Most people are born with good skin. However, many of them destroy this over time due to effortlessness and negligence. I come across hundreds of young women looking for desperate solutions to fix their skin and hair problems. Thinking of me as a skin wizard, they expect me to transform them. I would oblige. Unfortunately, nature does not work magic overnight.
We live in a time of instant gratification. We want everything to be offered to us in a jiffy—instant food, instant banking, Instagram, insta remedies, etc. It surprises me that we have not come out with ‘insta babies’ yet, but I am sure that the day is not too far away.
If you are looking for natural ‘insta skincare recipes’, I have conjured up a few that are guaranteed to work and provide fabulous results especially if you have dead-looking skin and hair.Massage dull, tired, dry skin with papaya. In a bowl, mix oats and honey with a little cold milk. Scrub your skin with this mixture. Wash off with ice cold milk and water and pat dry.
Those suffering from flyaway hair can try a quick and easy-to-make spray. Take two lemons and squeeze the juice. Then, simmer in two cups of water until the liquid reduces to half. Pour the remaining liquid into a spritz bottle. You can spray this liquid on your hair. Not only will this bring a natural sheen to your hair, it will also ensure you say goodbye to static and flyaway hair!
Hate those under-eye bags and dark circles? Store used chamomile tea bags in a freezer. Grate half a cucumber in a bowl. Massage this mixture around the under-eye area. Then lie down and place the tea bags on your eyes for about 10 minutes. You will notice an instant difference in the way your eyes look and feel.
Looking to get an instant facelift? Wash your face with ice water. Alternatively, you can dip an ice cube in 1tsp of honey and rub this on your face. Beat an egg white until it peaks. Then, brush this mixture on your skin and allow it to dry. In a few minutes, you will feel a stretch in your skin. When this happens, wash your face with icy-cold water.
Don’t have the time to shampoo and blow-dry your hair? Just sprinkle talcum and amla powder onto your hair brush. Flip your head upside down and use this brush to comb your hair from the nape of your neck to the end. Throw your hair back and voila, you have oil-free hair in minutes!
I suggest you use my secret ‘insta-beauty’ recipes, but avoid substituting them for a regular skin and hair discipline.
Suparna Trikha
The columnist is a beauty and nature care expert @suparnatrikha