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Pumpkin-spiced beauty recipes

October 24, 2012 By anubha Leave a Comment

‘Tis the season of the pumpkin. They are being carved up for Halloween and soon they’ll make their way into decadent desserts and soothing stews. However, while pumpkins look, smell and taste delicious, they’re even more effective as a natural skin care ingredient. This autumnal icon is high in many nutrients that are as good for the outside of your body as they are for the inside.

Vitamin A (retinol): Acts as a potent cleanser and antioxidant that arrests free radicals, which damage skin cells. As a bonus, it soothes and softens all skin types, even sensitive ones.

Vitamin C: Another powerful antioxidant, this vitamin preserves the health of skin cells.

Vitamin E: This is also an active antioxidant that works as a powerful healer and skin soothing element.

Potassium: Regulates the water content in cells and thus applying it on your skin remedies water retention that causes unwanted puffiness.

Zinc: Helps soothe irritated skin.

Alpha-hydroxy acids: Gently exfoliate dead skin cells, draw out impurities and revitalise the skin.

The synergy of all of these nutrients means that pumpkins are a natural and healthy way to care for your skin, including tackling premature aging, sun spots, clogged pores, and a dull, uneven complexion. So, here are six simple pumpkin-based skincare recipes that will do wonders for your epidermis.

But first… how to make the pumpkin puree

Most of these recipes ask for pumpkin puree and here’s an easy way to make this essential beauty ingredient:

Slice open the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
Cut the pumpkin into large (approximately 2 inch) cubes.
Throw the cubes into your biggest cooking pot and cover with water like you would potatoes. For a beauty recipe, you don’t need to add any seasonings – in this case, the plainer the better.
Boil, covered, for at least an hour but check at the 30 minute mark. You want the pumpkin pieces to be fork-tender.
Once cooked, remove the pieces from the pot. Drop a few pieces at a time (with the peel) in a blender. Add some water from the pot for extra liquid. Blend to an even consistency. Let the orangey puree cool to room temperature before applying it to your skin.

As a shortcut, you can resort to canned pumpkin puree but fresh is always best.

Pumpkin facial scrub

½ cup pumpkin pureed
3 tablespoons organic sugar
½ teaspoon pumpkin seed oil

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together to make a thick paste. Apply it on your face and gently scrub using circular motions. Rinse off after 2 minutes with lukewarm water.

Pumpkin Pie Face Mask

2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon honey (preferably raw or organic)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Optional: ¼ teaspoon heavy whipping cream (for dry skin)

Optional: ¼ teaspoon cranberry juice or raw apple cider vinegar (for oily skin)

First, combine the pumpkin puree, honey and cinnamon powder in a small bowl. Then, if you want, add the cream, cranberry juice or apple cider vinegar depending on your skin type. Blend the mixture into a smooth paste and apply a thin layer of it onto your face, avoiding the eye area. After 15 minutes, wash off with lukewarm water and pat dry. The pumpkin and cinnamon invigorate and exfoliate, while the honey acts as a humectant.

Sweet pumpkin body scrub

¼ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup brown sugar

Combine both the ingredients in a small bowl. Apply the mixture to your body using a damp cloth. Scrub using circular motions and wash off with warm water. The enzymes in this simple sugar scrub will slough dead winter skin right off your body.

Pumpkin latte body masque

2 tablespoons strong coffee
2 tablespoons cream or milk
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sugar (raw sugar works especially well)

Blend everything, except the sugar, in a bowl. Add the sugar and blend very gently. (If this mix seems too dry and crumbly, add a bit more pumpkin; if it seems too runny, add more sugar.) Apply the masque all over your body and leave on for 15-20 minutes to allow all the nutrients to soak into your skin, then rinse well. Pumpkins and coffee are both high in antioxidants, while the caffeine also helps tighten and firm skin naturally. Sugar is great at exfoliating, and the spices make it smell great!

Pumpkin body butter

½ cup pumpkin puree

½ cup solids from a can of coconut milk (coconut crème at the top of the can)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients. Apply to skin, massaging gently. After 15 minutes, rinse with warm water.

Pumpkin pedicure

½ cup pureed pumpkin
1 egg
½ teaspoon honey

Combine all the ingredients and blend together. Apply the mixture to your feet and calves. Wrap your feet in plastic bags and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water. This simple pedicure will keep your feet super-soft.

Pumpkin hair mask

½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup natural plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Apply the mask through your entire hair (all the way from the roots to the tips). Put on a shower cap and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse well with lukewarm water; style as usual. An excellent conditioner for dry hair, this recipe will make your hair shiny and soft.

Have you ever tried a pumpkin peel or mask? Plan to try one? Do tell.

Filed Under: Beauty, Bodycare, Detox, Fruits, Hair, Hands, Oils, Organic, Skincare, Spa Tagged With: autumn skincare, beauty recipe, cinnamon, honey, pumpkin, pumpkin benefits, pumpkin health, pumpkin latte, pumpkin puree, pumpkin skincare benefits, recipe, Skin, Skincare, Spa

Dipped in chocolate: The sweet stuff goes beautylicious

September 16, 2012 By anubha Leave a Comment

This weekend, which comes close on the heels of the International Chocolate Day, is all about chocolate – and completely sans the guilt? Yes, it is possible – honestly!!!! This multitalented treat was not called the “elixir of the Gods” for nothing… it actually has a zillion benefits. To start with, chocolate not only prevents free radical damage to keep keep skin young and healthy, it’s also an excellent hydrator, skin softener and detoxifier. It has three times the oxidants found in green tea, making it a terrific preventive against premature ageing. Plus, its oils are also excellent at getting rid of stretch marks and cellulite. No wonder cosmetic-makers have been using cocoa butter as a moisturizer since the mid-19th century.

And that’s not all. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine and serotonin, ‘feel-good’ substances naturally released when we’re happy or in love – a terrific way to get in a good mood. So, when life gets stressful, turn off the phone, turn down the lights and mix up your favorite chocolate beauty recipe. Then just relax, enjoy and let your troubles slide away. Taking care of one’s skin never felt or smelled so good.

Chocolate Honey Face Scrub

½ cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup Demerara sugar

½ oz sweet almond oil

Honey

Combine all the ingredients using enough honey to form a paste. Gently apply to freshly washed skin & lightly massage, then rinse with warm water. This scrub increases circulation, aids in ridding body of toxins, add hydration and fights skin-damaging free radicals. The result is soft, smooth and supple skin.

Clarifying Chocolate Mask

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 cup instant oatmeal

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Stir all the ingredients until well-blended and apply the mixture to your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes, the lightly scrub it off with lukewarm water. The oatmeal will soak up excess oils while doubling as an exfoliant. The honey will help to refine your pores while killing surface bacteria and reducing inflammation. The chocolate polyphenols in the syrup will banish fine lines and wrinkles… while lifting your mood!

Hydrating Chocolate Mask

1/3 cup cocoa

3 tablespoons fresh heavy cream

2 teaspoons cottage cheese (optional)

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons oatmeal

Mix all the ingredients together and apply to the face. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinse off with warm water using a gentle circular method to massage and exfoliate. This will leave your skin, exfoliated, nourished and feeling super-soft.

Wrinkle Erasing Mask

3 tablespoons dark chocolate

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons ground almonds

Heat the chocolate and milk in a microwave at half power for 30 seconds; stir until melted and smooth. Add honey, cocoa and ground almonds. Apply to face and leave on 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Hot Chocolate Bath

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups warm milk

3 drops vanilla essence

In a bowl add cocoa powder, pour in the warm milk and stir until completely combined. Add the vanilla essence. Pour the mixture into your bath while it is running. Hop in and enjoy as the milk-and-chocolate combo soothe and soften your skin.

Chocolate Shower Gel

1/2 cup water

1 package unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup gentle, unscented shampoo

5-10 drops chocolate fragrance

Heat water to boiling, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat, then add the shampoo a little at a time until well mixed. Add fragrance and pour into a clean container (refrigerate between uses). You can also add cocoa powder for scent and extra exfoliation.

Chocolate Champagne Body Wrap

4-5 fresh strawberries

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup champagne or sparkling cider

Small, clean paint brush

Plastic cling wrap

Water bottle

Melt the chocolate chips in microwave. While they are cooling, puree strawberries and honey and add to the melted chocolate. Apply to entire body with a paintbrush, starting from the feet. Once covered, spritz on a mist of cider and water and wrap well with cling wrap. Wait 15 minutes and then rinse.

Chocolate Massage Stick

4 oz sweet almond oil

4 oz beeswax

4 oz cocoa butter

2 teaspoons of chocolate fragrance

Using the double boiler method, melt the beeswa, and cocoa butter together then allow them to cool slightly before adding the oils. Pour into popsicle moulds or ice cube trays; allow to harden and dry. Then simply rub the bars over your body – they will melt upon contact with skin.

Chocolate Massage Butter

chocolate, beauty, spa, chocolate beauty recipe, chocolate spa recipe, cocoa, skincare, chocolate bath 1/4 cup cocoa butter

1 tablespoon grated dark chocolate

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon beeswax

Place all ingredients in a double boiler on the stove or in a microwave safe bowl. Melt gently, stirring often. Pour the hot liquid into a clean container; for smaller individual bars pour into soap moulds or an ice cube tray. Massage into clean skin.

Intense Cellulite Treatment

Dark Chocolate

1 teaspoon Cinnamon Oil

1 teaspoon Cayenne Oil (Optional)

2 teaspoon Cinnamon, Ground

2 teaspoon Cayenne, Ground

1/8 Cup Butter or Margarine

Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, pour into a glass or metal bowl and set for 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and cayenne oil; mix well. Then add ground cinnamon and cayenne to the mixture. Apply this to your body’s target areas with a flat brush; leave on for 10-15 minutes and then wash off with warm water.

Chocolate Body Lotion

1/4 cup grated cocoa butter

1 tablespoon grated chocolate

2 tablespoons olive, almond or coconut oil

1 tablespoon grated beeswax

Combine the cocoa butter and grated chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Add the oil and beeswax. Microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes. Keep an eye on your mixture to see how well it is melting, stirring about once each minute. When the mixture is smooth, remove from microwave and stir. Apply the lotion liberally to the body as needed, to moisturize.

Chocolate Bath Salts

1 cup Epson Salt1 cup sea salt or kosher salt

3 teaspoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

A few drops of your favorite essential oil

1 teaspoon olive, almond or coconut oil

Combine the salts and cinnamon in a clean bowl. Then pour in the oils and mix until the salt is completely coated and all ingredients have been blended. You can use the salts right away or store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Cocoa Butter Hand & Foot Exfoliating Cream

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup Dry Oatmeal

4 Tablespoons Cocoa Butter

3 Tablespoons Honey

Coarsely grind the almonds in a blender or coffee grinder. In a bowl, combine oatmeal, cocoa butter, honey and ground nuts. Rub into your hands and feet, cover with cotton gloves and socks, and leave on overnight. The next morning, remove the gloves and socks and rinse. This remedy is ideal for soothing hard-working hands and feet because it gently exfoliates old, dead skin and nourishes new cells.

Conditioner for Curly or Frizzy Hair

¾ cup coconut cream

1/3 cup cocoa powder

Mix both ingredients in plastic bowl. Shampoo and use in place of regular conditioner. Use once a month or as often as necessary.

Chocolate Lipgloss

2 teaspoons petroleum jelly

1/8 teaspoons honey

10 mini Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips (any brand will do though)

1/8 teaspoons shortening (Crisco)

Carefully mix all ingredients in a microwave safe container and heat at high power for 20 seconds (don’t put the lid on), stir then repeat until fully melted. Pour into a small bottle or container and freeze until solid (approximately 15 minutes).

Filed Under: Beauty, Bodycare, Detox, Feet, Hair, Hands, Lips, Oils, Organic, Skincare, Spa, Spices Tagged With: Beauty, chocolate, chocolate bath, chocolate beauty recipe, chocolate spa recipe, cocoa, Skincare, Spa

How to drop a dress size in 20 minutes

September 1, 2012 By anubha 91 Comments

The weekend begins and it’s time to get out that body hugging dress and paint the town red! Or is it? Unfortunately, life is rarely that perfect – especially for those of us whose days normally consist of rushed meals grabbed off fast food counters and late night spent chasing deadlines. The result? Bloated bodies that make you want to slip into a tent-shaped kaftan rather than risk the unforgiving cocktail number.

But despair not – there is help at hand, courtesy the Thai damsels of centuries past, whose herbal wraps are superb at drawing out body impurities, banishing bloat and firming up the skin. No, you won’t lose 10 kilos in one session and the effects last only a few days, but if it gets me from a size 10 to a size 8 in time for Saturday’s bachelorette bash at the Four Seasons, it’s good enough for my needs!

My personal favourite is this super-simple wrap recipe from the Six Senses Spa at the Evanson Hua Hun, which promises to rejuvenate even the most weary:

INGREDIENTS (Adjust quantities according to your body size)

1 oz (20 gms) ginger

3 oz (80 gms) turmeric

Handful of rice

Warm water as required

METHOD

1. Grind together the ginger and turmeric.

2. Powder the rice to a coarse, grainy texture.

3. Add everything to the warm water and mix till it makes a thick paste.

4. Massage the paste all over your body in circular motions, paying special attention to areas with fatty deposits such as thighs, stomach, hips and upper arms.

5. Leave the paste on for 20 minutes* and then rinse off with warm water. Follow with a moisturiser of your choice.

* You can increase the recipe’s potency by wrapping your body (or at least the problem areas) in plastic sheet or strips of cloth.

This is a super-potent wrap as the ginger stimulates circulation and reduces water retention, turmeric acts as an anti-oxidant and detoxifier, while rice removes dead skin cells and drains impurities through the skin’s outermost layers.

What’s your surefire way of losing those pesky pounds in an instant? Do share!

UPDATE: I have been getting a lot of messages from readers who are concerned that turmeric will stain their skin with yellow streaks. Actually, genuine turmeric does not stain the skin when used in face or body pack-appropriate quantities. The problem is we now have a lot of spices that use artificial dyes to give the impression of better quality and it’s these pigments that cause the stain. Just to be on the safe side, I would suggest doing a patch test on the back of your hand before using a turmeric-based skin treatment. And if you do get a stain, rub olive oil or castor oil into the skin and then wipe it off with a warm cloth. You might also try using a mild alcohol-based astringent on the stained area of skin. This should clear it up quickly!

Filed Under: Beauty, Bodycare, Detox, Skincare, Spa, Spices Tagged With: body wrap, ginger, scrub, slimming, Spa, Thai, Turmeric

Holy & Holistic: Discovering Ila Skincare

July 17, 2012 By anubha 2 Comments

Recently, I chanced upon a gorgeous brand called Ila, which felt fabulously luxuriously blissful against my skin while calling upon ‘vibrational energies’ to soothe the senses. Developed a handful of years back by Denise Leicester, a Brit who came to India and fell in love with it’s culture, traditions and flowers, it offers up a sensual medley of floral and plant extracts, natural mineral oils and Himalayan salt crystals. The word ‘Ila’ comes from the Sanskrit word for ‘earth’ and there is a sacred place in northern India at the confluence of the Sarasvati and Drishdvati rivers known as Ilayaspada, which is considered to be extremely holy.

“Beyond organic”

In keeping with it’s name, Ila is devoted to the ancient practises that respect the sanctity of Mother Earth while calling upon it’s healing energies. According to Denise, “Everything in our products comes from a plant or mineral – nothing else.” But the brand goes even beyond the merely organic – every single ingredient is not only free from synthetic chemicals but is also sourced directly from local producers who cultivate and harvest them in harmony with nature.

Roses that hold an ancient promise

For example, the Rose Damascena from India comes from a family that has been growing and distilling roses for many generations according to centuries-old methods. The water is drawn by solar energy, then mixed with petals in copper vats and heated by natural fire-fuel. The spent petals are fed to the cows, completing a cycle that begins and ends with nature. The end result is a distillate of Rose Otto with a depth and a richness of scent that is so potent, I can smell the fragrance and feel it’s silken touch a full 12 hours after washing the Body Balm for Feeding Skin and Senses off my skin!

Moroccan memories

Similarly, the Argan Oil from Morocco is made by a womans’ co-operative whose skills have been passed on down the Berber generations. It’s crushed, filtered and cold-pressed in the way it always has been, using many hands and just a few simple mechanical aids. Denise and her colleagues eschew middle-men, choosing instead to travel and handpick the “purest sources” themselves, thus laying the foundations for fair trade. The reason? “The purer the source and the process, the purer Ila’s products will be and the more suffused with the earth’s natural healing energy.”

Beauty through chanting?

The products themselves are artisanal and hand-blended in an environment of “peace and purity”, accompanied by the rhythm of energy and balance-imbuing chants in the English countryside. This is to imbue the finished potions with all the pure vibrational energies of nature that work in consonance with therapeutic ingredients “to improve natural beauty through the health and vitality of our skin, to increase well-being through the transforming effects of energy healing, and to connect to a greater sense of inner serenity.”

Ila products have garnered a number of awards and are available at premium outlets across the world (including the Four Seasons Spa in Mumbai, which also offers up terrific spa rituals based around the same, for the benefit of Indian connoisseurs). Prices normally start at approximately Rs. 2,000 (or 35 British pounds, depending on which part of the world you are based).

Filed Under: Beauty, Celebs, Flowers, Fruits, Oils, Organic, Skincare, Spa, Spices Tagged With: Argan oil, Beauty, chant, eco friendly, Ila, Organic, rose, Skincare, Spa, sustainable beauty

Clean, Calm & Corrected: The Beaubelle Spa Experience

June 11, 2012 By anubha Leave a Comment

This is the worst time of the year for me – seriously. I possibly couldn’t hate the horridly hot and sticky weather more… what’s with Mother Nature? Blotchy skin, ugly breakouts, greasy face, dehydrated complexion, makeup that doesn’t stay put for more than 30 seconds… this is no way to treat your poor kids, mommy That’s why I just need a mere suggestion of a spa day and am off and running! Unfortunately, summer brings out way to many spa pretenders who have no clue what to do besides play some music and douse you with a tiny bit of feel-good vibes that do nothing for your skin and even less for your state of mind an hour after you have paid the bill.

Fortunately, Beaubelle is not one of these! Quite the opposite, in fact. This international spa brand, which has recently launched in India, believes in “Providing holistic rejuvenation solutions to maintain youth, beauty and health through the harmony of body, mind and soul”. This may sound simplistic but you would be surprised to know how many spa brands completely lose sight of the fact that to look good you have to feel good and vice-versa. And that to feel good, your body needs to be healthy – which leads into the need for treatments that boost the immune system. Hooked? I was – hence the trip to the Taj Salon in Mumbai for a “diagnosis” and hopeful relief from terrible skin, terrible fatigue and a consistent sinus episode that was just refusing to go away!

Body Boon

Maggie, my therapist, took one look at my snivelling, blotchy self and decided to pull out the big guns – aroma oils + oxygen therapy (yup! my skin definitely looked like it needed life support!).

First up, a detoxifying foot massage and soak using warm water: perfect for letting the body know it’s in good hands and hence setting the stage for total relaxation. Next, as I lay prone on the table, Maggie smoothed away the rough patches with a micronized salt scrub loaded with calcium and magnesium to rid the skin of impurities and dead cells. Then came a divine body wrap with natural algae to step up the internal detoxification (I could literally visualise the algae doing battle with all those chilled white wines and greasy potato chips that form my staple summer diet!). This was followed by lymphatic drainage – a gentle symphony of long, broad, strokes to rid the body of all toxins and create a sense of calm. By now, I was so chilled out that sleep overtook all other senses.

Best Face Forward

The rest of the treatment passed in a dozy blur but one look at my suddenly and miraculously glowing face an hour later (Beaubelle, thankfully, is not one of those brands who believes that results should jump up and surprise you two days later – what you see is pretty much what you get, which just seems more credible and satisfying) forced my slumbering brain to ask some questions – the secret, I understand, lies in the brand’s “power complex”, which is chock-full of liquid oxygen to step up cellular regeneration and increase the skin’s natural energy reserves. This comes after some deep cleansing and exfoliating – and would (Maggie explains) have created a slight warming sensation as the power complex began to oxygenate the cells had I not been faaaaaast asleep at that point.

The grand finale? An essential oil face pack that sealed everything in nice and tight, waking up the skin and creating that lovely glow. Plus, all those dazzlingly aromatic oils resulted in a feeling of such wondrous well being that I didn’t even want to cry about all the work stacked on my desk any longer… anything is possible when you are feeling this good I literally bounced out of the Taj, ready to take on the summer heat once again! After all, I now know where to turn when the skin and spirits start to droop. Bliss!

Filed Under: Beauty, Bodycare, Classic, Detox, Skincare, Spa, Sun Protection Tagged With: beaubelle, Beauty, India, Mumbai, oxygen, Skin, Spa, summer, taj