Lemon, the pale yellow citrus fruit, which is an almost indispensable item in our regular marketing list can be an almost indispensable item in our regular marketing list can be an important beauty aid.
To purchase juicy lemons, it is best to go in for the big, round, ripe yellow ones with thin rinds. If they get hard due to storage they can be soaked in hot water for sometime, before being squeezed.
A healthy lemon contains 4 to 5% of citric acid. It is a veritable storehouse of beauty remedies.
It can be used as a natural beauty conditioner. Cut a lemon into half and squeeze out the juice. Add some plain water and a few drops of rosewater.
Apply with cotton wool on the face and keep for sometime before washing off. It leaves the skin soft and petal-smooth. For very oily skins, the white of an egg can be added to the juice of half a lemon. After keeping it on for 10 minutes, the face can be washed with tepid water and soap.
The best and easiest home remedy for rough broken skin is given below.
To one teaspoonful of gramflour, a spoonful of fresh milk or milk cream is to be added. A pinch of turmeric and the juice of a quarter piece of a lemon should be mixed with this to form a smooth paste. This paste is to be applied to the face and neck. Remove after lightly massaging with the hands. Wash the face and neck with lukewarm water.
This method, followed once a week, or even a fortnight, works wonders on the complexion.
Lemon juice mixed with honey is an effective remedy for removing dark spots on the body. Plain lemon, cut into two halves, can be ‘cupped’ into the elbows for a short time regularly, to make the elbows palpably soft and to develop a lighter tinge.
After squeezing a lemon, just brush the skin over your hands, nails or neck before disposing it off. This will act as a natural astringent.
Lemon and hair share a perfect rapport. Directly pouring water on the hair is not the appropriate manner of a healthy hair wash. In case you have misgivings about the use of an egg, well, just squeeze the juice of a lime on your scalp and massage gently.
After 10 or 15 minutes, wash with either shikakai, gramflour or shampoo. This helps not only in getting rid of (and the prevention of) dandruff, but also bestows a healthy luster to the hair.
Squeezing a couple of drops of lemon juice into the water, while bathing, makes us feel refreshed.
In the wide-ranging search for the secrets of beauty, women have turned time and again to the kitchen, the rationale being that if foods are good for you when taken into the body, then they must be beneficial when they are used on the outside of the body. Cucumber, eggs, vinegar, oatmeal, papaya—the list goes on and on. But at the forefront of the long line of edible cosmetics is the golden honey.
Honey has long been recognized as a perfect, all-round rejuvenator. The ancients valued it not only as a food but also as a medicine for internal and external use. It was considered invaluable as a remedy for burns and lacerations.
But the uses to which honey has been put over the years seem unlimited. The thick liquid soothes, heals and nourishes. Spread on the skin, it produces baby-soft smoothness even though only a fraction is actually absorbed by the skin. The many vitamins and minerals in honey make it a potent combatant of undernourished skin with its clogged and muddy look. Repeated applications of tissue-building honey will bring a glow of colour where none existed before. Honey is believed to contain antiseptic qualities. Applied to inflamed skin, it will kill bacteria and restore health.
AGE-OLD HOME COSMETICS DURING PREGNANCY
From ancient time, Indian women have made cosmetics out of material easily found in the market and used in their kitchens. These natural items have proved themselves as effective cosmetics or as principal ingredients in their making. We start with a list of readily available food products, which have been traditionally used as natural cosmetics.
Almond—should be crushed to make masks, good for nourishing the skin.
Alum—has astringent properties and can be used in lotions.
Banana—can be used as a mask for dry skin.
Barley—rich in vitamin B and iron. Excellent tonic for overall nourishment and cleansing.
Buttermilk—is used as a cleanser. It also has bleaching properties and can be used for pigmentation.
Cabbage—rich in vitamins and minerals. Wash face with the water it has been boiled in.
Castor oil—rich oil used to thicken hair growth.
Corn milk—is a good pack for dry skins.
Cucumber—has slight astringent properties and is excellent for oily skins.
Eggs—the most useful aid to beauty. The yolk is nourishing and the white has tightening properties. It is used in mask and in hair conditioners.
Fullers Earth (Multani mitti)—absorbent clay. It is rich in minerals, used as masks, has stimulating qualities.
Gelatine—has proteins—a good nail hardener.
Henna (Mehndi)—is a natural dye and an excellent conditioner for hair.
Honey—it has softening qualities. It is nourishing and used in masks and creams.
Iodine—white iodine is excellent for fungus infected nails.
Lettuce—rich in vitamins, iron and minerals. It is cooling and excellent for sunburns.
Mint—is a good natural cure for scars, pimple marks and skin disorders.
Oatmeal—is an excellent leanser, often used in marks.
Onions—its juice prevents blemishes and mixed with honey makes a wonderful anti-wrinkle cream.
Papaya—breaks down the dead cells of skin and cleanses it. It is used as masks.
Potatoes—use thin slices as eye pads to remove puffiness under the eyes.
Salt—mixed with equal amount of soda bicarbonate makes an excellent cleanser for the teeth.
Sesame Oil—absorbs ultraviolet rays and is used for tanning the skin.
Strawberry—is excellent for discoloration. Stained teeth can be cleaned with its juice.
Tea—is a soother and is good to relax eyes,. Keep cold tea pads on the eyes for severe dark circles.
Tomato—contains vitamin C. It is used to cleanse blackheads and close open pores.
Vinegar—is an excellent conditioner. Mixed with equal parts of water rinse hair after shampooing.
Yogurt—has cleansing properties and is used in facemasks.
Controlling Pimples & Acne
These age-old methods of controlling pimples and acne are, in our view, the most effective of all methods.
- Steam the face in water to which crushed neem (Margosa) leaves have been added. This is an effective way of controlling pimples.
- Boil neem leaves in a little water, Strain, add the water to Multani Mitti (Fuller’s earth) and make a paste. This pack will discourage pimples.
- Make a paste of Kasturi haldi (turmeric) and apply it on the face and neck. This pack not only helps in controlling pimples, but also gives the skin a healthy glow.
- Mint leaves are effective in treating pimples. The juice extracted from mint leaves should be applied on the face before going to bed. This treatment should be followed for a month.
- Make a paste of equal amounts of sandalwood and turmeric. Apply to the face and neck and wash off after an hour. Sandalwood, by itself, is also effective in treating pimples.
- Camphor is a good astringent. Apply camphor lotion to the affected areas before going to bed and wash off in the morning with a mild medicated soap and lukewarm water.
- Dry orange peels thoroughly and powder them in a mixer. Mix the powder required for the time with a little milk and apply it to the affected areas. Wash off after an hour.
Cleaning Blackheads
Honey and milk are two effective mediums of clearing the face of blackheads.
Warm a little honey and apply it on the face. Wash off after 20 minutes. Or wash the face with warm water and sponge with lukewarm milk for 20 minutes.
Precautions
Wash face with warm water and medicated soap frequently. Do not rub hard with towel. Dry gently.
After washing, a drying lotion or cream may be used. Alcohol, which is a drying lotion, may be used for the purpose.
Take plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Fried foods and sweets should be avoided.
Tie your hair back or keep it short. Hair falling on the face can increase the pimples. If you have dandruff, get it treated, for the scales dropping on the face and neck can cause acne.
Never squeeze or pick at the pimples and acne spots. This will lead to the infection spreading to other parts.
Don’t use greasy cosmetics. Choose cosmetics with a non-greasy base. Avoid using foundation since they tend to increase the blemishes on the skin.
Here are some preparations for Blemishes:
- Mix together a little sandalwood powder, camphor lotion, lime juice and Multani Mitti. Apply over the affected areas and allow to dry. Wash off with cold water.
- Paste of pudina leaves (mint leaves) has been know to dry up pimples or any other skin rash.
- An old but effective treatment for pimples is a thick paste of starch applied over the affected areas.
- Another effective remedy is a paste of gram flour, turmeric powder, crushed neem leaves and milk.
- A paste of Multani Mitti and water helps tighten pores that may be left open after an attack of pimples.
- To remove dead skin apply a mixture of glycerin, limejuice and sugar rubbing it into the skin gently.
- If your skin lacks luster, try massaging it with a mixture of an equal amount of baby oil and table salt.
- Mash a ripe banana and mix in a little rose water. Apply it thickly over the face. Wash off with warm water after an hour. This not only keeps pimples at bay but also softens the skin and keeps it wrinkle-free.
- Add a little carrot juice to a cup of milk and rub this into the face if suffering from chicken pox marks or blemishes.
- To remove wrinkles and laugh lines apply a mixture of a tbsp. of honey and one-fourth tsp. of carrot juice. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water.
- To remove pimple marks and blemishes make coarse rice powder. Mix in honey, limejuice and curd. Make a thick paste and apply it over the face. Leave it on till half dry. Then rub off gently in circular movements.
Face Packs
Homemade face packs are rich in proteins—just what an undernourished skin craves for. Egg is probably one of the best suppliers of proteins and can be used a base for any kind of face pack. The only thing to be remembered is that the yolk is good only for dry skin while the white is excellent for an oily one. Here are some easy-to-make face packs which have to be used to be believed. The effect can be phenomenal.
Soak one-cup rice in water overnight. Strain and dry. Powder it with one-inch piece of Multani Mitti and a tsp. of methi (fenugreek seeds). Store this in a jar. This powder should be mixed with honey and curd before use. Apply the paste and leave it on for 20 minutes. If sour curd is used, it helps to make the skin fairer.
Mix together one egg and one cup masoor dal. Dry in the sun for 3 days. Dry 100 gm neem leaves in the shade. Powder together. Store in jar. Mix with honey and curd before use. This is essentially a high protein pack.
For oily skin, three tsps. multani mitti, three tsps. with hazel, five drops eau de cologne, half tsp. rose water. Make a paste and apply on the face and neck. Wash off after 20 minutes. Three thsps oatmeal, three tbsp. witch hazel, half tsp. glycerin. Mix together and apply over face and neck. Wash off after 20 minutes.
For dry skin. Take juice of three plums, three strawberries and piece of beetroot. Mix in sandalwood powder. Apply over face and neck. Wash off after 20 minutes. Two tbsp. oatmeal, one tsp. olive oil, half tsp fresh cream. Mix together and apply over face and neck. Wash off after 20 minutes.
Break Monotony
Never set a rigid schedule for this period but carry on with whatever you feel like doing. To make this time more interesting, rotate your activities. If you paint one day, read a good book on the second and just sit and watch the beauty of nature around on the third!
If you are too busy a housewife and are not able to spare even this much of time for yourself, why not then squeeze out a few minutes in between your daily routine for the same? Why not go through the pages of your favourite magazine while the cooker is cooking the pulse for lunch?
Or, take time off to inspect your new pot plant while your bath water is being heated.
These small pleasures of life are far more relaxing than, perhaps, attending parties in overcrowded hotels, watching a movie in a stuffy theatre, or looking at the idiot box (TV) for hours on end.
Taking up work requiring physical efforts and concentration, is another good way of overcoming stress and tension. People without any hobbies, whatsoever, are very rare.
Further the interests and talents you are adopting, see how these reduce your tension and stress, apart from giving you pleasure.
