Beauty tips from nuns? Blossom Kochhar, an established name in the hair and skincare field, says it was a group of nuns in her boarding school at Ooty who inspired her to adopt natural ingredients in her beauty products (under the brand name Blossom Kochhar Aroma Magic).
“When I couldn’t sleep at night, they would keep cotton dipped in lavender oil under my pillow, and whenever I had cold, they would dab my nose with eucalyptus oil,” recalls Blossom, who has been practising and researching the science of Aromatherapy and Herbalism for over 25 years. “I did not think much about it then. Years later, after marriage, when my husband got posted in Wellington in Nilgiris, I started using lavender and eucalyptus oils as perfume in my creams, because only those were available in the area.
The feedback I got from customers was amazing — it proved useful for their headache, cold, backache, and so on.”
Ever since, Blossom made sure that the oils were used extensively in her products. This is besides jasmine oil, which “can lift up anyone’s mood”, sandalwood oil and ylang ylang (from a tropical tree).
In the city to mentor trainers on the current trends in hair and skincare at her school, the Blossom Kochhar College of Creative Arts and Design at De Monte Colony, Blossom shares with us her beauty regimen, the hottest look of the season, and her opinion about the lip colours of the season.
What’s the trend in hairstyle this season?
Plaits, which were restricted to school-uniform code, are coming back. Now, there are umpteen ways to do it. You don’t have to go by the conventional three-strand plaits — there is four-strand, five-strand, a twist or knot-it-up plaits (she shows a finished look on a model). This is perfect — be it for summer or monsoon. In the evening, say for a party, you can remove the knot and the hair will fall in smooth curls. The other option is to go short. But from what I observe, people down South don’t like to cut their hair short. So, I would suggest a messy bun, a high ponytail, or a blunt cut — keeping the length just below your ears. Layers are still a rage and they are here to stay. What people should avoid is leaving their hair just as it is — plain and long. There should be some character to it.
There is also smoothening and straightening. But both involve breaking of the hair bonds, and post the process, one has to take good care of the hair in terms of the shampoo and conditioner usage. They should be more moisturising, but with less chemicals.
What are the best options?
No alcohol, parabens (generally used in preservatives), sodium lauryl sulfate, artificial colours or perfumes. They have to be natural, else they might induce hair fall in the long run, and the chemicals can even cause cancer. What you use on your skin penetrates through the pores. So, as they say, what you put on your face, you should be able to eat.
In aromatherapy, we use vegetable oils instead of mineral oils, and essential oils instead of artificial fragrance. We use milk pads, enzymes, paste of papaya and lemon, mix of yoghurt and lemon, for tightening the skin and bringing out the natural glow. Today, many brands are going natural, mainly because of demand. There is more awareness.
Now, many are going in for anti-ageing treatments techniques too…
A woman can look close to 10 years younger if she maintains a proper diet, uses natural creams and thinks positive. In fact, we are just bringing out an anti-ageing range of cosmetics. It uses peptides, papaya, frankincense oil, patchouli oil and stem cells. They rejuvenate your cells, plump up the collagen and moisturise your skin.
Do you follow any regimen?
I drink a glass of milk with a pinch of turmeric, saffron, cinnamon and nutmeg. Also, a glass of aloe vera juice in the morning.
What’s the trend in looks?
Most are going for minimalism. The natural look is in. For weddings, many are opting for Arabic eye makeup.
When it comes to lip colour, I would suggest brighter colours for the monsoon. While I would say purples (as sported by Aishwarya), blues and blacks are in fashion among the young, I am not a big fan of it. Also, septum rings, tattoos, belly buttons, chokers and all past trends are coming back.
