Most of us just love to use various kitchen ingredients to whisk up some incredible beauty masks for our skin and hair. And why shouldn't we? In India, we have been using various natural ingredients like haldi, honey, Fuller's Earth, et al for our skin and hair.
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However, one should be careful while mixing or using wrong ingredients for their face and hair. always keep an eye on the natural ingredients they are using and also ingredients need to be changed as per your age, meaning what you were using at 16 you cannot use at 60. Moreover, your beauty products need to be changed as per the geographical location where you are living; for example, if you live in a tropical area, your skin regime will be different from the one who is living on hills or plains.
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Similarly, what you use in summer for your skin may not be the same in winters. In winters the skin gets dry and loses its elasticity.
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So, here are kitchen ingredients that one must avoid to keep dryness away in winters.
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Gram Flour: This highly popular ingredient has been used in face masks, body ubtans and scrubs from time immemorial. However, due to its oil reducing properties, gram flour should be avoided as a beauty ingredient during winters. Winter is a time when even oily skin requires hydration and nourishing, and gram flour reduces the chances of that completely, unless mixed with moisture giving ingredients like fresh cream, milk and curd.
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Rice Flour: Having natural skin tightening properties and commonly used in face masks, rice flour is another kitchen ingredient that one should avoid during winters. Rice flour has high contents of starch in it, hence it can dry your skin and may make it look and feel stretched and leathery. If you have a dry skin, then you must avoid adding rice flour in your face packs as it will remove moisture from your skin and further add lines and wrinkles to your skin, which is something you wouldn't want.
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Lemon: Lemon is an all-time favourite natural ingredient of many beauty experts. However, in winters, you should avoid adding lemon to any of your face packs and masks. Being highly acidic in nature, it can dry your skin and lead to severe burning and rashes. It is also phototoxic, which means when you go out after applying lemon, it will give you a burning sensation and irritability. If you have dry skin, lemon should be avoided at all costs. However, the same ingredient when mixed with moisture giving ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil or even glycerine and massaged into the skin, can work wonders.
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Cucumber: Cucumber is a very popular ingredient that helps in soothing and refreshing your skin. However, due to its natural astringent properties, use of cucumber for making face packs or masks should be avoided in winters. Commonly used around the eyes for lightening dark circles and refreshing the eyes, cucumber may damage and give the skin a dry look as it depletes the oil from the skin, especially around the eye area; therefore, during winters you need extra care around the eyes. You may gently massage your skin with moisture giving ingredients like honey and oil. Used tea bags are a great alternative to soothe and lighten the area around eyes in winters.
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Potato: Potatoes are known to help tighten the skin because of their high starch content. However, raw potatoes should be avoided during winters as they make the skin look dry and dull. This simple and easily available kitchen ingredient may damage the skin, if applied to an already dry skin which can lead to skin irritation.
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