Dear Suparna Ma’am, I read your column on May 7, where you wrote about how to darken the colour of henna for hair colouring. I want to use the home remedy you have suggested, please tell me where I can get walnut bark.
Susovan Chakraborty
Walnut bark is easily available in shops that sell herbs and herbal ingredients. It is known as ‘akhrot ki chhaal’ in Hindi and is commonly used to give a deep red colour. Used with the ingredients mentioned in my previous column (250g henna, 1 cup strained black tea water, 2tsp strong coffee powder, 2tsp burnt amla powder, 150ml water and walnut bark, simmered until it reduces to half), the natural colour of henna will become darker.
My sister, who is 21, has dry skin. She has to go out in the sun every day for a long commute to college. As a result, her face has become darker than her hands. Can you please suggest some homemade remedies to detan her face?
Name withheld
A sunscreen is very important. To remove the tan, your sister needs to use a sandalwood pack. She can make this with sandalwood paste and milk and use it daily. Also, massaging the skin with ripe papaya will help clean the skin and give it lustre and shine.
I am a 17-year-old girl with oily skin. I am suffering from pimples and blackheads. I tried many products to cure them but to no avail. My face becomes very oily in summer because of sweat. I feel embarrassed because of these pimples and the ugly marks they leave behind. Will you please suggest homemade remedies to cure my problem as soon as possible?
Anonymous
Drink 12 glasses of water daily, avoid fried food, aerated drinks, and a sluggish lifestyle. Check with your doctor for PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease). Keep your skin squeaky clean at all times.
Make the following mask-cum-face wash and use it two-three times a day.
♦ 50g fuller’s earth
♦ 1tsp powdered camphor
♦ 1tsp tulsi paste
♦ Rose water
Use enough rose water to make a smooth paste. Keep the mixture in an airtight jar in the fridge. It can be stored for up to 10 days. Massage on wet skin whenever your face is feeling oily, and wash off.
For your blackheads, first get them cleaned professionally. After that, use a scrub made of orange peel powder mixed with buttermilk to reduce chances of them building up again.
Your tips are very helpful and handy. My husband had very thick hair on his head, but recently it is thinning very drastically, mostly because of the use of his helmet, and stomach problems. He has consulted a doctor for the stomach problems but I would like you to suggest some home remedy to restrict further greying and hairfall. He is 47 years old.
Somalee G Das
Dear Somalee, his hairfall could well be because of stress, dandruff, internal weakness, hereditary problems, unbalanced and inadequate diet as well as a prolonged illness. He needs to eat healthy and increase the intake of fresh fruits and greens in his daily diet.
hibiscus flowers and leaves
At times vitamins should be taken to balance inadequate protein intake. Besides this, the use of a good-quality mahabhringraj oil is recommended as it helps darken the hair, dissuades hairfall and promotes healthy hair. At home, oiling should ideally be done twice a week, followed by turban therapy.
You can make the following hair mask for him to use after oiling. Two handfuls of hibiscus flowers and leaves ground in a mixie. To this add 2 teaspoons (tsp) triphala powder and 1tsp bhrahmi powder. Mix well adding a little milk to make a smooth paste and apply to the scalp and hair and leave on for about an hour. Wash off with a mild shampoo. You should see a difference within 10-12 applications.
I am a 30-year-old woman and I have been facing a problem of white hair for the last seven months. Earlier, there were very few grey hairs on my head but now white strands are increasing by the day. I used to have thick hair but now my hair has become dull, rough, frizzy and thin, and I am suffering from heavy hairfall. Is there a way to turn hair black naturally? Could you please suggest some products or an effective natural remedy to reduce and prevent hair from turning white? Is it possible to completely cure the problem?
Use mahabhringraj oil twice a week and apply indigo henna. Many salons are promoting this, as indigo is a natural dye and makes your hair dark blue-black. This works very well with Indian hair textures and colour. You can also burn about 200g amla powder in a black iron vessel on a slow fire. When this becomes ashen, add 100ml olive oil, 100ml sesame seed oil and 100ml mustard oil. Boil on a slow fire for 10 minutes. Let it stand overnight. Strain in a bottle and use to massage the roots of your hair with this, followed by turban therapy.
My mother is 47. She has very thin eyebrows and suffers from pigmentation. Could you please suggest home remedies to make the eyebrows thick and cure the pigmentation?
Anonymous
Your mother can use one drop of castor oil on her eyebrows daily at night; this will help thicken them. As for pigmentation, this requires a little bit of research as to why and when they appeared. Does she have any ailments like thyroid or hormonal changes? Is she having perimenopause (the period shortly before the occurrence of menopause)?
Our skin isn’t skin deep, it is related to the body within and, therefore, without proper findings, one cannot give a remedy that works. You have not even mentioned her skin type, my dear. Readers should be a little more specific if they want solutions that actually work.
Suparna Trikha is a nature care expert and columnist.
Find her on Facebook @SuparnaTrikha.
If you have questions for her, write to t2onsunday@abp.in
