Take a little time off to try a few of my winter recipes on your skin. The cold air, with dust and dirt from the roads, has surely left your skin dry and dehydrated. The dry air drains your skin of its moisture. A little care and treatment to rejuvenate your skin should bring back its glow. Follow any of these cleansing treatments for great looking skin.
Most aromatic soaps have a tendency to dry the skin as they attack the oil pigments on the skin surface. Use a gentle cleansing lotion or cleansing cream instead. Avoid scrubbing the skin. This could create new openings on the surface, which will allow dust and dirt to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, eventually causing infection.
Remember, pimples and rashes are a result of excess oil accumulation on the face.
Oatmeal & Honey Paste
Oatmeal and honey act as moisturising agents. They add just the right amount of oil to the skin, leaving it supple and soft. Honey can also act as an anti-bacterial agent.
Ground oatmeal is also a gentle exfoliator that removes dead skin cells and residue. It can be used as a mild cleanser instead of soap and helps restore the skin’s moisture, especially in winter. The addition of yogurt to this paste makes it an effective, everyday moisturising cleanser.
Ingredients: ½ cup dry oatmeal + 2 tablespoons honey + ¼ cup plain yogurt or buttermilk.
Method: Grind the oatmeal into a fine powder in a blender or food processor. In a small bowl, add the ground oatmeal, honey and yogurt . You can even use buttermilk instead of yogurt. Mix thoroughly until it becomes a paste. Apply all over the face and neck. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry. You can follow this remedy every day, preferably in the mornings.
Pineapple & Olive Oil Mask
Pineapple revives the the skin by getting rid of dead cells and dirt. Olive oil gives your cheeks a special glow. Pineapple contains bromelain, a protein-digestive enzyme that helps rid the skin of dead cells and dirt. The fruit is also a mild astringent and skin freshener. Olive oil has excellent healing properties and is good source of Vitamin E. Make sure you use high quality, cold-pressed extra-virgin oil. The quality of the oil you use is also important.
Ingredients: 4 large pineapple chunks or ½ cup canned, drained pineapple + 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Method: Place ingredients in a blender and blend until almost smooth. Apply the mixture on your face and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.
Rosewater is a natural cleanser. It has been used as a skin tonic for ages. Steam is an easy way to open up pores and release toxins.
Ingredients: One cup of fresh rose petals + one gallon of boiling water.
Method: Add fresh rose petals to a large bowl and pour hot water over them. Place a towel over your head and inhale the steam from the bowl to absorb steam and vapours. Keep breathing in the vapours for 15 minutes. Gently, pat dry your face after this.
Once you are done with the steam, you can make rosewater. First, strain the steaming liquid and save the petals and the water separately. Pour water into a medium saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until there is approximately one cup of liquid left. Once reduced, pour it over the used petals, steep for another 20 minutes and strain the liquid again. Discard the petals, pour the liquid into a glass bottle and allow to cool. Use when required.
Banana & Chickpea Mask
Chickpea flour has many advantages. It’s an effective skin-softening exfoliator, it stimulates blood circulation and it rejuvenates skin tissue. Banana help reduce redness and puffiness. The egg in this mask will tighten pores and leave your skin feeling revitalised.
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons chickpea flour + 1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed + 1 egg, beaten.
Method: In a bowl, blend chickpea flour and ripe banana into a paste. Add beaten egg and apply mixture to face and neck. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse well with warm water. Pat dry.
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