How to Make 3 Super-Effective Face Masks using Calamine Lotion

Yes, that bottle of Lacto Calamine can work miracles. A bottle of calamine can save you from many a skin trouble like acne, sunburns, eczema…No matter what your skin type, always have a bottle handy as it can also be a healing and soothing agent for cuts and burns.

Here are some great face masks you can make using your good ole calamine lotion.

For Acne/Problematic Skin:

• 1 part of neem powder
• ¼ part turmeric powder
• 2 parts of calamine lotion/powder

For Summer Skin Care:

• 2 parts of calamine powder/lotion
• 1 part of rosewater
• 1 part of Fuller’s Earth

For Removing Acne Scars from Your Skin:

• 1 part of calamine powder/lotion
• 1 part of sandalwood powder
• Pulp of half a tomato
• Few drops of lemon juice

Vedic Line Orange Cleansing Syrup Review

Now, I usually buy products based on a ‘feeling’. I trust this feeling because I have learnt to care for my hyper sensitive skin by following what I feel is right for my skin. Vedic Line was one such brand. Part of my recent Vedic Line haul from Urbantouch.com, the Orange Cleansing Syrup walks a fine line.

Price: Rs. 100 for 100ml. I got it for less from UT.

Details:

An anti-bacterial formulation, which is gentle on skin and harsh on skin harming elements. Orange with its mild bleaching property reduces skin pigmentation, sunburns and blemishes. It removes sweat and odour and leaves skin fresh and breathing.

The bottle is a simple transparent plastic bottle with a white flip-top cap with a nozzle. This ensures that you only take out as much as you need.

On squeezing some in my hand, the smell that welcomed me was a fresh, orange-y fragrance. Not an artificial orange but a nice, full-bodied orange which me likes :) The syrup is a thin orange liquid which lathers up really well. I wish it was a little thicker in consistency as I spilled some the first few times :( 

It’s a very mild product and my skin feels fresh and hydrated with no stretchy feel.  However, I have oily skin and it does not make my skin “squeaky clean”.

The bottle states that it has anti-bacterial properties which I have found to be true as my skin which usually suffers from infections in spring/summer, has not had itchy rashes. I have started using it is a body wash and it does a very good job as a body cleanser.

The good, bad and the ugly:

Gets a Star for:

* Super citrus smell

* Herbal brand – has natural goodness

* Doubles up as a body wash

* Does not dry out the skin

* Lathers well

* Has anti-bacterial agents

Gets a Smear for:

* Too mild for oily skin – doesn’t clean thoroughly

* Runny consistency – syrups should be thicker

* Contains SLES and some other chemical compounds, some I think are preservatives – but then, honestly, I cannot believe that any herbal product will have a shelf life more than a chocolate cake in my fridge without  chemicals.

Final Verdict: This is a good cleanser if you like citrus smells and have normal-dry skin. Not recommended for oily skin.  I will definitely buy the Vedic Line Orange Cleansing Syrup again, but as a body wash. Availability of Vedic Line products in general – I have bought 2 batches of stuff from UT and Goodlife but hoping to see them in mainstream stores like New Beauty Centre (Mumbai) {shoutout to VL}

Deep-Conditioning Mask for Dry, Frizzy Hair with Split Ends

If you are splitting hair (literally!), here’s a deep-conditioning mask that can repair years of damage due to pollution, chemicals and bad brushing habits.

For this mask combine naturally-moisturising ingredients like:

1 cup of papaya pulp

1 cup of avocado pulp

1 cup of fresh yoghurt

5 teaspoons of honey

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Use it thoroughly over your hair from root to tip. Leave the mask on for at least 30 minutes to allow it to penetrate the hair before washing and conditioning as usual.

Why You Need TWO Face Masks and Not Just ONE

Imagine that you have just prepared a delectable cake. Now, you have a beautiful cake stand that has been lying in the cupboard for the longest time. Though, you’d want to display your cake on the cake stand, you’ll need to clean it first before you display your cake on it. If you don’t, the dusty old cake stand will ruin the presentation and the taste of your scrumptious creation!

(Whew! I am finally done with the example so I hope you see where I am going with this.)

Basically, there are two kinds of face masks. One that unclogs the pores by removing the built-up goop and when your skin is squeaky clean, finally, the second one. This second face mask is what will put in the good stuff into your skin, replenish and rejuvenate it.

For the first mask, I would suggest using a clay-based face mask that can draw out all the impurities and detoxify. Follow this with a moisturizing mask like an aloe-egg mask to make your skin feel soft and glowing.

So here are two aromatherapy face masks that work in synergy to give you healthy skin.

First, the “taking out” mask. This recipe will deep clean your pores and pull out all that extra grease:

•1 ounce clay

•3 tablespoons rose water

•1 drop geranium essential oil

•2 drops grapefruit essential oil

•1 drop chamomile essential oil

This recipe is for the nourishing mask that will “put in”. It will soothe and tone your skin.

•2 teaspoons finely ground oatmeal

•3 tablespoons rose water

•1 tablespoon aloe gel

•1 drop frankincense essential oil

•1 drop neroli essential oil

•1 drop rose essential oil

For each of these masks, mix all the ingredients in a bowl to form a smooth paste. Spread the mixture over a clean, damp face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Relax for 15 minutes and rinse off well with warm water before applying a toner and moisturizer.

Make sure to use these two face masks one after another, in the same day to get the best results.

Blend-A-Day: Shoo Away Winter Blues

Winter is a time for stuffy noses, aching muscles and congested chests. To combat these cold season concerns, combine in a dark-colored vial, equal parts of:

Thyme

Peppermint

Lemon

Add this to a potpourri to promote general healing in the home. If you are particularly feeling congested, use a few drops on your handkerchief or some cotton wool and inhale directly to help heal sinuses. This is also a great recipe for reducing the risk of contracting colds and flus.

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Vitamin C Skin Surge

It’s not a secret that one of the best natural whitening products is lemon. Lemon contains fruit acids that act as antioxidants to fight the signs of ageing and damage due to pollution and sun. Enlarged pores? Use a clay mask combined with lemon to shrink pores and brighten your skin. Though, you might have always heard of lemon as one of the best sources for Vitamin C, it also contains folate, potassium, magnesium and Vitamin B6 which are super skin stuff!

Kiwis, apart from being a pure delight for the taste buds are loaded with nutrients, especially Vitamins C and E – both of which are good for your skin, smoothen wrinkles and plump up your skin. Kiwis also contain loads of antioxidants and lycopene to help you turn back the clock and prevent further signs of aging.

So what does Vitamin C do for skin? Vitamin C is useful for the production of collagen. Collagen is a natural protein that makes skin firm and gives it an elastic quality. Lack of collagen means dull skin that shows fine lines and wrinkling. Vitamin C also strengthens the skin’s barrier response by reconstructing the skin’s cell structure while lessening UV-damage and hyperpigmentation.

Here’s a very effective mask that you can use for sun-damaged skin to give it a healthy dose of Vitamin C.

• Extract the pulp of one kiwi fruit.
• Add the juice of half a lemon to the pulp.
• Mix in 3 heaping spoons of gram flour to make a thick paste.
• Apply this to a clean face and wash off with lukewarm water.
• Follow up with rose water as a toner and finally, a moisturizer.

CAUTION:Vitamin C makes your skin photosensitive so do not apply this mask before going out in the sun.

Photo Credit: Jose Luis Hernandez Zurdo

A Rose By Any Other Name...Is NOT a Rose: The Difference between Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils

This article was prompted by my visit to a store the other day to buy some beeswax and essential oils to make some aromatherapy candles and was taken aback when I was handed a bottle of an exotic fragrance oil blend with a lusciously delicious-sounding name like "Yummy Cranberry". Since I am allergic to certain chemicals, I tried to coerce the salesman to give me essential oils but his "Ma'am, this smells really good" while shriveling his nose at the earthy aromas of pure essential oils told me that my efforts would be in vain.

So, what is the difference between a fragrance oil and an essential oil? In one succinct sentence - there is a world of difference between the two!

For starters, essential oils are all-natural liquids or resins, extracted from various parts of plants. They contain the "essence" of the source plant and embody the healing properties of the parent plant and are employed for not only their scent but also their therapeutic properties. Fragrance oils are also known as perfume oils or flavor oils and they are synthetic chemicals that offer nothing by way of therapy but are available in an array of scents (those fruity flavored products hardly have any real benefits).

So why would someone want fragrance oils over essential oils? The answer lies in the fact that it takes over 2000 pounds of rose petals to extract one pound of rose essential oil which means an exponential rise in cost! Pure essential oils are pricey. If you were making commercial batches of candles and you wanted them to just smell great, perfume oils would be a better bet. However, a word of caution if you are using fragrance oil to perfume soaps - often times, the synthetic ingredients could cause allergic reactions on skin and it is good practice to invest in quality, tested fragrance oils.

Fragrance oils are available in various grades and only superior quality grades should be used for cosmetics or you can get a rash from using products with synthetic chemicals. Of course essential oils being natural don’t guarantee that you wont be allergic to them but often when you get rashes from using certain products, it could mean that the product contains artificial ingredients.

However, a drawback of essential oils is that they are extremely volatile and need to be stored in dark bottles away from sunlight. Fragrance oils are quite "low maintenance" and retain their scent for years on end as opposed to essential oils that have an expiry date and don’t have a long shelf life. And since fragrance oils are available in a plethora of interesting scents (there are 500 fragrance oils for about 150 naturally-available essential oils), they are the choice of candle and bodycare products manufacturers.