Home remedies to protect your skin in summer

The skin is the first to bear the brunt of the summer heat, leading to problems like sun tan, sun burn, skin-sensitivity, rashes and eruptions. There are several home remedies that can help you save your skin, say experts.

Bharti Taneja, Founder-Director of ALPS Beauty Group, Shahnaz Husain, CEO of Shahnaz Herbals Inc, and Aromatherapist and beauty expert Blossom Kochhar have suggested remedies that can save your skin:

* For removing sun tan, scrub your face with this pack: Add a teaspoon of milk to two spoons of oatmeal and add two tablespoons of tomato juice, some orange pulp and a few pinches of poppy seeds. Blend the mixture together so that it forms a thick density like a face-pack.

Apply it all over your face and neck, leave till it dries and scrub it off while rinsing. The tomato and orange extracts will brighten your skin tone, while the milk will add glow.

* To give glowing effect to tired skin, milk mask plays the trick. Just apply milk mixed with glycerin all over the face. Relax for 15 minutes and rinse with water. The treatment softens, rejuvenates and restores a natural PH balance, thus protecting the skin from the negative effects of the sun.

* Apply buttermilk after a lot of sun exposure. This will not only provide relief to the burning skin, but will lighten the tan as curd has natural bleaching properties.

* Neem leaves are also a great ingredient. Simmer a handful of neem leaves on a very low fire in four cups of water for one hour. Leave it overnight. Next morning, strain the water and make a paste of the leaves. The water can be used to rinse the face. Neem contains organic sulphur compounds, with versatile healing actions that are of particular benefit to the skin.

* Application of fresh aloe vera gel to the skin helps to soothe and heal sunburn. Aloe vera contains zinc, which is actually anti-inflammatory.

* Watermelon juice is also a good skin toner and relieves summer dryness too. It cools, refreshes and softens the skin.

* Papaya pulp can be applied on the skin like a mask, washing it off after 20 minutes. Papaya contains enzymes and helps to remove dead skin cells. Add curd or lemon juice to the pulp to remove tan.

* Fruits like banana, apple, papaya, orange can be mixed together and applied on the face. Keep it on for 20 to 30 minutes. Papaya helps to cleanse dead skin cells. Banana tightens the skin. Apple contains pectin and also tones the skin. Orange is rich in Vitamin C. It restores the normal acid-alkaline balance.

* Cooling mask: Cucumber juice or its pulp can be mixed with two teaspoons powdered milk and one egg white. You can put the ingredients in a blender, for a smooth paste. Apply on face and neck and rinse off with water after half an hour. For oily skin, omit milk powder.

To reduce oiliness, mix one tablespoon Fuller's Earth (multani mitti) with rose water. Apply the paste on the face and wash it off when it dries. It also shrinks the pores and keeps the skin clear.

* To nourish your skin in this harsh weather, mix two teaspoons of salt, one-and-a-half teaspoon almond oil and half teaspoon malt vinegar. Apply this on your body before a bath.