Festival Care…….Glowing Skin Shahnaz Husain
Festival season is round the corner. Time to add a glow to the skin!
Looking after the skin according to its type and needs is the essence of a
glowing skin.
An ideal way for glowing skin on the body is to tie ingredients in a clean
cloth, wet slightly and then rub the cloth bag on the skin while bathing.
Mix powdered milk, ground almonds (badaam), rice powder and rose
petals. The ingredients work on your skin, gently cleansing it and leaving
it soft, smooth and vibrant. It also leave the body naturally perfumed and
refreshed, feeling as smooth as silk.
Night time cleansing is more important, in order to remove pollutants and
make up before bedtime. The repair and restoration work of the body
goes on while we sleep. So, cleanse the skin daily at night and rinse well
with plenty of plain water. For normal to dry skin, take half a cup of cold
milk and add five drops of any vegetable oil (til, olive or sunflower oil).
Put this in a bottle and shake well. Cleanse the skin with it, using cotton
wool. Keep left-over mixture in the fridge.
Tone the skin daily with chilled rose water, using cotton wool pads. Wipe
and stroke the skin with them. Then, pat briskly with the rosewater-
soaked cotton wool pads.
Exfoliating the skin with scrubs once or twice a week works wonders,
removing dead cells and brightening the skin. Mix ground almonds with
yogurt and pinch of haldi. Rub gently, with small circular movements,
washing off with water.
Or, take sesame seeds (til), dried mint (pudina) leaves and honey. Crush
the sesame seeds coarsely and powder the dried mint leaves. Mix them
with a little honey and apply on the skin. Leave on for 5 minutes. Rub
gently and wash off with water. Sesame seeds actually have sun
protective properties and also soothe sun-damaged skin.
Mix honey and lemon juice in equal quantities and apply daily on the
face. Wash it off after 20 minutes. It leaves the skin very soft and
glowing. Egg white can also be added to this mixture.
Multani Mitti is said to clarify the skin and bring about a glow. Multani
Mitti is a natural clay, which contains several minerals. It is of special
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benefit to oily skins, since it helps to absorb oil and reduce oiliness from
the skin surface. It also tones, refines and tightens the pores, improving
skin texture. It brightens the skin, leaving it smooth, soft and glowing. It
can be combined with other ingredients to make a face pack and can
easily be used at home.
For oily skin, mix Multani Mitti with rose water into a paste and apply on
the face, avoiding the lips and area around eyes. Wash it off when it is
dry. For combination skin, apply the mask on oily areas of the skin. Dried
and powdered orange and lemon peels, as well as yogurt, can be added to
the pack for all skin types.
For pimples and acne, mix it with sandalwood paste, rose water and neem
leaf powder into a paste. Apply the same way and wash it off when it is
dry.
For normal skin: Mix multani mitti with honey and yogurt into a paste.
Apply on the face and wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes.
Make a Facial Spray for acne prone skin by mixing 100 ml mineral water
with 3 to 4 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Keep the spray bottle in the fridge.
Home beauty recipes should not be made in large quantities.
