My grandmother forces me to oil my hair at least thrice a week. However, my hair stylist says a big no -no to hair oil as it can make hair sticky and frizzy. Sometimes we blindly follow home remedies recommended by our mothers, aunts and friends. But do these remedies actually work? For years people are following the rituals like oiling hair, applying turmeric and gramflour (besan) to the skin regularly, etc. If there are some benefits of these natural beauty treatments, they come with their share of disadvantages too. According to the ladies of yesteryears turmeric and besan have qualities to make you look like Cleopatra! A dominated tradition in Indian weddings turmeric is known to have bleaching agents and can make your skin look fairer. But we fail to realize that it’s vital that we use fresh, high quality, unadulterated turmeric, which is definitely not available in urban markets today. Also, frequent use of turmeric can lead to discoloration of skin and cause allergies to oily skin.

Hair oil massage is recommended as a pre-conditioner before every wash, which can strengthen your hair roots. But it can cause allergy to sensitive skin and block hair shafts leading to breakouts. Besides, we shampoo rigorously to get rid of the oil. By doing this, we are not only putting extra chemicals in the head but also taking away the natural oil from the roots. Lemon is considered a extraordinary remedy for de-tan and lightening skin marks. But the acidic quality of lemon can actually damage your skin cells if not used properly on the skin. It is said that 8 glasses of water is a solution to a glowing skin, but the fact is every person should drink water according to the body’s need. Excess water can lead to intoxication and put pressure of processing water on the kidneys. So, we should first understand our skin and its resistance. Always ask an expert, before using any home remedy.  As some remedies can do wonders for some but at the same time can react in the form of allergies to some people. So, do a patch test and decide to do or not to do?

Section: Beauty