Kitchen remedies for your skin: Lemon, almond oil and more

We bring you an excerpt from the recently-published Beauty Unleashed by hair and skincare expert to the stars, Dr Dinyar Workingboxwalla.

Why spend thousands on cosmetic procedures and products that empty your pockets and can pose a health risk, when you can tackle most skin and haircare issues yourself at home?

In the following pages, we bring you expert advice from a professional who advocates natural, inexpensive remedies when it comes to beauty and wellness. Dr Dinyar Workingboxwalla, who treats the likes of Jacqueline Fernandez and Lara Dutta, has just penned his first book, Beauty Unleashed.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 11, Beauty and Wellness Tips:

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

Why spend time and money searching for products with natural ingredients that benefit the skin, when you probably have them on hand? Kitchen remedies are very slow to act, and take a longer time to show desired results, but they have minimal side effects. All it takes is a little of your time. These tips are especially for those who are wary of using things straight from the jar not knowing what the manufacturer has packed in them.

Oatmeal exfoliator

Legendary beauties have always known that oatmeal exfoliates. Forget pricey alpha hydro acids, try using oatmeal with a paste of strawberry, lemon, orange or simply milk. Anything with a low pH will do.

Blackheads

Boil half a cup of water with one tablespoon of Epsom salt, and then add five to six drops of white iodine to it. Let the mixture stay warm. Saturate a small hanky with it and apply on the clogged areas. This will allow the blackheads to loosen so they can be easily squeezed out.

Dry, sensitive skin

Warm two tablespoons of almond oil and massage into the skin for seven to ten minutes. Leave overnight.

Dry, flaky skin

Massage warm almond oil into the skin and let it sit for ten minutes. Remove with cotton dipped in grapefruit juice. Wait five minutes, then rinse off.

Please click NEXT to keep reading...

Excerpted from Beauty Unleashed: A Comprehensive Guide to the Perfect Skin and Hair (Rs 295) by Dr Dinyar Workingboxwalla, with the permission of publishers Westland Ltd.

Please click here to buy from Rediff Books

For silken skin

Mash three to four peeled cucumbers in a blender. Apply the pulp on the entire body. Rub with a loofah and rinse off. This is good for toning and stimulating cells.

Skin lightener

Cut a lemon in half and rub it over your entire face. Rinse off after fifteen minutes.

Pineapple body polish

Take a few pineapple slices, massage them into the skin, a fresh slice for each part. Let it remain for ten minutes and then wash off with shower gel.

Wrinkles

Powder Vitamin C tablets, the best you can find. Add it to a very good eye cream. Pat it all over the face, over the neck, and around the eyes. It’s a very good antioxidant. Rinse after ten minutes.

Dark circles

Raw potato juice contains potassium which effectively treats dark circles. Lie down and apply cotton moistened with potato juice under the eyes. Allow it to be absorbed for at least fifteen minutes. Inexpensive tea bags contain tannic acid which can combat dark circles. Before using, squeeze slightly so that the tea doesn’t run down your face. The bags must be cool, not hot. If they’re warm/ hot, they will puff the eyes up more. Soft cotton pads in chilled rosewater/fatty milk, kept on the eyes for ten to fifteen minutes will also work wonders. Alternately, combine half teaspoon of fast-acting baker’s yeast with one teaspoon of whole fat yoghurt. Stir until it dissolves. Dot this mixture under the eyes with a clean brush. Apply two coats, let it dry and remain overnight. Rinse off in the morning. This treatment will diminish dark circles.

Rough, dark elbows

Elbows have less cushioning than other parts of the body. Scoop out one spoon of ripe papaya and mash it with half a cup of cornmeal. Put this mixture in the hollow of the papaya. Place elbows in the papaya for fifteen minutes, then rub elbows with a loofah. After your bath, apply a good vitamin skin food all over. Papaya has natural enzymes which loosen dead skin cells; the cornmeal will slough them off, and the vitamin skin food will prevent it from further darkening and keep skin soft.

Secret spa for hands

Every week, massage garlic oil into your nail bed and cuticles. People I know swear by it as it brings about an immediate improvement in the nail length and strength. Wash off after fifteen to twenty minutes. Massage a mixture of almond, avocado, jojoba, and Vitamin E oil into your nails. Wear cotton gloves and keep on for half an hour. Then massage vitamin skin cream and dip hands in warm milk. Rinse hands thoroughly in water to which lemon juice has been added, to get rid of any remaining odour.

Foot softener

Massage Vitamin E-based cream all over damp feet, concentrating on rough parts. Wear gym socks or a pair of cotton socks to bed. When you wake up, your feet will feel incredibly soft.

Teeth whitener

Mix half teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide with one teaspoon of baking soda and use as a whitener once a week. Not on sensitive teeth, though.

Homemade mouthwash

Boil a strong cup of peppermint tea with one teaspoon of cloves. Let it cool down, then use as a regular mouthwash.

Kissable lips

Soft, kissable lips are a guarantee if you rub a Vitamin E capsule on your lips every night. Concentrate on the corners.

Appetite suppressant

Drink a glass of tomato juice twenty to thirty minutes before you eat to activate your body’s natural appetite suppressant. It really works.