Skin care from your kitchen

Using home remedies is one of the best and most affordable ways of getting flawless skin as you can find most ingredients in your kitchen, suggest experts.

Gaurang Krishna, Specialist Hair Transplant Surgeon and Consultant Dermatologist, Director, MedLinks, lists down some home care ingredients that are good for your skin:

• Raw potato is a great skin brightener. Fine mash the potato and apply on your face as a pack and rinse after a few minutes with lukewarm water. Potato is excellent for treating under eye dark circles as well. Cut thin slices of potato and keep on your eyes for a few minutes. Regular use of this will give you a glowing skin.
• Turmeric consists of natural anti-oxidant, antiseptic and skin brightening properties. Applying a paste of turmeric will help remove tan and treat blemishes. Lemon is high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, making it another excellent skin brightener, A paste made with curd as base and mixed with turmeric and lemon is excellent for removing tanning.
• People suffering from acne should use a homemade mask made with honey and cinnamon. This mask helps in reducing active acne. Apply fresh Aloe Vera pulp as it is a great moisturiser for acne prone dry skin.
• Tomatoes help in shrinking pores. Mix tomato juice with a few drops of lemon and apply on your face. Rinse with lukewarm water. Regular use of this will give you best results. Tomatoes also help in reducing blackheads. Massage your blackhead prone area with tomato slices to deal with blackheads.
• Honey and milk can do wonders in bringing out a flawless glow which every woman craves for.
• Toning is also a very important part of the beauty regime as it helps in removal of remaining oil and dirt that is not cleansed away by a cleanser. Rose essential oil or rose water is one of the best toners out there, which is suitable for all skin types. Store it in a spray bottle and use it twice a day. It would help to soothe and calm the skin, balance ph levels, and help repair the skin's elasticity.
• For exfoliating oily skin, one can apply a mixture of sandalwood powder, orange peel, and fullers earth. Mix this and keep in a jar. Apply; leave it on for a minute or two. Massage for a minute and rinse it off. For a dry skin, damp your face with water, then mix oatmeal, almond, fresh cream, sandalwood, and massage this scrub cream gently and rinse off.
• The last step in the skin care routine is the application of a moisturizer. One should preferably use essential oils like tea tree and jojoba oil, which aid in masking imperfections and improve the texture of the skin. Tea tree oil should be used with carrier oil and should never be applied directly on the face. It helps in skin rejuvenation, hydration and protects the skin from becoming dull and pale.