Beauty Secrets In Your Kitchen

Sometimes, you don’t have to spend thousands of rupees or exceed your credit card limit for great skin-care. Here are some humble beauty heroes from your kitchen.

Mint
Irrespective of your complexion, pigments and patchy skin can be a buzz kill. Mint is not just good for your breath or for garnishing on your pasta, but it has superior purifying abilities. Once a week, use a face mask made of fresh mint leaves. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Wash it off with cold water. This will help tighten pores, reduce sun burns and tanning.

Turmeric
Turmeric is a one-stop solution to skin problems. Some wise guy discovered this and this gave way to haldi ceremonies before the wedding, considering there weren’t any expensive skin-care products or facials back then. It has a list of benefits—like antibacterial and anti-ageing properties, reducing pigmentation and stretch marks, and even curbing facial hair growth. If stretch marks are your worry, a mixture of turmeric, gram flour (besan) and raw milk/rose water/yogurt will help lighten the marks and even out the skin tone. The pack should be applied daily and kept until it dries completely.

Egg
Your favourite breakfast staple can work wonders for your dry and damaged hair. The yolk is rich in fats and proteins, which makes it a great natural moisturiser, while the white, which contains bacteria-eating enzymes, removes unwanted oils. For normal hair, use the entire egg to condition hair; use egg whites only to treat oily hair; use egg yolks only to moisturise dry, brittle hair. Once every two weeks, use half a cup on clean, damp hair. Leave on for 20 minutes, rinse with cool water and shampoo hair.

Honey
It doesn’t just coat your yummy waffles and pancakes, but honey also has the ability to absorb and retain moisture and this helps in keeping the skin well hydrated, fresh and supple. Get rid of those menacing dead skin cells with a natural scrub created with honey. Combine honey, lemon juice and then add sugar. Gently rub on your skin in a circular motion and leave it on for 10 to15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Rock salt
Reiki therapists believe that bathing with rock salt removes negative energy from your body. There seems to be some science behind it. Dip yourself in rock salt water and the minerals and nutrients in the salt get delivered to your body cells in the form of ions to facilitate their absorption by your body. This causes an improvement in the appearance of your skin by increasing circulation.