Lazy Girl’s Guide to Super Skin
Glowing skin is now only a few steps away! That’s right, head to your kitchen and the fridge for a couple of quick-fixes for a home-facial.
Ever wondered how the girl-next-door always seems to glow effortlessly? The answer, surprisingly, has less to do with genetics and expensive skincare products and more with what’s in your kitchen! Here are three quick recipes for face-packs that are certain to make you look and feel great with very little effort and at hardly any cost.
For oily skin
Ingredients: Multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) and water. Ice chips.
How: You know we’re not joking about being lazy when one of the two ingredients in this pack is available on tap. Mostly for free! Fuller’s earth is rich in magnesium chloride which helps reduce acne and thus is ideal for oily skin. You can pick up a packet of Fuller’s earth at any neighborhood chemist’s store for as little as Rs.30. Take a tablespoon of the magic clay and mix well with room temperature water (even tap water will work). Apply to a clean face. Soak two soft cotton balls in cold water and put them on your eyelids. Lie back and relax till the face-pack is dry (no more than 15 minutes). Once dry, remove the pack with room temperature water and a clean, soft washcloth. Finish off your home beauty ritual with a splash of ice-cold water to close your pores and feel energized.
Professional Tip: Dermatologists warn that people with acne should not attempt any facial treatments without medical supervision. Others with oily skin can try this once a week as its helps treat pigmentation and scars. Mix half a tablespoon of honey (a natural moisturizer) into the mixture if you feel the pack dries your skin out. Honey also acts as a natural exfoliant by removing dead skin cells.
Ingredients: Ripe banana and honey. Olive oil for very dry skin in winter.
How: See, we don’t even ask you to step out to buy bananas for this; all you need is half a ripe banana which you know you’ll end up throwing in the trash after three days. Banana is rich in vitamin E and C and is a fantastic moisturizer. Mash half a banana well (use a fork). Mix this with a tablespoon of honey. Honey is a natural antioxidant which is also known to increase collagen production in skin naturally (this will help diminish marks). Apply this concoction to your face for ten minutes. Put some cotton soaked in ice water on your eyes and relax. Wash the mixture off after ten minutes. The banana will help decrease the effect of free radicals and combat sun exposure whilst the honey will rejuvenate your tired skin. Add a few drops of olive oil for some extra moisture in winter.
Professional Tip: Add a few drop of lemon to this concoction for a natural bleaching effect. And no, we don’t subscribe to the ‘fair is beautiful’ ideology; the juice from this citric fruit helps to lighten marks from acne as well as age spots.
For combination skin
Ingredients: Grated cucumber, honey and cold water.
How: Fetch a cool, unpeeled cucumber out of the fridge. Grate about a quarter or more of the salad staple. Mix it well with a teaspoon (or more) of honey, depending on how dry your skin feels. Apply the refreshing concoction to your face. You could also put some of the grated cucumber on a cotton pad and place it over your eye lids to reduce puffiness. Relax for about ten minutes and then wash it off gently with cold water.
Pro Tip: Combination skin occurs when a person has normal/dry skin on the sides of the face and an oily T-zone (forehead, nose and chin). The anti-oxidant properties and the silica in the green fruit, which is often mistaken for a vegetable, rejuvenate and refresh skin.