Face Packs

Single ingredient face packs/masks off your kitchen shelf for three skin types-

Dry Skin

*Pureed Banana
*Avocado Pulp
*Yogurt
*Coconut cream
*Mayonnaise (for severely dry skin)
*Milk cream (for severely dry skin)

Normal Skin

*Strawberry pulp
*Honey
*Oatmeal (mixed with water)
*Gramflour (mixed with water)
*Egg yolk
*Papaya pulp

Oily Skin

*Egg white
*Fuller's earth (Multani mitti- mixed with water)
*Strawberry pulp
*Gram flour (mixed with water)
*Oatmeal (mixed with water)

• Cleanse your face thoroughly and adopt scrubbing if needed.
  
• Apply the single ingredient mask over your face, leaving the eye area.
• Let it sit for atleast 20 minutes.
• Rinse off with lukewarm water.
• Do not use soap for atleast 3 hours after using natural products.

Zap those blackheads!

Removing blackheads can be a pain, considering blackhead removal strips only aggravate the condition and off the shelf remedies might harm your pores. You could try these natural remedies:

1) Exfoliation is the key to getting blackheads out from their root. Depending on your skin type and the size of blackheads, you could massage your skin with a number of scrubs available that remove 80% of blackheads at a go and are gentle on your skin.

The best scrubs are - Gram flour, powdered almonds with honey, oatmeal, baking soda, sea salt or if you please, St.Ives Apricot Scrub.

Rinse your face. Take a teaspoonful of the scrub, apply it on your face. Massage in upwards circular motion, concentrating on the blackhead prone zones. Be gentle, you don't want to rip your skin off.

2) Once your done, rinse your face and dry it. Use a toner like rose water to cover your pores that prevents blackheads from appearing.

The trick to preventing blackheads is by making suitable changes in your lifestyle. Avoid oily food, keep your face clean, avoid smoke, eat atleast one serving of fruit/vegetable and drink one glass of fruit juice a day. This not only prevents blackheads but also clears up acne.

Hair recipes!

Treats out of your kitchen for lovely lustrous hair.

1) Dry hair

Apply Mayonnaise directly to hair, let it sit for about 20 minutes and shampoo 2X times. Skip the conditioner. A teaspoon of lemon juice could be added into the mayo for extra shine.

2) Oily scalp

Egg is a nourishing conditioner. Take the white of an egg (or two, depending on the length of your hair) and apply it to hair and scalp. Leave it on till it dries and shampoo as usual. Make sure you rinse the egg off with cold/lukewarm water. If you use hot water, the egg might get cooked in your hair and that's not sexy at all.

3) Normal hair

Beat a whole egg with a teaspoon of honey and use it as a hair mask. While the egg nourishes your hair and makes it manageable, the honey adds shine to your tresses. Shampoo 2X times with lukewarm water.

If the eggy smell bothers you, here's another mask. Run a ripe banana through the blender with a teaspoon of honey and use it as a hair mask for about 30 minutes. Shampoo as usual and skip the conditioner. This makes a great hair, face and body mask.

Hair rinses

Hair rinses are solutions you could use as a last rinse after shampooing and conditioning your hair. Using them is more beneficial than using water alone. Here are simple DIY hair rinses.

Hibiscus hair rinse



Hibiscus is a flower that can do wonders for your hair, its primary application being control of dandruff and oily scalp. To make a hibiscus rinse, heat some water (not boil it) and throw in some Hibi petals. You could add a couple of drops of glycerin and lemon juice. Close the pot for about 10 minutes or till the petals lose their colour completely. You may use this as a rinse on cooling. Regular use of Hibiscus adds a reddish tint to light hair.

Vinegar hair rinse



Dilute apple cider vinegar in a 1:4 ratio (that is, add 3 parts of water to every part of vinegar) and use it as a final rinse. Makes your hair shinier and bouncier.


Tea hair rinse



I love this one! Brew tea using two or three tablespoons of tea leaves for half a litre of water and a hint of lemon juice. Cool and rinse your hair with it. When a strong brew is used, tea adds brown highlights. This rinse leaves your hair feeling fresh and fragrant. Ideal after a sweaty gym session or a day out at the beach.

Remember: These rinses should be used after conditioning (if you happen to condition your hair every time you shampoo) and should NOT be washed out. When you are done with it, just wrap your head in a towel and dry your hair as usual.

Removing tan for a lighter skin

In most Asian countries, pale skin is considered a sign of beauty. Even if you're no an Asian and want to remove a (natural) tan, here's what you can do.

1) Sandalwood is supposed to be a great tan remover. It comes as a beige-brown powder and can be found at any Indian store near you. Do specify that you want to use it on your skin as there is a reddish brown variety available that is used for worship.

Mix a teaspoon of Sandalwood powder with a teaspoon of oatmeal (for normal skin) or fuller's earth (for oily skin). If you have dry skin, mix it with fresh unflavoured yogurt to make a paste. Apply this on the tanned areas, leave it on for 20 minutes and rinse with water. Do it everyday to see results in about a week or 10 days.

2) Almond is a natural skin bleach and is your safest bet to treat skin with. Use powdered almond mixed with water (for normal-dry skin) or with fuller's earth for oily skin) on the tanned area. Almond is a great moisturizer too. Results are slower though. You may have to use it for 2 weeks to remove a mild tan.

3) Lemon is another great bleach but is acidic and hence more harmful than the other two. However, using lemon rightly can get the best out of it. Mix half a teaspoon of lemon/lime juice with gramflour or oatmeal and use it as a pack for 20-30 minutes. A mild tingling sensation on application is completely normal. Remove it immediately if the irritation is severe. Never use lemon directly on your skin.

I have tried these three myself and they work great. If you know of other natural remedies to remove tan, please leave it in the comments section. Thanks. :)

Hair lightening at home!

Be it facial hair or dark hair that needs some lighter-shade highlights, you could use products off your kitchen shelf and get great results!

To lighten facial hair:

The simplest is lemon juice. Do NOT apply it directly as it is acidic. Mix half a teaspoon of lemon juice into a tablespoon of unflavoured yogurt and apply as a mask everyday.

If you can find a spice called Turmeric in an Indian store, add a pinch (not more than that) to the mixture. It is believed to reduce hair growth.

Natural remedies may take a couple of months to show results. They may be slow but are very effective.

Black to brunette:

Mix half a cup of mayonnaise (depends on the length of your hair) with the juice of 2 lemons. Apply this to your hair, wear a shower cap for about an hour. Shampoo and condition as usual. Not only does it lighten your hair colour by a shade, the mayonnaise also moisturizes your hair.

If you want several shades lighter, repeat this every two weeks, no sooner than that.

Dark to reddish brown:

The above recipe with equal quantities of mayo and henna, juice of 2 lemons. I use this all the time. Henna might be hard to wash off but is great for your hair!

Remember: NEVER apply lemon juice directly to your skin. It is extremely corrosive.

Yummy lip gloss recipes!

Here's how you can make customized lip gloss at home, the process being quick, simple and mess free.

What you need:

1)A tiny plastic pouch (like zip pouch) of about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide.

2)Petroleum jelly (if you think it is harmful, you may go in for beeswax substitutes. Most store bought lip glosses have it in some form or the other anyway).

3)Unflavoured or mildly flavoured oil like almond oil.

4)Flavouring ingredients, depending on the flavour of lip gloss you want (listed below).

5)A bit of lipstick in the colour you want.

Flavours:

1) Strawberry : Don't bother using the crushed fruit or juice for the flavour doesn't quite come out. You could use 2 drops of strawberry essence (the one used in cakes) for every teaspoon of petroleum jelly.

2) Vanilla, pineapple : Simplest. Just 2 drops of the required essence.

3) Vanilla-rose: If you want vanilla flavour to be stronger, use 2 drops of vanilla essence and 3-4 drops of rose water. Else use a drop of rose oil with a mild touch of vanilla.

4) Chocolate: Chocolate flavouring essence if you can obtain it. Else, a pinch of cocoa powder and skip the bit of lipstick in the recipe because the cocoa provides colour as well.

5) Citrus flavours like lemon and orange: Use 2 drops of essence or 4-5 drops of juice along with 2-3 drops of honey for a sweetish flavour. Never use sugar as it crystallizes.

6) Coconut: A pinch of coconut milk powder (if available). Else use coconut oil with petroleum jelly. No colour is required.

These are the basic ones and the range of flavours is limitless. Use your imagination and use it wisely (as in not using perishable ingredients).

Recipe:

1) Fill the plastic pouch with a teaspoon of petroleum jelly and 1/4th teaspoon of almond oil. Now put in the required quantity of desired flavour. Cut a tiny bit of lipstick (not more than a pinch), drop it in the pouch and seal the top. Sealing is very important for the next step. Make sure the pouch is airtight.

2) Heat water in a sauce pan to about 80 degrees centigrade. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Turn off the flame and carefully immerse the lower half of the sealed pouch in it. Wait till the wax melts. Carefully remove the pouch from water and press around the lower half to mix all the ingredients.

3) Immerse it once more in water for a couple of minutes. Unseal it and pour the gloss into a fancy container. You can mix in some shimmer liquid if desired. Your lipgloss is ready. :)