B eautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
My skin becomes dull and dark by the end of the day. Why is an astringent used? — Krithika
Due to heat and humidity, oil and sweat secretions get deposited on the face and the skin needs to be refreshed. Carry wet tissues and a powder compact. Wipe your face with the tissues during the day; apply powder to refresh your skin. An astringent helps reduce oiliness and close the pores. It is suitable for oily skin. Some astringents are also skin toners.
My hair is thick and curly. What should I do to straighten it? — Sayeda
Use a hand-held hair dryer to straighten your hair. The effect will last till the next shampoo. After washing your hair, while it is still damp, divide it into sections. Hold the end of a section with a comb or brush. Holding it straight and slightly downwards, use the dryer. Repeat this with each section. Hold the dryer at least 6 inches away from your hair. Note that excessive use of the dryer can make your hair dry.
My friend is only 12 but has grey hair. — Anjali
The cause of premature greying is not known. Unfortunately, hair that has turned white cannot be transformed into black, except by dyeing or colouring. Amla is believed to control greying. Add it to henna powder. However, henna turns grey hair reddish-brown. It will not colour dark hair. Soak a handful of dry amla in about 2 to 3 cups of water overnight. The next morning, strain the water, but do not throw it away. Grind the amla. To the henna powder, add the ground amla, 4 teaspoons each of lemon juice and coffee, 2 raw eggs, 2 teaspoons of oil and enough amla water, and mix the henna into a thick paste. Allow the paste to stand for two to three hours. Apply it on the hair, so that the entire head is covered. Keep it on for at least two hours before washing it off with water. Ask your doctor to prescribe vitamins B-complex and C.
I am a 15-year-old boy and a sportsperson. My skin has become dark and dry. Suggest remedies to protect my skin from the sun. — Mano
Apply a sunscreen lotion before sun exposure. If you are out in the sun for long hours, re-apply the sunscreen. Since you are a sportsperson, you cannot avoid sun exposure. Take two teaspoons of curd, add a pinch of turmeric and apply it daily on your face. Wash it off with plenty of water after 20 minutes. If your skin is dry, add one teaspoon of pure glycerine to 100 ml of rose water. Keep this in a bottle in the fridge. Apply this several times a day, using cotton wool. Twice a week, mix gram flour with curd and a little turmeric and apply the paste on your face. Wash it off after half an hour.
My 13-year-old daughter has blackheads on her nose and cheeks. — Ishtiaque
Blackheads occur on oily skin or oily areas of the skin. After washing the face in the morning, wipe the blackhead-prone areas with an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. In the morning, after washing the face, make a paste of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and water. Apply it on the areas with blackheads daily, washing it off after five minutes. Use a facial scrub three times a week on the blackhead-prone areas. You can either buy a scrub or mix rice powder with rose water and use it. Rub it gently on the areas with blackheads, using small, circular movements. Leave it on for five minutes before washing it off.
What's the secret of chubby cheeks? — Lavanya
It depends on hereditary factors and your bone structure. If you put on weight on your cheeks, they may look chubby. You can try these facial exercises daily. Close your lips, smile in a relaxed way; then, suck in your cheeks towards your teeth. Hold this position for a count of 10. Relax and repeat the exercise 10 times. Now, 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 there for 10 counts, then to your lower lip, holding it for 10 counts and then to your right cheek for 10 counts. Relax; repeat this exercise five times.
