Introduction

In this Organic Radiance Series, we have discussed the following:
Today, on Organic Radiance, I am discussing some of my tried out natural solutions to common skin and hair problems.
  1. Milk
  2. Mayonnaise
  3. Vinegar
  4. Turmeric Powder/ Haldi
  5. Glycerin
  6. Henna/Mehendi
  7. Salt and Olive Oil
  8. Yogurt
  9. Egg white
  10. Green Tea
  11. Silk Pillowcase

Milk

Next time you draw a bath, add a few cups of milk to the water. Lactic acid is a natural softener and will remedy your rough winter skin. For an at-home pedicure, soak your feet in a small basin of milk (any temperature you prefer) before you polish.
I use milk for cleansing my skin. Once a month or so, you can soak a cotton ball in a bit of milk and gently clean skin on your face and neck. You must not pull the skin and use gentle circular motion. You will see the impurities on cotton showing the signs of pollution on our skin. You can use it to clean your elbows and knees also.

Mayonnaise

A small amount of mayonnaise can be applied on the face directly for 15-20 minutes for deep moisturization. I do admit that my sensitive skin sometimes reacts to this but it works great on hair. Just put a small amount directly on to your scalp for extra moisture in the roots. Wash off with your regular shampoo after 15 minutes or more.

Vinegar

It is one of the best natural cleansing agents. It is best to have cleaning products like lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda in a spray bottle on your kitchen counter. Whenever you want to clean up the table tops, you can easily use vinegar and clean with a cloth. When we use anti-fungal strong agents like Dettol on our table tops, they can easily be transferred to vegetables or fruit and ruin our system. Using natural products is the best way to clean up especially in the kitchen and dining room. Here is my video explaining how to make a DIY kitchen cleaner using vinegar. 

If you mix together, one drop of apple cider vinegar and 2-3 tablespoons of water. You can moisten a cotton ball and swipe the mixture over a clean, dry face to tighten skin. Vinegar Apple cider vinegar makes an ideal natural toner as it balances the skin’s pH. Mix it with water—more for dry skin and less for oily—and swipe over your face with a cotton ball after you wash. It can be used as a skin soother, toner, for sunburn relief, bruise healer, bug bite treatment and foot deodorizer. It can also be used on hair for dandruff treatment and hair rinse at the end of a shower to help you get shiny, lustrous locks.

Haldi/Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is a spice which is regularly used in almost all Pakistani/Indian dishes. I never really knew about its numerous other benefits. Turmeric has been used as a beauty product for centuries. It is another inexpensive and natural way of treating several skin problems and getting flawless skin. It is also used for the treatment of Acne, clearing blemishes on the oily skin.
For oily skin, a mask can be made by sandalwood powder, rosewater, Haldi and orange juice drops.
If you have dry skin, 2 drops of olive oil, 1 egg white, lemon juice drops, rose water and a pinch of turmeric makes a perfect mask for face, neck, elbows and knees.
Turmeric also helps eliminate signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles. You can make a paste by mixing besan (gram flour) and turmeric powder in equal portions of water/yogurt/milk for such an effect. It is also helpful for eliminating dark circles. But beware of the bright orange color of Haldi. It has to be removed properly.

Recently, my mom developed knee pain. There are some herbal treatments which are making a difference. One of them is having Haldi in milk every night. Having Haldi in its natural form would be even better than the powder, in case you can grab that. Turmeric is not only good to eat in curries, one can make delicious soups, snacks and even smoothies with it. When the powdered Haldi is fried in Sarson oil for a few minutes and applied on the knee, it reduces pain in joints.

Glycerin

One can easily buy small bottles of Glycerin from the local chemist. I have found it is great for mouth sores and a perfect hand and foot moisturizer. If you have mosquitoes where you live, you will have to be careful as I have had bad experiences of them biting off my hands as it is sweet in taste.

Henna/Mehendi

Henna has been used for centuries as a natural dye for hair, skin and nails (ew). Dying your hair with Henna instead of a chemical dye can result into smoother, shinier and tangle free hair. Because Henna is naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, it is a good cure for dandruff and scaly scabby scalp. People often argue that with henna, they are bound to one color, but actually, it can fall into a broad spectrum, from Auburn to orange, to deep burgundy, chestnut brown or deep black. People who have fine, thin limp hair also notice that constant Henna treatments give their hair more body, density, shine and all round bounce. Again this is because the regular coats of henna will build up the hairs structure and result in thick stronger strands.
I started using chemical hair dyes at an early age as I wanted to be different and had a craze for purple hair when I was in college. Even now, hair color change seems to be the quick change that we all need to give us a makeover. But in recent years, I have become more aware of the harmful effects of chemical dyes. That’s one reason why I keep a Mehendi Cone with me and use it for touch up between dyes which in many cases is after 6 months. I  have heard people tell me not to use a Cone Mehendi as it has chemicals. Of course, those chemicals are nothing compared to the Revlon or Wella dyes that we love to soak our hair in. Using Henna keeps hair much healthier.

I’ll tell you something pretty interesting. After I worked in Retail in London for 3 years, I used to be on my feet all day long. I was not allowed to sit down even for a minute during my days at work, once I got home, I was on my feet again as I had to do all the cooking, cleaning etc. Because of me being on my toes 24/7, I developed 7 Warts and Verrucas on my toes. One of my toes had 3 of them and every time I was on my feet, you can’t imagine the pain I felt. I had no choice but to continue working. When I really couldn’t walk, I booked an appointment with the podiatrist who made me visit him several times. He checked and gave me a list of medicines. These were extremely expensive but I had no choice so I bought them hoping they will give me some relief. Unfortunately, nothing changed and there was no improvement whatsoever. I became so desperate at times that I bought a blade with foot scrubbers and tried to use the blade to shave them off.

Warts and verrucas were so persistent that they just wouldn’t leave the skin of my toes, blood would come out, but warts seemed to stay there permanently. I googled the matter and tried to look for any possible cures to these nightmares. Finally one day, an Indian friend said that he had seen some army men use Henna at the bottom of their feet to sooth their foot problems caused by excessive exercise. He suggested I try that. I thought if a 30-pound tube couldn’t improve the state of my toes, what good could a 60p Henna Cone possibly do to me?

Reluctantly, I went to the Desi store and got that. One night, I carefully used that under my toes on all warts and verrucas, tied up a plastic on them and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, it was as if I was dreaming. My toes had brown dots at the bottom, but there was nothing else. Miraculously, all warts and verrucas had vanished overnight. I had been wanting to share this secret with millions of other bloggers who wanted theirs to be cured but nothing seemed to be working for them. Unfortunately, with my working hours, I was guilty of never sharing my experience for all those who suffer from these. I’m really happy I have at least done my bit today.

Salt & Olive oil as a Facial Scrub

You simply need these two ingredients. If you don’t have olive oil, you can use almond oil also. Simply mix these two together in your palm and massage this paste lightly on to your face with your fingers. Wash it off once done. This will make your skin feel softer and cleaner. This should be avoided in extremely hot weather as the skin will get more oily. A small container can be kept in the shower area with salt so you can easily use it during a shower.

Yogurt

Yogurt is delicious, healthy and is filled with the goodness of vital multi-vitamins. This white and creamy wonder food is known for its beneficial properties for healthy skin and strong hair as it contains Lactic acid. Applying yogurt on skin and hair dates back to ancient India when it was used as an effective remedy to get rid of acne and pimples. In fact, Cleopatra from ancient Egypt was known to take yogurt baths to keep her skin youthful. Yogurt can be mixed with some oats to make a face scrub used to remove dead skin cells. Yogurt on the skin is known to reduce blemishes, tan, under eye circles, skin discoloration, aging signs, skin infections, cure sunburn.

In addition to accelerating the growth of slow growing hair, yogurt also provides other benefits for healthy and beautiful hair. The protein content in yogurt provides ample nourishment and strengthening to the hair without making it dull or dry. The zinc and lactic acid properties help stimulate blood circulation, which aids growth. Yogurt on hair is known to reduce split ends, hair fall, dandruff and itchy scalp. The anti-bacterial benefits of yogurt for hair also help soothe the scalp and reduce itchiness The moisturizing properties of yogurt are not restricted to skin care. Yogurt acts as a great natural conditioner for dry and damaged hair and helps gain and retain lost moisture.

Blend half cup of yogurt into a smooth paste and coat the hair with it. Wrap the hair in a towel and leave it on for 20 minutes. Wash with your regular shampoo and notice the enhanced moisturizing and conditioning effect of the pack on your hair. Those with curly locks and frizzy hair can also use yogurt to make their hair more manageable. Make a paste of 3 tbsp. yogurt, 2 tbsp. coconut oil and 4 tbsp. Aloe Vera gel. Apply the paste evenly on the hair and leave it on for 30 minutes before washing with a mild shampoo. To get rid of rough and dry hair, especially in winters, whip half a cup of yogurt with 2 tbsp almond oil and 2 beaten eggs. Apply the paste on the hair and leave it on for 30 minutes before shampooing for nourished and hydrated hair.

Dry hands and feet and damaged cuticles can be treated with yogurt. Apply plain yogurt on the hands and feet and let the wonder food do its work. Alternatively, add some lemon juice to yogurt and let it rest for about 20 minutes before massaging into the hand, feet and nails. Wash and pat dry. The skin not only becomes soft and supply almost instantly but the cuticles are no longer dry or damaged. The proteins in yogurt also enable accelerate nail growth and regular inculcation of the remedy will show noticeable results. Moreover, yogurt also helps cure cracked heels or athlete’s foot. Gently massage some yogurt on the affected areas to see noticeable results in just a few weeks.

Egg white

An egg contains a lot of protein. It nourishes the body as well as skin if it’s applied on it. Just separate the yoke from it in a bowl, whisk it white till frothy (without whisking works too) then apply it on your face. A few drops of lemon juice in it will give it a cleansing effect. Egg white has a skin tightening effect and it gives it a healthy glow. It tightens the pores and removes dead skin cells. Egg white is also an efficient remover of whiteheads on the face. The egg protein nourishes and heals the skin.

It is very easy to use egg white. Whenever you use an egg in the kitchen, there is normally a small amount of egg white which remains in the shell. One can simply dip a finger in it and use it on your face directly. It can then be washed off in fifteen minutes. The moment you apply egg white on your face, you will start feeling the pores of your skin tightening.

Green Tea

Green tea helps cleanse and tone your face. Green tea is full of antioxidants which are good for the skin. I would recommend using green tea with lemon. Lemon is also great for cleansing the skin, so it’s an added bonus if you get green tea with lemon. The green tea should be applied cold using a cotton pad. Using the cold green tea will close the pores, therefore stopping any dirt entering the skin and blocking pores. Green tea bags are perfect to use on tired eyes and to reduce the effect of under eye bags.

Silk Pillowcase

I had been thinking of getting myself a silk pillowcase because of all the benefits I had been hearing about it. I recently got an inexpensive one for myself and realized that it really is true. Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is good both for your facial skin and hair. Many times I have woken up in the morning with a crease all across my face, using silk under you will make sure that doesn’t happen. In the long term, this means fewer wrinkles.

Secondly, we all spend time and effort doing up our hair. But then we go to sleep and wake up the next morning looking like a fright. I tried sleeping on a silk pillowcase and it really works. You’ll find your hair exactly in the same way as they were at night. Silk actually feels so much softer under the skin too. If you don’t sleep on a pillow or move around way too much then you should consider getting a silk bed sheet made for yourself. Now I’m fancying that.

Conclusion

I hope you liked the Organic Radiance series. I’m happy to have done this series as I am a big believer of natural products. Would love to know if you tried any of the products we talked about on those posts.
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About Nadiya Najib

Hi guys! Subscribe to my blog to know about the drama that I am, my love for Pakistan and planet Jupiter and my general rambling on whats what! ? I have so much to talk about. I'm passionate about Tennis,? truck art, family trees, organizing, traveling, stamp collection, natural remedies, leaf art, social media, cats, blogging, chess and so much more! I'm always exploding with ideas. Come let's socialize. ?

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