Natural Beauty

While there are umpteen branded creams and concoctions that promise skincare during summer,it seems that when it comes to dealing with summer woes,most of us still stick to natural remedies or recipes put together at home. “Nothing beats fresh fruit pulp smeared on your face,” admits Sector 38 (West)-based designer Poonam Sood,who swears by plums,papaya and even tomatoes! “My favourite scrub is one made from moong dal ground with curd which I keep stocked in the fridge,” shares Sood.

One of the biggest concerns for the ladies out there is a summer tan. While a sunscreen helps,there’s an easier way to get the tan off. The pretty Ashita Sondhi who runs the designer store ‘Bling Bling’ tells us her way to deal with it. “Just soak bread in unboiled milk and rub it all over. Once dry,wash off and the tan’s almost gone,” Sondhi smiles to say. She also sticks to using honey for an instant glow! Another de-tan therapy comes to us from Ashi Banerjee of the The Bakehouse. For someone who deals with yummy ingredients all day long,Ashi admits to using raw potato to get the tan off. “It’s also cooling and best followed by a grated cucumber pack,” she adds mentioning how tomato juice rubbed on the face and neck can do wonders in summer.

Speaking of full body packs,teacher and tarot reader Gargi Arora has a unique recipe up her sleeve. “I just step out in my garden,plough out some mud,sieve it and mix it with rose water and apply it all over,” explains Arora who truly has an envious complexion!

For those of you who have to wear make-up on a daily basis,like city’s pretty television anchor Jaspreet,the heat surely can create havoc. “Not just heavy make-up,I have to also face the constant glare of harsh lights in the studio,” mentions Jaspreet,whose skin doesn’t show any signs of stress. “Apart from a fresh fruit face pack twice a week,I make sure I remove all make-up at night,” she tells us adding how she doesn’t like using too many products on her face. That’s something business lady Anu Saboo can relate to. “I follow a basic yet extremely useful home remedy that packs in besan with malai (fresh milk cream) and some lime juice,” shares Saboo. Not only does the paste help her peel the tan off but keeps her skin soft too. If you are looking for a way to hydrate the skin that’s lost its moisture due to the heat,then Flying Cats’ leading lady Priyanka Khosla has a concoction she swears by. “Take half a cup of sugar and add some milk to it. Make sure the sugar is well soaked and add some lemon juice,glycerine and ten drops of lavender aroma oil. Wait for the sugar to dissolve. Apply it on wet skin but don’t be harsh. As you rub it off,the dry skin will peel off leaving you supple and moisturized.” Looking at Khosla,the mix is something we can vouch for!