Rosewater can cure your whiteheads

Shahnaz Husain, renowned and acclaimed pioneer of the beauty movement, answers some of the common questions concerning beauty and care.
Q. I wash my hair thrice a week, but it becomes oily the next day. Please suggest a remedy.
A. You can even wash your hair daily, but use very little shampoo. Take half teaspoon for short hair and one teaspoon for long hair. Dilute with a little water and then apply. Only one application of shampoo is enough. Rinse well with water. Give the hair a tea-water and lemon rinse after shampoo. Boil used tea leaves again in enough water. After boiling, you should have about 4 to 5 cups of tea-water. Cool and strain it. Then add the juice of a lemon and use it as a last rinse after shampoo. Applying egg white on the hair 20 minutes before shampoo also helps to reduce oiliness.
Q. My face becomes oily soon and I want to enhance my dusky complexion.
A. After washing the face, apply an astringent lotion, using cotton wool. It will be available at a cosmetic store. Mix multani mitti with rose water and lemon juice into a paste and apply on the face two or three times a week. If the skin is very oily, you can apply it daily. Wash it off when it dries. It reduces oiliness and will also lighten skin colour over a period of time.
Q. Please give some tips to reduce my belly and how to get attractive hips?
A. After consulting your doctor, you can do the following spot reducing exercises. For the abdomen, lie on the floor on your back, with feet together and arms at the sides. Lift the legs about six inches above the ground and hold the position for a count of ten. Then lower the legs to the floor. Repeat this 3 to 4 times and increase gradually. For hips, lie on your back and roll the hip to the right side. Try to touch the floor on the right side with your left foot. Do the same on the left side, touching the floor with the right foot. You can also learn yoga and practice it daily.
Q. Please suggest some home remedies for tackling body odour.
A. Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) helps to prevent body odour. Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply under the arms. You can also add lemon juice to this paste. Leave on for ten minutes and wash off with water. Or, mix a little baking soda with your talcum powder and apply under the arms, or on the feet. Potato slices can also be rubbed on areas where odour forms easily. Add one teaspoon alum (phitkiri) to your bath water. Crush some mint (pudina) leaves and add them too. Rose water or eau-de-cologne can always be added generously to bath water. They are coolants and also add fragrance.
Q. I have whiteheads on my nose. Using scrubs help at a time, but whiteheads appear again. What to do?
A. You may be having oily or combination skin. If so, after cleansing, wipe oily areas with an astringent lotion. Mix multani mitti with rose water into a paste and apply on the area three times a week. Wash it off when it is dry. Make a paste of fenugreek (methi) leaves and apply on the face daily, washing it off after an hour. Grated potato or potato juice may also be applied. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Add the juice of a lemon to a glass of water and drink it first thing in the morning. Drinking barley water is also said to help whiteheads.