Beautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
I have dandruff. Will henna, tea powder, curd help? I wash hair daily to remove dandruff. —Prabhavati
Wash your hair with a mild herbal shampoo three or four times a week. Use less shampoo and rinse well with water. Half an hour before shampoo, apply two tablespoons of vinegar on the scalp and massage it in lightly. Once a week, heat olive oil and apply on the scalp at night. Leave on overnight. Next morning, apply lemon juice 15 minutes before you shampoo.
Weekly henna treatments will help. Add 4 teaspoons each of lemon juice and coffee, 2 raw eggs and enough “tea water” to the henna powder, mixing it into a thick paste. Make “tea water” by boiling used tea leaves again in enough water. Cool and strain. Apply the henna on the hair and wash off after an hour. If you do not wish to use egg, add more tea water.
How to control the dryness of the skin? My skin looks like aged skin. —Vaishnavi
For dry skin, avoid soap and use a cleansing cream or gel. Or, you can use a mild glycerin soap. Keep your skin well moisturised and apply sunscreen before going out in the sun. Mix honey with a little milk or egg yolk and apply daily on the face. Wash it off after 15 minutes with plain water. At night, after cleansing, apply nourishing cream or pure almond oil and massage it on the face with a few drops of water, using outward and slightly upward strokes. Wipe off the cream with moist cotton wool before bedtime. Have a professional salon facial once a week.
I have pigmentation around my neck. Please give me some remedies. —Sindhu
Apply sesame seed (til) oil daily and massage it on to the skin. Mix gram flour ( besan ), curd, lemon juice and a little turmeric ( haldi ) and apply at least three times a week. Wash it off after half an hour. Then apply til oil and massage it into the skin.
My nailsbreak often andwhile removing nail polish, they get damaged . Whatdo I do? — Soumya
Wear rubber gloves for your washing chores. Massage cream on the hands and nails daily, especially after using detergents and soaps. Put a cupful of warm milk in a bowl. Soak your hands in it for five minutes to strengthen nails. If you have brittle nails, avoid frosted nail varnish and use good quality remover. Include adequate protein and calcium in your diet. Take skimmed milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, fish and sprouts. Dissolve one teaspoon gelatin in a little boiling water. Cool the water and add it to fruit juice. Have this daily for ten days.
Please tell me natural remedies to get rid of tanning on foot and hands. —Sriharsha
Take lemon halves and rub them daily on the feet. Wash it off and then apply sesame seed (til) oil and massage it on the skin. Make a paste of gram flour ( besan ), curd, lemon juice and a little turmeric ( haldi ). Apply the paste on your feet at least three times a week. Wash it off after half an hour. You can also apply a cream containing lemon and turmeric daily. To soften the skin and lighten skin colour of hands, take some sugar in your palm and add lemon juice. Rub this on the back of the hands and wash off. Take 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and 3 tablespoon coarse sugar. Mix together till it becomes a paste. Apply and rub into skin of hands. Rinse off after 15 minutes.
My skin and hair are oily. What is astringent lotion? Where to get it? How to make hair thick? — Nikhila
Astringent lotion helps to reduce oiliness of the skin. It's available at cosmetic stores. It also helps to close the pores and tone oily skin. Cucumber juice has an astringent effect. For oily skin apply astringent lotion after washing the face. Mix multani mitti with rose water into a paste and apply on the face. Wash it off when it is dry. For oily hair, wash the hair frequently, using less shampoo and rinsing well with water. Apply egg white on the hair 15 minutes before shampoo. After shampoo, add the juice of a lemon to half a mug of water and use as a last rinse. Henna treatments will help to add body to the hair.
