Homemade Ubtan (Bath Powder) Recipe With Green Gram Powder

This homemade bath powder/ ubtan made with green gram powder/ flour is so gentle on the skin and many people in our family, including me use it, instead of soap. We call this “Pasi payaru maavu/ Pachai payaru maavu” in Tamil. I have been waiting to post this bath powder/ ubtan recipe for quite some time, but the climate did not cooperate, as you need  bright sunlight to make this
powder.

There is a reason this powder has been used as a bath powder for ages. This bath powder does not strip the skin of the natural oils and regular use prevents black heads and softens the skin. But this powder will spoil easily, if the green gram and vetiver is not sun dried till crisp.

I prefer to make small batches of this powder. This bath powder cleanses well and it can be made into a paste with water and used as a face scrub too. During winter season, mix the green gram powder with milk or yogurt and use. To make this powder, sun dry green gram dal and vetiver in bright sunlight till they get very crisp.

Powder it finely in a mixer. Vetiver is very aromatic, so use just little to make this powder. Both vetiver and green gram powder are very cooling. This powder is excellent for small babies as it does not have any chemicals. Keep the left over powder in an air tight box away from moisture.

Homemade Ubtan (Bath Powder) Recipe With Green Gram Powder

 METHOD:
1. This is vetiver root. The root is dried and sold in the markets.

2. Take green gram dal and vetiver in a plate and sun dry till very crisp.

2. Powder it till the mixture is very fine in a mixer.

3. To use, take the requires amount of powder and mix it with water to form a paste. During winter season, mix it with yogurt or milk.

NOTES:

  • Sun dry it till the ingredients are crisp, else you will not be able to powder it finely.
  • Vetiver gives a nice smell and acts as a natural body coolant, so try not to skip it.

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60 Comments

  1. Lakshya
    September 22, 2013 / 3:49 am

    can we use organic green gram powder bought from the store as well?

  2. ramya
    September 22, 2013 / 5:04 am

    Yes, that will be good too..

  3. Anonymous
    November 19, 2013 / 7:48 am

    wht is vetiver known in either gujarati or hindi?

  4. ramya
    November 19, 2013 / 10:03 am

    Vetiver is called" Khus" in Hindi.

  5. sun shine
    February 3, 2014 / 10:27 am

    what is vetiver in telugu??n can u tel me where can i get it??i stay in hyd…

    • ramya
      February 3, 2014 / 4:55 pm

      Hi,Vetiver is called "Kuruveeru" in Telugu. I am sorry, I don't know where you get it in Hyderabad. I will try my best, to find and post reputed online sources for the ingredients soon.

  6. sun shine
    February 3, 2014 / 11:08 am

    omg…..your work is amazing…your posts are great…and the way you explain it and those pics…they explain everything…and the way you put those pics are simply superb,…All i want to say is ur work is just great great great…………………..

  7. Roopa murthy
    April 2, 2014 / 3:15 pm

    Is there any place i can buy vetiver in bangalore??

  8. ramya
    April 5, 2014 / 4:19 am

    I am sorry, I don't have any idea where u get vetiver in banglore….

  9. Anonymous
    April 29, 2014 / 5:13 am

    U get it in shivajinagar. . Net dharmaraja koil street

  10. Aruna
    June 5, 2014 / 10:17 am

    Hi.. Will this powder be smooth enough to be used for 5 months old baby?

  11. Ramya Venkateshwaran
    June 5, 2014 / 1:02 pm

    Hi Aruna, I usually grind the powder in the machine (the place where the grind the flours), so the powder is very smooth. You can use this powder safely for 5 month old baby.

    • Aruna
      June 6, 2014 / 5:45 am

      Thank you !

  12. Anonymous
    January 5, 2015 / 8:27 am

    Shall I keep also vetiver in sun dry

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      January 5, 2015 / 5:04 pm

      Please sun dry the vetiver too, else it will be hard to powder it finely…

  13. Anonymous
    February 2, 2015 / 3:06 pm

    can i use payatham maavu for bathing daily

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      February 2, 2015 / 4:15 pm

      Yes, you can use payatham maavu everyday for bathing…

  14. SV
    March 29, 2015 / 3:12 am

    Where do you get vetiver in Coimbatore? Now I use just green gram powder for bath for me and my toddler son.But my toddler is attracted to soap than this powder.

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      March 29, 2015 / 4:49 pm

      Try in any naatu marunthu kadai…..

  15. hari thantauthapani
    May 7, 2015 / 9:34 am

    pls tel suggestion for oily face i am using payatham maavu only its make more oily and pimples

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      May 15, 2015 / 8:44 am

      For oily face, try drinking lots of water, it really makes a huge difference for oily skin and try using clay based masks weekly twice (you can find clay mask recipes in the blog) to get rid of excess oiliness…

  16. banu prasad
    May 26, 2015 / 6:36 pm

    hi, what is the ratio BW vettiver and green gram??

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      May 28, 2015 / 5:01 pm

      I usually use a small bunch of vetiver (app around 10 grams) for a cup of green gram dhal….

  17. Archna
    June 20, 2015 / 5:35 pm

    Any online site you can refer , where we can get khus/vetiver.Thanks

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      June 27, 2015 / 4:23 am

      I haven't bought vetiver root online but try scents-of-earth.com, they were the only online shop I could find that sells vetiver root. But I don't know about the quality of the root as I haven't purchased anything from them…

  18. Anonymous
    July 10, 2015 / 6:49 am

    What is the benefit of this if I use it daily as a facewash twice a day ???? Cn u pls reply me ???

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      July 13, 2015 / 5:30 pm

      Hi, This homemade bath powder prevents blackheads and whiteheads. It is also a great cleanser that does not strip the skin of natural oils…

  19. Unknown
    October 19, 2015 / 1:47 pm

    Great blog, really good service to community. do you have preparation for herbal soap?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      October 21, 2015 / 5:41 pm

      I don't have herbal soap recipes in the blog still..

  20. Websely
    March 11, 2016 / 4:57 pm

    I live in the coldest part of the world.. so drying in the sun is not possible for me.. can i dry roast the green gram and use the same?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      March 21, 2016 / 5:29 am

      Yes, you can…

  21. Balaji P
    June 2, 2016 / 7:54 am

    Can I mix paitha mavu with kadali may and also last urine manj all in the ratio 1:1:1 ?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      June 7, 2016 / 5:38 pm

      urine?

  22. Sathya Srinivasan
    June 14, 2016 / 4:18 pm

    Is it safe for new born baby?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      June 17, 2016 / 5:48 am

      Though this bath powder can be used for new born babies, I would suggest using the nalangu maavu powder from the blog for babies, it gives the best results…

  23. Unknown
    September 29, 2016 / 12:11 pm

    Hey. Great post. I have switched to natural hair cleansers, since i dont want to use chemical shampoos. I live in a place where shikakai or arappu is unavailable. Im currently payatham mavu for hair as besan was too drying. Is it good for my hair in the long run? I also add lemon peel and nelli mulli powder. Can you suggest anything else. Mine is oily dandruff prone hair.

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      October 1, 2016 / 1:53 pm

      Hello, You can also try using reetha powder along with payatham mavu, it will help get a bit of foam and will cleanse the hair well too…

  24. meera
    September 29, 2016 / 2:00 pm

    Can i use this as bath powder for my 3 months baby?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      September 29, 2016 / 2:48 pm

      Yes, this bath powder can be used for 3 month old baby. It is very gentle and fragrant…

  25. Anonymous
    October 18, 2016 / 12:41 am

    Hi Ramya,Thank you for the excellent and informative blog. I wanted to ask if I can add kasturi manjal to this powder?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      December 28, 2016 / 6:49 am

      Yes, you can add kasthuri manjal to this homemade bath powder

    • Sruthi Subramaniam
      July 12, 2017 / 7:55 am

      Simple and excellent post. How much of Kasthuri Manjal do you add ? Also what about white turmeric thT a few people add. Can we add it and if yes how much ?

  26. Anonymous
    December 28, 2016 / 4:56 am

    Hi… good post… many thanks… will this cause cold to body?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      December 28, 2016 / 1:33 pm

      No, it will not cause cold to the body, we even use it on babies…

  27. Anonymous
    February 1, 2017 / 2:51 pm

    Should the green gram be washed with water before making this?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      March 22, 2017 / 4:59 pm

      No, don't wash the green gram, if you do the powder will spoil faster….

  28. Anonymous
    March 22, 2017 / 8:20 am

    can i add green gram powder with besan powder for bath

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      March 22, 2017 / 4:58 pm

      Yes you can mix green gram powder with besan and use for bath…

  29. Unknown
    April 26, 2017 / 4:41 pm

    Hi, how long can we store this powder?? Can we keep it in fridge?? Also any tips to store it and use it for the long run. Thanks

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      April 28, 2017 / 4:22 pm

      If you sundry the ingredients well, it will last well for about 3 months or more if stored away from moisture. you can also store it in the refrigerator, it will increase the shelf life considerably……

  30. Kavi
    July 24, 2017 / 2:02 pm

    Hi, all your post are super and very useful.. Do you really used mixie to grind?? Won't the mixie jar get spoil if we grind in it?Will the resulting powder is fine enough to apply?? Please reply..

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      July 29, 2017 / 12:42 pm

      Hi Kavi, If we sun dry the ingredients well and if we powder the ingredients while still crisp from sun drying, it grinds very very fast and very fine too. If the quantity is large, I go to a commercial mill to grind else I grind at home…

  31. Manjit Sohal
    January 7, 2018 / 12:09 pm

    I made this powder from Green Gram only. I found that it irritated my skin. How can I solve this?

  32. Anonymous
    January 11, 2018 / 12:56 pm

    Hi..I live abroad and cannot find Vativer.Can I simply use green gram dal flour? or would you please suggest a bath recipe using common kitchen ingredients.

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      January 13, 2018 / 4:40 pm

      Yes, you can use just green gram flour. I will try to post bath powder recipe with just kitchen ingredients soon…

  33. Anonymous
    January 14, 2018 / 3:06 pm

    Do we green gram with the skin ? or skinless green gram (looks yellow)?

    • Ramya Venkateshwaran
      January 18, 2018 / 3:55 pm

      Use green gram with the skin…

  34. Anonymous
    January 28, 2018 / 3:19 am

    I'm getting brown bumps(dono wat to call as) more on face and neck wat to put,and not too oily skin also,normal only

  35. Anonymous
    January 28, 2018 / 6:16 am

    Above user,Currently using pasi paru flour

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