Christmas is here and so is winter. It’s that time of the year when dry skin takes over and deserves extra care to make sure the glow and the shine is intact for the holiday festive season.
Skin is the largest organ on your body is also the most visible. Healthy skin is a marker of good health and when something goes wrong in the body and gut, it usually first shows up on the skin- may be as acne, boils, pimples, rashes or just dry skin.
The skin type usually can tell a lot about the inner health of a person and also shows how much care you put into yourself every day. Remember, if you care for the body, it will care for you and a little self-care goes a long way. Winter is one time where the skin is robbed of its moisture and therefore it needs a little external help to keep it soft, supple and glowing. Cracked dry skin can result in itchiness, painful tears, and dark pigmentation.
These 5 things from your pantry will ensure you don’t have dry skin
Milk
Milk has alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) ingredient which is the main ingredient in skin-care products. Lactic acid helps remove dead skin cells and stimulates new cell growth. Applying milk mixed with a spoon of gram flour and a few drops of rose water as a face and neck pack can refresh and moisturize the face. The creamier the milk, the better.
Coconut and Olive Oil
This doubles up great for dry elbows and knees. Olive oil is denser and helps lock the moisture in. Apply it at night on extremely dry areas like the elbows, knees, and feet and wake up to soft supple skin.
Ghee and butter
You can count on these for your dry chapped lips. It also adds a natural gloss and shine to the lips and you can ditch the chemical based lips balms for these natural emulsifiers. Or just use them overnight to moisturize your lips.
Honey
This is another natural moisturizer or face pack ingredient. It is known to moisturise the skin and is a pore cleanser. It also exfoliates and helps lighten scars and reduce acne and pimples. A pinch or two of turmeric and you have a homemade sking brightening face pack.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed gel is a great moisturizer for the hair. They are rich in fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6) that make hair healthier. Boil a couple of tablespoons of flaxseeds in 2-3 cups of water for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally till it reaches a gel-like consistency and a froth forms on the top. Don’t let the flaxseeds stick to the bottom of the pan. Cool and sieve the gel with a net or loose weaved clean cloth to catch the seeds in. This gel acts as a great hair conditioner as it’s not sticky. This gel can be stored in the fridge and the strained flaxseeds can be ground to use as a face scrub or a face mask.
Very helpful . Good job Tasneem.