First of all, this is not a gender specific post. Most people around me actually want to have a smooth, clean and radiant skin and, trust me, the number of men who want that is at least equal to the number of women, if not more. Although, I think I have mostly seen women work towards making their skin healthy and not men. Still, I have some really finicky and funny incidents on those lines relating to men. My brother is always asking me what should he do about his pimples, well I did not do much in my teenage. 😛 My eldest cousin brother is always on the lookout for what latest face wash/cleanser any of us girls have with us that he can try out for an ‘instant glow’! 😀

Anyway, I digress. The point is that it feels good to have a feel-good skin. Whether you care about it enough to do something about it is completely a matter of choice irrespective of whether you are a girl or a boy. However, if you really wish you had clean, supple and overall healthy skin without being high maintenance, here are 4 absolutely miraculous yet simple products for you to try:

1. Gram flour/Chickpea flour (Besan):

Two things: 1) easily available, 2) one of the best facial cleansers you’ll ever try in this life. If it’s too much effort for you to use gram flour mixed with raw milk or curd to apply on your face, just keep a jar in your bathroom and use it directly on wet face like you would use a soap/ face wash. Thank me later.

The reason why it’s better to use it mixed with raw milk/curd is that gram flour is drying in nature so it tightens the skin way too much. If you have dry skin and you use it alone on regular basis, it would be a problem. It’s better to use it with something moisturizing like raw milk. (I mostly use it alone because it’s easier and I have normal to combination skin).

2. Tomatoes or Lemons:

What for, you ask. Basically, every time you come back home from the harsh sun, just wash your face with plain water, pat dry with a towel. Then, cut a slice of either a tomato or a lemon, and rub the slice on your face in small circular motions. Don’t rub it fiercely, you don’t want to roughen the skin. Then, leave the skin like that for 10-20 minutes and wash it off with clean water. This would take away everyday’s tan and dirt away that sticks to your skin.

In case you use makeup, then you need to take off your makeup first before proceeding to this and, honestly, I would suggest to wash your face with a cosmetic cleanser after makeup removal instead of cleaning it with tomatoes/lemons. If I find a natural method instead of cosmetic cleansers on this front, I’ll let you know.

3. Almond Oil:

It’s a funny story how I started using it for skin. I have always liked almond oil for its fragrance but I never used it other than putting it in my hair every once in a while and my mom adding a drop or two in warm milk sometimes. However, I wondered if I like it so much that I can just sit and sniff it for minutes and I have heard about so many good things about this, why don’t I start using it as a moisturizer this winter instead of cosmetic moisturizers?

Now, I won’t lie and say that I have experienced something miraculous in terms of ‘instant glow’ but my skin feels (and looks) so healthy and supple and never even a tiny bit dry even in these harsh chilly Delhi winters. Plus, there is an added bonus of not putting another set of chemicals on your face. I said bye to the blue Nivea Creme this winter 😀 even though I love the fragrance beyond limits!

4. Honey:

Here’s the deal with honey. You open any article about skin care and there would be praises sung for honey. So, around three-four years back, I decided to use one of those recipes on my face and the process was so sticky and bothersome and the result was only as good as my gram flour cleanser result, if not less. So, I decided to not use it again. The thing is if it works for you, please use it by all means. As it doesn’t for me and I know that honey is beneficial, I have just substituted the sugar in my milk with honey. It is actually not only good for your skin but also good for your health in many, many ways. I love the taste so much better than milk and sugar but lot of people hate the taste. Try it out and let’s see. If you happen to like the taste, it would be so good to have a replacement of refined sugar in your life, wouldn’t it be? 🙂

In the end, I just want to add one trick. If you are eating papaya or banana, just take a small part of the pulp or a small piece and rub it lightly on your face, wait for few minutes and wash off because those two are very good for skin.

Tell me honestly if you care about your skin but still find following any of these too much effort. 🙂

PS: The pictures are clicked with my new phone. Yes, I gave in and bought a new one because the previous one just couldn’t start again after trying for so much time.