Cleansing Grains

I've always had really oily skin & face wash was my best friend closely followed by multani mitti. Anything that helped take the oil off was good. Eventually I noticed my skin was getting rather dull due to overuse of face wash. From about 2 years I've been using cleansing grains to wash my face & I have to say it's a change for the better. My skin has never looked better. I still use face wash but only once in a day. I think the humidity & pollution in India is too strong to just be handled by cleansing grains. Also if you wear sunscreen & makeup, cleansing grains can't take it off. I highly recommend using cleansing grains the rest of the time, when you just have a layer of night cream or so.

These are the cleansing grains I use. There are plenty of others like basic besan, haldi & sandal. But EVERYBODY & their cousins know of them.

1. Powdered oats- I never liked eating oats for breakfast but it does work wonders for my skin. Just grind regular oats to get a fine powder. Add a little water & let it rest for a minute. Mix it to form a gooey paste & apply on your wet face. Massage in circular motions & wash off.
WARNING : Oats are a particularly clingy grain. You need to wash really, really well to get rid of them. Also if they get stuck in your hair, it'll be a nightmare to get rid of. I always use a headband while washing my face so I don't end up with oats all along my hairline.

Even with these cons, I recommend oats because it's incredibly soothing on the skin & it fades red acne marks too.

2. Masoor Dal & Peanuts- This is fairly easy to prepare. For every tablespoon of masoor dal add a teaspoon of peanuts & grind till it becomes a smooth powder. Mix with little water, make a paste & cleanse your wet face with this. This is slightly grittier than oatmeal so I don't recommend using a scrub while using this as cleanser. This will brighten your face almost instantly.

3. Traditional Sunni Pindi- This is used by all the aunties & grannies for flawless skin. It's so safe that its even used for bathing babies. This one's the most complicated of the lot but is well worth the effort. I made mine almost a year back & it still smells fresh and hasn't spoilt. It can even be used as an ubtan but I like it more as a face cleanser.

Rice flour 100 gm

Besan 100 gm

Green gram (powdered) 100 gm

Rose Petal Powder 20 gm

Lemon Peel Powder 20 gm

Neem Leaf Powder 20 gm

Sandal Wood Powder 10 gm

Kasturi Turmeric 20 gm

Regular Turmeric 5 gm

Vetiver 20 gm

Liquorice 20 gm

Sugandha Kachuralu 20 gm

Bavanchalu 20 gm

Camphor 5 flakes

Powder all ingredients & sift with a sieve. Repeat. Mix everything really well & store in airtight container.

P.S : I couldn't find Lemon Peel Powder anywhere, so substituted with Orange Peel Powder. Vetiver & Liquorice are available at Ayurvedic Stores.

Sugandha Kachuralu, Bavanchalu are available at stores selling Pooja items. These are the Telugu names ( I got the recipe from my Telugu speaking neighbour), I have no idea what it's called in English.

4. Patanjali Body Ubtan

   INR 60 for 100 gm

I know it's sold as a body ubtan but I like using it as a face wash. This one smells amazing.  If you can't be bothered with finding & grinding a dozen different ingredients, go for this. Mix with a little water & apply onto the face. It's super smooth in texture & fabulous value for money.

Which natural cleansing grains do you use?

Biotique Bio Carrot Seed Anti Aging After Bath Body Oil Review

Hi all, I'll be reviewing the Biotique Bio Carrot Seed Anti Aging After Bath Body Oil today. I've beeen using this oil for the past month & it's time to articulate my thoughts.

Biotique oil comes in the regular Biotique bottle with a twist cap. It also has an inner stopper with a small hole to prevent spillage. The bottle is sturdy & oil doesn't leak out. All necessary details are on the bottle label. The entire bottle has a plastic covering for extra safety.

INR 135 for 120 ml

The oil is pale yellow in colour & completely non sticky. It has a very faint smell that smells a bit like men's shaving cream. In any case it disappears fairly quickly. The oil gets absorbed pretty soon & does not stain my clothes. It also keeps my skin moistuised through the day. After using it continuously for a month, my skin texture seems to have improved. It's looking firmer & more even. After my pregnancy, my body looked like a war zone, especially my abdomen. I'm quite happy with the results.

Yays

Non sticky, non staining & moisturises for a long time. What more do you want?

Cost effective

Improved appearance of my skin, especially tummy area

Nays

After a few days, my clothes started smelling vaguely oily (even after washing).I find this really strange because the oil doesn't smell well, like oil.

A look at the ingredient list will tell you that the main ingredient is peanut oil. I think I can make a much better version at home.

Repurchase? Not at the moment. Will consider it after I've whittled down my considearable stash.Cheers.

September Empties

This is by far my shortest Empties post. Let's dive straight in

Bio oil INR 450 for 60 ml

Had bought it a while back to treat stretch marks. Boy, is it expensive! By their own admission, it needs to be used consistently twice a day for about 3 months, to notice a difference. Since I was never going to follow through on this I just finished it up by using as a body oil. It does moisturize really well but I can get better ones at lesser price. No repurchase.

Castor oil INR 90 for 200 ml

Bought it a long time back to do Oil Cleaning Method. It's supposed to be THE oil to use on oily skin. But I simply didn't like the way this felt on my skin- it's super thick. Finished it by doing oil pulling on my rather yellow teeth.

I also finished a 100 ml bottle of Parachute Body Lotion but left it at my mom's place. I may be cuckoo enough to collect & photograph my trash; but I'm not so far gone as to carry it with me.

Until next time.

50 Days of No Buy Challenge

Hi all, today is my 50th day in the 100 days no buy challenge. The journey so far has been difficult & plain painful on some days. Only a hoarder will know the pain of not buying when there are sales pretty much everywhere. Thankfully, I had a ton of products (which necessiated the challenge in the first place) before i started the challenge. This made putting together my "boxes" easier but also more challenging. I had to look for themes within what I already had.

Anyhow after all these days, I'm happy that my clutter is visibly reducing. And I'm using it, not giving it away or throwing it away. This is a huge deal to me. I would almost always give away stuff that didn't suit me. Now I've learn to make it work. If a cream is too rich, I add Aloe Vera gel to make a gel cream;if it's too greasy, I add Lacto Calamine. I feel euphoric when i manage to finish even a single product. All the normal people out there might do this on a regular basis but hoarders like me only collect & don't use.

The only way I managed to stay on track is by redoing my wardrobe. In the past 50 days, I have organised my wardrobe & gotten rid of old clothes. I also updated my wardrobe by buying pieces that I felt were missing. I think, we Indian girls are spoilt for choice when it comes to clothes. Anyhow, I bought a golden blouse, a gown, a salwar set, a kurta, a few tops & a saree. Yeah, I know. I OD in everything.

Coming to the next 50 days of the challenge, I want to buy only the necessities. No makeup, no clothes & no skincare. Heaven knows, I have enough to last a long while. It's going to be tough but I think it will be for the better. I want to cut down my skincare stuff by half, by using-not by throwing away. Binning it is the easy way out. I want this to be a lesson for me - If I buy I have to use.

Wish me luck.

My Very Own Box - October

Hi people, it's been raining like crazy here. The entire city looks so clean & beautiful like it's gotten a long deserved shower. Everywhere you look its blues & greens and that is the theme this month. My box is entirely made up of blue & green coloured products. Let's start

Vaadi Herbals Aloe Vera Deep- Pore Cleansing Milk INR 155 for 350 ml

I always stick to my trusted Ayur Cleansing Milk. Wanted to try something else this time

Aroma Treasures Lemongrass Essential Oil INR 81 for 10 ml

There's something uplifting about this scent. Can't wait to add it to my DIYs.

Vaadi Herbals Blueberry Facial Bar INR 35 for 25 gm

The only facial bar available other than Facia. Plus how often do you come across something blueberry scented?

Vaadi Herbals Aromatherapy Body Oil Pure Lemongrass & Lily Oil INR 65 for 50 ml

Love, love, love. Wakes me up instantly. I have reserved this for Monday mornings

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo INR 205 for 300 ml

This has been on my wishlist from forever. Yet to try.

Vaadi Herbals Lip Balms in Mint & Blueberry INR 30 each

Yes! I have found a cheaper dupe for Lotus lip balms. These are amazing

ELF Mineral Primer in Green USD 6

Green primer is supposed to hide redness from the face. Yet to try.

Vaadi Herbals Olive Facial Bar INR 34 for 25 gm

Got it out of plain curiosity. Will try this next

Clean & Clear Pimple Clearing Face Wash INR 55 for 40 ml

Monsoon + oily skin = pimples. Need I say more?

Vaadi Herbals Exotic Kiwi Soap INR 38 for 75 gm

Love these soaps. They are fabulous

Khadi Amla & Brahmi Hair Oil INR 125 for 210 ml

Bought this on a whim, it was a BOGO deal. These BOGO deals will be the end of me.

Vaadi Herbals Enticing Lemongrass Scrub Soap INR 38 for 75 gm

Fresh scented soap with charcoal scrub particles.