IN India, June can be the cruelest month for the skin. Yet while we take care of pimples, pigmentation and rashes breaking out on the face, arms, legs and other exposed parts of the body, rarely do we pay attention to the condition of our necks. Beauty manuals also tend to avoid making any mention of the neck.

Neglecting the neck is not without peril. We tend to forget that no matter what we choose to wear, public gaze hovers around the neckline or collar, before travelling to the rest of the dress. Besides, if you need to show off your jewellery, you invite attention to your neck first.

"Negligence in the care of the neck can result in early wrinkles and discoloration," cautions Sunita Singh, a body therapist in a French beauty salon in Mumbai. "How often do we see women with the colour of the neck not matching that of the face? That apart, how often is it said that a woman’s age can be determined by observing her neck?"

Some problems can be addressed by regular exercise, massage and beauty aids. But a lot depends also on personal care. Ideally, you ought to aspire for a well-defined smooth and glowing neck that sits proportionately on your body. It isn’t a very tall order.

Cleaning: You can choose from a variety of home-made scrubs, be it a mixture of gram flour, unboiled milk and turmeric powder, a paste of black gram or a mixture of unboiled milk, barley flour and a few drops of lime juice.

Many prefer a paste of gram flour, a few rose petals, a little sandalwood powder and body cream for the smell. Alternatively, a mixture of curd and gram flour in the ratio of 1:2 will also do fine. Whatever you choose, make it a habit of cleaning the neck regularly and thoroughly, especially while bathing.

Furthermore, while washing your face, rub the neck with a towel soaked in warm water. Remember, more dirt settles around your neck than on your face. Also apply cleansing milk around on the area once a week. This is a good method to make the neck look shiny and beautiful.

For added effect, make a lotion of glycerine, mixed with water and a few drops of lime juice and store in a small bottle. Apply before going to bed and wash in the morning. Application of unboiled milk with a pinch of salt with a bit of surgical cotton twice a day is equally effective.

Bleaching: Put a spoon of hydrogen peroxide in two spoonsful of bleaching powder and a few drops of ammonia for application around the neck. Wash off after 15 minutes. Thereafter, massage with cold cream.

Bleaching the neck twice a month can be very useful. But a word of caution: If you feel a burning sensation after applying the paste, stop immediately. Your skin is obviously allergic to the treatment.

Massage: To remove wrinkles, it is beneficial to massage the neck before having a bath every day. The most conventional way is to use lukewarm olive oil, but should you want quick results, take your pick from papaya pulp, egg white mixed in lime juice, mashed cucumber and even potato juice.

While massaging, your fingers should always move upwards. Do not apply too much pressure, or else you could develop muscular cramps in your shoulders. Remember, regular massage would also burn out excess fat on the neck.

Exercise: Take a stick, approximately two metres long and place it across your shoulders. After raising your hands, move your head sideways and try to touch the stick with your chin. Repeat this for about 20 minutes and then swing your head backwards, about 25 times.

Thereafter, lie down on a raised, flat surface with your head hanging down. Try touching your breasts by raising the head (about 20 times) and then sit on the ground in a lotus position. Move your head sideways ten times. In half an hour, you should feel the difference.

Make-up: If your neck is short, tie your hair towards the top of your head. Apply the same foundation on the neck as you apply on the face so that there is harmony in the skin tone of the two regions. Also, do not wear a high-neck blouse unless you have a long, slender neck. A V-shaped or a low neck adds definition to your features. (MF)