CHENNAI: Frizzy hair, chapped lips, cracked heels, dryness and skin outbursts...while the monsoon season offers a respite from the heat, it brings along with it a gamut of skin and hair care concerns, given the increase in dampness and humidity, as well. Premalatha Mohan, the brain behind Insta Madrasi Tales, suggests a few remedies with natural ingredients that can be quickly whipped up in your kitchen.
A scroll down her Instagram page that has an ardent following of 34,000 netizens would give you plenty of DIY hair masks, hair oils, herbal bath powders, gels, face packs, lip scrubs to try your hand at. The recipes she puts up are only those that she has tried and tested.
“As a child, I grew up using homemade kuliyal podi (herbal bath powder) and shikakai (herbal hair wash powder), prepared by my mother and grandmother, and I had absolutely gorgeous hair (long luscious locks as a matter of fact) and skin.
After a few years, PCOD took a toll on my health. I started losing hair and suffered from cystic acne that left behind scars. I decided to go back to the roots and began using my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes. It became popular with friends and that led to this page.
All these products are made with inexpensive ingredients and I have been receiving a tremendous response,” narrates Premalatha, a software developer. Here are a few of them.
MORINGA FACE PACK
Ingredients
Fresh moringa leaves: 1 cup
Gram flour: 2 tbsp
Curd: 2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp (skip if you have sensitive skin)
Preparation
Blend all ingredients into a smooth paste. Apply the mixture all over your face and neck evenly and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Repeat thrice a week for best results. Can be stored in the fridge for a week.
Benefits
Moringa is packed with antioxidants and helps rejuvenate, repairs skin cells and reverse the effects of sun damage and pollution.
Helps slow down ageing, improves skin elasticity, reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
The anti-bacterial properties of moringa help fight skin infections and prevent acne.
Regular application helps reduce dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
BROWN SUGAR LIP SCRUB
Ingredients
Brown sugar: 2 tbsp
Virgin coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Honey: 1/4 tsp
Preparation
Mix the ingredients together and your lip scrub is ready. Follow up with a lip balm. Can be refrigerated and used up to 10 days.
Benefits
Helps remove dead skin from your lips bringing out fresh layers. Makes lips soft.
Exfoliating your lips regularly keeps them moist and retain its moisture longer; helps prevent cracked lips.
ALL-IN-ONE HAIR MASK
Ingredients
Fresh hibiscus flowers: 15
Fresh hibiscus leaves: 15
Water: as required
Preparation
Blend fresh hibiscus flowers and leaves to a smooth paste by adding required quantity of water. Apply the mask all over your scalp and hair length. Leave it on for 30 minutes to an hour and rinse thoroughly with a mild shampoo. You can use this hair mask twice a week. You can store this mask in the
refrigerator for a week. Apply the mask only on clean, dry hair. Ensure that there is no trace of external oil on your scalp as oil coats your hair and prevents the nutrients from being absorbed. Hibiscus flower powder and hibiscus leaf powder do not blend well with water. Use only fresh flowers and leaves
for this mask.
Benefits
Hibiscus flowers and leaves contain mucilage, a substance which acts as a natural conditioner, making
hair smooth and shiny.
Hydrates scalp and helps fight dandruff and other scalp related issues.
The amino acids in hibiscus control hair loss and promote healthy hair growth. These amino acids produce keratin, the structural protein, which is the basic building block of hair.
The antioxidants present in hibiscus help prevent premature greying of hair.
HERBAL BATH POWDER
Ingredients
Avarampoo (Tanner’s cassia): 50 g
Kasthuri manjal (turmeric): 50 g
Poolan kizhangu (white turmeric): 50 g
Korai kizhangu (nut grass): 50 g
Adhimadhuram (sweetwood): 50 g, Vettiver: 50 g, Neem leaves: 50 g
Paneer rose petals: 50 g, Raw rice: 100 g, Green gram: 100 g
Preparation
Sun-dry the ingredients for three to five days until they turn crisp. Grind the ingredients to a fine
powder at a mill. Sieve and store in an airtight container.
Mix 2-3 tbsp of bath powder with the required quantity of water or curd or rose water. Can be used
every day instead of soap/body wash.
Benefits
Regular application adds a natural glow to the skin and lightens acne scars, pigmentation and
blemishes.
Helps lock in the moisture and keeps skin fresh and hydrated.
Regular application removes skin tags, warts and unwanted hair.
Helps rejuvenate the skin by exfoliating dead skin cells and makes skin soft and supple.
Removes sun tan and helps get rid of discolouration and uneven skin tone.
HAIR OIL
Ingredients
Pure cold-pressed coconut oil: 1 cup
Mudakathan keerai or balloon vine: 1 cup
Preparation
Wash mudakathan keerai well to remove any impurities and dry using a towel. Discard the stems.
Grind the leaves to a coarse paste without adding any water. In a pan, add the oil and bring to boil. Add the ground paste to the oil and heat it on a low flame until the sizzling stops. Turn off the stove and allow the mix to cool overnight. Next morning, strain and transfer the oil to an airtight glass bottle. Apply this oil twice a week and give your scalp a nice massage. Repeat for 2-3 months for visible results. Shelf life is a minimum of three months when stored in an airtight container in a cool and
dry place.
Benefits
Helps fight dandruff, itchiness and other scalp-related issues.
Helps prevent premature greying of hair.
Stimulates hair growth and helps repair damaged hair follicles.
HERBAL SHAMPOO
Ingredients
Water: 1 litre
Soapnuts: 10 (acts as a cleanser)
Dried amla: 10 (acts as a conditioner
Fenugreek seeds or fenugreek powder: 2 tbsp
Preparation
Soak all the ingredients in one litre of water in a wide heavy bottom pan overnight. (At least 8 hours) Next morning, in the same pan, boil the mix on a medium flame for 30 minutes. Allow the mix to cool completely, de-seed the soapnuts and leave it for two hours. Now, squish the ingredients for a few minutes and strain the foamy liquid through a sieve with big holes. Transfer your herbal shampoo to a clean dry glass bottle and store it in the refrigerator. Shake well before every use. Can be
stored in the refrigerator for a week.
Since this shampoo is not going to lather artificially like chemical shampoos, you may need to rinse and repeat for every wash. The quantity of shampoo required per wash varies with hair length and
oil residue. So, you will have to try and experiment with the shampoo.
Benefits
Environment-friendly and free of toxic chemicals.
Strengthens and conditions hair.
Helps prevent dandruff, split ends, hair loss and premature greying of hair.
Makes hair soft, silky and shiny naturally.
Promotes healthy hair growth.