Hair-Cosmetics: Made at Home Fighting Winter Skin woes:
By adding some moisturizing power, opting for homemade concoctions and keeping your diet loaded with nutrition, you can arm your skin with weapons to combat the chill.
Winter brings with it parched and flaky skin which commands your instant attention. While a daily dose of cleansing and moisturizing is a must to combat winter – struck woes, remember that you’ll be revving up your makeup game for year-ender parties, so start prepping up your skin for festivities too.
1. Wash your face at least twice a day.
2. Also, on chilly days, it’s a good idea to use a cleanser or cleansing milk to clean the face with cotton pads, after which you can dab some rose water if you want to keep away from splashing cold water on the face.
3. Don’t ditch your sunscreen during the chill. UVA and UVB rays will continue to be present and could lead to photo-ageing that can cause wrinkles, pigmentation etc.
Beauty Routine: Your makeup for the party season needs fresh, glowing skin to start with, so make sure you do your daily bit.
Exfoliate to nourish the skin during winter since patchy skin doesn’t hold moisture for long. Shed dead cells by exfoliating just once a week, and opt for homemade moisturizers like packs infused with honey.
Lip serve: A glowing face includes a pretty smile. So, during the chill, lip care becomes top priority. Invest in a good quality balm or butter to keep the smile going.
Safe skin solution for winter time:
Home-churned mix, for all types of skin types.
Mix 2tsp curd, 1tsp besan, 1tsp lemon juice and just a pinch of turmeric.
Apply it on your face and wash off with water after 10mts.
For ageing skin, you can include crushed walnut powder and egg yolk, and for very oily skin, add fuller’s earth to the mix to combat dryness woes.
Diet is important for your skin care routine:
The diet also has to be taken care of to ensure healthy, hydrated skin during winter.
One should keep up the amount of water intake just the same as during the summer season, along with including all colored fruits (that are loaded with antioxidants which are good for the skin) apart from lentils, in the daily diet.
Shine your hair with Herbal Shampoo, conditional and rinse. Shampoo: The Herbalists say: ˜Let your hair soak up the natural goodness of a herbal shampoo- it will look good, and it will smell great”. To make your shampoo, start with a good quality vegetable based, low detergent shampoo such as coconut or Avocados. *For Fair hair, infuse 10ml /2tsp dried Chamomile in a cup of boiling water. Cool and mix with shampoo base. *For Dark Hair, use Sage or Rosemary.
Conditioner: Prepare a Natural sheen-giving conditioner by boiling 30ml /2tbsp fresh Rosemary with 600ml/1pt water for 10mts. Strain then add 50g/2oz Sweet Almond oil and 20 drops Lavender oil.
Rinse: For the final rinse add 30ml/2tbsp Cider vinegar and 15ml/1tbsp rose water to 1.15 liter/2pt hot water. Work through hair and give a final rinse.
Note: ˜Wet hair is extremely vulnerable to treat it with respect- Comb rather than brush out tangles and try not to pull as this will stretch hair.”
Tonic: A hair and scalp tonic can be made from 250ml/8oz Vodka; 25g/2oz Nettles; 25g/1oz Marigold petals; 3 drops Lavender oil; and 100ml/4fl.oz distilled water. Add herbs to Vodka and leave for 21 days. Add Lavender oil and water. Massage in three times a week.
Dandruff: Can be treated by a daily massage with Nettle- Tonic: *Soak 60ml/4tbsp Nettle leaves in boiling water and leave for 4 hours. Strain then add half a cup of Cider Vinegar.
Soothing Skin Tonics for Men: Especially suitable for use as after shave lotions. *Add 5ml/1tsp dried or 10ml/2tsp fresh Sage and Rosemary to 250ml/8oz Cider Vinegar. Keep in a screw top bottle for 2 weeks. Strain and add 250ml/8oz Witch Hazel.
*A mildly perfumed lotion can be prepared from 50g/2oz fresh leaves from any scented variety of Geranium. Wash and chop the leaves add to 600ml/1pt Cider Vinegar leave it for 2 weeks in a screw top bottle, then filter add 300ml/½pt distilled water
Hair Dyes: Mehndi (derived from mehndi leaves) is cooling and colorful, it tints the skin and gives the hair a flame-orange hue. Muslim ‘women decorate their palms with intricate mehndi designs, and it is also popular as an orange hair made dye.
Certain tea-leaves were also used in the past as precious hair dyes in the west. They have come back in their own again, this time perhaps a shade refined, compounded cleverly with modern methods. Even Western beauticians are conjuring up mud-packs and herb products as curative cosmetics.
Your own hair-shampoo from aritha seeds.(herb) *Boil them in water, and allow them to cool off. Beat up until it lathers, now remove the seed and husk. Use the soapy suds to rinse your hair. It softens texture of the hair and adds luster. Aritha seeds can be obtained from almost any Indian grocer.
Bouncing Hair: *An oil bath of either castor oil, which is considered cool and good for the eyes and hair, or olive oil, would be beneficial. Apply the oil, leave on for some time. Now, soak a towel in hot water, rinse and wrap around your hair. When cool, keep changing for a short while, finely shampoo and wash. This will make your hair silky and bouncing with life.
Dandruff: Is the worst enemy of good grooming and must be got rid of dandruff, as it induces the hair to fall and thus threatens your whole personality. Greasy & Dry Scalp: *For greasy scalp there is the application of sour lime juice and then a rinse. For dry scalp, use vinegar with water.
Hair Sheen and Prevention of Grey Hair: *The seeds of linseed oil soaked in half or full glass of water, left overnight, strained and then the liquid to be taken just the first thing in the morning, will transform dull hair and give them a sheen. It is also supposed to help prevent greying hair
Alfalfa: These greens are rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chlorine and silicon all these minerals are in a proper balance. Alfalfa also abounds in vitamins A,B, D, E, and G and has no fat content. It is rich in proteins and important amino acids, lysine, threonine tryptophan and arginine. It is highly alkaline and has almost 10 times more alkaline properties than any other vegetable. It’s an all-round tonic which has absorbable iron.
*Tonic made with alfalfa: Take - Fresh juice of alfalfa mixed with carrot/lettuce juice works remarkably on the root growth of Hair.
Lettuce to prevent hair loss: It’s a good source of vitamins A, B, C, and E, has high levels of chlorophyll, reasonable quantities of iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. It’s good to prevent hair loss occurring due to deficiencies.
*Hair Tonic: Take ½C lettuce juice mixed with equal quantity of spinach juice will increase hair growth. To achieve full benefits continue this on regular basis.
Amla Hair nourisher: Amla or Indian Gooseberry is the best storehouse of Vitamin C. It also has cellulose, tannin, Gallic acid, albumen and various minerals. A very nourishing herb, it prevents scalp infections, hair loss, and premature greying. It also adds luster and shine to hair due to its astringent nature.
*Hair Cleanser: i) Soak some dry amla overnight. Squeeze out their juice in the morning, strain the concoction and use it to wash your hair. * Blend for Hair Massage: Amla juice mixed with 1tbsp almond oil when massaged over the scalp helps in good hair growth. Oiling your hair is one secret that has been passed on from generation to generation. There are some natural oils for various hair types i.e. for thick hair, thin hair, fine hair, wavy hair and for damaged hair. Some of the oils have been mentioned above.