B eautician Shahnaz Hussain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
What should I do to have glowing skin? — Priyanka
Tone your skin daily with rose water. Toning stimulates blood circulation on the surface of the skin, making it glow. Keep rose water in a bowl in the fridge and soak cotton wool pads in it. Use the pads to wipe your skin. Then, pat it briskly. Use a facial scrub once or twice a week. It removes dead skin and brightens the skin. Mix honey and lemon juice in equal quantities and apply it daily on your face. Egg white can be added. Wash it off after 20 minutes. It leaves the skin soft and glowing. Use a face mask twice a week. Mix half a cup of ripe papaya pulp with 2 teaspoons each of choker and ground almonds, and one teaspoon each of honey and curd. It should be a thick paste that does not drip. Apply it on the face, avoiding the lips and the area around your eyes. Wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes.
I look brighter, after I wash my face and go to sleep. But, when I get up in the morning my face becomes oily and dark. What can I do to avoid this? — Shreya
If your face is oily, don't apply anything at night, as it can clog the pores. Your face looks dark in the morning because it is oily. After washing your face, wipe it with an astringent lotion. It helps reduce oiliness. Or, mix rose water and lemon juice in equal quantities and apply it on your face daily. Wash it off after 15 minutes. Mix multani mitti with rose water and lemon juice into a paste and apply it on your face. Wash it off after it dries. This also reduces oiliness, cleans the skin and lightens its colour over a period of time.
I have long hair. But it curls at the ends after I shampoo it. What should I do to have straight hair? — Uppala
Curls and waves at the ends of the hair are now in fashion. However, you can use a hand-held dryer to straighten your hair. The effect will last till the next shampoo. After washing your hair, divide it into sections while it is still damp. Hold the end of a section with a comb or brush, straight and slightly downwards. Now use the dryer. Repeat this with each section. Hold the dryer at least 6 inches away from the hair. Note that excessive use of the dryer can make your hair dry.
I have very dry skin and many pimples on my forehead. I have dark circles around my eyes. — Srividya
The area around the eyes has to be treated differently, as the skin is delicate. Lightly massage pure almond oil around your eyes on the skin, especially on the areas with dark spots. Use the oil sparingly. Leave it on for 15 minutes; then wipe it off gently with moist cotton wool. You may be having combination skin, because pimples occur on oily skin or the oily areas of combination skin. Wash your face in the morning and night with a medicated soap. Then wipe your forehead with an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. Apply sandalwood paste on the pimples daily. Mix multani mitti with rose water and lemon juice into a paste and apply it on your forehead. Wash it off after it dries.
How can I condition my hair with henna? My hair is dry, so is it necessary to apply oil first? — Radha
Apply henna without applying oil, because henna works by coating the hair. To the henna powder add 4 teaspoons each of lemon juice and coffee, 2 raw eggs, 2 teaspoons of oil and enough curd to mix it into a thick paste. If you don't wish to use eggs, add more curd. The paste should be of toothpaste-like consistency. Divide the hair into sections and apply the henna on both sides of a section, so that the entire section is covered with henna. Wrap the section around the head. Now repeat this with each section, till the hair is totally covered with the paste. Keep it on for at least one hour before washing it off. You need not shampoo your hair.
Suggest some facial scrubs that can be prepared at home. — Monica
A scrub should have a grainy substance. Rice powder mixed with curd makes a good scrub. Or, mix ground almonds with curd. Dry and powdered lemon and orange peel, or mint leaves can be added to a scrub. One can also mix oatmeal with curd. Apply the scrub on the face, leaving it on for ten minutes. Then moisten it, rub it gently, before washing it off entirely. Gram flour is used on the face and body in many homes. It can be mixed with curd or milk into a paste. Add a pinch of turmeric to it. Apply it on the face or body and wash it off after 20 minutes.
