Ask Shahnaz

Beautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com

August 12, 2012 03:43 pm | Updated 03:43 pm IST

Mallika Sherawat

Mallika Sherawat

I had severe chicken pox two months ago, which left a lot of marks.Kishore

Chicken pox marks usually fade with time. Make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and a little water. After washing your face in the morning, apply the paste only on the marks and wash it off after five minutes. Use a facial scrub twice a week. Mix rice powder, curd and a pinch of turmeric. Apply it on your face and rub it gently on the skin with small circular movements, especially on the areas with marks. Wash it off.

Twice a week, take one teaspoon of multani mitti, two teaspoons of ground almonds, one teaspoon each of honey, curd and egg white. Mix it into a paste. Apply it on your face, avoiding the lips and the area around eyes. Wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes. Once daily, take two teaspoons of curd, add a pinch of turmeric and apply it on your face and wash it off after 15 minutes.

My hair becomes dry and fizzy when I go out in sun. Suggest a homemade conditioner.Malathi

Take two drops of a light vegetable oil like sunflower oil in your palms and rub them lightly together so that the oil spreads on both palms. Smooth your palms over your hair. Or, take the ends of your hair in your palms and scrunch them. This works better on dry hair. Leave the oil on. Have a deep conditioning treatment once a week, before a shampoo wash. Mix together one egg, one tablespoon of castor oil, the juice of a lemon and one teaspoon of glycerine or honey. Apply it on your hair, wear a plastic shower cap; keep it on for an hour. Avoid washing your hair with hot water. After a shampoo wash, wrap a towel around your head and let it absorb the water. Avoid rubbing your hair with the towel.

Suggest face packs using wine. How does it improve one’s skin?Deepthi Priya

Wine is rich in antioxidants and contains valuable vitamins and trace elements, which rejuvenate the skin. Grape wine contains polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant. It speeds up the cell renewal process, thereby protecting the youthful quality of the skin. Wine facials and masks brighten the skin by removing dead cells and stimulating circulation on the skin surface. They moisturise the skin, making it glow. Take honey and yoghurt and add a few tablespoons of red wine to the mixture. Apply this on your face, leaving it on for 20 minutes, before rinsing it off. For oily skin, mix red wine and green tea with Fuller’s Earth (multani mitti) into a paste. Apply this on the face, avoiding the lips and the area around the eyes. Wash it off after it dries. For dry skin, add red wine to aloe vera gel and dried milk powder. Apply this on the face and wash it off after 20 minutes.

Suggest how I can get rid of stretch marks on my stomach?Gayatri

Stretch marks usually fade with time, but never do so entirely, as they form due to destruction of skin elasticity. After consulting your doctor, try the following treatments. Massage the area with olive oil. If the marks are on the abdomen, massage with wide circular strokes. Mix besan with curd and a little turmeric into a paste and apply it three times a week. Wash it off after half an hour.

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