- Always go out in sun with an SPF of 15 or less on your skin.
- Keep your face clean.
- Drink plenty of water. A minimum of 8 glasses is recommended. Drink at least 3 glasses of hot water with the juice of 1 lime and 1 teaspoon of honey, a day.
- Sleep for at least 8 hours. Your body needs rest in order to repair general wear and tear of tissue and grow well.
- Get into a routine that accommodates regular meal times.
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. AVOID oily and fried foods, starchy food and sweets.
- Take vitamin B5 and Zinc supplements as they help to build up the skin’s resistance to acne and pimples.
- Daily exercise is an absolute must.
- Keep stress levels down with meditation and yoga.
- Don’t squeeze the pimples.
- DO NOT use cheap make-up. Better not to use any at all, at least till the acne abates.
- Protect your skin from the sun. Use a good sunscreen lotion.

Face massages
Massages reduce beefiness, tighten the tissues and muscles and increase blood circulation, which is essential for a glowing complexion. Many beauty experts recommend massaging key areas of your face for at least half an hour once a week. Choose a gentle substance such as almond oil, baby oil or cold cream depending on what suits your skin type. You can do it yourself or go to a beauty parlour and get it done by a beautician.

Steaming
Steaming releases any debris that may be lodged in the pores of your skin. It opens up the clogged pores and softens the skin in order to cleanse it of impurities, traces of makeup, dust, sebaceous secretions and dead skin cells. Steam your face once a week. You may choose from a number of vaporisers available in the market or cut costs and undertake the procedure with a pot of hot water and a towel to cover your head.
For different skin types there are a variety of essential oils available that one can use infused into water for steaming - Oily/acne-prone skin:
Tea tree, chamomile, lavender and rose
- Combination: Lemon, geranium and lavender
- Dry skin: Patchouli, lavender and bergamot

Face masks
They brighten up your face and reveal a more even complexion. Use a brightening face mask once or twice a week; apply for approximately 10 to 15 minutes to correct pigmentation irregularities and prevent the appearance of further discolorations. Many brands in the market have brightening masks for different skin types but if time isn’t an issue, you can whip up instant and cost-effective masks right in your kitchen.

Home Remedies for making face mask
- Make a paste by mixing sandal powder, a little Turmeric powder, and a little orange juice. Apply it on your face and neck and leave it on till dry. Wash it off with cold water.
- Make a paste of one teaspoon of walnut powder, honey and lemon juice. Scrub your face and neck gently with this paste and leave it on for 20 minutes or till it dries off. Wash it with cold water, you will have clear and clean complexion.
- On a dry winter day, mix cold cream, curd, honey, and some strawberries. Purée and apply on your face and neck. Wash it off after 20 minutes and see the wonder.
- Mash bananas with milk and apply on your skin for 20 minutes. Later wash it off with cold water and voila! You have clear and glowing skin.
- one can also use bananas directly. Mash a ripe banana with a fork and spread it thickly on to the face and throat. Leave on for ten to fifteen minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water.

For normal/combination skin
Add 3 tsp yoghurt, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp cold-pressed vegetable oil, 1 drop essential oil, 1 tsp oatmeal. Blend and apply for 10 minutes.

For dry skin
Add 3 tsp yoghurt, 1 tsp honey1 tsp cold-pressed vegetable oil 1 drop essential oil, 1 tsp ground almonds. Mix and apply for 10 minutes.

For oily/acne-prone skin
Add 2 tsp yoghurt, 1½ tsp yeast powder, ½ tsp jojoba oil, 2 tsp warm water , 1 drop essential oil. Mix and apply for 20 minutes.

Acne
Home remedies for acne
- Steep together approx. 120g apple cider vinegar, 28-30g lavender flowers, and 28-30 g rosemary flowers. Discard the flowers after twenty days. Dilute with eight parts of pure water and use a cleansing lotion.
- Combine a tablespoon of wheat germ oil with a tablespoon of honey and apply as a mask for fifteen minutes. Wash off with warm water and a soft cloth.
- Using oats is quite beneficial in the treatment of acne. Cook oats and let it cool. Apply (not rub) it on the face and let the paste stand for 15 minutes. Wash it off. Repeat as often as your routine permits.
- Gently rub one or two peeled and crushed cloves of garlic over the acne area.
- Take 1 tablespoon of either dried or fresh yeast and mix it with 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Apply it on the face and let it dry completely. Don’t move the muscles of your face when the pack is on. When it is completely dry, peel it off and wash your face with warm water.
- Take two eggs, separate the whites and whisk them to a smoothed mixture. Dip a ball of cotton wool in this, and apply the egg white to your face. Let it dry completely and then wash your face with warm water.
- Mix sandalwood paste with a little neem powder. Add rose water to this to make a smooth paste. Apply this paste on your face before you go to bed, and wash it off in the morning. Alternately, if you prefer, you could do this in the afternoon when you are free.
- Make a paste of fenugreek leaves. Apply this on your face 10 to 15 minutes before you go to bed. Wash it off with warm water.
- Grind some orange peel with water to make a paste. Apply this on the acne, or any part of the skin that is feeling a sense of irritation. Leave it on till it dries. Wash it off with warm water.

a. To get rid of the scars left by acne, try these remedies:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of oats, and a drop or two of lime juice. Apply it on your face. Leave it on for 10 minutes and wash it off. Repeat this as often as you can.
- Apply some honey on your face. Leave it for about half an hour and then wash it off.
- Make a face mask with Fuller’s earth: Take 1 heaped teaspoon of multani mitti (Fuller’s earth), add 2 drops of lemon oil, 1 drop of Cyprus or Sage oil. Add about 2 tablespoons of water carefully so that you get a paste. Apply this to your face and leave it till it dries up completely. Wash it off with warm water.
o To get rid of acne blemishes, mix two teaspoon each dried pea, sandalwood, red masoor dal and rice powder and two handful of basil leaves. Make a paste of all these ingredients. Take one teaspoon of this paste and mix it with one teaspoon of rose water. Apply this on blemishes and let it dry on the face. To remove it, scrub it off with coconut water. Do this treatment everyday for at least two weeks.
o Sick of teenage pimples, apply the juice of tulsi, lemon, and ginger on the affected area.

Blackheads
o To get rid of blackheads especially on the nose, use the exfoliating scrub with the following ingredients. Two teaspoon each of dried orange peel, rice and oatmeal powder and five teaspoon of multtani mitti (Fuller’s earth). Take one teaspoon from this mixture and mix it with buttermilk and apply on the blackheads. When dry, scrub it off.

Age spots
a. Folk medicines from different cultures advice to apply castor oil on age spots. Dab on the oil with a cotton swab daily or as needed.

Wrinkles and Aging
As one grows old, the skin loses moisture, elasticity and the internal cell support which results in wrinkles and age lines. Minimum exposure to sun, right kind of food, and regular exercise increase blood circulation and reduces the age related changes. Some of the home remedies are also known to effectively reduce the age related changes:
a. Fresh or dried powder of Cayenne has the power to prevent age related problems including mental deterioration. One can have a pinch of the pepper in food or hot tea.
b. Lemon balm or Melissa tea, is also believed to ensure long life and prevent aging. Many centuries ago, Carmelite nuns prepared an elixir, Melisana that is still sold in many parts of Germany, France, and Belgium. To prevent wrinkles, pour one cup of boiling water over one tablespoon of dried lemon balm leaves and steep. Drink once a day. One can also try to eat raw lemon balm leaves everyday in salad.
c. In the Caribbean islands, women maintain glorious skin by eating a piece of avocado each day and massaging some avocado pulp into their skin every morning and evening.
d. In Argentina, women use honey facial several times a week to keep the wrinkles away. Honey, is mixed with avocado, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice and apply it on your face as masks.
e. For great skin, also eat foods rich in antioxidants such as prunes, gooseberries, and strawberries. These foods help to neutralise harmful oxidants in the body and prevent ageing.

Miscellaneous beauty tips
- Apply a mixture of sandalwood oil and olive oil and massage on the area with scars and spots. Leave the oils overnight. The scars will disappear soon.
- To remove the grim from your face, use the following recipe- make a mixture of gram flour and cold milk. Apply it on the face and leave it on till it dries. Scrub it off gently with light fingers using lukewarm water, and wash your face.
- Use a cotton pad dipped in fresh milk as cleanser.
- Egg is also a good skin conditioner. Use egg white for normal and oily skin and yolk for dry skin.
- Rub a cut raw tomato with the pulp oozing out on your skin, then wash off. The skin will glow instantly.
- Rub a piece of papaya or mango on your face and neck for 5-7 minutes. The AHA’s in these fruits will help in exfoliation and deep cleansing of the skin adding instant glow.
- Mix one cup of sugar with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon/lime juice. Use this sugar scrub all over and shower it off for a super smooth skin.
- To cleanse your face, mix the following constituents and use- Add 1 cup warm milk, 1 tea spoon of glycerine, ¼ tea spoon of soda bicarbonate, ¼ tea spoon of borax. Dissolve all these in milk and then add 1 teaspoon of oat meal.
- To cleanse the face, use the following mixture-melt together in bowl, 12 table spoon of white Vaseline, (petroleum jelly), 4 tablespoon of baby oil, and 1 table spoon of beeswax. When heated remove from fire. Add a few drops of rose essence, and store in a jar.
- For face mask, mix 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 table spoon of milk powder, 2 yeast tablets (powdered), and ¼ cup of yoghurt. Leave on for 10 minutes and then wash it off with cold water. Do this once every week.
- Mash banana and beat in 1 teaspoon of salad oil or vegetable oil. Brush it on the face and leave it on for 20 minutes till it dries. Rinse it off and repeat it off once every week.
- Mix cinnamon and honey and apply it for 20 minutes. When it dries off, wash it off with water. This recipe is very good for dry skin.
- For oily skin- mix gram flour, turmeric powder, and lemon juice and apply this pack on the face for 20 minutes. When dry, wash it off with cold water.
- To add glow on your skin, apply orange juice for 15 minutes and then scrub it off.
- For dry skin, a pack made up of oatmeal and honey is very effective.
- To get rid of scars left by pimples and acne, apply the paste made by mixing red sandal powder and turmeric powder for ½ hour and then wash it off.
- A mix of honey, gram flour, olive oil and cream of milk makes a good face mask.
- For dry skin, apply a mixture of honey, vegetable oil and lemon juice on the face for 10 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water.
- Mix yoghurt, ground almonds, honey and oats. Apply it on the face for 15 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water.
- Massage the whole body with aroma oils like rosemary and lavender to have complete relaxation.
- To make a least expensive but most effective lotion for body care, mix equal amounts of rose water, glycerine, and lemon juice. Apply this lotion all over the body and be blessed with a smooth skin with no side effects.
- Soak yourself in warm water adding some lavender, chamomile drops to sooth and relax the body and skin.
- To reduce sunburns, apply the lotion with the following ingredients: cucumber juice, glycerine, and rose water. To make this lotion, peel a cucumber and take out it’s juice by grating and mixing with half a teaspoon each of glycerine and rose water.
- For smooth skin, mash half an avocado and mix with a few drops of fresh lemon juice and spread over the cleansed skin. Leave on for 15-20 minutes, then dab off the excess with a soft tissue paper. Splash the skin alternately with cold and warm water.

Tips for beautiful lips
a. Use products with SPF as sun also burns the lips as easily the skin.
b. Exfoliate the lips gently with baby toothbrush and with light cream.
c. Drink a lot of water to avoid drying out of lips.
d. Use of Vitamin-E enriched balm at night and wake up with irresistible lips.
e. Never apply testers directly on lips.
f. Match the lipstick and lip pencil colour.
g. Create the illusion of a full, sensuous mouth by dabbing a little lip gloss in the middle of the lower lip.

Home Remedies for beautiful lips
-Massaging the lips with coriander leaf juice keeps them soft and rosy.
-To treat cracked lips, crush rose petals and mix a little butter and apply on lips at bed time.
-For having silky and pink lips, apply juice of coriander leaves.
-To reduce the black tint from the lips, apply lemon juice.

Tips for hands and feet
a. Soak feet in the warm water with sea salts added to soften the hard skin and relax the feet.
b. Use an exfoliator on the hands and a good foot scrub once a week.
c. Use a moisturizer regularly to prevent the delicate skin from drying out.
d. Dip the tips of the fingers in olive oil to strengthen the nails.
e. Cut the nails carefully to avoid the infection. Don’t snip the cuticles.
f. Do not bite the nails to avoid weakening them.
g. Always wear gloves especially when the hands are likely to come in contact with harsh detergents.
h. Wear well-fitting footwear as tight shoes can cause ingrown nails.
i. To have gorgeous nails, remove all traces of polish, clean the nails with lemon juice and massage nail crème into the cuticles.
j. Use this recipe to pamper your hands- Mix a few spoons of cold cream, two drops of tea-tree oil, five drops of lavender oil, a spoonful of olive oil, and a banana. Blend it to a smooth consistency and apply it all over hands and cuticles and feet. Slip on a pair of rubber gloves, and relax for 15 minutes. Wash off and you have baby soft hands and feet.
k. Massage your hands with a home- made hand cream. Mix together ½ cup rose water, ¼ cup of after shave lotion, ¼ cup of glycerine, and ¼ table spoon of white vinegar. Bottle this mixture for regular use.
For cracked heels apply a mix of mustard oil and melted paraffin wax at night for approx. 10-15 days.