I have spent most of my growing up years in Rajasthan, that too in the arid desert regions of Bikaner and Jodhpur. The summers were synonymous with scorching sun and sweltering heat that used to literally burn the skin as the day temperatures soared to 40-45 degrees on a regular basis. The outdoorsy person I had been all my life meant I spent most of the time biking in that scalding heat. This invariably led to sun burns and heavy tanning. The sunscreen creams and lotions which you see in the markets nowadays were not available to us, at least not in our dusty little towns. We mainly depended on the good old home remedies to scrub off that nasty suntan... and be our radiant self for the weekend parties.
Image - Vicco Turmeric Cream with Foam Base advt
My motto has always been to go natural as far as skin and hair care is concerned. Home remedies too mainly employ products which are natural and either readily available at home or at your nearest Kirana store. Let me share with you all those simple home remedies which saw me through the scorching sun of desert. These tried and tested home remedies are totally safe and completely based on natural products.
The most reliable and sure shot solution for the suntan removal is Besan ka Lep (paste of gram flour). Two table spoon of Besan, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric, few drops of lemon juice, mixed with milk and formed into a consistent thick paste. Voila! You have a magic face pack that applied to face and arms (the affected area), left to dry and removed by rubbing it off the skin in circular motion removes the tan in no time. The turmeric in the face pack is a natural antibacterial and milk in the paste soothes your skin. This is a very effective, easy to make and use face pack.While you apply the besan face pack, relax and close your eyes. Put a slice of cucumber on your eyelids. These will soothe the nerves around your eye area and help relieve the stress and get rid of the dark circles.
Besides the tan, the overactive skin glands in summer result in skin problems like acne, pimples and blackheads. The best solution for this is Neem. My Daadi (Granny) always extolled the benefits of Neem. She would say every part of Neem is beneficial. It wards off mosquitoes, acts as an insect repellent, keeps your clothes as well as food grains and pulses safe from moths when Neem leaves are kept with them. The Neem twigs are used to brush teeth. Not only this eating nimbori - the fruit of neem tree - is very helpful in keeping your skin blemish-free. When afflicted with those ugly pimples and acne you can go for a simple home remedy -boil one part each of Neem leaves, Rose leaves and Marigold flowers(Gainda phool) in water. Cool the concoction and apply it on your face. This reduces acne, pimples and blackheads on your face.
Another very good face pack for glowing skin is honey mixed with lemon juice. Apply honey-lemon juice mixture generously on your face. Massage your face with this till it dries. Then remove it using warm water and then wash your face with cold water to get a glowing, radiant skin.
Besides the above recipes err.. remedies from your kitchen-shelf, there are few things one should follow and ingrain it in their daily routine for a healthier, radiant skin.
1. Drink lots of water. Keep yourself hydrated all the times. It is not only good for your skin but also for the general health.
2. Eat right. Have lots of green veggies in your diet. Less oily, spicy fried and processed foods. These foods are known to increase acid levels or pitta as it is called in the Ayurveda parlance which is responsible for several skin problems.
3. Reduce Coffee intake which is pitta aggravating beverage and also alcohol and replace these with healthier option of green teas. These come in a variety of flavors.
4. Exercise. Regular exercise keeps your body fit, keeps the metabolism at optimum levels, helps in release of toxic body wastes and thus cleanses your system.
5. Take rest. Rest is very important for our body to recover from the normal wear and tear and be ready for the action. Make sure you get a daily dose of your beauty sleep!
These home remedies and the pearls of wisdom passed on from generation to generation, for the general health care and skin care in particular, are basically Ayurvedic remedies preserved through word of mouth and popularly called as Dadimaa ke Nuskhe (Granny's Tips). These tips are a treasure trove of Ayurved knowledge which Indians have preserved by making it their way of life. It takes nature as the basis of life and life giving elements. I believe, it works on the principle that nature itself holds the cure for the ailments that are a byproduct of us inhabiting the Earth. Only we need to find it and preserve it. In a similar manner VICCO Turmeric Cream is an Ayurvedic product leveraging the goodness of age old Ayurvedic gyan to bring to you a foam based cream with the goodness of Haldi (Turmeric) for a radiant glowing skin.
