Beautician Shahnaz Husain offers tips and answers queries. Send your queries to askshahnaz@gmail.com
I apply oil at night before a shampoo wash, but my hair becomes dry after I wash it. Suggest a remedy. — Sridevi
Use less shampoo when you wash your hair. After a shampoo wash, apply a creamy conditioner. Massage only a little of it lightly in your hair. Leave it on for two minutes before rinsing it off. Or, apply a leave-in conditioner or hair serum. Apply it the same way, but do not rinse it off. You can also apply curd or egg yolk about 20 minutes before a shampoo wash.
What should I do to improve oily skin, apart from using multani mitti? — Pooja
After washing your face, apply an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. Cucumber juice or tomato juice may be applied to reduce oiliness. Egg white applied on the face also helps. Twice a week, use a face mask. Mix 3 teaspoons of oatmeal with curd, lemon juice, or egg white. Apply it on the entire face, avoiding the lips and the area around the eyes. Wash it off after half-an-hour.
I have oily skin with acne and pimples. My skin has also become dull and tanned. — Ranjani
Wash your face twice a day, morning and night with a medicated soap. Then wipe it with an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. Mix a little rose water with sandalwood paste and apply it on your face. Wash off after 15 minutes. 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. Once daily, at any time, mix one teaspoon each of honey and lemon juice and apply it on your face. Wash it off after 15 minutes. It helps relieve dryness and brighten the skin. It also helps pimples. 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. It helps remove a tan and brighten the skin.
I use a herbal soap, but I still have dirt on my body. — Aishwarya
Massage your body with olive oil or til oil before a bath. Twice a week, use a body scrub. Mix together rice flour, gram flour, curd and a little turmeric into a paste. Apply it on the body before a bath, rubbing it gently on the skin. Wash it off while bathing. The use of a loofah during a bath also helps scrub the body and remove dirt.
I had threading done to remove the hair on my upper lip. But it has left the skin on that area looking lighter than the rest of my face. Suggest a remedy for this, and how the hair growth can be prevented. — Gayathri
Make-up can be used to make the area look like the rest of your face. Use a foundation or compact powder that's nearest to the colour of your skin. Apply this over your upper lip; make sure that you blend it well. Home remedies do not help remove facial hair. They are believed to lessen facial hair growth if used regularly. Try the following methods — make a thick paste of sugar, lemon juice and water and apply it in the direction of the growth. Wash it off after it dries. Apply it once or twice a week. Apply a paste of turmeric powder and milk, rubbing it on the skin with a circular motion. It is said to discourage facial hair, but it may make the skin look slightly yellowish in colour.
