JOIN USSIMPLE STUFF You can lighten and brighten your skin without having to use any of those chemicals. Shahnaz Husain gives you some DIY ideas for radiant, flawless skin.
Facial scrubs and packs can be made at home with kitchen ingredients. They remove tan, lighten skin and soothe it in case of sunburns. These are certainly safer than chemical bleaches and actually benefit the skin in other ways. If the skin is dry, a scrub should be used only once a week, but for oily skins, it may be used more often. The scrub should be applied and rubbed gently on the skin with small circular movements and then washed off with plain water.
Here are go a few simple ideas:
nFor facial scrub: Ground almonds make for a good facial scrub. Soak the almonds in hot water till the skin comes out easily. Then allow them to become totally dry. Grind them into a powder, making sure to follow absolute hygiene and cleanliness. Keep this powder in an airtight jar. Every morning, add a little curd or cold milk to two teaspoons of the powder and rub the mixture gently on the skin. Wash it off with water. Mixing rice powder with curd and using it as a scrub helps oily skin.
nFor oily skin: Mix tomato pulp with one teaspoon honey and apply daily for 20 minutes. You can also mix multani mitti with rose water and lemon juice into a paste. Add a pinch of turmeric and apply on the face. Wash it off when it dries. For removing tan on oily skin, mix
cucumber pulp with yogurt and apply on face daily. Wash it off after 20 minutes. It will suit oily skin, since cucumber is an astringent.
n For sunburns: Cold milk applied daily, using cotton wool, not only helps to soothe the skin, but also keeps it soft. It also makes the skin colour lighter over a period of time, if used daily. It suits normal to dry skin types.
n For lightening: Add a few strands of saffron to warm milk and let it stand for a couple of ours. Then apply it on the skin, using cotton wool. It is said to lighten skin colour over a period of time. For cleansing, mix cucumber and
papaya pulp with one teaspoon curd, one teaspoon honey, four teaspoons oatmeal and one teaspoon lemon juice. Apply on face and neck, twice a week and wash it off after half an hour.
nFor hands: Take two tablespoons sunflower oil and three tablespoon coarse sugar. Mix together till it becomes a paste. Apply and rub into hands. Rinse off after 15 minutes.
n For feet: Add lemon juice in water and soak feet in it. It cools, cleans and removes tan and odour. Rubbing a lemon on the feet also helps.
(The author is a beauty expert)