FASHION
For your eyes only
Devyani Kaushal

THE Indian market is flooded with brands of eyeliners/mascara and the Indian kajal or its West Asian equivalent surma were very much sought after for eye fashion. Even Bollywood could not escape the kajal/surma magic, and right from Madhubala to Madhuri, its heroines have not been able to resist the smouldering magic of these beauty aids.

Kajal or kohl and surma had been used for centuries in most South Asian and Arab nations, multi-tasking as an eye cosmetic and evil eye-fighter. Traditionally, the Indian grandmother applies fresh kajal to the six-day-old baby to prevent eye ailments.

But its reputation has suffered recently, what with the New York city health department banning South Asian kajal and surma. Their investigations had revealed that the products contain dangerously high levels of lead which can create several problems.

Where does that leave our homegrown kajal? The process by which it has been traditionally made is painstaking and as delicate as the body part to which it is applied. Burning a wick of a special muslin cloth, soaked with sandalwood, camphor and several other medicinal herbs, makes pure, homemade kajal. The burning wick is partly covered by a brass vessel on which the soot is deposited. This soot, mixed with pure ghee, is kajal, as we know it. Says ayurvedic medical practitioner, Dr Nalini Mehta, "kajal has been used for hundreds of years by us is proof enough that it does not have harmful effects on the eye. And the best and purest kajal, of course, is one that uses pure ghee".

But the commercial production of kajal today, on a large scale, has bought its own share of problems. Some of the most commonly found impurities in kajal are charcoal which is added for its dark colour, and silver nitrate, which gives the kajal its lustrous glow. If the silver nitrate content in the kajal is more than two per cent, it can cause irritation, burning and redness of the eyes.

On the other hand, surma is a fine blend of specially processed kohl stone incorporated with medicaments of marine, mineral and herbal origin. Some interesting ingredients that are blended to form surma include gemstones like ruby and emerald, zinc oxide, silver leaves, gold leaves and herbs like neem (morgosa tree known worldwide for its astringent and antiseptic properties), saffron, mumeera (mandatory herb in the prescription of eye ailment), chaksoo (known remedial herb for eyes) and fennel seed (sounf).

The biggest advantage of surma lies in its medicinal properties as it soothes the eyes and has also been used effectively in cataract disease. When it comes to classification of surma there are different varieties determining the age factor. Black surma is generally used by the young and the old alike. This surma cools and refreshes eyes.

White surma has powerful antiseptic herbal properties. Special black surma is much preferred by youngsters, as it revitalises tired eyes and relieves eyestrain caused by excessive reading or watching television.

The proper way of applying kajal or surma is to start off by cleaning the probe (applicator) with the help of a clean dry cloth. Dip the probe into the bottle and twist a little and shake. Take out the probe and tap it gently to remove the excess material so that only a fine film will remain on it. Apply the probe carefully along the lower eyelid, while closing the upper eyelid and softly slide out the probe side ways up till its end. Clean the probe again with dry cloth prior to repeating the same procedure for the other eye.

However, like in all beauty products, first check whether the brand of kajal/surma you have bought causes any allergy.

The container is also very often not sterile and can cause eye infections like conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers. So keeping the kajal/surma stick well covered, away from dust and other dirt, is very important.

It is not possible to tell the difference between safe and dangerous brands because lead is not listed as an ingredient on the label on the kajal/surma made in the Indian subcontinent/West Asia. As such the best decision would be to make kajal at home as grandmother used to make/or depend on reliable brands like Budhi Mai surma/kajal/ or buy from any reliable Unani/ayurvedic pharmaceutical shop. — MF

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