Homemade Wonders

Stop! No more heading to the spa, salon, or beauty shop! Not when we’ve got these brilliant homemade facial product recipes for you…

DRY SKIN
Check out some of these recipes that’ll have your skin feeling less like a desert and more like what it should…

1) Curd Pack
Blend together some rosewater, almond oil, honey, egg yolk (if you want) and curd into a paste. Apply it to your skin for 10 minutes thrice a week.

2) Fruit Face Pack
Mash together some pieces of papaya/ banana/ peach/ avocado with one teaspoon of cream and leave the mixture on your face with 15-20 minutes. Healthy skin is just a salad bowl away!

3) Olive Oil Cream
Beat an egg white until it turn frothy and add some drops of olive oil and Glycerine to it. Apply this cream to your face for 15-20 minutes and then wash it off. Use cocoa butter or beeswax if eggs aren’t your cup of tea.


OILY SKIN
Here are some recipes for the ones who’re tired of looking like the sun. Get rid of that shine, pronto!

1) Strawberry and Lime Face Mask
Blend together some drops of limejuice with a handful of ripe strawberries, along with a tablespoon of oatmeal and curd. Apply the mixture on your face for 15 minutes and let the natural astringents do their thing!

2) Apple And Grape Cleanser
Dip some thin apple slices into freshly squeezed green grape juice and cleanse your face with these natural ‘pads’. We warn you though – eat those slices at your own risk!

3) Orange Peel Scrub
Blend together dried orange peels (keep the peels out in the sun for 2 weeks), oatmeal and some almonds. Add a couple of drops of water to the powder formed and kiss those dead cells goodbye!

NORMAL SKIN
This is for the lucky ones who have normal and trouble-free skin and want to keep it that way!

1) Strawberry Butter Mask
Blend one tablespoon of unsalted butter or homemade margarine with a large strawberry. Leave the mixture on your face for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off.

2) Brown Sugar Scrub
Mash together a handful of ground oats, two spoons each of brown sugar and aloe vera, along with a dash of lemon juice. Use the coarse paste as a scrub and watch your skin glow!

3) Glycerine Cream
Two tablespoons of Glycerine and two teaspoons of lime juice applied each night is all it takes to keep your skin healthy and moisturised!

Note: Do not store these preparations as they do not contain preservatives. Make them afresh for each use.

Disclaimer: If you have sensitive or skin allergies, please consult a good dermatologist before using any of the recipes mentioned above on your skin.

Home remedies for a glowing complexion

Looking good costs money, right... Or does it?

If you are feeling too broke to splurge on a facial at the salon, let Mother Nature come to the rescue.

All you need is to do is invest some time and effort once a week, and use the ingredients available in your kitchen to concoct your own facial at home.

You can decide which facial to opt for, depending on your skin type and on the availability of the ingredients.

These facials can be done once a week, or before going for a party or for an occasion.

Note of caution: If your skin is sensitive to any natural product, it is advisable to consult a dermatologist before using any of the given remedies.

Also, please wash your face before using any of these face packs.

• What is your skin type?

Normal skin

~ Extract the juice of half an orange or tomato, mix with two teaspoons of curd. Lightly massage onto your face in an upward direction. Let it dry. Then, wash your face with cold water and wipe dry. This will give your skin a nice glow.

~ Rub the inner part of the skin of a papaya on your face. Let it dry. Then, wash your face with cold water and wipe dry. This will give your skin a nice glow.

Whenever you cut a papaya to eat, save a small portion of the peel for this purpose. You can store the peel in an airtight container for about two days in the fridge; however, it is preferable to use it fresh.

~ Grind 50 grams (around half a cup) of cabbage and extract the juice. Apply this on your face. After it dries, wash with cool water and wipe dry. This helps tighten your skin and prevents wrinkles.

~ Grind one small carrot and squeeze the pulp to remove the juice. Apply the juice on your face and let it dry. Then, wash with cold water and wipe your face dry. This helps to rejuvenate your skin.

~ Whenever eating an apple, do not discard the skin. Use it as a skin cleanser.

Just rub the inner side of the peel in an upward direction and let your face dry. Then, wash with cool water and pat dry. This helps tighten your skin.

~ Take an ice cube and rub on your face. Then, pat dry. This helps to improve blood circulation and keeps your skin healthy.
Variation: Boil some lemon grass in a small container of water and cool. Pour it in the ice tray and freeze. Later, rub the ice cube on your face.

~ Beat the white of one egg and apply on your face in an upward direction. Once it dries, wash with cold water. It helps tighten your skin and delays wrinkles.

• 6 steps to beautiful skin

Oily skin

~ Make a paste of 2 tbsp of wheat flour using as much water as needed. Apply on your face in an upward motion. Leave to dry. Then, wash with cool water and pat dry. This helps remove excess oil from your skin.

~ Mix two teaspoons of raw milk, around the same quantity of cucumber juice and few drops of lemon. With a cotton ball, apply the solution on your face and leave to dry. Then, wash with water and pat dry.

~Soak two to three teaspoons of methi (fenugreek) seeds overnight. Grind into a paste, then rub on your face. Once it dries, wash with cool water.

The granular effect helps remove blackheads. Methi also helps remove excess oil from your skin.

The excess paste can be stored in the refrigerator but should be used within a week.

~ Soak two to three teaspoons of whole masoor dal (red gram) overnight. Grind into a paste and apply on your face. Once it dries, wash your face with cold water and pat dry. It gives the same effect as methi.

The excess paste can be stored in the refrigerator but should be used within two days.

~ Grind half a cucumber and squeeze to remove the juice. Apply the juice on your face and leave to dry. Then wash with water and pat dry.

It helps refresh and tighten your skin.

• Say goodbye to dry skin

For dry skin

~ Mash half a ripe banana, add a teaspoon of honey and make a paste. Apply on your face. Once it dries, wash with cold water and pat dry.

This acts as a moisturiser and helps in tighten your skin.

~ Soak khus khus (poppy seeds) overnight. Grind it with just enough milk to make a paste. Apply on your face. Once it dries, wash with cold water.

The natural oil present in khus khus helps to moisturise your skin.

~ Just before boiling milk, remove two tablespoons. Massage it lightly on your face in an upward motion. Leave to dry, then wash with water and pat dry.

This helps to keep your skin supple.

Variation: Add � teaspoon of salt to the raw milk and follow the same process. However, avoid doing this if you have pimples on your face.

~ Make a paste of 2-5 tablespoons of raw peanuts with milk. Add � teaspoon of honey to it. Apply on your face. Leave to dry. Then wash with cold water and pat dry.

The natural oils present in the peanuts help moisturise your skin.

~ Make a paste of one teaspoon of malai, a pinch of turmeric and four to five drops of olive oil. Apply on your face, leave to dry. Wash with cold water and pat dry.

Malai acts as a natural moisturiser and turmeric and olive oil helps rejuvenate your skin.

• Which perfume suits your personality?

Combination skin

~ Mix 3-4 tablespoons of Multani mitti (Fuller's Earth) with 8-10 ground pudina (mint) leaves. Freeze the pack overnight.

Keep outside for 10-15 minutes and then apply on your face. After 10-15 minutes, wash off and pat dry. It helps in cooling and cleansing your skin.

~ Boil a handful of lemon grass leaves in one litre of water, until you get the aroma. Then, place in an ice tray and freeze.
After returning home from work or an outing, rub a lemon grass ice cube all over your face. It cleanses the dirt and grime accumulated in your skin's pores and shuts them.

Whisk away black spots and pimples

~ Make a paste of either half a piece of nutmeg/ six to eight jamun seeds with water/ rose water. Apply on your face. Leave to dry. Then, wash with cold water and pat dry.

~ Squeeze half a fresh lemon into one glass of freshly boiled milk. Leave for half and hour, then apply on your face before retiring to bed.

~ Take 125 ml (� cup) of tomato juice and squeeze in half a lemon. Add five to seven mashed mint leaves and black salt to taste.

Drink this every morning and evening for at least one week. It will help detoxify the body.

It also helps to relieve constipation and worm infestation.

For blemishes

~ Rub a slice of lemon or the remains a squeezed lemon on your face. Allow it to remain overnight, then wash with cold water. It will restore your skin's softness and lend your complexion a glow.

~ Squeeze the juice of one lemon into one ripe tomato (in which a hole has been made). Rub the tomato on your face. Leave to dry. Then, wash with water and pat dry.

• Skin solutions for men

Diet tips

Diet can play a major role in imparting glow and freshness to your skin, some of the tips that can help are:

~ Drink 12 to14 glasses of water everyday.

~ Avoid eating to much of fried foods like vadas, samosa, chips, bhajias, etc. Stick to fresh vegetable salads or fruit salads.

Depending on the seasonal availability, eat all types of fresh, green vegetables and all types of fresh, juicy fruits (except for strawberries and mangoes; they are heaty and overconsumption can lead to acne).

~ Avoid consuming too much of heaty food like chillies, garlic, non-vegetarian items or dried fruits like dates.

~ Detoxify once a month by consuming fresh vegetables, fruits and liquids all day.

Home Remedy Treatments for Oily Skin

In most cases, oily skin can be treated at home. However, you'll want to call a doctor if you develop acne that doesn't respond to home remedies or notice any sudden and/or unusual change in your skin (if it goes from dry to oily seemingly overnight but it isn't time for your period, for example). Otherwise, try these helpful tips:

keep skin squeaky clean. As anyone with oily skin knows, the oilier the skin, the dirtier the skin looks and feels. To help combat this feeling, it's important to keep the skin clean by washing it at least twice a day. Some doctors recommend detergent-type soap. You might even try adding a drop or two of dishwashing detergent to your regular soap; the extra kick will act as a solvent for the oil. However, other dermatologists say detergent soaps are just too harsh even for oily facial skin, recommending instead twice-daily cleansing with a glycerin soap. If you try a detergent soap and find it too irritating for your skin, try the glycerin variety, generally available over the counter in the skin-care aisle of most drugstores.

Try aloe vera. Apply aloe vera gel (available in many drugstores as well as health-food stores) to your face to absorb oil and clear out pores. Dab the gel onto your face two to three times a day (especially after washing), then let it dry. The gel will feel more refreshing if it's cool, so keep it in the refrigerator.

Wipe with astringents. Wiping the oily parts of the face with rubbing alcohol or a combination of alcohol and acetone (a mixture found in products such as Seba-Nil Liquid Cleanser) can help degrease your skin just as well as more expensive, perfumey astringents. Many drugstores even sell premoistened, individually wrapped alcohol wipes that you can keep in your purse for quick touchups throughout the day.

Carry tissues. Even if you don't have an astringent with you, paper facial tissues can help soak up excess oils in a pinch. You can also purchase special oil-absorbing tissues at the cosmetics counter that are very effective in removing excess oil between cleansings.

Chill out with cold water rinses. If you don't want to apply chemicals to your skin, simply splashing your face with cold water and blotting it dry a couple of times a day can help remove some excess oil.

Ban moisturizers. While advertisements are forever urging women to apply facial moisturizers, oily-skinned folks shouldn't use them -- their skin is already doing a more than adequate job of keeping itself supple and warding off dryness. Applying a sunscreen to the face before going outdoors in daylight is still a very good idea, however; check labels for products that are designed for oily skin or that are noncomedogenic (meaning they'll be less likely to plug up pores, which is especially important for oily skin that is already more susceptible to acne blemishes).

Make a scrub. Giving your face a very light scrub can remove excess surface oil. Try this almond honey scrub: Mix a small amount of almond meal (ground almonds) with honey. Then gently massage (don't scrub) the paste onto your skin with a hot washcloth. Rinse thoroughly. You can also make a scrub from oatmeal mixed with aloe vera. Rub gently onto the skin, leave on for 15 minutes, then wash off thoroughly. If you suffer from acne on your face, however, you should probably skip the scrub, since it can aggravate your already-irritated skin.

Masque it. Masques applied to the face can reduce oiliness. Clay masques are available, or you can mix Fuller's Earth (available at pharmacies) with a little water to make a paste. Apply to the face and leave on for about 20 minutes before thoroughly rinsing off.

Use water-based cosmetics. Better yet, learn to live without makeup -- or at least without foundation -- since it will simply add to and trap the oil against your skin and set the stage for blemishes. If you feel you must use makeup, choose water-based products over oil-based types, and opt for spot concealers rather than coating your entire face. In general, stick with powder or gel blushers, and avoid cream foundations.

Pull your hair back. It's best to keep hair away from the face if you are having issues with your skin. Often oily hair and oily skin go together.

Don't touch. Keep your hands off your face during the day. Hands deliver excess oil and dirt.

Home Remedies for Dry Skin

Dry skin has no permanent cure but the skin can be softened and made smoother by using a few remedies. Most popularly, lotions and creams are used to soothe the dry skin. Using a mild soap or a cleansing body wash might eliminate the problem temporarily. However, this option can turn out to be pretty expensive if the skin is genetically dry or just exceptionally dry. Certain remedies can be used to soften the dry skin right at home.

A face pack made of fruits rich in vitamins and water can have a good effect on the dry skin. Some of the fruits that can be used are papaya, peach, and banana. Mashed avocado can also be applied to the skin for a glowing effect. A mild lotion or moisturizer can follow these face packs, to retain the moisture produced by the face pack. It is advised to use oil-based lotions in such instances. Moisture has to be applied with upward circular motion always.

Night creams containing alpha hydroxy acids can be used as night cream so as to have a fresh looking skin in the mornings. These are more oily than the regular creams and work more effectively for longer time during the nights.

A diet consisting of a lot of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and Vitamin E can be taken for an inner glow in the skin. Leafy vegetables help the most in replenishing the moisture in the skin. The water intake needs to increase a lot to help the body have the required amount of fluids. Fruit juices are also considered to be very helpful in softening the skin.

Rose water, almond oil, honey, olive oil, and beaten curd can all be used as good face packs। Other than this, daily massage or facial sauna with herbal oils and use of mild detergent and fragrance free soap can work wonders on dry skin.