JOIN USIts wishful thinking to imagine that by relaxing indoors to avoid the soaring temperatures of Delhi, you would be able to save your skin from getting tanned or burned! But the truth is that whether you are a professional or a homemaker, you do need to venture out for various reasons and resultantly end up with a tan. And if retaining your precious fairness is a prime concern, then Metrolife brings you expert advice on how to keep glowing this summer, despite the sun.
Most use a sunscreen but those who are allergic to it or dislike it can check out some home remedies. If you are planning a beachside holiday, “Mix olive oil and water in equal quantities and add 2-3 drops of lavender. Apply this all over on the exposed area of the body for 2-3 minutes and then rinse,” advices Dr Blossom Kochhar.
On regular days when face, neck, arms, hands and feet get tanned, simple remedies can be used to get back a radiant skin. “Squeeze about half a lemon in milk powder and add mashed watermelon to this paste. Apply it all over the exposed area and rinse after 20 minutes,” adds Dr Kochhar sharing that yoghurt and honey come in handy to cure tanned skin especially when mixed with papaya.
While the skin can be repaired by simply hydrating it, different scrubs can be used to remove tanning. “Hydration protects the skin and cures damage done by the sun’s rays. A watermelon spa is the best for hydrating the skin since it is rich in water,” shares Richa Agarwal of Cleopatra Spa explaining that once the basic cleaning is done, cool watermelon can be directly rubbed on it.
She adds that mild cleansing and exfoliation can be done at home with besan (gram flour). “For dry skin, mix besan with honey and yoghurt; for oily skin, mix besan with rose water and cucumber and for normal skin, raw/fresh milk can be added to besan,” says Richa.
After the skin is repaired, a scrub of honey and oatmeal, cool slices of cucumber or a massage with fresh aloe vera juice is of great help for removing the tan. Even
vegetables in your kitchen can be used for this purpose.
A mashed potato or the juice of a grated potato when applied all over the tanned skin gives excellent results. “Even cucumber and horse radish can be grated to make a face pack which can be thickened by adding milk powder. This will lighten and brighten the skin. Even coconut water mixed with multani mitti heals tanning, rashes and prickly heat,” says Dr Kochhar.
She also suggests the use of flowers like rose and chameli/jasmine (not to be confused with Arabian jasmine or mogra) to protect skin fairness in summer. Jasmine can be soaked in water and strained. The water serves as an excellent toner. Or it can be mashed with coconut water and watermelon, to be applied as a face pack. Rose and jasmine when mashed together make for a wonderful face pack that can be rinsed after 20 minutes of application to get back the gorgeous fair look!