For a cool, chic look in summer
Gulshan Virk
THE mercury’s high, but don’t let your spirits go low. Feeling reckless and footloose may lead to eating full fat ice cream or guzzling aerated drinks. Hot weather can do that to you. Also, look before you leap into the nearest body of water because the chlorine and salt can do a lot of damage to your hair and skin. A smooth, moist and beautiful skin need not elude you this summer. These beauty rituals will help to cleans, tone and moisturise your skin so that you can face the heat in style.

Beauty off the kitchen shelf
Aradhika Sekhon
THE cult of beauty is perhaps as old as time itself . The Indian heritage of beauty is herbal heritage, Indian women borrow freely from nature’s bounty to care for their skin and hair. These ancient recipes have not only stood the test of time but have been most beneficial in counteracting the harmful effects of synthetic and chemical preparations. Herbal remedies have survived through the ages because nature is a powerful healer with wonderful, restorative powers.

For a cool, chic look in summer
Gulshan Virk

THE mercury’s high, but don’t let your spirits go low. Feeling reckless and footloose may lead to eating full fat ice cream or guzzling aerated drinks. Hot weather can do that to you. Also, look before you leap into the nearest body of water because the chlorine and salt can do a lot of damage to your hair and skin. A smooth, moist and beautiful skin need not elude you this summer. These beauty rituals will help to cleans, tone and moisturise your skin so that you can face the heat in style.

To keep skin at its best you need to know that skin needs vary with the changing seasons. Just as you pack away your woollies and bring out the cottons your cosmetic bag too needs "summerising". The dense moisturiser that kept your skin safe in winters may cause pimples in summer as skin is super hydrated with humidity in addition to the natural oils. Substitute your moisturiser with an oil-free sunscreen and a skin toner. Woo your skin with home-made recipes.

For an oily skin, you can apply tomato puree on the face and watch the grime turn it black. To remove tan, mi x the juice of one lemon with an equal part of milk and cucumber juice. Massage on your face and wash it off after 10 minutes. To tone up the skin, stroke a slice of cucumber all over your face. To make your skin dewy fresh, spray your face with cold water to which some rose water has been added. Ice cubes or iced milk cubes act as an excellent skin toner. The easiest and quickest facepacks to make for yourself are to blend mashed strawberries, papaya or cucumber with a dash of yoghurt and clay. This pack does a great balancing act. Eating a lot of fruits like papaya and watermelon add a healthy glow to the skin. To make your skin glow try and detoxify your system. To expel toxins from your overloaded system you need to cut down on caffeine, alcohol, fried food, chocolates, sweets etc. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. A one or two-day detox plan will keep your system clean and lend a healthy glow to your skin.

Follow some calming rituals for those sweltering days. Begin your day with a lavish bath and pay attention to every part of your body. Use some aromatic bath oils like lavender rosemary, tearose, geranium or ‘Happiness’ by Aroma magic. Exfoliate, not just your face but work on the elbows, knees, feet and back. You can exfoliate with a scrub or use salt mixed with a gentle liquid soap. For grooming your legs, mix half a cup of coarse salt and few tablespoons of oil and make a paste. Take a dollop and massage gently. Wash off with warm water and massage in a generous amount of cream.

Don’t let cracked heels and bad toes make you sandal-phobic Treat your hands and feet to a manicure and a pedicure at least once a month. At home, soak your feet in warm soapy water to which a few drops of jasmine oil have been added. Use a foot file to slough off dead skin. Use a nail brush to clean up the nails. If you want your nails in good condition avoid nail colours for a week and opt for translucent varnish or a French manicure.

The look this summer in make-up would be the rustic earthen tones — the shades that add drama to the look but subtly. The lip colours in pinks, mauves and light browns or maybe sheer gloss will help you look like morning dew on hot sweltering days. The hair can be swept off the face and neck with colourful hair accessories. A great fresh natural look worn with strappy camisoles and a pair of chick slacks is the look of the season.

(The writer is a city-based beautician)

Beauty off the kitchen shelf
Aradhika Sekhon

THE cult of beauty is perhaps as old as time itself . The Indian heritage of beauty is herbal heritage, Indian women borrow freely from nature’s bounty to care for their skin and hair. These ancient recipes have not only stood the test of time but have been most beneficial in counteracting the harmful effects of synthetic and chemical preparations. Herbal remedies have survived through the ages because nature is a powerful healer with wonderful, restorative powers.

The human body responds best to what is natural as opposed to the synthetic which it naturally resists. Shahnaz Hussain, the queen of herbal cosmetics, agrees that nature is not only an expert chemist but she ( with such a sympathetic understanding of women’s beauty needs, nature must necessarily be a woman) has provided versatile ingredients that not only enhance the beauty of skin and hair but also have amazing curative properties. In fact the entire range of cosmetic products exist in nature to suit individual needs, products that have preventive, protective and even corrective actions. Some are cleansers, some have a nourishing action, some whip up circulation, some are toners and some improve skin textures.

The important thing to know is that many of these skin foods are so common that we use them in our kitchens almost everyday. So the next time you go shopping, add honey, eggs, gram flour, castor oil, papaya, apricot, cucumber and yogurt to your list. Or simply pull them out of your refrigerator and use them to feed your skin and hair.

Eggs—Give yourself an egg facelift by simply beating a raw egg and applying it as a face mask. Relax for 15-20 minutes and then simply rinse it off. Eggs contain lecithin, protein and phosphorous which are extremely nourishing for the skin. To combat the egg smell add a few drops of rose water in your rinse. The white of an egg is a great cleanser. Combined with the juice of a lemon, it combats dandruff. For a special conditioning effect, beat an egg with two teaspoons of Brandy and apply it before a hair wash.

Yoghurt is a multi-benefit ingredient containing enzymes. It is a natural cleanser which also helps to maintain healthy skin and scalp. It is specially good for the treatment of spotty and oily skin. Apply it to the face after a wash and rinse it off after 20 minutes with luke-warm water. The skin feels wonderful. Combined with henna, egg and lemon juice, it is known to accelerate hair growth and used in treating cases of falling hair and alopecia[ partial baldness] and also cleanses the scalp and adds body to the hair.

Honey is an excellent natural moisturizer. For a soft, moist, silky look it can be applied to the skin itself. For oily skin treatment, it can be added to a stiffly beaten egg-white and for dry skin, with a little cream or milk. Adding a spoonful of honey in your bath water is said to relieve fatigue and induce sleep.

Potatoes are rich in vitamin C and wonderful to clear skin blemishes. The juice of the potato can be applied to the skin and potato slices can be used to wipe the skin. The starch has a tightening effect and potato helps to reduce the puffiness around the eyes. Sluices of potato can be used as eye-pads.

Apricots are full of vitamin A and very rejuvenating for the skin. It contains polyunsaturated fats which smooth away wrinkles and tighten stretch-marks. Combined with honey, it can be used as a peel-off mask which is great for closing the pores and discouraging the growth of facial hair.

Cucumber has a mild astringent effect and cleanses and soothes the skin. Grated cucumber combined with a little milk can be applied to the face for a refreshing and toning effect. Oily skin can be wiped with cucumber slices. The same used as eye-pads are soothing and cooling to the eyes.

Almond is a rich source of vitamin E which heals scars, eases out lines, restores elasticity to the skin and is one of the best-known cosmetics with a long user history. It smoothes the skin and has a gentle skin tightening action while refining and moisturising it. Almond has been used extensively as a face cream base, specially for the delicate skin under the eyes. Crushed almonds made into a paste with a little milk and applied to the lips is said to combat the dark pigmentation of the lips.

Papaya is rich in enzymes which help soften and remove dead skin cells. Papaya pulp can be used as a face-mask for all skin types.

Castor oil should be massaged into the scalp at night and shampooed off the next morning. After a massage, dip a towel in hot water and wring it out and wrap the towel around the head for better penetration of oil into the scalp. Castor oil can also be applied to the eyelashes to darken and thicken them.