I have extremely oily skin and the tip that I am going to share with you today is NOT something I use "every day". I use it for special days & functions when I want my face to remain oil free and matte :). So, the product is MILK OF MAGNESIA!!!! I know, I know I am a doctor and I know for what purpose it is used but it does wonders for oily & combination skin!
Consistency:- Its a thick white liquid which is a bit sticky and has tiny particles in it.
How do I use it:- I use it by putting a thin layer all over my face and then washing it off after it is dry/semi-dry.I follow it up with my routine facial products.
What I don't do:- I never put a thin layer underneath my makeup as some people do to control the oil. It might control the oil but in the long run it will clog your pores.
Why can't I use it everyday as a simple remedy?:- That is a good question. I have tried it like that and why I don't do it like that now is because of two reasons.
1) It might make your skin more oily after 2-3 weeks as you are tricking your skin into controlling the oil production, the skin might get confused and will end up producing double the amount of oil which is never pretty :D
2) Constant & every day use can do more harm as it can produce dry patches and flakes on the skin which is also another reason why nobody should use it daily
How long does it control the shine?:- It controls shine for atleast 6-7 hours. But please make sure that the products that you are applying after the MOM mask is oil free and that includes an oil free foundation too.
Do I recommend:- Yes I do. But, please make sure that you do an allergy test before using this.
I know that summer is coming to an end and I got a couple of emails asking me how to get rid of "summer tan". So, I am going to share with you all MY way to get rid of or reduce tan.
CLEANSING
-Its very very important to wash your face with the cleanser of your choice to remove the dirt and impurities that might be present on the skin. Make sure that you don't use a cleanser that strips the natural moisture from your face.
SCRUB
-Use a good scrub to exfoliate the dead skin layers on your skin. Its good to use a scrub that provides moderate exfoliation and try not to go for the mild variety. Don't go overboard with the scrub as it can irritate the skin if there is sunburn on the skin.
USE A MASSAGE GEL
-If you own any massage gel (Aloe Vera), use it to calm your skin down. You can also use brightening gels or creams after scrubbing. Wait for the gel to get absorbed into the skin completely and wash it off if you feel like it and otherwise leave it as it is
ANTI TAN PACK
-Its very important to have an anti tan pack with you always. I religiously useNature's Essence Lacto Tan Clear. But, this particular pack can produce break outs in some, so be careful while using it. I have been using the pack for atleast 3 years and its a staple in my skincare. You can also use other anti tan packs which are easily available like VLCC, JUST HERBS etc etc.
Home Remedy:- Take two table spoons of curd and mix it with some salt and apply to your face. It helps to reduce tan. This is the ONLY home remedy that I know & do.
After the pack dries wash it off with water
APPLY A MOISTURISER
-Apply the moisturiser that you use on a daily basis or aloe vera gel is also good to give a soothing effect on the skin.
SUNSCREEN
-Ok........Now that you have done the above steps I am sure that your tan must have gone or reduced to a great extent. But always always always ( I can't stress this enough) use a SUNSCREEN!!!! To prevent further tanning its very important for people to use a good sunscreen that suits their skin. I use theDior sunscreenand Neutrogena dry touch sun block. The Lotus brand also makes some amazing sunscreens.
MAINTAINING
-Always use sunscreen and if you can & always put anti tan pack after you have been in the sun for too long. It will help to minimise skin darkening & pigmentation.
PROFESSIONAL HELP
Its needed when you have been careless with your sunscreen usage and never used any good anti tan pack. Ladies pick up the phone and book an appointment for anti tan facial ASAP!!!! Nobody wants to look like this right???????
When I feel that my regular remedies are NOT working I always used to pamper myself with a good facial. I used to do "eternal-bliss" facial at strands & aroos at tvm(hey, am not trying to do any marketing for these people). It really used to perk me up and give me the glow that I need.I have heard that the Nirvana facial by Lakme is also good.
Well........who hasn't had their share of dandruff woes.......am sure that anyone & everyone at some point in their lives were plagued with dandruff!! The severity might differ, but we all go through it from time to time.I have always had my share of dandruff worries but I always found solace in the "Hot Oil Treatment" with a mixture of different oils and it used to calm my scalp down.But this time around my scalp started becoming super flaky and I had bad itching all over my head and I committed the worst mistake ever! I actually gave in to the feeing to "itch"!!! and oh my god, it gave me relief but it left me with real bad sores all over my head (I know all this sounds gross, but this time it was terrible!! :( )Maybe the cold weather in mumbai triggered the angry attack on my scalp!!!But whatever it was , my scalp looked horrible and the worstest thing was I had dry flakes falling down all over me whenever I combed my hair!!!(Utter horror)!!!!!
So, I started my intense research as to how to bring my scalp under control.I am sure all you guys know about the "technical details" about dandruff, 'coz I don't want to bore you guys with all that stuff.
I tried the trusted hot oil combo(i mixed together oilve,coconut & almond oils) but to no avail!!! 'coz this time my dandruff and the flakiness was sooooooo severe that once the hair & scalp was dry the flakes would come back again to "haunt" me :D
So, the next thing I tried was the curd and fenugreek one. Soak the fenugreek seeds overnight(2 tsp should be enough as it puffs up the next morning and would be more than sufficient) and the next morning add 2 tsp of curd to it and grind them together and make a paste.Apply the paste on to the scalp.Wait for 10-15 mins and wash it out. Make sure that it doesn't become dry on your scalp as it can be a real pain in the A** to wash it out(sorry abt the language but its true :) )But this one also seemed to work only a lil bit for me and didn't calm my scalp down even partially.
So, now, let me tell you about the 2 recipes that worked on my hair
1)Take 2 tbs of white vinegar, mix it with half a lime and 1 tsp warm water and apply this on your scalp.Make sure that every inch gets covered and if you have open sores on your head its going to sting like crazy, but, hold on as the pain is due to the lemon working the antiseptic magic and healing your scalp.The sensation will die down in a few minutes.Keep it on for atleast 2 hrs or overnight if you prefer and wash it out with a mild shampoo.
The above remedy really cured up my sores within 2 or 3 uses and I stopped after that as lemon has a slight bleaching effect.I made sure that I didn't step out too much or too long into the sun.So, do keep that in mind.
2)After my sores calmed down I cut the lemon part out and mixed 2 tsp of white vinegar and water and applied it on to the scalp to relieve myself from the remaining flakes that I had.
The above remedies calmed my scalp down dramatically within 2-3 weeks.In the meanwhile I started using the "Sebamed ph control everyday shampoo", so that my scalp wouldn't flare up.This shampoo is not a must, I used it 'coz I had it with me.Any mild shampoo would do.
I wanted to take control of the situation in the most "natural way" possible. So, I underwent so much of trouble.But now that my scalp is under control I use the NIZORAL shampoo once a week to keep my scalp healthy.This shampoo dries out my hair like crazy, so if any of you guys decide to give this a shot don't forget to use a heavy duty conditioner.But its really a good shampoo for dandruff control. I also apply curd on my scalp once a week to keep the skin on my scalp moisturised.
I wanted to share this with all of you as I underwent a really bad dandruff attack and was feeling totally horrible with my flaky ,itchy scalp.Please do a PATCH TEST for vinegar on your scalp before applying it as it can cause "sensitivity"issues.
I am also including this video that I found on the net that explains really well as to HOW TO SHAMPOO" your hair properly.Eventhough I am a haircare fanatic, I found out that I was not using the "correct" technique and I used to have a really greasy scalp that would oil up the very next day and I would have to take a head bath everyday! But now that I use the technique given on this video, I am able to skip 2 days of headbath and my scalp doesn't get oily as its clean.So, check it out. Hope you guys find this LONG post useful and do leave me some comments and remedies that you know as to how to control dandruff!! And ya, one more thing, it just cant be cured completely, you have to work to keep the scalp clean to keep dandruff at bay.............
