Beauty solutions-Do it yourself

Does your hair go from fab to frizzy? Do you wake up in the morning with dark circles? Here list a few issues and ask experts to solve your beauty dilemmas.

• Dark elbows and knees

Dark elbows and knees can affect your self-confidence and force you into hiding them with long-sleeved shirts or full-length pants. These are areas that are often ignored. Due to dead skin build up, these areas turn dark. Says beauty expert, Shahnaz Husain, “Take half a lemon and rub it daily on your elbows and knees. Wash off the area and then apply sesame oil and massage it gently.” This will help lighten the skin.

• Sagging neck line

While you take special care of your facial skin, you don’t pay attention to the skin around your neck. Says dermatologist, Dr Mohan Thomas, “The skin around your neck is more sensitive than your facial skin. It is thinner and has less fatty tissues and thus it tends to lose elasticity as you age. This causes dryness, premature ageing, fine lines and discolouration.” To avoid these problems, cleanse your skin and exfoliate the area to get rid of dead skin cells.

Beauty solutions-Do it yourself

• Ageing hands

Did you know, your hands are susceptible to the first signs of ageing and age faster than your face? Says Husain, “Make sure you use a good moisturising lotion after taking a bath or wash your hands regularly.” Don’t forget to wear a sunscreen with an SPF 15 before stepping out in the sun.

• Tanned feet

For your feet, use a pumice stone every alternate day, to remove dead skin cells. Also, apply a heavy moisturiser on your feet before you sleep.

• Dark circles

Dark circles appear due to stress, lack of sleep and a good diet. Keep a slice of cucumber over closed eyes every morning for about 10-15 minutes. Similarly, you can also take used tea bags and place them over closed eyes for 10 minutes.

Frizzy hair
Due to lack of moisture in the air or excessive pollution, your hair tends to become frizzy. Naturally, such hair becomes extremely difficult to manage.To treat frizzy hair, deep condition them at least once a week. Alternatively, you can also use a hair mask made with one egg yolk and olive oil.

• Hairfall

“Hairfall can occur due to constant exposure to pollution and the harmful UV rays of the sun. Sometimes, not following a proper diet can also aggravate the problem,” says dermatologist, Dr Swati Srivastava. To treat hair loss, massage your scalp with coconut hair oil two times a week, to stimulate and moisturise your scalp. Since stress can also trigger hairfall, meditate or practise yoga daily.

• Nail stains

If you are in the habit of wearing nail polish every day, you might develop yellowish marks on your nail. To keep your nails healthy — let them breathe. Says Dr Narmada Matang, Head medical services, “Keep your fingers dipped in lukewarm water with a little vinegar or soap for approximately 20 minutes to let the stain fade.” You can also rub your fingers with a lemon wedge to remove the marks.

• To treat freckles

Take sesame seeds, dried mint leaves, honey and yoghurt. Crush the sesame seeds coarsely and powder the dried mint leaves. Mix a little honey and yoghurt to it. Apply this mixture on your face. After 10 to 15 minutes, wash it off.

Sesame seeds have sun-protective properties that help soothe sun-damaged skin. Apart from this, it also helps to even out your skin tone.