Ubtan: What Proportions for the Traditional Paste

For a face application, the traditional dosage of ubtan comes down to four guidelines: 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour (besan), 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 2 to 3 tablespoons of liquid and 1 teaspoon of oil. Our traditional ubtan recipe already gives this rough amount; this article details the exact proportions, how to adjust them depending on the area treated — face or whole body — and skin type, and what happens when the paste is too runny.

This piece completes our ubtan review, ubtan dangers and ubtan how long to work (time left on) articles, as well as the article on frequency of use — a separate question, about the rhythm between two applications rather than the amounts in a single batch.

Base proportions for a face application

Ingredient	Amount (face only)	Role
Chickpea flour (besan)	2 tbsp	Exfoliating base, absorbs excess sebum
ginger-and-pregnancy/">Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp	Complexion radiance, traditional antiseptic use — stains, so use sparingly
Liquid (milk, water or rose hydrosol)	2 to 3 tbsp	Binds the paste, adjusts the texture
Oil (sesame, sweet almond)	1 tsp	Nourishes, limits the tight, pulling feeling

Mix with a fork until you get a smooth paste, as thick as firm yogurt: it should hold on your fingers without dripping, but spread easily on the skin. Always prepare a fresh batch, since ubtan does not keep once the liquid is added.

Which liquid to choose, and how much depending on skin type?

Whole milk (or a plant-based milk like almond) remains the most common traditional choice, valued for its soothing effect. For oily skin, water or rose hydrosol lightens the texture and avoids adding extra fat. For sensitive or redness-prone skin, plain yogurt gives a texture close to milk with a traditionally sought-after soothing effect. In every case, the amount of liquid stays within the same indicative range (2 to 3 tablespoons for the face): it is the nature of the liquid that changes, not its volume.

• Dry skin: whole milk or heavy cream, double the oil (2 tsp), ginger-dosage/">turmeric cut in half;
• Oily skin: water or rose hydrosol, a minimal amount of oil (a few drops);
• Sensitive or reactive skin: plain yogurt, a tiny amount of ginger-review/">turmeric or none at all, sweet almond oil.

How much for the whole body rather than just the face?

For a whole-body scrub, the logic stays the same but the volumes scale up: count on roughly three to four times the face proportions, split across the areas treated.

Area	Chickpea flour	Turmeric	Liquid	Oil
Face only	2 tbsp	1/4 tsp	2 to 3 tbsp	1 tsp
Face and neck	3 tbsp	1/3 tsp	3 to 4 tbsp	1 heaped tsp
Whole body	150 to 200 g (about 10 to 12 tbsp)	1 to 2 tsp	100 to 150 ml	2 to 3 tbsp

For the body, it is better to prepare the paste in a larger bowl and apply it by area (arms, legs, torso) rather than all at once: body skin is generally less sensitive than facial skin and tolerates a slightly more generous chickpea-flour paste, but the principle of a texture that is neither too runny nor too thick stays the same.

Why a runnier paste does not work better

Adding more liquid "so it spreads better" is a common mistake: a paste that is too thin dries faster on the surface, forming a thin film that loses its water on contact with air before it has had time to work. A study by Wang, Cao, Huang, Zhang, Hu, Li and Xiong, published in 2024 in the Journal of Tissue Viability, compared different sheet-mask wear times and their effect on stratum corneum hydration (see the study on Google Scholar). The authors show that a mask that dries out completely reverses the direction of water exchange and pulls moisture out of the skin instead of delivering it. This study covers soaked fabric sheet masks, not a powder paste, but the mechanism it illustrates applies directly to an overly runny ubtan: thinner, the paste reaches the "completely dry" stage faster than a paste of proper consistency, without offering any extra benefit in exchange — on the contrary, it shortens the window during which the skin benefits from the hydrating contact of the liquid and oil before the drying stage to avoid. A paste of the right consistency, neither too runny nor too thick, is therefore the best compromise, to be adjusted spoon by spoon rather than by eye.

What to do if the paste is too thick or too runny?

Two opposite mistakes are easy to fix:

• Paste too thick (it cracks as you mix it, hard to spread): add liquid half a teaspoon at a time, mixing between each addition, until you reach a smooth, pliable texture;
• Paste too runny (it drips between your fingers, slides on the skin): add a pinch more chickpea flour rather than letting the excess liquid run, to get back to a consistency that holds.

The most reliable guide is visual and tactile: a properly made paste holds in a ball on the spoon without dripping, and spreads effortlessly on damp skin.

Precautions

These proportions remain indicative traditional guidelines, not a medical dosage: ubtan is a cosmetic treatment, not a medication. Turmeric is a documented contact allergen — our article ubtan dangers covers this point in detail; a test on a small patch of skin (inner elbow) is still recommended before the first application, whatever amount you use. If your skin is very reactive, if eczema is flaring up, or if you are unsure during pregnancy, it is better to reduce the turmeric proportions or ask for medical advice. Cross-cutting safety guidelines are gathered in our safety and precautions guide.