Beautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
I have very thin hair, which is very oily. I wash it every alternate day, but it becomes oily within 5-6 hours. — Mithalee
Use less shampoo when washing your hair. Only one application is enough. Using too much shampoo stimulates the scalp to produce more oil. Take one teaspoon of shampoo for long hair and half a teaspoon for short hair. Dilute it with a little water before applying it. Rinse it off well. After a shampoo wash, add the juice of a lemon to a mug of water and use it as a last rinse. Avoid creamy conditioners and oil application. Applying egg white half-an-hour before a shampoo wash reduces oiliness and adds body to the hair. Weekly henna treatments will help.
Diet is important. Eat a small bowl of sprouts daily and include fresh fruits, salads, leafy green vegetables, soya bean and curd in your diet.
I had normal facial skin, but suddenly started developing open pores. Suggest a remedy. — Ranjana
Open pores occur on oily areas of the skin. After cleansing the skin, wipe it with an astringent lotion or skin tonic, using cotton wool. Then give it a cold compress with cotton wool pads and chilled rose water. Using a facial scrub once or twice a week will help. Mix oats with egg white and apply it on the open pores twice a week. Wash it off after it dries.
I have many plants such as aloe vera, mehendi and hibiscus in my garden. How can they be used to improve my hair and skin? — Pratyusha
Aloe Vera gel or juice may be applied to soften the skin and the hair. Aloe vera is a powerful moisturiser. The gel is the leaf pulp found in the inner portion of the leaves. The juice is found just beneath the outer skin of the leaves. Mehendi or henna leaves may be dried and made into a powder. It can be mixed with other ingredients such as lemon juice, egg, oil, curd and amla powder for conditioning or colouring the hair. Both hot and cold infusions of hibiscus flowers and leaves may be used. For hot infusions, add the flowers and leaves to boiling water and allow it to stand for 10 to 12 hours. Strain the liquid and use it as a last rinse after washing your hair. For cold infusions, soak the flowers and leaves in a 1:6-ratio in cold water. Allow it to stand overnight. Squeeze the flowers and strain the water. It can be used to wash the hair and the scalp. The paste or juice of hibiscus flowers can also be applied on the hair.
I have oily skin and dark circles which make my face look tired within a few hours of washing it. — Chrislin
After washing your face, apply an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. Mix Fuller's Earth (multani mitti) with rose water and lemon juice into a paste. Apply it on your face, avoiding the lips and the area around your eyes. Wash it off after it dries. For dark circles, apply pure almond oil sparingly around your eyes everyday. Massage the skin under each eye lightly for a minute, using only the ring finger. Massage in one direction only. Leave it on for 15 minutes before wiping it off gently with moist cotton wool. You can also mix cucumber juice and potato juice in equal quantities. Apply it under the eyes daily for 20 minutes and then wash it off.
