Home Facial Recipes and Treatments for Specific Skin Problems

To Cleanse the Pores:

Rub mashed tomato on your face and rinse with cool water. If your like me, you've thrown many tomatoes away. Don't! You may not want to eat it, but it will be fine for your skin treatment if it's not completely rotten. Just use the best of what is left because you only need a small amount.
Note: Some people find that tomatoes will irritate the skin. If so, try mashed grapes instead!

To Tighten and Refine Pores:
Whip the white of an egg and add a pinch of alum (drug store) and apply to the skin as a mask. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes then rinse off with warm water. (never hot water!)



Peel and slice 1/2 a cucumber and puree in a blender or processor. Add 1 TBSP of plain yogurt. Mix well and apply to skin. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes then wipe off with a damp wash cloth or rinse with warm water. Cucumber contains amino and organic acids. This blend will cool, refresh skin and tighten pores.

To Remove Dead Surface Skin Cells and Improve Skin Texture:
Gently rub a small handful of dry short grain rice against you face for a few minutes. This is a Japanese technique that has been used for centuries.

Add 2 TBSP of cornmeal mixed with enough water to make a thick paste. Gently rub on face in circular motions and rinse off. This makes a quick, inexpensive exfoliant.

Grind 1 TBSP of almonds into a fine meal. Mix with 1 TBSP of honey and 1 egg white. Apply to skin and allow to dry for 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with wash cloth and rinse face with lukewarm water.

To Add Color to Sallow Skin:
Mash 1/2 cup of strawberries in a blender and apply to face. Leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse with tepid water.

To Alleviate Puffiness in the Eye Area:
Place slices of a cooled cucumber over your eyes for 10 minutes or more as needed. It is a fact that models use Preperation H, a hemorrhoid cream, under eyes for puffiness. Do not apply heavy oils or creams around the eye area before going to bed. That would cause eyes to be puffy in the morning.

To Soften and Nourish the Skin:
Mash half of an avacado and apply to face. Leave on until it dries, then rinse off with warm water. Avacado contains essential fatty acids and other nutrients that can help prevent premature wrinkling.

To Moisturize Your Skin:
Mash up grapes with enough honey to make a paste and apply the mix to face as a mask. Leave it on for 20-25 minutes then rinse off. Grapes are a natural source of collagen and alpha-hydroxy acids

To Help Protect Your Skin from Free Radical Damage:
Add a few drops of green tea extract to your ingredients. You can also add the extract to your other beauty products like astringents and lotions. If your local drug store does not carry this, call your closest health food or general nutrition store. Green Tea is a wonderful antioxident that fights free radicals that are damaging to the skin and thought to be largely responsible for the aging of skin aside from sun damage. Drinking hot green tea is very healthy for you too!

To Soothe and Relieve Itchy Skin:
Grind up oatmeal in blender or processor to a fine powder. Add water to make a paste. Apply to skin and let dry, then gently remove with a damp wash cloth and rinse skin with tepid (lukewarm) water. This paste should not be runny. If you add too much water, add more oatmeal. A little goes a long way and this mixture can be used anywhere on the body for rashes, dry-itchy skin, or bug bites. I grind up 1/2 to 3/4 cup of oatmeal and store it in a baby food jar.

To Stimulate Circulation and Firm the Skin:
Combine 1/2 of a peeled cucumber, 1 TBSP of yogurt, a few strawberries, and 1 tsp. of honey in a blender or processor. Make a puree. Apply to face and let dry (or set well). Gently wipe off with a wet wash cloth and rinse skin well. This is a great all-around home facial recipe and treatment.

To Loosen Blackheads:
Combine equal parts baking soda and water in hand and gently rub in a circular motion on skin and rinse. As with any exfoliating type product, it is very important to not apply too much pressure. You do not want to scratch the skin. Instead, you want just a smooth circular motion with very little pressure and let the product do it's thing. Do not use scratchy or exfoliating products on irritated, inflamed or broken skin such as a wound, cut, inflamed acne or rash.

Homemade Facial Mask Recipes

· Turmeric Facial Mask

This is the traditional mask, also used for a bride, seven days in advance of marriage.
Take in a cup half a cup of besan (gram flour), 2 tsp of turmeric powder, 2 tsp of sandal wood powder, 2 tsp of ghee or almond oil, add some water to make a paste. Apply to face and whole body and leave for 5-10 minutes. Rub with pressure with both palms and fingers to remove all the paste.

· Honey Facial Mask
Rinse your face with warm water to open up the pores. Apply honey and leave for half an hour. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores.

· Oily Skin Mask
Mix 1 tsp. brewer’s yeast with plain yogurt to make a thin mixture. Apply it thoroughly into all the oily areas and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores.

· Dry Skin Mask
Mix 1 tsp. of butter in 1 teaspoon of water. Apply it thoroughly into all the dry areas and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water,

· Banana Mask for wrinkles
Mash 1/4 banana until very creamy and apply on face and leave for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores.

· Avocado Facial Mask
Mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture. Apply it thoroughly on face and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores.

· Oatmeal Facial Mask
Take 2 tsp oatmeal and 1 tsp baking soda and add water to make paste. Apply to face and all over the skin and rub gently.

· Facial Mask
Squeeze half a lemon and mix the juice with one beaten egg white. Apply on your face and leave for overnight. Wash your face with warm water.

· Clay Facial

Choose the right clay for your skin type. Add plain water or floral waters or try wetting agents such as fruit purees . Make a thick paste of the clay. Apply the mask to your skin and let it dry for 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry. Repeat weekly.

· Multani (Gypsum) Mitti Body Mask
Make a paste of multani mitti adding water to the mitti powder. Apply to whole body and hair. Take bath after half an hour.

· Grape Cleanser

Split 2-3 grapes and rub the flesh over face and neck. Rinse with cool water.

· Banana Face Pack for Dry Skin

Mash half cup of natural yogurt, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1/4 ripe banana. Apply this pack on face and neck and leave for 10 minutes and then rinse off.

· Cucumber Face Pack to get Smooth Skin
Mash 1 whole cucumber, strain water, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix well. Put in a container,l keep refrigerated and take out whenever you want to use it. Apply on your face and leave for 10 minutes, then wash with cold water and enjoy the smoothness of your skin.
You canttry on it on other parts of body as a scrub.

Facial Masks for Skin Types

1. Homemade Facial mask for normal skin
1. Make a paste of some powdered with milk or lemon juice if you want to fade spots on your skin.
2. Blend 1 egg white, 2 tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp apple juice until smooth.
3. Mix 1 egg white, 1/2 cup cooked instant oatmeal and 1 tsp olive oil until smooth.
4. Apply a raw egg yolk and rinse with cold water. The high vitamin A content of egg is very effective in healing blemishes.
5. Mix well 2 parts milk,1 part fuller's earth clay, 1 tsp honey and essential oil.

1. Homemade Face mask for oily skin
1. Blend 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 egg white, 1 tsp honey (heat in microwave for a few seconds to melt it), 2 strawberries and 2-3 drops eucalyptus oil or jojoba oil (optional).
2. Blend a ripe tomato and pat on your face. Wash after 20 minutes with normal water.
3. Mix well a tsp of baking yeast in a some warm milk.
4. Make a paste by mixing some potato flour in tomato puree.
5. Blend an apple in a blender and apply on your face. Wash after 20 minutes with normal water.
6. Rub some Milk of Magnesia, and let dry, then rinse with lukewarm water.
2. Homemade Facial mask for sensitive skin

Warm some hone to melt it, then apply. Leave the mask on for 20-25 minutes.

4. Homemade Face mask for dry skin
1. Mix ½ avocado (or 2 tsp avocado oil) with ¼ cup honey.
2. Mix 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp warm honey, some vitamin E oil (optional).
3. Blend 50g ripe avocado flesh, 25g orange juice, 1tsp honey, 1 tsp molasses and 4-5 drops of some essential oil.
5. Homemade Facial mask for combination skin

1. Mix 1 egg white, 1/2 cup cooked instant oatmeal and 1 teaspoon olive oil until smooth.
2. Rose Mask: This mask is good for both the oily and dry areas of your skin.
   Take Soak 5 rose petals and soak in water and then crush them. Add 2 Tbsp rosewater, 1 Tbsp yogurt and 1 Tbsp honey (heat in a microwave for a few second to melt it) and mix well.
4. Homemade Facial mask for ageing or maturing skin
   Take 3 Tbsp sugar and dissolve it in 4 Tbsp warm water.
   This mask is good for maturing skin and will help soften the wrinkle lines.
5. Face mask for chapped or sunburned skin
   Mix 1 cup plain yogurt and ½ cup oatmeal and apply to the skin for 15 minutes.
6. Facial masks for all skin types
   Grind a cup of yellow mustard seeds and a few rose petals in water. Apply on face and wash with water after 20 minutes.

Blend two egg yolks, two tablespoons of honey and 3 drops of almond oil. Apply on face and wash with water after 20 minutes.

More Home Facial Recipe Blends

Mash up 1/2 a banana with a fork, add a TBSP of honey and 2 TBSP of sour cream. Mix well and apply to face and let set for 10 minutes. Gently remove with a warm wet wash cloth and then a final rinse.

Mix 1 1/2 tsp. honey, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, and 2 TBSP yogurt, and 1 whipped egg white. Apply and leave on for 15 minutes and then remove with lukewarm water.

Strawberries, Honey and Milk (any milk, buttermilk is good and powdered milk works too)

Any fruit such as grapes (my favorite), strawberries, or apricots. Add avacado and/or cucumber with a little milk or yogurt, and some honey and you have yourself a great facial blend that you can tweak to your liking!

Many of these recipes will be more than you need, so invite a friend, your Mom or Sister to join you or cut the amounts down to how much you think you'll need. Creating your own day spa with the girls can be a good time!

How to do Home Facials

How often should I do a deep cleansing facial steam?
I say every four to six weeks is perfect. You'll see an over all improvement in your skin as you get in the routine of doing this. When you first start out, you may want to do your facials more often, such as every three weeks, then reducing to every four to six weeks to maintain better skin condition.
You probably have everything you need! Put your hair up in a towel and secure the towel with clips or pins so the towel does not flop down while your leaning over to steam. While your doing your facial, it's a great time to deep condition your hair. You want to keep your hair completely off your face.
Get in your most comfortable sweat pants and T-shirt or favorite robe, light a relaxing blend candle such as lavender.
*(see below for options) For Steam Inhalation, to relieve colds, bronchitis and congestion, See Below Home Facial Section.

First, put some water on to boil in a medium size pot (1/4 to 1/2 full), add some salt. Start with cleaning your face while waiting for the water to boil. I'm a soap and water girl but use what you like best. Skin cleansing is important, so find a product that works best for your skin type. Olive oil is a very good make up remover, skin cleanser and moisturizer!

You'll need a couple of extra towels, exfoliating product, toner or witch hazel (never alcohol!), cotton pads or balls, moisturizer, body lotion, and a mask is optional. After cleansing, exfoliate. For more information on exfoliating, go to the "Skincare" page from the menu on the left.

Now your ready to steam your face, the water should be boiling now. Turn the burner off and let it settle for a few moments. You can leave the pot on the stove or bring it to a coffee table (if it's not too high or an antique).

Be sure and lay a towel under the pot to protect your furniture and above all, use extreme caution moving hot water. (That's why you only need a small amount of water in the pot).

To steam your face, put a towel completely over your head like a tent over the pot of water and let the steam rise up to your face. Never put your face too close in the pot or the steam will burn you. You will find the right distance quickly. You want to do this for five to ten minutes if you can stand it.

Pat dry, don't rub. Steaming the skin is an important step because it's going to get those pores open, loosen any blackheads, you sweat out toxins and open up your sinuses also. (I do this when I'm suffering with a cold or sinuses and add a drop of peppermint and a few drops of eucalyptus to the water). For facials, you can also add your favorite essential oil or herbs if you like. If you do add fresh herbs, make sure you use a glass or enameled pot, not metal.

I know hovering over a pot on the stove or table is not the most relaxing situation, but hey, let me know if there's a better way to do a home facial. I even tried using a vaporizer but it was not as effective because it was too hot and you can't control it, and, I bought a facial steamer but it was a pain to keep clean, it broke, and is just another thing to store! I also found that I was less likely to keep up my facial routine since I had to dig it out the closet, take it from the box, get it ready, etc, etc! (if you saw my closets...you'd understand!)

Next you want to extract any blackheads while your pores are open and your skin is supple from the moisture. Use gentle pressure to extract, you can damage your skin by squeezing too hard! Once that is done, then you want to use your toner (witch hazel) to pick up any impurities on the skin.

Next would be a mask. Follow the instructions on the jar or tube and then get to your most comfortable place. Please see "facial recipes" (link below) for some easy ingredients you may have in your kitchen already for a great mask. Now it's time to put lotion on your feet, ankles, legs, knees, elbows, wherever!

*Options for home facials: If you have an electric blanket you can get really cozy. (Just remember to plug it in ahead of time) Socks and gloves or plastic bags can be used on/around your hands and feet after applying lotion. Wrapping hands and feet in a heating pad will help lotion work even better.
As far as facial masks go, I prefer one that washes off. I don't care for a "peel off" type.

This is the only relaxing part of an at home facial so try your best to relax and enjoy even if it's only ten or fifteen minutes! After you remove the mask with warm water, pat dry, then use toner again to remove any residue left. Let skin breathe for a little while, then apply moisturizer. Your skin should be soft, supple, hydrated with a new glow and rosy complexion.

In some cases, you may have a blemish come out in a couple of days. This is the steam and pulling action of a facial mask bringing impurities to the surface of the skin. It was already there, you just brought it out sooner. Once you decide to do facials on a regular basis, you will see an over-all improvement in the skin.

If you experience any irritation such as a rash like patch of redness, did you use a new product? If so, that is most likely the cause and you are having a reaction.

After a facial, you should be a little pink which is healthy and caused by friction from cleansing, along with creating a good circulation of blood flow.

If you are red, (not a rash type pattern), you probably got too close to the steam and poached yourself a bit. Next time, just back away from the steam a little higher.

22 Tips for Skin Care

1) Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

2) Cut some beet root into small pieces and grind them. Squeeze juice from beet root and massage to your face for 5 minutes. Shower after 10 minutes with mild soap or gram flour.

3) Mix sandalwood powder with rose water and add 4 to 5 drops of milk in it and apply on to your face and body. Shower after 15 minutes with warm water.

4) Mix honey in water and drink daily in the morning to keep your skin shiny and smooth.

5) Warm honey and mix with lemon juice and apply on to face. Wash after it dry.

6) Mix Turmeric, sandal powder and olive oil and apply to body. Shower after 10 minutes.

7) Massage your skin with milk. Milk has moisturizer, it will keep your skin smooth.

Cool Use humidifiers and keep room temperature moderate to keep your skin away from dryness.

9) Hot water blushes your skin and you don t feel fresh unless you have bath with little cold water. If you have shower for a longtime, dead skin will be automatically be removed. Do not rub with towel, be gentle on your skin.

10) Take food which contains more A and C vitamin.

11) Grate carrot and boil. Massage that mixture to body to get fair and smooth skin.

12) For natural bleaching: - mix milk and lemon juice. The milk will break as soon as you mix the lemon juice in it. Use that mixture to massage on your body. It works as natural bleaching.

13) Mix turmeric and cream on the top of milk, massage that mixture to body.

14) If

you go into sun your skin will lost the fair ness. To get your skin color to normal take equal quantities of cucumber juice and tomato juice and apply on to skin. Shower after 10 minutes.

15) Massage mustard oil to your skin for 5 minutes and have shower with gram flour or mild soap.

16) Mix cream on the top of milk and all-purpose flour and apply that paste on to your skin avoid eyes, eyebrows and lips. Shower after 5 minutes. This will make skin smooth.

17) Mix curds (yogurt) with wheat flour and apply to your skin and take shower after 5 minutes.

1Cool Grind rose petals and mix with cream on the top of milk and apply to your body. Shower after 10 minutes.

19) Scaly skin is a result of fluorine deficiency. Fluorine is the anti-resistant element of the human body, the absence of which creates problems in the blood and spleen. Since cooking and heating foods destroys fluorine, it is better to eat uncooked raw fruits and vegetables. Other foods rich in fluorine are goat milk and cheese, rye flour, avocados, sea plants and cabbage, cream whey and cottage cheese.

20) Wrinkle skin is a result of Sodium deficiency and makes skin sticky. Cucumbers are ideal for combating and preventing sodium deficiency because they are not only high in sodium, but also help in keeping the body cool, a great summer s treat.

21) Skin rashes are the result of silicon deficiency. To avoid pus and rashes, eat plenty of sprouts, alfalfa, barley, tomatoes, spinach, strawberries and figs.

22) Skin eruptions are the result of Chlorophyll. And are found in wheat grass and other green leafy vegetables

Home remedy for breast enlargement

There are many people who are still skeptical about the possibility of breasts increase with help from natural herbs. It's unrealistic to believe that certain methods of excercise help you to gain 1-2 cup sizes within a few months. Also, it's equally unrealistic to believe that an expensive breast pump will boost your breast size to D from A in a few weeks. Nevertheless, specific herbs when used correctly may increase your breast size up to a few inches. For what it's worth, here is a homemade recipe do-it-yourself breast enlargement and we don't have to be a rocket scientist to know how.

The basic

In our human body, any plant substances that are stimulate the estrogen receptores bring great benefits for the breasts. The challenge is to find herbs that can produce the strongest stimulation while it must has zero side effects in long terms.

Supercharge your love life with these herbs

Active ingredients found in these herbs have been shown to help breasts grow bigger: wild yam, pueraria mirifica, saw palmetto, black cohosh, fenugreek, hops, damiana and fennel seed. Perhaps the most noticeable herbs are fenugreek, wild yam and pueraria mirifica. They are very popular for use as common illness home remedies.

Fenugreek - For many centuries, fenugreek has been known to be helpful for increase milk supply with fast results within 1-3 days. The Chinese preferred to use fenugreek as a home remedy for morning sickness. Fenugreek has been used traditionally to treat diabetes, fever, coughs, congestion, high blood pressure, diarrhea, flatulence, anaemia and arthritis. It's also being used for breast enhancement with good results of fuller and firmer breasts. There are many brand name breast pill manufacturers have picked fenugreek as the main ingredient in their product.

Fenugreek supplement can be bought in most health food stores. They usually come in various forms: gelatin capsules, powder, seeds, tea and sprouts.
Suggestion: 500mg and three times per day.

Wild yam - Not to be confused with sweet potato, wild yam is actually native to North America, a few in Mexico, and through out the Far East Asia. Wild yam is helpful for liver, easy digestion and relaxing muscles. It's also reduce inflammation, lower blood sugar leves, antioxidant, help reduce cholesterol. Wild yam is a very good herb ingredient for enlarging breasts.
Suggestion: 500mg and up to 3 times daily.

Pueraria Mirifica - is also named as Kwao Krua, and the plant is native to Thailand. According to popular belief, pueraria mirifica can theriocally boost breast size up to 80%. While others have said that pueraria mirifica had a beneficial effect on the hair, skin and also breast increase.
Suggestion: 800-1000mg per day.

What about men?

Up to this point, there is no known natural breast grow has been made commercially for men. However, based on the evidence from researchs, that high levels of estrogen can cause reduced levels of testosterone, increased body fat, loss of muscle tone, it makes sense to presume that the above herbs should work for men too.

A few words of caution: When in any doubts, please follow the manufacturer's directions found on their products. Do not exceed their suggested dosage. Quit taking any herbal product immediately if you notice any adverse or abnormal effects, and seek medical help right away. The statements in this article or any other contents within this web site have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please use it at your own risk.

Lime or lemon juice, turmeric, honey, etc are natural bleach that improve complexion. They remove tan and make your skin fairer. (Note that lemon juice is more effective than lime juice for getting fair complexion). Cucumber juice can be applied on dry as well as oily skin to get fair complexion. To make cucumber juice, grate (kaddukash) cucumber (with skin) and squeeze it. Only 1/2 to 1 teaspoon is sufficient for a single application.

Drink 10 glasses of water daily. It will help in getting rid off any dark circle under your eyes.

Try the following pastes, mixtures or scrubs. If done daily, you will see a difference in about 10 days. These fair complexion remedies are also good for small babies.

Tips _ All

All the mixtures, pastes and scrubs should be prepared freshly as they do not keep for a long time.

· Apply a mixture of equal amounts of lemon juice and honey on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off.

· Apply a mixture of equal amounts of lemon and cucumber juice on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off. If your skin is dry, use honey and lemon juice.

· First scrub your face with cucumber slices and then apply cucumber juice (with skin on cucumber) to your face, leave it there overnight and wash in the morning.

· Apply a gram flour (besan) and turmeric (haldi) paste on face and neck. After sometime when it dries, scrub it off gently. This would gradually reduce body hair over a period of time.

· For 15 days, apply a paste of gram flour (besan), milk (2 teaspoon) and lime juice(3-4 drops) on face and neck for 15 minutes and wash with water. You complexion should improve. Repeat every 2 weeks.

· Apply yogurt to the face.

· Apply grated white radish or its juice for fairer complexion.

· For Babies: Massage the body with almond oil or any other oil once a week. Give baby a bath after 15 minutes.

· Make a paste of honey, milk, yogurt, and ground sesame seeds in equal proportions and apply on face and whole body.

. Mix honey with equal amount of almond oil. Apply on the face every night.

· Mix oatmeal with yogurt and tomato juice and apply on the face. Wash it with cold water after 15 minutes.

· Apply a mixture of 3-4 drops of lime juice and a grated tomato on face and neck for 15 minutes for 15 days. Wash with cold water.

· Make a paste of turmeric (haldi) powder with fresh lime juice and apply.

· Make a scrub of sandalwood powder mixed with almond powder or almond oil and milk. Massage gently on the darker areas like neck, around lips, below eyes, etc.

· Cut lime in slices and rub on the face slowly 2 - 3 times. Leave for about 5 minutes, then wash with cool water. Repeat 3-4 times a week.

· Make a paste by grinding mint leaves in water. Apply on the face and neck for 20 minutes and then wash with water.

· Make a paste by mixing a pinch of cinnamon powder to ½ teaspoon honey. Apply on the face every night.

· Protein mask:
Make a paste of 1 tablespoon urad dal and 4 almonds soaked in water overnight. Apply it your face and neck and wash it off after half an hour. It will nourish your skin and also bleach it.

· Make a paste of 4 almonds soaked in milk overnight. Apply it your face and neck before going to bed. Wash with cold water in the morning. Repeat daily for 15 days. It will make your skin fair.

· Fair look, oily skin:
Apply a mixture of equal amounts of lemon and cucumber juice on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off.
Make a paste by mixing papaya, honey, milk, and milk powder. Apply on face and leave for a few minutes and wash, your face will look fairer.
Apply egg white to your face.

· Fair look, dry skin:
Apply a mixture of equal amounts of cucumber juice and honey on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off.

• Dark underarms and neck:Apply a mixture of lemon and cucumber juice (equal amount) with 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Leave for 20 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water.

· Complexion of unborn child
Some people believe that the complexion of an unborn child can be improved if the pregnant mother eats certain foods during pregnancy. ,

According to Chinese, a woman can influence the colour (complexion) of her baby's skin by the type of food she eats. If one want to have the baby with fair complexion (light color), one should eat light colored food during pregnancy.

Some Indians believe that if you drink milk with a few strands of saffron add to it during pregnancy, then the child will be of fair complexion. However, there is no study available on these sayings.

· Black or dark lips: Many men and women complain that their lips used to be pink but they have become dark. Read the following remedy.
If your black lips have been caused by drinking too much tea, coffee or by smoking, you will need to cut it down. Apply Vaseline with a few drops of lemon juice to your lips regularly at night. This keeps lips moisturised. In the morning, rub your lips with a toothbrush to remove dead skin.

Natural Facial Cleanser for Fair Complexion

· For oily skin: Rub papaya or paw paw on the face for oily skin.

· Apply milk with cotton on face. Let it dry for a few minutes then wash with warm water.

· Make a paste of honey, milk, yogurt, and ground sesame seeds in equal proportions and apply on face and whole body.

· Apply a paste of whole wheat flour with vinegar to remove freckles and dark spots.

· Mix well lime juice, honey, and egg white. Apply to face and let it dry for a few minutes then wash with warm water. It will make your skin soft and smooth.

· Mix aloe vera gel, honey and egg yolk. Apply to face and let it dry for a few minutes then wash with warm water.

· Make a paste by mixing 1 tablespoon honey with 2 tablespoon powdered almonds and ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Rub on the face then wash with warm water.

· Facial wash: Mix lemon juice and hot water in equal amounts and wash.

Hair Egg Conditioner Recipe

1 teaspoon baby oil
1 egg yolk
1 cup water

Beat the egg yolk until its frothy, add the oil then beat again. Add to the water. Massage into the scalp and throughout your hair. Rinse well.

Remove Hair Build-up Recipe

1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water

After conditioning the hair use this as a final rinse. Leaves your hair soft and shiny.

Tips

Body care

• Mix six-teaspoon petroleum jelly, two-teaspoon glycerin and two-teaspoon lemon juice. Apply this moisturizing lotion least twice a week if you have dry and flaky, arms and legs
• Peel and grate a cucumber. Squeeze the juice to this, mix half-a-teaspoon glycerin and half-a-teaspoon rose water. Apply this on sunburns, leave it for some time.
• If you have cracked heels, melt paraffin wax; mix it with little mustard oil and apply on the affected area. Leave it overnight. After 10 or 15 days, your heels will become smooth.
• Massages body with a mixture of coconut oil and any of your favourite scented oils like lavender or rosemary.
• For rough palms, use a mixture of glycerin and limejuice in equal proportion.

· For cracked heals, massage the foot with coconut oil and keep the foot in warm water for some time. Wipe the water off the feet and apply a mixture of hibiscus flower(10), Henna (1 handful) and juice of half a lemon. when dry wash it off.

· Remove scars on your hands and feet by rubbing them with lemon peel.

Eye care

• Dip wads of cotton in a chilled mixture of cucumber and potato juice. Keep this on your eyelids for 15 to 20 minutes and gently wash it off. Apply a little baby oil.
• For long eyelashes.., apply a thin coat of castor oil every night. It strengthens lashes and cools your eyes.

· Massage a few drops of coconut oil around the eyes to get rid off dark circles.

• To reduce puffiness of your eyes, grate a potato; tie in a cloth and place the cloth over your eyes for about 15 minutes.
• Add a small pinch of salt in water and wash for bright and sparkling eyes.

• Mix tomato juice and lemon juice in equal quantity and apply around the eyes. After 30 minutes wash it off with cold and hot water alternatively.
• Make a paste of sandal wood and nutmeg. Apply the paste around the eyes before sleeping and wash it off in the morning.
• Crush a cucumber and take the juice. Add a little rose water and apply around the eyes and wash it after 30 minutes.

· Place cotton wool swabs dipped in cold milk on closed eyes for removing dark circles.

Lip Care

• You can mix one-tablespoon cranberry sauce juice with two tablespoons Vaseline for a delicious home made lip balm.
• Apply the juice of lemon skin for avoiding black colour of lips

· Massage your lips with coriander leaf juice for soft and rosy lips.

Makeup and Art of Dressing

We begin our life with a soft and smooth skin. Once we reach our 30s, our skin is not the same. We generally take skin (largest organ of our body) for granted. Skin can get tired if not looked upon properly. Understanding your skin will help you take better care of it. Before going through the art of dressing and makeup better have a look at our skin care section first.

Dressing up is much more then applying makeup. It is an art and science, which requires knowledge, spirit of adventure, courage to experiment, sense of color, perseverance and finally desires to look good. Looking good is not that tough and we would let you know everything required for the purpose in this section.

Eyes constitute an important part in the body. They are important in more ways than one. Eyes express what words fail to convey. Women want their eyes to be appealing and they have been using make up to accentuate the beauty of their eyes. It has been an age old practice. Here are some tips for eye makeup.

Before applying eye makeup, it is recommended that you use a concealer to screen the dark circles and wrinkles around your eyes. Ensure that the shade of the concealer is a bit lighter than your natural skin tone. Do not use it in excessive amounts. Apply the eye shadow in many thin layers.

Eye shadows are meant to highlight the beauty of the eyes. They are used to create depth to the eyes. If you use dark colors, your eyes may look smaller, while a lighter color will make them appear larger. If possible, use an eye brush to brush the shadow up. To highlight the eyes, add a lighter shade of the same color as the eye make up to your brow bone.

Too much of a shadow or liner will also make the eyes look smaller. While using a lighter color on the eyelid, use a darker color in the crease and a highlighter under the brow. This helps in creating illusions with eye shadows. If the eyes are small, don't use too much shadow or liner � it will make your eyes look even smaller.

For large eyes, wear darker shadow on the lid and extend it to the crease. Use a flat color to highlight under the brow. If the eyes are deep-set, use light colors under the skin and the brow and a medium color under the crease. Accentuate the outer corners of the eye with shadow. For wide-set eyes, use darker colors on the inner corners with shadow.

Take an eyeliner pencil and outline the top and bottom of your eyelids. Instead of a straight line, make short, small sized close dots with the eyeliner. Smudge the dots or the line lightly from the inner corners to the outer corners, for softer line. For the eyelashes, first use the eyelash separator comb. Then apply thin mascara. If you don't have many lashes, apply the mascara individually and re-comb your lashes. Allow the lashes to dry and repeat the process.

Remove the eye makeup with a cotton ball or swab soaked in makeup remover. Otherwise, you may use makeup remover pads, which are also good. Be gentle and don't rush. Be careful especially while removing mascara. You can gently rub the underside of the lashes until they come off completely.

Useful eye makeup tips:

• If your eyes are set too close to each other, put a dark shade like triangle acroos outer corners of the upper eyelid.
• If your eyes are placed too wide apart, add a blend of eye shadow across the inner halves of the upper eye lid towards the brow line. Add a slanting shadow on outer corners of the lower eyelid.
• Take a piece of cotton wool, dip it in solution of witch-hazel and use it as eye pads.
• To give a fresh look to your eyes, use a ball of cotton wool immersed in milk on top of your eyes each time you go to bed at night for 2-5 minutes.

Useful tips for calorie conscious diet plan

Are you overweight? Have you decided to go for a diet plan? Before you do so know what is required for your body in order to keep it healthy. While selecting foods in diet plan, keep the level of vitamins, minerals, starch and protein level required by body unaltered. You could cut down intake of sweets, cake, biscuits, potatoes, fried foods alcohol, cold drinks, ice creams etc.

Look out for foods like salad, soups, citrus fruits etc for better nourishment for your body and keeping low calorie intake. In order to keep digestive system unaffected, eat lot of roughage, vegetables, and fibrous foods etc. Avoid foods that make your body sluggish and inefficient.

Some useful tips for calorie conscious diet plan:

1. Plan your meals beforehand. Don't eat anything high in calories due to non availability of right food.
2. Eat vegetables and fruits raw as far as possible.
3. Replace chocolates with nuts and dried foods. They are not only low in calories but are very good for your health.
4. Avoid any thing fried.
5. Use non stick cookware for cooking foods. It could help in cooking food with very little oil.
6. Go for white meat instead of red meat.
7. Replace your regular bread with whole wheat bread.
8. Cut down intake of sugar.
9. Cut down intake of coffee, tea and cold drinks.
10. Cut down salt in your food.
11. Drink plenty of water in tune of 3-5 liters per day.
12. Balance intake of food during day.

If your food habits are not inline with above tips then don't panic and try to change everything overnight. Give yourself a month to fall back to correct diet. If you are overweight, you would see changes soon. Check for following regularly:

1. Date
2. Chest Measurement
3. Waist measurement
4. Hip measurement
5. Thighs measurement

Skin Type - What's Your Skin Type?

Knowing your skin type is the chief way you can ensure your skin feels and looks its best. Many people, however, get confused when trying to figure out exactly what their skin type is.

If you're one of these people, you'll be happy to know that it really isn't all that difficult to determine your skin type and take care of it properly. That's because essentially there are five skin types: regular/normal, oily, dry, combination and sensitive. Each type has its own characteristics that make it easy to identify.

Regular/normal skin is just that: it's neither dry nor oily, but just right. People with a normal skin type seldom suffer from acne or blemishes. Normal skin also has pores that are of normal size and not noticeably large. Pores that are normal in size rarely trap oil and dirt inside them, which is the reason that people with normal skin do not have to deal with pimples or bumps. Fortunately, having a normal skin type also means that the skin is rarely a irritated or prone to rash of any kind.

Oily skin can be a problem, however. If your skin type is oily, you will have what feels like a coating or film on your skin. This is especially noticeable first thing in the morning. People with oily skin often have to deal with chronic blemishes due to the increased oil, which causes breakouts on a regular basis. Thorough, frequent cleaning is vital to keeping oily skin healthy and blemish-free.

Dry skin, on the other hand, lacks sufficient oil. This skin type can be highly uncomfortable because the skin usually feels tight. Skin that is dry is also prone to being scaly and rough. At worst, people who have a dry skin type feel as if their skin is burning. To keep dry skin type feeling and looking its best, use moisturizers on a regular basis and avoid extremely hot water and of course, stay out of the sun! That's true no matter what answer you give to the question "what's your skin type?"

People with a combination skin type will find they have skin that is oily in places and dry in others. For example, your forehead may be oily, the skin on your cheeks dry and tight, and the skin on your nose may be normal as can be. The trick to caring for combination skin is to treat each type as needed. Don't add moisturizer to that oily forehead; do add plenty of moisturizer to those chaffed-feeling cheeks.

A sensitive skin type can often be the worst. People with sensitive skin almost always have allergies that make even the gentlest products impossible to use. If you have sensitive skin, you should always look for hypoallergenic products and use them sparingly until you know how they react with your particular skin sensitivity.

Now that you've figured out what your skin type is, you can plan a daily skin care routine that will give you a great, healthy glow.

Dark Circles Under Eye

Eeye skincare treatment women

More than 80% of the people around the world have to suffer from dark circles at some part of their life. Some people even suffer from permanent dark circles. The reasons can be many from loss of sleep, avoiding meals, diet deficiency or even sun exposure. Hereditary problems are also responsible for dark circles around your eyes.

Solutions for dark Circles under your Eyes
Below is some time tested and perfectly safe solutions to the problems of dark circles. These are safe and free from any harmful effects as you need to take special care for your eyes due to its sensitive nature. One should be careful while applying anything around your eyes. Due to this we suggest some of the best natural and safe solutions.

>> Cucumber
Clean makeup and cut thin pieces of cucumber and chill them in fridge. Apply round and thin slices of cucumber over your eyes. Keep your eyes shut. Relax and leave the cucumber on your eyes for 15 minutes.

>> Ice Cubes
Ice cubes are usually used on dark circles around eyes which are caused due to scorching sun. The dark shadow around eyes is due to the heat and pollution that is faced when one go out of their house in full sun. Take a small piece of ice cube of enough size to cover eyes. Place it over eyes and leave it for few minutes. This helps in lightening the dark circles around your eyes.

>> Green Gourd
Do the same with the green Gourd. Follow the same procedure that you did with cucumber and you will find beautiful eyes without dark circles. Of course all this will not happen in a matter of seconds but will take some time, meanwhile you can continue with the same procedure as a daily routine for best results.

>> What more can you do?
Follow a certain guidelines that will help you keep your eyes safe, natural and beautiful.

• Take enough sleep in the night. Forget all those late night schedules.
• Before going out in the sun make a habit to use the sunscreen lotion to protect your eyes from sunscreen lotion.
• Have plenty of water all around your eyes which can make you sure that you get what your eyes need to be healthy and in good condition.
• Take a lots of fresh and juicy fruits and vegetables. Increase the amount of intake in your daily diet.

Follow above remedies and we are sure that it will give relief from dark circles under eyes. For immediate results one can apply makeup face. Apply foundation, concealer that can easily hide the dark circles around eyes.

How To Buy The Perfect Bra

In today's world, the buying of a perfect bra is anything but easy. You can walk into any department store and locate a wide range of styles, sizes and fittings to select from. Some are well designed and offer just the support and look that you are after. Yet, others are anything but this. Here is a staggering thing to consider. It is estimated that only 20% of women are wearing the right sized, fitted and shaped bra for their body!

That means that most of us are wearing the wrong thing. Yet, the problem is not that we do not want to look good and find the right support. The problem is that most of us have no idea how to buy the perfect bra. Sounds harsh? The bottom line is that if we knew we would do it. Here are some tips to help you to find the perfect bra no matter where you are purchasing it.

• Size first. To find the right size, measure around the rib cage just below the breasts. Round this up to the nearest half inch and then add four to it. You want to come close to an even number, so you may need to add five to it. Next, you want to find the cup size. To do this, measure the fullest part of your bust. Subtract your measurements from this and you have the cup size.
• Under wires give support. The under wire in your bra is what will support your breasts. Make sure that it is under your breasts, snuggly.The back of the bra should be level across your back. If it pulls up, you have on a bra that is too big for you. This can lead to back pain down the road. Take care of it too. Eventually, the bra will wear out. This happens and you need to take notice of it. If the elastic is no longer there, you need a new one. You should also wash it correctly, as directed. The best method for this is to wash them by hand with cold water.

When all else fails, buying the perfect bra can happen if you go to a high quality department store and get sized for it. You can have someone knowledgeable help you to find the right bra for your needs then. There are many bras that can fit your specific needs; you just have to know what those needs are first.

Honey Facial Mask

Perhaps the best facial mask is honey.

Place a cloth in warm water and apply to your face to open the pores. Smear on honey, and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores.
Use once a week.

Beautiful Feet

Recipe For Beautiful Feet

Everyone wants to have smooth skin and beautiful feet :-)

If you take 1 cup Lemon Juice, Cinnamon (for smell), 2 tablespoons (or less) olive oil, 1/4 cup of milk, and water you can make a wash that leaves skin refreshed and fragrant (the amount of water does not matter).
If you do not like the cinnamon smell you can replace it with another spice, perfume, or flower petals such as roses.
After you make it, you can put it in a tub were you can soak your feet or body.
Next dry your feet or rinse them with water and a MILD soap.

After a few weeks of doing this your skin will be silky smooth.

Bleaching

Many people use bleaching kits which are available at medical stores and chemist shops. Avoid using cosmetics like Fair& Lovely , Fairever etc as these creams just have bleach mixed with lubricating creams so in the long run it could prove harmful.

Home remedies are cheap and without any side effects. Some of the home remedies for making skin fair and improving the complexion are:
1. Use a face pack consisting of cucumber juice, lemon juice and some rose water or you can also try a face mask with honey and lemon juice. These face packs or face masks have to be used for some time, at least for a week for noticeable results.
2. Make a paste using Haldi (Turmeric) with a little raw (unboiled) milk and lemon juice. Apply it on the skin, it will help in removing a tan.

3. Another mixture for lightening the skin colour would be buttermilk with a bit of oats in it. The oats has exfoliating capacity and the butter milk is an excellent after skin soother.

4. A mixture of lime juice, gram flour (besan) and curd applied on the skin regularly will help you in getting rid of sun tan.

5. For bleaching in home the following mixture can be used - Facial turmeric powder (kasthuri manjal) – 1 spoon, honey – ½ spoon, few drops of olive oil, curd – ½ spoon, table salt – ¼ spoon. Mix these items to make a paste and apply on your face.
Leave it for 15 minutes. Clean this with a cotton cloth. When you take a bath, wash your face with plain water and avoid soap.
You can use this, once in a week or twice in a month.

6. To lighten skin on Elbow and Knee, apply lime juice and leave it for 15 minutes.

7. The consistent use of coconut water (nariyal ) rids the face of a tan also the use of nariyal makes the skin soft and supple .

8. Home made sunscreen lotion helps to protect the skin from scorching heat of sun and is an effective to get rid of sun tanning. Mix Sesame oil, Olive oil, Almond oil in the ratio 4:1:1 respectively. Apply this on the face and neck. Use mild bathing soap and rinse this with lukewarm water.

9. Apply the juice of tulsi leaves and the juice of orange peel on the skin, and leave it for some time. This will improve your complexion.

10. Papaya pulp can be applied on the skin, this will remove whiteheads on skin.