A Lone Stranger

Beauty lies in… my hair In Kerala, women splurge as much as `6,000 per month only on hair treatments When one compliments a woman for her lovely tresses, they never know the price she has to pay to maintain the look. Women in Kerala are spending a major portion of their income or pocket money at beauty salons, that too for hair treatments. From hot oil massage to hair spa and hair colouring, they like to have the treatments done at a salon rather than in the confines of their home. "Women of all ages are well aware of the evolving trends these days, and they are more concerned about their hair than anything else," says Rajeshwari, a beauty expert. "Irrespective of the cost, they are ready to spent money to maintain the smoothness and texture of their hair," says Theertha Sasidharan, a beautician in the city. Sujith, a beauty expert, informs that on an average, a woman spends `5000 a month at beauty salons. "While some avail of services once in ev...

Keep your skin young. Here's how (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) We get an expert to assess his skin for its age. Here's how you can keep yours young The human body does not consider the skin a vital organ like the heart, lungs and the brain. So when the body faces a crisis — such as dehydration, fatigue due to stress or lack of vitamins in the blood stream — the skin is the first to show symptoms, as its crisis always gets addressed last. French skin expert Julien Moignard from Keraskin Esthetics was in Mumbai and analysed the skin of this correspondent. The test was done with an instrument equipped with a microscope. It measured lipid levels, hydration, wrinkle onset, skin sensitivity and pigmentation. Moignard, Dr Nina Madnani, consultant dermatologist Hinduja Hospital, and Laura D'souza, skin aesthetician, share secrets that can keep your skin looking young. Lipids Lipids are essentials oils — made of proteins, cholesterol and fatty acids — secreted by...

Homemade face packs for the summer (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) The skin, due to exposure to the harsh sun becomes dry and dehydrated. Here are face packs that can be made at home... Tomato and cream: Tomato juice and malai provides a cooling effect to the skin. Apply this with cotton. Tomato seeds can be retained in the pack. Mango pack: Apply two tablespoons mango pulp, one tea spoon of sandalwood powder, one teaspoon of honey, one tablespoon of yogurt, and some turmeric powder on your face right after some time in the sun. This saves the skin from getting damaged. Banana pack: Some banana pulp along with one tea spoon honey is also soothing for the skin. Potato juice: Applying the juice of freshly grated potato helps remove tan and is healthy for the skin. Multani mitti: This is as simple as it can get. Make a paste of it by mixing it with water and rinse off after applying it for 15 minutes.