Published: Gulf News, Friday Magazine
Dubai, U.A.E.
April 18, 2003
Pages: 38-40, 42, 47-48
As a face mask: Mix oatmeal with hazel tonic. Leave this on the face for a few minutes, then gently scrub in circular motions to avoid 'dragging' the skin. Avoid the eye area. Afterwards, rinse with tonic water.
As a facial scrub: Mix yogurt and ground sea salt (make sure the granules are not too big as they could scratch your skin). Gently rub on the skin.
For dry skin: Mash banana and mix with yogurt and honey. Apply on the face and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes. Do this once or twice a week.
For aromatherapy: Put fresh lavender inside a pouch and hang near your bed. It's very relaxing, especially for people who have trouble sleeping.
As a face mask: Apply plain yogurt on your skin in the evening. Leave it on overnight. Or mash ripened papaya and mix with a little almond oil. Leave it on the face for 20 minutes, and rinse off.
Use face towel when exfoliating. It's softer than a loofah. You need to be gentle with your skin. Use gentle upward strokes when scrubbing to avoid stretching the skin.
For tired eyes: Put used tea bags in the freezer for ten minutes until they are really cold. Then place a pad of tissue over your eyes, and rest the tea bags on top for 10 minutes.
For oily skin: Apply egg whites on your oily areas, to draw out the oil. If your skin is particularly oily and your pores are dilated, add a bit of lemon juice to the egg whites. Leave it on for ten to 15 minutes, then wash it off.
For dry skin: Apply egg yolk on the dry areas to nourish and moisturise.
As face pack for sensitive skin: Mix broken wheat and egg whites and apply on your T-zone. Make a pack of broken wheat and egg yolk and apply it on the dry areas of your skin. Leave this on for five minutes, and use as a facial scrub.
As foot moisturizer: Mince cucumber and fresh mint and mix in yogurt. Add a few drops of eucalyptus. Apply to your feet.
For your hands: Mix yogurt with honey, a bit of goat's milk and almond oil to nourish dry skin.
For tired feet: Add eucalyptus oil, salt and peppermint in lukewarm water. Soak your feet in for ten minutes
As a face mask: Mash an avocado, apply it on your face and leave it on for ten to15 minutes. This is a good moisturizer.
As a face, foot and hand scrub: Mix rice (ground enough that you can still feel the granules), with milk. Apply this in a circular, upward movement.
As a foot soak: Add a drop of teatree oil in warm water and soak your feet it for a few minutes.
For your cuticles: Rub almond oil on the cuticles and leave it on, overnight if you want. Let it sink into the skin.
As a facial scrub: Mix together oats and water, and add a slice of lemon. Apply this on your face twice or thrice a week.
As a firming mask: Mix egg white and a teaspoon of honey. Apply and leave it on for a few minutes. Wash it off with warm water.
As a body scrub: Mix brown sugar with oil. The granules will exfoliate dead skin cells.
Don't use a loofah, especially if you have sensitive skin. A loofah, although it removes the dead skin cells, tends to remove the good bacteria in the skin as well. So your skin will be prone to skin irritations. I use a moist face towel. So the dead skin cells are removed, but the good bacteria is spared.
As a firming treatment: Separate the egg white and massage it on to your skin. Let it dry and feel it tighten. After 20 minutes, wash it off.
As a facial mask: Mash strawberries and mix with honey. Apply this to your skin for around 20 minutes for hydration and deep cleansing.
As foot soak: Soak your feet in tepid water with lime and lemon. Add a bit of lavender essential oil for a calming effect.
Don't use facial scrubs with apricot kernel. The granules have very sharp edges when seen underneath the microscope. It's quite like rubbing your skin with glass.
For soft and glowing skin: Mix sour yogurt with a few strands of saffron. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Apply on the skin for 20 minutes. Then wash it off.
As a face scrub: Mix powdered almonds and yogurt. Gently rub on the face. This lightens the skin.
For curing sunburn, bleach burns, natural burns: Mix cold water and the extract of an aloe vera plant. Rub it on the affected area. Or use the juice of a potato. Grate the potato along with the skin, extract the juice and rub on the affected area.
For reducing acne: Mix Fuller's Earth and rose water or orange flower water. Add a drop of teatree oil (essential oils must be used in moderation since they can burn). Apply on the face for 15 minutes. Wash it off. Apply twice a week to de-oil the skin.
For oily skin: Apply the juice of tomato regularly.
For very dry skin: Take out the contents of a vitamin E capsule and massage gently on skin for five minutes. Use a hot towel to wipe the face.
Removing scars and blackheads: Mix together rice powder, sandalwood and low fat yogurt. Massage on the face for five minutes.
Moisturizer for the hands and feet: Mix glycerin rosewater and lime juice in equal quantities. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before applying. You may apply this daily.
As a foot scrub: Mix sea salt, vinegar and glycerin rosewater. Wash it off after ten minutes.