Edible ingredients for a healthy skin

Ruchika M Sodhi shares easy home-made solutions to fight harsh winters and pollution

Winter months in and around the NCR are harsh on the skin, especially on account of the pollution. It is imperative that we take good care of our skin, especially our face as pigmentation, dark circles, crow’s feet and black heads can become aggravated. But if you believe that you need to splurge on salon visits or on expensive creams and moisturisers, junk the thought. You can take care of your skin without the use of chemicals that will bring out the natural glow and radiance.

• The very first step, if you are a smoker, is stop smoking. Though we always attribute smoking to lungs and heart diseases, it also hastens ageing of skin and creates pigmentation. Follow this up with staying hydrated and ensuring a good night’s sleep. During the winter months, we tend to drink less water but it is very essential to remain hydrated. Water is a key constituent of healthy skin. The combination of a good night’s sleep and hydration help to rejuvenate the skin.

• To stay warm and comfortable, we tend to layer ourselves. While layers keep us nice and warm, these impede the breathing of our skin, resulting in dryness and itchiness. Simple home-made moisturisers can do wonders for our skin. A couple of simple and easy to make moisturisers are –

• Mix aloe vera gel, rose water and a pinch or two of turmeric. Make a batch and store it in a cool place. Use it every day to nourish your skin
• In aloe vera gel add a pinch of turmeric, a little almond oil, a dash of rose water and the contents of six Vitamin E capsules.  Give the mixture a good shake and your nutrient-laden moisturiser.
• While the body remains covered, it is the face that is exposed. We go to great lengths to add shimmer to our face and end up using a variety of creams, serums and lotions to bring out the radiance. But do you know that you can make your own effective home-made remedies to have a glowing face? I have for long propagated that you should use those ingredients on your skin that you can eat. You do not have to be a spendthrift to have a glowing skin or face. All you need is resilience and time. For starters, make a face pack using ground flax seeds, rose water and aloe vera gel. Apply this pack at least twice a week for 15 minutes at night and scrub off with cold water. This pack will exfoliate dead skin and pollutants.

• Pigmentation results in changing of your skin colour. Pollution and exposure to strong sun is one of the reasons of hyper-pigmentation that make the skin darken. The solution to remove pigmentation and marks on the face is rather simple. Boil six cloves in less than half cup of water and reduce it to one-fifth. Sieve the water and add aloe vera gel and a little rose water. Mix well and apply on your face before going to bed. You will see a distinct difference on your facial skin the following morning. If you have crow’s feet and dark circles, gently massage coconut oil on the affected areas after the clove water treatment.

• Skin impurities sometimes become difficult to tackle. Not only pollution and the winters but also our dietary habits have residual impact on skin impurities. Thankfully, there is a do-it-yourself remedy to weed out skin impurities. Coarsely grind oats and mix with green tea leaves. Keep in jar. Before making a pack, add milk and rose water and apply the pack on your face and neck. This should be done once a week.

• Fruits and vegetable have a defining role to play to keep skin healthy. Whenever you have the opportunity, rub papaya on your skin. This will give the skin a lovely glow. Instead of a branded face scrub, you can make a scrub using couple of bananas and adding a tea spoon of coffee. Use it on your face to remove dirt particles. You can also rub a slice of beetroot on your face to even out the skin. And finally, you have to keep your face hydrated. For this a good toner is the order of the day. Make a juice of cucumber and mint leaves. Keep it in a spray bottle and spray the mixture on your face once in a while. This will keep the skin hydrated and is an excellent toner.

Nature has provided us with effective solutions to take care of our health and nutrition. It has solutions for our skincare, too. Have a healthy diet, hydrate and sleep well. These are the first three necessities of a supple skin. And to take care and maintain the supple skin during the winter months and pollution, these solutions will come handy.

(The author is a nutritionist.)