vitamin B's, and electrolytes in cucumber helps replenish the essential nutrients your body lost to a night of booze-drinking.

6. Cucumber as a natural skin hydrator and toner. Sure, we've been using cucumber slices on our eyes for as long as we remember, but did you know you can also use it as a toner? Self Magazine reports that according to aesthetician Kimberly Cole of Spa Sophia in Venice, California, "Organic cucumbers are natural hydrators. I use the pulp on my face to hydrate and tighten pores. Just press [the pulp] against your face, especially on and around the eyes, and then wipe it off." Top off this routine by applying your moisturizer.