Make this Summer Cooler

Summer is a season of heat and it is very difficult to beat the heat and yet look fresh. It is also a season of sweat, heat rashes, suntan, pimples, acne, wrinkled cloth, spoiled make-up, rough and weakening hair along with dandruff some times causing skin diseases.
Here are some Do’s and Don’ts
• Use an umbrella or a hat when going out to prevent harsh sun rays.
• Use goggles with UV filters to protect eyes.
• Keep your hair short. If not interested in cutting, tie-up the hair, so that it feels cool.
• Don’t wear too much jewellery.
• Use sunscreen lotions or moisturiser creams.
• Don’t apply too much make-up and avoid oily creams.
• Use light and fresh fragrant perfumes. Heavy perfumes make you weary.
• Taking a cold-water shower is good for the body and swimming keeps the body cool.
• Wash your face often with cold water.
• Exercise quite early in the morning or after sunset.
Wear cotton and loose clothes:
• Cotton absorbs sweat easily, keeping the water level down and skin cool giving a feeling of comfort.
• Wear loose-fitting dresses which are good for this season, as skin gets more air to breathe.
Ultraviolet radiation
There are two types of Ultraviolet rays, Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet (UVB) which damage the skin when exposed to it. UVB causes sunburns on the skin, while UVA causes tanning. Therefore, select an appropriate sunscreen lotion which blocks both UVB and UVA radiations.
Food: Drink plenty of water.
• Don’t drink too much alcohol.
• Maintain a healthy diet.
• Consume foods having less fats.
• Eat more salads and fruits.
• Drink juices of grapes, watermelon, cucumber, banana, jack fruit, lemon and pineapple as these juices are easily digestible and help to regulate body temperature.
• Don’t consume hot, sour, dry and salty foods, as they make you thirsty and take longer to digest. Rice with milk, sugar candy, butter- milk, lassie are good for health. Ghee can also be used.
• Avoid coffee and tea as they stimulate the nervous system.
How to combat sweat
Sweating is important as it removes the salts from the sweat glands and it helps the body to stay cool.
• Avoid black colour dresses in summer as black absorbs heat easily.
• Grind either tomato / cucumber / orange, musambi and apply to body. Leave it for 15 minutes and then have a bath.
Face pack: Prepare a fresh face pack of rose water with an equal amount of cucumber juice and store it in refrigerator. Apply this soothing lotion with a cotton ball or muslin.
Smoothening Skin: Before taking bath, apply yogurt mixed with turmeric on body. It smoothens the skin.
To remove suntan: Apply lemon or a mixture of cucumber and turmeric juice 3-4 times a day.
Pimples: Pimples are commonly noticed during summer. In order to prevent it, apply lemon mixed with honey and leave it for 10 minutes. Do this daily twice.
Lips: Lips also chap and peel in this season. To exfoliate it, take an old toothbrush, dampen it and brush it across lips.
• To remove dead skin from the lips, apply olive oil and then rub brown sugar.
Skin care
Oily skin: Lemon juice and cucumber juice is best for oily skin.
Dry Skin: For dry skin, apply water melon juice with a cotton and leave it for 15 mins.
Normal Skin: Sandalwood paste is good for normal skin. Apply while going to bed and wash it off the next morning.
Hair problems
Wash your head twice a day, because it is during this season that you perspire a lot, which may emit a bad smell.
• Mix one spoon of camphor with half a cup of water and apply it to scalp and then brush the hair to be relieved from sweat.
• To control dandruff you can apply curd and egg yolk.
• Make a paste of Henna or hibiscus leaves or flowers and apply once a week for healthy and conditioned hair.
• For rough hair, take oil massage thrice weekly and apply a mild shampoo.
[Monday 6th April 2009]