Beautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
I am only 21 but have dark circles under my eyes. What should I do to get rid of them? — Akshaya
Dark circles can be due to hereditary factors, nutritional deficiencies, stress, inadequate sleep or sun sensitivity. So, check for these. Massage the area around your eyes with just a little almond oil for a minute daily, using only your ring finger. Massage in one direction only. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wipe it off gently with moist cotton wool. Mix cucumber juice and potato juice in equal quantities. Apply it under your eyes daily. Leave it on for 20 minutes before washing it off. Before going out in the sun, apply a sunscreen lotion sparingly under the eyes. Add a drop of water to it for lighter coverage.
Suggest a homemade cleanser, toner and moisturiser for oily skin. — Fathima
For oily skin, use a face wash or soap. Or, to one-fourth teaspoon of lemon juice, add one teaspoon each of cucumber juice and cool milk. Apply this on your face with cotton wool; wash it off or wipe it off with moist cotton after five minutes. Use a facial scrub two or three times a week. For a homemade toner, mix rose water and cucumber juice in equal quantities. Apply it on your face, and wash it off after 15 minutes. Oily skin does not need a moisturiser, unless the weather is dry. Mix 100ml of rose water with one teaspoon of pure glycerine. Store it in an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator and apply a little of it to relieve dryness.
I have cracked heels. — Nandini
At bedtime, soak your feet in hot water for 20 minutes. Add some coarse salt and shampoo to the water, before soaking your feet. Hot water helps soften the dead skin on your heels. With a pumice stone or heel scrubber, rub your heels gently to remove the dead cells. Avoid metal scrubbers. After washing your feet, massage them with a cream. Apply the cream generously on your heels. Bandage them with a clean cloth. Wear cotton socks and go to sleep. Keeping the heels smeared with cream all night will soften the skin and replenish moisture loss. Repeat this treatment every night for a week. If there is pain or bleeding, consult your doctor.
I’ve been having pimples on my forehead for the last one month. — Sharmili
Check to see if you have dandruff or oily hair. Keep your hair off your forehead. Wash your face twice a day, morning and night, with a medicated soap. Then wipe your forehead with an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. Mix a little rose water with sandalwood paste and apply it on your forehead. Wash it off after 15 minutes. Mix cinnamon powder with a little lemon juice and a few drops of honey into a sticky paste. Apply the paste only on the pimples daily and leave it on for one or two hours. Mix multani mitti with rose water and lemon juice into a paste and apply it on your face two or three times a week. Wash it off after it dries. Avoid creams and moisturisers. 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.
