1. Use ginger to stimulate hair growth.
Ginger can warm up your scalp and increase blood flow to it, causing your hair follicles to be stimulated. It's great for bald spot treatment and thinning hair.
Recipe: Peel and cube some pieces of fresh ginger. Throw them in a blender and add just enough water for the blending process to ease. When the chunky juice is ready, transfer it to a bowl and apply it to your scalp, like beauty vlogger Farah has shown here.
2. Get rid of blackheads with this turmeric-yoghurt cleanser:
Turmeric is known to be antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, which means it can soothe your skin and even shrink down active acne. Yoghurt, on the other hand, can balance the pH levels of your skin, and that's why this mask is a winning combo.
Recipe:
0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
10 drops lemon juice
3 tablespoons chickpea flour
1.5 tablespoons yoghurt
Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl into a medium, pasty consistency. Apply all over the face and neck, save the eye area. Massage into your skin or leave to dry. Wash off in 15-20 minutes and feel a noticeable difference in your skin.
(Turmeric may stain your face for a day or two, so if you are lighter skinned, you may want to skip this entirely or use as little turmeric as possible.)
3. Make your face squeaky clean with chick pea flour face wash.
Chickpea flour is an old Indian beauty secret. Delhi-based fashion blogger Komal (pictured above) swears by this face wash.
Recipe:
Take three tablespoons of chickpea flour and add about a teaspoon of lemon juice to it. If your skin is oily or acne prone, dilute the mixture with water to make a paste and use as a face wash. If you have dry skin, switch the water with milk or yoghurt. Use as you would a regular face wash.
This will leave your skin feeling squeaky clean and smoother than ever. It can be stored for about three days, or longer if you keep it in the fridge.
You can also use this as a gentle exfoliating body wash.
4. Fade dark under-eye circles with potato.
Potatoes having healing properties and can be used to fade hyperpigmentation. And the best part is they're available in literally everyone's pantry, at any time.
Recipe: Grate a potato and extract its juice using a muslin cloth. Soak two round cotton pads in the potato juice. Squeeze out excess juice from the pads and place them on your eyes.
Leave the potato in the fridge for 30 minutes before grating it for a cooling effect on the eyes.
5. Minimise those pores using this honey-lemon mix.
This takes no time to make and that's already a win.
Recipe: Mix two teaspoons of honey into two teaspoons of lemon juice. Wash your face thoroughly. Apply the liquid and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse it off and wipe your face first with a warm wash cloth, and then with one soaked in icy water. Ice helps further minimise pores to give your skin an instant taut look.
6. Say goodbye to puffy eyes while you recycle tea bags.
This simple trick works as great as medicated eye pads.
Recipe: After you make green tea, store your used tea bags in the freezer, or let them cool down in the fridge. Place them on the eyes and leave them there for fifteen minutes to reduce puffiness. You will immediately feel your tired eyes come back to life.
7. Exfoliate with honey and green tea.
Honey is a fantastic skin hydrator and healer. It is ideal for acne prone skin. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and can help tone and soothe your skin and reduce inflammation.
Recipe: After you make yourself a cupful of green tea, let the tea bag cool off before emptying its contents into a small bowl. Add in enough honey to give it a scrub-like medium consistency. Beauty vlogger bubzbeauty recommends adding some rice flour to fade away acne scars and brighten your complexion. It also gives the scrub a creamy consistency.
8. Use olive oil as a deep-cleanser/make-up remover.
Most make-up removers, while being SO convenient to use, can dry out and irritate your skin. Olive oil, however, is gentle, as well as more efficient in melting off your make-up, especially stubborn mascara and long-wearing products.
Recipe: There is none! Simply pour half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil into a small dish. Massage it into your skin as gently as possible, using just the tips on your fingers. Wipe it off with soft facial tissues and wash your face. You'll be surprised at how easily all the gunk and make-up comes off, and how little olive oil you need. Follow with a toner if necessary.
9. Use cucumber juice as a toner.
Cucumbers not only taste freaking delicious, they're also gentle and cooling on the skin.
Recipe: Juice a large cucumber in a blender. Strain it to separate juice from the mush. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to help preserve the toner. If your skin is very sensitive, you may skip this step. You can store this fragrant toner in a small bottle and keep it in the fridge.
10. Scrub your feet with sea salt and coconut oil.
Coconut oil adds the moisture to this scrub and makes it more gentle, while sea salt granules make excellent exfoliating beads. Do not use this on your body or face, though!
Recipe: Add three tablespoons of coconut oil to one cup of sea salt. Mix well. Add water to reach your desired consistency. Scrub away those feet. Wash and moisturise.
If you do this before bedtime, moisturise heavily and wear socks right after. Go to sleep and wake up with #flawless feet.
11. Remove blackheads with baking soda.
Baking soda is a very powerful exfoliator, so it is recommended to apply the following mixture to a test patch before putting it on your entire target area.
Recipe: Mix half a teaspoon of baking soda in with warm water and apply it on parts of your face where you have the most blackheads or whiteheads. Keep it on for two minutes and then gently massage and rinse away. Your skin will instantly feel smoother and even extracting stubborn blackheads becomes a breeeeze.
12. Get baby-soft lips with this edible sugar lip scrub.
Lip balm can moisturise, but it won't sledge off the flaky, crusty mess that happens when your lips get too dry. Here's something that will bring your lips back to their supple self.
Recipe: In a small bowl, mix four teaspoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of olive oil, and half a teaspoon of honey. Squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice in the scrub if you want it to be a burst of flavour. Lemon brightens your lips and also helps preserve the scrub for longer. You can add optionally add peppermint oil to get that tingly lip-plumping feeling.
Your scrub should ideally be more granulated but not entirely dry, so add more sugar or oil/honey as you go. Rub it on your lips for a few minutes and wipe away with a wet washcloth. Lock in moisture with some heavy duty lip balm.
13. Exfoliate with pineapple.
Pineapple is known for its anti-aging properties. It is acidic, which makes it a great exfoliant. It is recommended to try this on a test patch first.
Recipe: Cut up a fresh pineapple. Eat most of it because it's effing delicious. Leave one chunk and gently rub it on your face. Don't rub too much or for too long, as it can leave the skin irritated. Wash and moisturise.
14. Deep-moisturise dry skin with milk.
Milk is one of nature's greatest readymade moisturisers. It can heal your skin and make it baby-soft and supple.
Recipe: Soak some cotton pads in milk and apply them on your face. Make sure they aren't dripping with milk. Leave on for fifteen minutes and wash off. You can alternatively just apply milk on your face with a cotton ball.
15. Deep-condition very frizzy and dry hair with coconut milk.
Coconut is great for your hair, whether consumed as food or used for a beauty treatment.
Recipe: Blend in one banana with aloe vera juice or fresh gel taken from slicing a plant. Add some water if you're using fresh gel. Strain the blend and add half a can of unsweetened coconut milk, and 1/4th cup of olive oil to it. Whisk until creamy and apply to your hair thoroughly. Cover your head with a plastic shower cap. Wash off after thirty minutes to experience gloriously soft hair.
If you have sensitive skin or allergies, do not use ingredients/products that you know could be harsh to your skin. If you aren't sure, have a chat with a doctor first. Good luck!
