Beautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
I have pimples on my forehead caused by dandruff . — Niveditha
Wash your hair with a mild herbal shampoo three or four times a week, using less shampoo and rinsing it off well with water. Half-an-hour before a shampoo wash, massage your scalp lightly with two tablespoons of vinegar. Once a week, heat olive oil and apply it on your scalp at night. Leave it on overnight. The following morning, apply the juice of a lemon about 15 minutes before shampooing your hair. Weekly henna treatments will help. Wash your face twice a day, morning and night, with medicated soap. Then wipe the pimple-prone areas with an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. Mix cinnamon powder with a little lemon juice and a few drops of honey into a sticky paste. Apply it only on the pimples daily, leaving it on for one or two hours. Sandalwood paste can also be applied on pimples. Make fresh fruits, salads, sprouts and yoghurt part of your daily diet. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Add the juice of a lemon to a glass of water and drink it first thing in the morning.
I have very dry hair. Suggest remedies.— Aruna
Twice a week, heat pure coconut oil and apply it on your hair. Then dip a towel in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the towel around your head like a turban. Keep it on for 5 minutes. Repeat the hot towel wrap three or four times. This helps the hair and the scalp absorb the oil better. Use a mild herbal shampoo. Use less shampoo, taking care to rinse it off well. After a shampoo wash, lightly massage your hair with a little creamy conditioner. Leave it on for two minutes and then rinse it off. You can also apply a leave-in type of conditioner or hair serum. Apply it the same way, but do not rinse it off. Applying curd or egg yolk half-an-hour before shampooing your hair also helps dry hair.
I have oily skin. Can multani mitti be used daily to reduce black spots?— Elizabeth
Mix 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. It can be applied daily, if the skin is oily. It also helps reduce dark spots. Mix rice powder with curd and use it as a facial scrub once or twice a week. Apply it on your face, rubbing the skin gently with tiny, circular movements, especially on the dark spots. Leave it on for a few minutes before washing it off. Mix honey and lemon juice in equal quantities and apply this daily on your face. Wash it off after 15 minutes.
I have lost weight but have developed stretch marks and my skin has begun to sag.— Nancy
Stretch marks normally fade with time but never vanish entirely because they form when the skin loses its elasticity. Massage olive oil daily on the affected areas before a bath. For the abdomen, use wide circular strokes. Long strokes are appropriate for the arms and legs. Mix gram flour with curd and a little turmeric into a paste and apply it on the stretch marks three times a week. Wash it off after half-an-hour.
What should I do to straighten my hair which is very curly?— Reshma
You will have to go in for hair straightening treatments at a beauty salon. However, chemical lotions and direct heat application are part of these procedures. You can also use a hand-held dryer at home to straighten your hair. But, the effect will only last till the next shampoo wash. After washing your hair, divide it into sections while it is still damp. Hold the end of a section straight and slightly downwards, with a comb or brush, and then use the dryer. Repeat this with each section. Hold the dryer at least 6 inches away from your hair. Note that excessive use of a dryer can make your hair very dry.
Suggest exercises to make my cheeks fuller.— Soumia
Keep your lips closed; smile in a relaxed way and then suck in your cheeks. Hold this position for a count of 10; relax and repeat the exercise 10 times. Next, smile as widely as possible, with your lips closed. Try to make the corners of your lips go towards your ears, as far as possible. Then, wrinkle your nose. Hold this position up to a count of five. Relax and repeat the exercise. Keeping your teeth and lips closed, blow air under your top lip and hold it there for 10 counts; then move the air to your left cheek, hold it for 10 counts, then to your lower lip for 10 counts and then to your right cheek for 10 counts. Relax and repeat the exercise five times.
