When my mom moved to America she didn’t just bring her clothes, jewelry and life lessons– but also beauty tips that had been passed down for generations. India is known for ayurvedic medicine and looking to nature to solve problems instead of chemically ridden products. As I grew older, my mom started to reveal these tips and tricks to me.. The tips that are provided below are all natural and seen as the holy grails to Indian women. These tips include a variety of different goals, everything from achieving silky soft hair to clear skin. These tips have been life savers over the years, and it feels wrong to keep them to myself. So these are 5 tips that my Indian mom taught me:
- Oil your hair the right way
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Growing up, I loved when my mom would oil my hair. I would sit there for at least 10 minutes and my mom would massage my hair. This can be done using a couple of different types of oil. Personally, I use 100% natural amla oil or coconut oil. You warm the oil and massage it into your head for at least five minutes, and you can always use a scalp scrubber to make it easier on yourself. After massaging it in your hair you can leave it in your hair 3-4 hours and then wash it off. This not only makes your hair softer and shiner from the oil, but the massaging stimulates blood flow to your head which promotes hair growth.
- Turmeric is your best friend
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When I say my mom used turmeric for everything growing up, I am not lying. Beyond food, when we had a bad cut you could put turmeric on it to help it clot, or when I was sick we would drink haldi doodh (turmeric milk). The benefits for your skin are amazing. So much so that during an Indian wedding ceremony called Haldi, which literally translates to turmeric, friends and family of the bride put turmeric on the bride to ensure that her skin is bright and glowy for the big day. The main way turmeric is used to brighten skin is through a sort of face mask, which can be done in many ways. I personally take 2 parts of turmeric, 1 part of milk and a little bit of honey and mix them together and apply it on my face before big events. However, it is imperative to know that turmeric does stain, so the lighter that one’s skin is, the less time you should leave it on.
- Best way to clear up that acne: Multani Mitti
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The second my mom would see that I was breaking out, she would start making a Multani Mitti mask for me. In the United States, this is called Fuller’s Earth and it is a sort of clay. This is great for clearing up acne, acne scars or just overall cleaning of the skin. To make a Multani Mitti mask you can either mix it with yogurt or add a bit of rose water and milk and mix it until it becomes a paste. You then leave the mask on your face for 10 minutes and then you can wash it off.
- Milk, Honey and Rose water
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While these three ingredients can be used on their own, they are best used in addition to other masks, like the ones mentioned above, in order to further the benefits for your skin. Milk is great for moisturizing and tightening the skin. Honey can reduce scarring, soften and hydrate the skin. Lastly, rose water tones the skin, while reducing irritation. While it may be tempting to add all of these ingredients to one mask, try to limit your face masks to around three ingredients.
- Mind, Body, Food connection
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In order to look your best you have to feel your best! My last Indian beauty tip is that what you eat can impact how you feel. A lot of the ingredients that I shared above can also be consumed, thus bringing that outside beauty and glow from the inside. That is why nutrition can be its own beauty tip. Additionally, having a sound mind can also affect how you look on the outside. As we know stress can cause you to break out so mediation, yoga or anything to get you to destress will make you feel and look your best.
As I left my home for college I started to integrate these tips into my daily life. These beauty tips have become more than just ways to brighten my skin or soften my hair, they have been a remedy for my occasional homesickness. Moreover, it has given me an outlet to embrace my Indian culture. As I indulge in these practices I think of them as a celebration of my heritage, fostering a sense of pride in the wisdom and natural ingredients that have been passed down through generations of Indian women.