Skin Care - The Natural Way

With industry of beauty and skin care having reached epitomic heights in our day and age, in this section we speak about natural remedies, naturopathy and the age-old ayurvedic methods for better skin care. It also tells you how to deal with skin problems, treatments and remedies all the natural way. So, there is no need to spend tons of money on products and treatment.

1. Natural Skin Care For The Season

It's humid and hot in India these days. The scorching heat is not only taking its toll on our glucose level, but also bringing down are ‘skin age'. This time is the most alarming time for ‘skin health' and one needs to take special care.

Cleanse your skin often, at least three times a week. Use the following exfoliating scrub. Make equal portions of gram flour, sandalwood powder and multani mitti. Mix these with rose water and scrub your face. It helps keeping your skin clean, soft and not so dry.

When it comes to moisturizing your skin, there is nothing better than season fruit facial masks… cut the pulp of the fruit or squeeze it into the blender and then apply it on your face as quickly as possible before the vitamins in the fruit lose their potency.

1. Mango pulp is great to cure acne problems in this season.
2. Grapes and litchi's are great to use on wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. It helps in moisturizing, detoxifies and nourishes skin.
3. Papaya pulp is useful on blackheads and blotchy skin.
4. Cucumber on the other hand is extremely cooling and improves dull and oil skin. One can also mix the juice of one small cucumber with one teaspoon of rose water to make a great moisturizer application for the skin.
5. Watermelon juice as an application on the face is a great skin toner and makes the skin fresh and healthy.
6. Another key skin ingredient for skin care this summer is Coconut water, if rubbed on the skin it lightens and brightens the skin. It is also instrument in getting rid of heat rash. It can be applied as a lotion and left on the skin and then washed with cold rose water.
7. This summer, take special care of your eyes and under eyes. Sleep well and before sleeping put a drop of rose water in each eye. It soothes the eye as well as brightens it.

With regard to your face this is the best summer skin routine to follow. But, one needs to take care of the rest of the body as well. Here are a few rules you can follow while bathing to take care of your body skin…

• Add a cup of buttermilk to your bath if you have large open pores it helps tightening them.
• To nourish and soothe your skin, use this bath formula. Mix 2 teaspoons salt with 1 and half teaspoon almond oil and half a teaspoon vinegar. Apply this on your body before your bath.
• If your skin is prone to getting tanned or is already tanned apply a mix of equal quantity of almond oil and vinegar an hour before bathing. You will be surprised with the results.
  In case of sunburn use a yogurt mask to cure it. Leave it on for ten minutes on the affected area. Rubbing ice cubes also is an immediate cure.
• In case of a heat rash one can apply a mix of corn starch with cold water. It will help a great deal.
• Don't apply lipstick on chapped lips, a lip balm or gloss several times a day is what you should opt for. A home remedy for chapped lips is to crush rose petals mixed in a little butter. Apply while going to bed. See your problem vanish in a few days.

2. Clearing Up Pigmentation Naturally

Pigmentation is a skin disorder where one's skin discolors. This usually happens due to the malfunctioning of the endocrine glands and the liver. This occurs as either an excessive coloration or darkening of the skin all over or in patches and spots. It is a wide spread disorder found in most middle aged women. Very rarely do younger women suffer from it.

Pigmentation takes place due to many internal and external reasons. Some of them being… Internal Reasons: Menopause, Amoebiasis (intestine disorder) or deficiency of iron, calcium, vitamin A, E and B. External Reasons: Excessive exposure to the sun, use of bad or old cosmetics and side effect of some oral medication.

There are many ways to clear pigmentation in a natural way-

• One can bleach that area; milk is considered one of the best natural bleaching agents. So buy yourself some milk powder. Take two tablespoons of that, add hydrogen peroxide to it to make a thick paste. Add two drops of glycerin to it and apply on the pigmented areas. Leave it on for about 20 minutes and then rinse it off.
• Vitamin E helps reduce pigmentation. One can break a vitamin e capsule and mix it in a few drops of castor oil and apply it on the area it will surely help.
• Mix half a spoon of granular sugar with your cleansing cream and rub it on pigmented areas this will lightening the pigmentation as well as get rid of the dry and rough skin in that area.
• Almonds are great for pigmentation. Make a thick paste of almonds and apply it on the area it will help a great deal.
• If your entire face is discolored apply the following mask twice a week. Grate the skin of a papaya and mix half cup of multani mitti and 2 broken vitamin E capsules to it. Mix into a paste and apply of the face for twenty minutes and rinse. OR. Make some carrot pulp, mix that with multani mitti and add two drops olive oil make it a thick paste and apply on the affected areas.

Be sure your skin does not get too dry from pigmentation. To take care of the dryness one can follow these precautions;

• Pat butter milk it is a gentle bleach and moisturizer.
• Equal parts of vinegar, cucumber juice and rose water make a good cleanser for your pigmented areas.
• To moisturize take two tablespoons of grated radish reduced in milk and make it into a thick paste and apply.

Besides all this, follow these precautions…

• Make sure you're having enough calcium, vitamins and iron.
• Vitamin A and E are great for pigmented skin. So make sure you supplement yourself with these enough.
• Make sure your see a doctor if the pigmentation is excessive.
• Do not use cosmetics which are coloring agents, try avoid make-up as much as you can. Wear sun-block at all times during the day even if at home.
• Avoid stress and anxiety as much as possible.
• Zinc oxide is really effective in lightening the blemishes, so if you go in for a cream from the market make sure it has this component.

3. Cleansing – A Skin Ritual

The first step in taking care of your skin health externally is cleansing it. Perspiration, dust, grease, make-up and bacteria all collect on your skin and need to be removed completely.

Splashing your face with water is a great cleanser. It makes your skin clean as well as fresh but does not get rid of all impurities. For that you need to take more pains and more care.

Most importantly one needs to know how to apply a cleanser. Well, a cleanser should always be massaged into the skin with light upward and outward movements paying particular attention on areas that have open pores like the nose, neck and ear lobes.

It is necessary that one uses cotton wool to cleanse ones face and you need to be particular about the cotton. It should be moist while cleansing. Repeat the process till the cotton is clean and has no dirt on it.

When it comes to cleansing, rose water is the best cleansing agent. Take cotton wool dab it with rose water and apply it on the face to feel fresh and clean immediately. Taking steam is beneficial for cleansing all types of skin too as it gets rid of the surface dirt and unclogs pores.

Naturopathy suggests masks as one of the oldest beautifying cleansing treatments.

• You can make a natural cleansing mask made up of…
• ½ tablespoon of yogurt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon carrot juice and
• 1 tea spoon olive oil.

Mix these ingredients into make a paste, apply it on your face for 15minutes till it dries and then wipe with out with cotton wool dipped in cold milk. Wait for five minutes and the wash your face with water. You can use this mask twice a week.

Another cleansing mask that has great results is the Papaya Mask.  Mash two large pieces of ripe papaya and apply it evenly on your face. Rinse off after 20 minutes with warm water. After doing this take a small piece of cotton moist it with butter milk and apply on the face using outward strokes for 5 minutes and then wash with cold water.

Now, if you have dry skin besides cleansing one needs to scrub their skin. While scrubbing always use small circular movements as scrubbing stimulates the skin, brings blood to the surface, removes dead cells and cleans the skin. The best natural scrub is either an Oatmeal scrub where one takes grounded oatmeal powder mixes it with a little milk making it a thick paste and apply it or a scrub made of one teaspoon of finely grounded orange peel and grounded almonds mixed in little warm water or butter milk to make a thick paste. Apply these and scrub for 5 to 10 minutes and then wipe off with rose water followed by cold water after 10 minutes.

Apart from many cleansers for your face, but to cleanse one's body skin you can add some ingredients to your bath water as well.

• If you have itchy, dry skin add a cup of vinegar to your bath water. It is exceptionally helpful.
• Adding a spoon of honey to your bath water relieves you of tiredness and sleepiness; it also makes your skin extremely soft and clean. A mixed herb bath is also great for good skin. Add a few aloe vera leaves, tulsi leaves, mint leaves and a pinch of salt to your warm water and see your skin glow.
• For a brilliant mixed herb pack for cleansing one's body and face -

Take 1 table spoon of grounded orange peel
1 table spoon of grounded lemon peel
2 table spoon of grounded almond
A pinch of salt
1 table spoon of grounded thyme
Almond oil or olive oil enough to make a thick paste
Apply this paste on your face and body liberally to cleanse your skin, make it supple and add glow.

• Potato contains Vitamin C it helps in cleansing skin of blemishes. Mix 1 tablespoon of potato juice with multani mitti and apply it on the face it makes for a great cleanser. Multani Mitti absorbs dirt and grease from one's skin.

4. Toning Your Skin Naturally!

Always make it a point to follow your cleansing routine by toning. Toning removes greasiness that remains after cleansing, closes pores, refines the skin and makes the skin's texture smooth. It also stimulates the blood supply. One should tone the skin in order for it to look fresher.

Make sure you avoid using very strong toners available in the market these days as the harsh action of alcohol in these toners toughens and makes coarse ones skin, preventing it from functioning normally.

One should always use toner with a piece of cotton wool, but in case your skin is looking listless then pat it on with brisk slapping movements.

One should always use toner with a piece of cotton wool, but in case your skin is looking listless then pat it on with brisk slapping movements.

Skin tonics are generally composed of herbs, flowers, vinegar (ideal skin tonic) and rosewater (the oldest skin freshener). So, here are a few natural toners that one can use and make at home.

• Herb Tonic. Mix 2 tablespoon of dried herbs or flowers in a pint of water. Bring the mixture to a boil in a covered pan. Let it cool, while covered for 12 hours and then strain and keep in a bottle as your toner.
• Cucumber Tonic. Wash and liquidize 2 small cucumbers. Put the juice in a saucepan bring to a boil. On low flame add cinnamon and cloves to this mixture for two minutes. Cool. After cooling add a small cup of rose water. Stir well. Strain in a bottle and use.
• Vinegar Tonic. Take ½ cup vinegar, ½ teaspoon cloves, 1 tablespoon lavender essence or dried lavender, 1 tablespoon fresh rose petals and 1 tablespoon rosemary and ½ cup rosewater mix them in a covered pan and bring to a boil. Then cool for 12 hours and strain in a bottle. It makes an excellent toner.
• Lemon Tonic. Take ½ a lemon, two tablespoons of castor sugar, 2 slices of an orange and put into a pan with half cup milk. Bring the mixture to a boil. When it cools it is ready to be used. Store it in the fridge though.
• Mint Tonic. Take 1 cup of water, add fresh mint leaves, parsley and neem leaves to it. Bring it to a boil. After cooling strain in a bottle to use. This tonic is great for acne prone skin.
• Olive oil Tonic. Take ½ a cup of water, ¼ cup rose water, 3 tablespoon soap flakes, 1 table spoon glycerin and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix together and apply on your skin it's a great tonic for dry skin, but one needs to wash it after 15 minutes you can't keep it on.
• Carrot Tonic. Mix ¼ cup cabbage juice, ½ cup carrot juice, 2 table spoons of wheat germ and ¼ cup rose water. Strain and put in a bottle. It is a great nourishing toner.

Besides these other natural products that can nourish skin are Almonds .It contains Vitamin A, which keeps the skin soft and free of wrinkles. Tulsi water makes for a great toner too. The juice of fresh fruits and vegetables tone and provide enzymes that help balance and cleanse the skin.

All in all a good toner is a non-alcohol refresher that helps remove dirt, it refines the pores and tauten and tones the skin , making it ready for moisturizing treatment.

The simplest and cheapest toner is splashing your face with cold water.

5. Moisturizing – Indispensable for one's skin

The main requirement for all skin types is moisturizer, which helps to soften it and keep it youthful. For dry skin moisturizer is vital though oily skin needs less moisturizing, but needs it too. The drier your skin the more lavish you should be with your use of moisturizer either in cream or liquid form. Make sure you apply moisture after cleansing and toning for best results. Also before applying any kind of makeup always apply moisturizer.

When it comes to moisturizing there are few things that you should know. One important aspect is sleep as that's the time there is no outside influences to bother the skin. So, every night a nourishing cream or natural moisturizing paste must be smoothed upwards over the face and from the chin downwards to relax tight muscles and accelerates circulation. One of the best natural moisturizer to apply in the night and sleep is almond oil put a few drops on your hand and apply it on your face.

A few moisturizing packs or creams that you can opt for are…

• Onion. Mash and sieve an onion. Mix that juice with a tablespoon of multani mitti. To this mixture add a teaspoon of honey. It makes a great moisturizer.
• Garlic. Beat one egg white, add 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon multani mitti, 1 teaspoon carrot juice and 1 clove garlic. Mix together to make a cream and apply once a week for great results.
• Plum. Mash the insides of 6 boiled plums with 1 tablespoon of almond oil. This makes a great pack and especially for those who suffer from acne.
• Lemon. Take 2 large tablespoons of lime juice; take a small tablespoon of orange zest grated, 1 table spoon of olive oil and a dash of honey. Mix them together and apply it. It's a great moisturizer for combination skin.
• Apple Mask. Take ½ an apple with the peel, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and a dash of multani mitti. Mix together to make a paste apply for 30 minutes and rinse off with rose water. It makes a great moisturizing skin pack.
• Sesame. Grind 4 tablespoons sesame seeds to powder and mix it with one cup of rose water in a bottle. Keep for 24 hours. Strain and add 4 tablespoons of Vodka and then apply on skin that is pigmented or burned. It is a great moisturizer for this skin type.
• Milk Powder. Mix 1 tablespoon of milk powder and 1 tablespoon of besan. Add 1 teaspoon of curd and enough rose water to make it a thick paste. It makes a great skin pack.

Besides these packs that are great you can make your own moisturizing cream for which you need 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel, 3 ounces of olive oil, 1 ounce of cocoa butter and 2 ounces of rosewater. To prepare it warm the oil and cocoa butter together and separately. Warm the rosewater and aloe vera gel. Place all the ingredients in a blender and whip in to a fabulous cream. If you want to make it a great night nourishing cream decrease the amount of aloe vera and add vitamin e tablets (liquid). Always store this cream in an air tight jar in a cool place.

Apricot is a magical fruit for all kinds of skin care it contains Vitamin A which has a rejuvenating effect on the skin. It also contains polyunsaturated fats and thus is widely used in skin creams. It smoothes away wrinkles and lightens stretch marks.

6. How To Deal With Open Pores

Skin pores are tiny outlets not visible by the naked eye, these pores carry out the important function of eliminating water, salts, uric acid and oily secretions from our body. Dermatologist state an inadequate elimination of these body toxics lead to poor health, skin infections and other skin disorders.

Many times when our skin pores have to deal with an unusually high and excessive excretion, they enlarged in size becoming visible to the naked eye.

In other cases, when blockages appear in the skin pores, it results in the over- accumulation of the secretions within the glands in our skin. These are finally released by rupturing of the skin leaving gaping pores behind.

There are many reasons behind pores getting enlarged, mainly being…

• Picking and touching of acne
• Improper cleansing of the skin
• Wrong use of certain cosmetics

Large pores can be easily dealt with proper cleansing and frequent toning of the skin. A large number of vegetables, fruits and herbs help in tightening the enlarged pores.

• Steaming the face five minutes before toning is also very helpful.
• One can also try a skin tightening mask. Peel a cucumber and whip it up with two egg whites. Add one teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of brandy and half a teaspoon of ground mint. Make sure the paste is nice and thick and then apply generously on the large pores leaving it on for 20 minutes. Repeat this mask twice a week for quick results.
• Take a pinch of camphor powder, add a tablespoon of honey and few drops of brandy to that. Apply it on the face and leave it on for twenty minutes before rinsing it off. One can use this daily.
• A great remedy to control open pores is tomato juice and honey mix them and apply it, it will surely help a great deal
• Make a thick paste of corn meal or dahlia in some butter milk or cucumber juice. Apply it on the face for fifteen minutes and rinse it off. Apart from treating open pores this mask helps in improving the texture of the skin as well.
• Cleansing your face well and then apply a natural large pore astringent like cucumber juice, rose water or fresh orange juice will keep your skin fresh as well as close the open pares.

Besides these remedies a few aspect one should look into are…

• Don't pick or squeeze acne, white heads etc.
• Apply minimum makeup if skin is oily. Only water based make up is advised.
• Cleanse your skin well at least twice a day.
• Apart from that vinegar and water, milk, yogurt, tomato and almond meal are other food products that are effective in treating skin pore condition. They can be used in form of lotions and facial masks.
• Alum powder is a great skin tightening agent one can mix it with honey and water and apply it on open pores it helps a great deal.