JOIN USA routine beauty care is not only essential to look attractive, but also to look presentable and lively, writes Shahnaz Husain.
What with balancing work life and household responsibilities, most women tend to let themselves go and don’t give that much importance to their appearance. The result is spreading outlines, dull skin and hair and careless grooming. I think efficient time-management is the answer. No matter how demanding housework is, you have to set apart some time for yourself everyday. Actually, daily skin and hair care take only a few minutes. So does daily exercise.
Getting up half-an-hour earlier than you normally do can solve this problem of lack of time. You will not be sacrificing your sleep, you will actually be reaping rich dividends if you use the time for your daily exercise. A brisk walk is a good exercise. You can start with a few stretching exercises and some deep breathing. This would not only benefit the figure, but help to induce relaxation and reduce stress. Regularity is the keyword. It is a matter of time when you will begin to see the good results.
Fatigue is actually a common problem that overworked mothers feel. Here, regular exercising and a nutritious diet are bound to help. You will be doing yourself and your family a world of good if you include fresh fruits, raw salads, lightly cooked vegetables, yogurt, skimmed milk, cottage cheese and whole grains in the daily diet. Avoid fried foods, aerated drinks and snacking between meals. Have fresh fruits instead of a rich dessert. Use sprouts to make a delicious salad, using cucumber, tomatoes, mint, lemon juice and chaat masala. Keep it in the fridge and reach for it when you feel like a snack, instead of potato wafers or left-over food. Have fresh fruit and vegetable juices. They are an ideal way of supplying the body with nutrients. Sensible eating, regular exercise and relaxation will give you all the energy you need and make you feel good. Feeling good is an integral part of looking good too.
Keep ten minutes, during the day, to just lie down and relax. You need to recharge yourself. In fact, you can combine it with a beauty treatment. Dip cotton wool pads in rose water and use as eye pads. Used tea bags also make good eye pads. So do cucumber slices. Eye pads revitalize the skin around the eyes, remove fatigue and add brightness to the eyes. The relaxation certainly helps. A few times in the week go to bed early and catch up on lost sleep, especially if you have a small baby.
Before your bath, take a few minutes to cleanse and tone the skin. Keep your cleanser and cotton wool in the bathroom, to save time. Apply it on the face and wipe it off with moist cotton wool. Soak cotton wool in a rose skin tonic or rose water. It is extremely refreshing and reviving. Wipe and pat your face briskly with it. In fact, you can also keep a facial scrub or cleansing grains, to exfoliate the skin, two or three times a week. At night, before going to bed, take five minutes to cleanse and nourish your skin. Night-time cleansing is very important. Wipe off the cream with moist cotton wool before bedtime.
A facial mask is easy to use. You can apply it and do your household chores while it dries. In fact, you can mix a face mask at home with wheat bran (choker), almond meal (ground badam) and one teaspoon each of honey, yogurt and egg white. You should mix enough to last you for two or three days, keeping the excess in the refrigerator. This is one way of saving time.
Set aside one day a week to give yourself a manicure and pedicure and condition your hair with henna. Apply the henna and then go about your hand and foot care. This will help to keep your hands and feet in good condition and you can just touch up your nail varnish during the week. If you can manage to get away to a beauty salon, there is nothing like it.
A well-groomed look is actually a matter of paying attention to little details. Plan your day according to your needs and convenience. Keep your goals realistic. You will find that your family fits into it easily. There are no awards to be won, but there are plenty of rewards in terms of looking well-groomed and attractive.