Give Your Skin A Natural Boost
Natural ingredients are excellent for your skin. However, you don’t always need rare herbs and exotic fruits for your skincare regime. Just look around in your kitchen or visit the supermarket near your home to pick up all the healthy stuff you would generally include in your diet. Here are some common ingredients which can work wonders on your skin.
Lemon – It is a natural skin lightening agent and acid peel. It also gives your skin a big dose of vitamin C.
Masoor Dal (red lentils) – Ideal for using as a scrub or mask to treat dry skin.
Milk – Can also be used as a medium to make any paste or mask, like when you use it while rubbing sandalwood on a rough stone to make a paste. Soothes sun-irritated skin.
Honey – Gives you dewy, glowing skin in an instant and is a superb hydrant.
Coconut Oil – It penetrates into the skin and hair more easily as compared to the rest of the oils that stay on top, forming a barrier.
Oatmeal/Rice Powder – The ideal body/face scrub to treat dry, itchy skin.
Potatoes – The juice of potatoes can fight pigmentation.
Sandalwood Paste – Get a piece of sandalwood and rub it on a wet stone with milk or water. The paste helps fight acne and pigmentation and also calms irritated skin.
Coconut Milk – This is a great hair conditioner and masque for soothing dry brittle strands.
Coconut Cream – Grate a coconut, extract its milk and keep it in your fridge. The next morning, after the water settles, take out the top layer of the cream and use it as a moisturizer or a mask.
Cucumber – Soothes tired eyes and minimizes dark circles.
Coriander Seeds – These can be great eye soothers. Soak the seeds overnight and then put it into little gauze bags. Put these over your tired eyes and they will look bright in no time.
Eggs – It is a skin and hair nourisher. An egg mask lifts and hydrates the skin instantly, but remember to put in some essential oil (jojoba if the skin is dry, lavender it the skin is flushed, or basil for acne prone skin) to mask the smell.
Fenugreek Seeds – Soak the seeds overnight and grind them into a paste the next day. It makes for an excellent hair pack.
Tomatoes – Lighten acne scars, pigmentation and excessive oiliness by applying this.
Gram Flour – Gram flour acts as a great replacement for soap and can be used as a gentle skin extoliator.
Tender Coconut Water – Dab some on your face to heal dehydrated skin and scars.
Strawberries/Grapes – Give your skin a dose of antioxidants and vitamin C with these.
Sugar – It is a great skin polisher.
Papaya/Green Apple – Both are rich in enzymes. They loosen dead skin by exfoliating it and give your skin a nice glow.
Tulsi (Basil) – Treats acne and skin irritation.
Used Teabags – Reduce putty eyes with these.
Wheat grass – It is a shot of pure health when freshly extracted and gives a good dose of iron.
Turmeric – A natural antiseptic and best anti inflammatory ingredient. You will find its powder in every Indian kitchen. Get fresh turmeric root and rub it on a wet stone to make a paste.
Yogurt – When consumed, the good bacteria not only helps the tummy, it also brightens tired skin. When applied, the acid in the curd helps in lightening and hydrating the skin.
Food Facial Mask
Discover the secret to a hassle-free, glowing skin and save yourself from splurging on a spa session. All you need to do is, scrub your breakfast on your face – because foods not only provide internal nutrition but work miraculously on the skin too!
How To Do It
Combine yogurt, honey with egg whites or use plain whipped whites alone as a toning mask for your face. This is a sure shot way to acquire glowing skin.