Summer Quick Fixes

This season if the heat isn't frustrating enough, there is a host of skin and hair problems adding to your woes. The humid, sultry, weather doesn't allow you to wait for time-consuming beauty rituals. It calls for instant pick-me-ups and beauty aids. Indulge in these quickies...

BREAK-UP BLUES

Your skin is angry and emotional and you don't know how to cool it down. No, a drink won't do, unless it's H2O we're talking. Try this quick home remedy if an attention-seeking zit rears its ugly head. Apply an astringent mud mask; these usually contain clays like bentonite or kaolin that draw out the moisture to make a pimple less 'juicy', especially when rinsed off with really cold water, which constricts tiny blood vessels to minimise the ghastly redness. A pinch of dry, chalky (non-gel) toothpaste, like original Colgate, will also dry out pimples, if you leave it on overnight. You could also wrap an ice cube in tissue paper and hold it to the pimple for a few seconds. Remove and repeat the procedure four or five times. Mix a few drops of honey with 1 tsp of cinnamon powder and lemon juice each to make a paste. Apply and leave on the angry pimple for five minutes and wash off with cold water.

BLACK(LIST) THOSE HEADS

If it isn't the in-your-face pimples, then it's the slimy blackheads that come unannounced. Although steaming and exfoliation on a daily basis is your best bet, you could try this remedy when in a dire situation. Mix rice powder or almond meal with yoghurt and apply on blackhead-prone areas. Rub gently, in circular motion. Leave on for five minutes and wash off with cold water. Afterwards, mix fresh lemon juice in a cup of boiled milk and wash your face with it.

OUT IN THE OPEN?

Summer's side effects-open pores and overactive sweat glands. What do you do? Use a facial scrub on the affected area and wash off with water. Then mix oatmeal with egg white and keep on for 5-10 minutes on the open pores. Wash it off when it dries.

EXTRA BAGGAGE

Lack of fluids and excess of salty foods lead to under-eye bags that look oh-so-awful in the morning. How do you lose them? If you don't have a soothing eye gel waiting for you in the fridge, drink a gigantic glass of water. Then place cool compresses (chamomile tea bags are great and have astringent properties) on your eyes and keep standing-don't lie down-to let gravity accelerate the drainage process. Crank up your circulation with gentle stretches or a few minutes of to redistribute body fluids. And don't fret, the bags will gradually over an hour or two. Keep guzzling that water.

BOO THAT BO

Tried everything from scented talcs to deos? Try one of these quick remedies. Add a cup of apple cider vinegar or white table vinegar or 4 tbsp of baking soda and a cup of lemon juice to your bathing water. You could also dissolve 1 tsp of alum in your bath water.

LIMP, LIFELESS HAIR

For your heat-beaten hair, here's a quick-fix solution. Boil used tea leaves in enough water so that, after boiling, you have about four cups of the concoction. Cool and strain the liquid. Add the juice of a lemon to it and use this as a last hair rinse. Another quick emergency treatment when you have no time to shampoo-dab on a little cologne to your hair brush/comb before you run it through your hair. It absorbs summer-induced oils and leaves your hair fragrant.

BADLY TANNED?

SO your sunscreen didn't work, and you are left with a bad, bad tan. Here's what you can do to salvage the situation. A cool milk compress is one of the best remedies for sun tan. Dab your skin with cool whole milk for 20 minutes and then rinse it off with cool water. Better still, rub on some peeled onions for instant relief to sunburnt skin.