How Can I Make Beauty Products At Home?

We often think fondly of how grandma used to recommend the use of gram flour (besan) as a face pack to get glowing, healthy skin. We also think of how we often scoffed at her suggestions, as if the cosmetic companies knew better than years of experience that she could boast of (but never did). We ignored the treasure that we could find in our own (or mummy’s) kitchen and spent all our money on branded cosmetics and salons. We even asked our NRI relatives to get us imported products to get rid of pimples, dry skin, and so on. Then, along came recession and we all had to adopt a protective older sister attitude to money. That was when we really started paying attention to grandma’s years of accumulated wisdom and yearned for it. If you are one of those unlucky people whose grandma is no more alive to give you beauty tips, fear not. We may not be able to bring back grandma but we can give you tips on homemade beauty products. For instance, following are a few beauty products that can be made at home.

Image: geishaboy500@flickr

Homemade Beauty Products

Below are some examples of homemade cosmetics and beauty products that will never pinch your pocket:

For Oily Hair

To treat oily hair, squeeze a lemon in a quart of water and use it as the final rinse when you shampoo your hair. One could also use white vinegar, though it may not smell as good as lemon. Vinegar and lemon, both of which are acidic in nature, will remove the excess shampoo or soap from the scalp.
Create your own personalized shampoo by mixing a cupful of mild shampoo with a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of aloe Vera gel. Wash your hair with this shampoo everyday and remember to store the remainder in the fridge.

Facial Masks

Make a facial mask with honey, especially if you have oily skin and the pores of your skin are open. Rinse your face with warm water to open up the pores. Apply honey and leave for half an hour. Rinse with warm water, and then use water at room temperature to close the pores.
Add half a grated cucumber, one egg white, half a teaspoon Lemon juice, half-teaspoon lime juice, one-teaspoon apple mint leaves to a food processor or blender and puree for 5 minutes until smooth. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator for ten minutes. Apply the mixture to your face while cool and leave it on for twenty minutes. Rinse it off with hot washcloth to loosen your pores and then rinse with water at room temperature to finish your treatment. This mask is especially good for oily skin.
For dry skin you could use a face pack made from the pulp of half an avocado and a quarter cup honey, apply it generously on your face and neck and rinse with warm water when dry. You could also opt for a paste made from one egg yolk, one teaspoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of warm honey to use on your face in a similar way; vitamin E oil could also be added, though it is optional.
Add three tablespoons of sugar and dissolve it in enough warm water; rub this mixture over your skin thoroughly and leave on till dry, washing it off with warm water. This mask is good for maturing skin, and will help soften the wrinkle lines.
Here’s another remedy for ageing skin and those annoying crow’s feet near your temples. Cut a green grape in half and rub all over your face even as you squeeze gently. Lay extra stress on the crows’ feet area and laugh lines. Leave on for twenty minutes, and rinse with warm water and pat dry with a soft cloth or towel.

Dandruff Treatment

Fenugreek seeds are not only the most well-known but also one of the most important remedies in the treatment of dandruff. Two tablespoons of these seeds should be soaked overnight in water and ground into a fine paste in the morning. This paste should be applied all over the scalp and left for half an hour before washing away while shampooing.
Snake gourd, though one of the least favourite vegetables that made its way into the Indian thali, is known to be an excellent cure for dandruff. The juice of snake gourd, when rubbed on to the scalp gently, has been found beneficial in the prevention and treatment of dandruff.

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