Summer can be a bane, especially for people with oily skin. Sweat and oil secretions increase, which get deposited on the skin and hair, making them look greasy and also attracting dirt and pollutants. The skin loses its glow and the hair its lustre. Here Shahnaz Husain, the queen of herbal cosmetics suggests simple home-remedies to tackle your summer skin and hair care woes.
Summer Essentials:
* Summer calls for deep pore cleansing, especially for oily skin. So after washing your face, use a facial scrub. (Also read recipes for Home-made cleansing milk, astringent and toner)
*A good skin tonic is a must to cleanse and refresh the skin. A flower based skin tonic, containing rose, is ideal. Or, use rose water.
* If the skin is dry, a light moisturizing lotion may be used during the day and under makeup.
* Cleansing at night, before bedtime, is most important.
* Excessive exposure to the sun can dry hair, making it brittle and leading to split ends. Always apply a conditioner after shampooing hair.
* Chlorine in the swimming pool and salt in the sea water can make the hair dry, matted and dull. Hair is porous, but it can absorb only that much and no more. So, wetting your hair before a swim actually helps protect it. (Swimming in over-chlorinated pools can have adverse effects on your skin, hair and teeth)
* It is quite safe to wash hair thrice or even 4-5 times in summer, but use a mild, herbal shampoo.
* Henna treatments help cleanse the hair and add lustre. Summer season is more favourable for henna application. (Also read Home-made henna (mehendi) hair dye)
HOME CARE
Here are some home remedies for skin and hair care in summer.
Exfoliator (scrub) : Mix 3 tablespoons almond meal
with enough yoghurt. Apply on the face, and leave it on for 20 minutes. Then moisten with water and scrub gently with small circular movements. Wash it off with plenty of water. For dry skin, do this once a week. For oily skin, scrub thrice a week. Avoid using scrubs on pimples. 
Cooling cleanser: Mix some milk with cucumber juice. soak cotton wool in it and wipe face with it. For oily skin, add lemon juice.
Cooling mask: Cucumber juice (or pulp) can be mixed with 2 tsps of powdered milk and one egg white. Put the ingredients in a blender to make a smooth paste. Apply on the face and neck, and rinse off with water after half-an-hour.
Cleansing papaya mask: Papaya pulp can be applied on the skin like a mask. Wash it off after 20 minutes. Papaya contains enzymes which soften and cleanse the skin.
Summer mask: Take one tablespoon each of honey, orange juice and rose water. Mix it with 3 tbsps oatmeal
. Apply on the face and neck. Wash it off after half an hour.
To reduce oiliness: Mix one tbsp multani mitti with rose water and apply this paste on the face. Wash it off when dry. (Buy Multani mitti from Amazon)
To cool and remove tan: Mix some cucumber pulp with yogurt and apply on the affected areas daily. Wash it off after 20 minutes.
Cooling foot bath: Add half a lemon in one-fourth bucket cold water and soak your feet in it. It cools, cleans and removes odour. (Read Terrific soothers for your feet)
For hair damage: If caused by sun, salt water or chlorine, take a cup of honey, half cup of olive or sesame seed oil
(til oil) and 2 tbsp lemon juice. stir well and keep it overnight in a glass jar. Massage it a little of this mixture into the hair before shampooing. keep it on for an hour and then wash the hair. (Read Your hair can get sunburnt too)
For dull hair: Mix 1 tsp each of vinegar
and honey with one egg. Beat well. Massage the mixture into the scalp. Then wrap the hair in a hot towel for 20 minutes, before washing the hair. Your hair will have more body and look shiny and manageable. (Read Eggs for beautiful hair)
Summer hair rinse: To add shine, add the juice of a lemon to tea water and use it as a last rinse after shampooing. Tea water can be made by boiling used tea leaves again in enough water. You should have 5 cups of tea water after boiling. Cool, strain and add the juice of a lemon. (Also read recipes for Herbal after shampoo hair rinses)
Beer rinse: Rinsing the hair with beer helps add shine and body to the hair. Take beer, add the juice of a lemon and use as a last rinse. leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse off with plain water.
Rose water: Add the juice of a lemon and half cup rose water to one mug of water and use it as a last rinse. Removes odour and has a cooling effect.
Summer Essentials:
* Summer calls for deep pore cleansing, especially for oily skin. So after washing your face, use a facial scrub. (Also read recipes for Home-made cleansing milk, astringent and toner)
*A good skin tonic is a must to cleanse and refresh the skin. A flower based skin tonic, containing rose, is ideal. Or, use rose water.
* If the skin is dry, a light moisturizing lotion may be used during the day and under makeup.
* Cleansing at night, before bedtime, is most important.
* Excessive exposure to the sun can dry hair, making it brittle and leading to split ends. Always apply a conditioner after shampooing hair.
* Chlorine in the swimming pool and salt in the sea water can make the hair dry, matted and dull. Hair is porous, but it can absorb only that much and no more. So, wetting your hair before a swim actually helps protect it. (Swimming in over-chlorinated pools can have adverse effects on your skin, hair and teeth)
* It is quite safe to wash hair thrice or even 4-5 times in summer, but use a mild, herbal shampoo.
* Henna treatments help cleanse the hair and add lustre. Summer season is more favourable for henna application. (Also read Home-made henna (mehendi) hair dye)
HOME CARE
Here are some home remedies for skin and hair care in summer.
Exfoliator (scrub) : Mix 3 tablespoons almond meal
with enough yoghurt. Apply on the face, and leave it on for 20 minutes. Then moisten with water and scrub gently with small circular movements. Wash it off with plenty of water. For dry skin, do this once a week. For oily skin, scrub thrice a week. Avoid using scrubs on pimples. 
Cooling cleanser: Mix some milk with cucumber juice. soak cotton wool in it and wipe face with it. For oily skin, add lemon juice.
Cooling mask: Cucumber juice (or pulp) can be mixed with 2 tsps of powdered milk and one egg white. Put the ingredients in a blender to make a smooth paste. Apply on the face and neck, and rinse off with water after half-an-hour.
Cleansing papaya mask: Papaya pulp can be applied on the skin like a mask. Wash it off after 20 minutes. Papaya contains enzymes which soften and cleanse the skin.
Summer mask: Take one tablespoon each of honey, orange juice and rose water. Mix it with 3 tbsps oatmeal
. Apply on the face and neck. Wash it off after half an hour. To reduce oiliness: Mix one tbsp multani mitti with rose water and apply this paste on the face. Wash it off when dry. (Buy Multani mitti from Amazon)
To cool and remove tan: Mix some cucumber pulp with yogurt and apply on the affected areas daily. Wash it off after 20 minutes.
Cooling foot bath: Add half a lemon in one-fourth bucket cold water and soak your feet in it. It cools, cleans and removes odour. (Read Terrific soothers for your feet)
For hair damage: If caused by sun, salt water or chlorine, take a cup of honey, half cup of olive or sesame seed oil
(til oil) and 2 tbsp lemon juice. stir well and keep it overnight in a glass jar. Massage it a little of this mixture into the hair before shampooing. keep it on for an hour and then wash the hair. (Read Your hair can get sunburnt too) For dull hair: Mix 1 tsp each of vinegar
and honey with one egg. Beat well. Massage the mixture into the scalp. Then wrap the hair in a hot towel for 20 minutes, before washing the hair. Your hair will have more body and look shiny and manageable. (Read Eggs for beautiful hair) Summer hair rinse: To add shine, add the juice of a lemon to tea water and use it as a last rinse after shampooing. Tea water can be made by boiling used tea leaves again in enough water. You should have 5 cups of tea water after boiling. Cool, strain and add the juice of a lemon. (Also read recipes for Herbal after shampoo hair rinses)
Beer rinse: Rinsing the hair with beer helps add shine and body to the hair. Take beer, add the juice of a lemon and use as a last rinse. leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse off with plain water.
Rose water: Add the juice of a lemon and half cup rose water to one mug of water and use it as a last rinse. Removes odour and has a cooling effect.
Use leave in conditioner; wear big floppy hats
ReplyDeleteSoap is my fave and from my own personal experience Ivory is really effective at riding the body of excess sweat and sebum. I love the fact that it floats in the tub and it generates amazing lather. Lemon grass shampoo promotes a fresh feeling and rids the hair of dander fairly well.
ReplyDeleteRelaxing your hair makes it more prone to breakage, so you have to be careful with how you handle it. Don't roughly comb or brush it, and don't do too many intricate hairstyles. Don't wear braids that are too tight because that causes damage in the form of breakage and can cause scalp damage. You shouldn't have a problem if your braids aren't too tight.
ReplyDeleteI have found that using a microdermabrasion scrub works well along with steaming my face a few times a week to really open up the pores. Also, a product with glycolic acid with a concentration of 8% to 15% along with a moisturizer that contains vitamin A- retinol- helps to keep the skin maintain a nice clear, healthy look.
ReplyDeleteA nice home, all purpose skin care treatment is making up a toner with some freshly squeezed lime, lemon or grapefruit juice mixed with a few tablespoons of fresh rosemary along with several plain aspirin dissolved in the mixture.
Don't forget to apply night cream or olive oil before going to bed( if possible take the night cream in a bowl and heat it apply when t is warm ,as that will get evaporated easily into your skin)
ReplyDeleteAdd a spoon of olive oil to your bath
Take care of your skin by applying the proper type of lotions or creams. Do not use the products that contain strong chemicals as it could ruin your skin. Do not smoke because it directly affects your skin and speeds up your ageing process.
ReplyDeleteWhen you want to remove all your makeup, do not just wash your face but apply a make up remover
ReplyDeleteWhen you are using a deodorant see that there is a distance between the pack nozzle and your skin.
Wow! your article is soo awsome… Loved reading it, couldnt stop once I started reading it. So many beauty tips..My hair was so frizy and damaged but now I got a friend by Framesi which helped me to personalize my hairstyle by adding volume, shine and softness.
ReplyDelete1. keep besan in a box near your washbasin. Use it to wash your face instead of face wash.
ReplyDelete2. use a good loofah to exfoliate your skin everyday when you bath. after this patt your skin dry and then take 10 spoons of cold milk and add 3 spoons of lemon juice. stir it and apply it all over your body and also the face. now dont worry if you have oily or dry skin cause in either case the milk keeps from drying the skin and if you have oily skin then the lemon does the needful.
3. keep it for 15 mins for the solution to work on your skin.wash it off. continue it for a month. also you can rub the lemon slice on your knees and elbows and let it stay for 15 mins. it will lighten then gradually.
4. all this will work more quickly if you stop eating junk food.
5. before breakfast everyday eat one apply or any other fruit. any! except for mangoes!!
BELIEVE ME IN ONE MONTH'S TIME YOU'LL HAVE FAIR SKIN DUE TO THE BESAN, MILK & LEMON AND GLOWING SKIN DUE TO THE FRUITS AND HOME COOKED FOOD!
it worked for me (actually it was my new year's resolution to get glowing and fair skin after all the tanning! and nw v r in feb nd i have beautiful skin.
Wash face thoroughly in the morning and before bed. Never wear make-up overnight. Wet face with hot water to open pores, use your favorite facial cleanser. Be gentle with your skin, let the cleanser work. Don't rough up your facial skin and don't forget your neck. Rinse with hot water, gradually to tepid, and then a final rinse with cold water to close pores. Use a toner, astringent, if you want, but always moisturize.Your skin will thank you throughout your life if you treat it well every day. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to have great skin.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind your face cut, thickness of hair, height and build, and of course, your style quotient while going for a haircut/hairstyle change.
ReplyDeleteA rinse made with tea and lemon juice also serves to clean up the greasiness of oily hair without interfering in its ph balance or drying it up excessively (which is what most shampoos do
ReplyDeleteto get a glow skin in summer apply a lemon on your face daily
ReplyDeleteBefore applying any masks or facial treatments, clean your face thoroughly. If you have dry skin use non-soap cleansers (I personally really like Cetaphil Cleansing Bar). It will not strip off oils from your skin.
ReplyDeleteTight hairstyles add to the frizz and put deep pressure onto the roots of your hair. Summer is all about loose, playful hairstyles which not only look good, but keep you feeling free. Go for casual fishtail braids, loose buns, and half-up-half-down hairstyles.
ReplyDelete