DIY Beauty Remedies You Need To Add To Your Festive To-Do List

With a host of parties lined up for the festive season, it’s that time of the year again when you need to look your best every day. We suggest you ditch spending big on power facials and hair spas and opt for the traditional route this season. After all, before the word ‘organic’ took over the beauty industry and brands started riding the sulphate and chemical-free bandwagon, people swore by effective and low-cost home remedies passed down through generations. 

Scroll down to try these home remedies tried and tested by Team RD. 

P.S: Take note of the DIY beauty commandment at the end.

For Bright And Healthy-Looking Skin

Chickpea Cleanse: Try this age-old face recipe. This scrub works wonders on all skin types except for acne-prone skin. Take two big tablespoons of chickpea flour (besan), add a pinch of turmeric and enough milk or curd to make a runny paste. Apply it evenly on clean face and neck. Leave it on till it’s semi-dry. Gently scrub off in circular motions with warm water. Follow through with moisturiser. 

For Dry Skin 

Aloe To The Rescue: Just take some aloe vera juice, best if cut and squeezed from your garden, mash it and apply it on your scalp and skin to say hello to a lustrous mane and supple skin.

For Wrinkle-Free Skin 

Perfect Potato: Grate raw potato, squeeze the juice, and set the juice aside for about an hour and a half. You will find a black-ish liquid on the surface and a white residue below. Throw the black liquid away and add egg-whites in equal proportion. Apply it onto your face and say goodbye to wrinkles.

For Oily Skin 

Cinnamon Bonds: Take 1 tablespoon curd, 2 tablespoon wheat choker, a pinch of cinnamon powder, juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoon milk. Add all the ingredients in a bowl, mix it well and leave it on your face for 20 minutes. If you don't have acne, gently scrub it off your face, or else rinse it with lukewarm water. Make sure you splash your face with cold water, which is known to help soothe open pores after you've applied a face pack.

For Lustrous Hair 

A) Honey It Up:  Add two tablespoons of honey, one whole egg and two tablespoons of olive or coconut oil to a cup of thick curd. Mix well. Make sections of your hair and apply it on your scalp and hair. Cover it with a hair cap (because it might drip) and leave it on for an hour. Wash it off with a mild shampoo and condition your hair afterwards.

B) In A Soup: Come cold weather, markets get lined up with colourful vegetables in India. Take different types of chopped vegetables--beetroot, tomatoes, onions, gourd etc, chop and boil them together and use a big strainer to strain the ‘soup’ out of the mashed and boiled vegetables. Use the leftover mash as a hair pack. Apply it on your hair and scalp and place a shower cap on your head to avoid any potential mess. Two hours and a good wash later, welcome, shiny and smooth hair! For the soup, add a bit of salt, pepper and garlic, and enjoy a hot and super-nutritious dinner! (Yes, it’s that filling!).

For Supple Lips 

Sugar Rush: Take a tablespoon of sugar granules, add a few drops of honey, lemon, and a few drops of rose oil or any oil of your choice. Gently scrub your lips in circular motion for a minute. Wash off and top up with a glycerine-based lip balm for smooth and plump lips. 

For Unwanted Acne 

A) Neem Sweep: Save the trip to your salon or to a hundred dermatologists all around, and try this: Chew on 8-10 neem leaves every day, first thing in the morning, after having 2 glasses of water. Look at yourself in a week, and call it magic.

B) Peppercorn Magic: Crush a peppercorn until it’s fine ground, or just take a dash of black pepper powder, mixed a drop of water and apply it directly on the pimple. It will be gone within a few hours. Even better if you are able to apply it on spot and sleep. You will wake up with a much calmer skin.

For Dark Knees And Elbows 

Lemon Goodness: Mix two tablespoons of lemon and potato juice. Dip the lemon peel in the mixture and rub it on your elbows and knees. Leave it on for half an hour then wash off. Do this for a week and you will start noticing a difference. 

Beauty Commandment To Swear By

The simplest way to be healthy inside-out is to eat what you can apply to your skin and to apply what you eat. Papaya, potato, lemons, oranges, apples, etc, are really good for the skin. So, whenever you find yourself snacking on fruit or just having fruits for breakfast, cut a tiny slice, mash it and apply it on your face. 

With inputs from Mohini Mehrotra, Pratishtha Dobhal and Vanya Lochan