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Beauty
Looking for skincare and haircare recipes that are simple, easy to make and work with ingredients you already have at home? Take cues from Mira Rajput Kapoor
Mira Rajput Kapoor has always subscribed to a natural approach to skincare, preferring to use at-home DIY recipes rather than off-the-shelf clinical formulations. “I don't use many beauty products as I have always believed less is more, and taking care of oneself from within shows on one's skin,” she shared in an interview with Vogue India. Rajput Kapoor has always loved sharing her favourite beauty recipes with her followers on Instagram, but in her recent video, she took a deeper-dive, sharing her favourite hacks, tricks and tips too. “I have been doing these mixes of all kinds of things from the kitchen since I was 14 and it has inculcated this passion that I now have toward skincare and holistic beauty,” she confirmed about her favourites that were “simple and easy to get done”.
Rajput Kapoor has a word of caution: “All of these ingredients are natural—they're spices, things you find in the cabinet, in the fridge—so I would highly suggest you do a patch test if you haven't before because they can have adverse reactions,” she shared, suggesting that you make sure your produce is washed, utensils are cleansed and spices are the purest possible. These are the six masks, oils and packs that she relies on for her glowy, healthy skin.
Rajput Kapoor relies on this mask to brighten skin that “needs a little pick-me-up," mixing a little honey and a pinch of turmeric to create an exfoliating mask. “Honey, as you all know, is a natural humectant and it is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. I like to use it for when I have zits or muddy looking skin that is not looking fresh,” she confirmed. “Because the haldi doesn't totally dissolve in the honey, it is granular,” which breaks down all the dead skin cells and leaves the skin “supple and healthy”.
Another brightening ingredient? Raw milk. “I have seen my mom putting raw milk on her face since I was young. It was her remedy for everything, whether it was sunburn, its an uneven tan, skin is feeling dry or not feeling healthy, she used to do this every morning,” shared Rajput Kapoor, who likes to apply it onto her face with a cotton ball. “As soon as it dries up, you do it again. I like to use 3 tablespoons of milk and rose water,” she shared, explaining that she loves that it gives you a glow thanks to the lactic acid in raw milk. Her favourite use-case? Dry, flaky, irritated skin. “I use it on my kids when they play way too much in the sun and get sunburnt," she shared.
When a “big ugly zit,” pops up, Rajput Kapoor likes to eschew the strong pens and spot treatments for a basil-based skincare treatment. “I figured this hack out when I was facing PCOS-like acne conditions,” she shared. She likes to steep basil in water and apply it onto the zits, owing to its anti-inflammatory nature. “It is going to settle, reducing the redness and the bump,” she confirmed.
Rajput Kapoor confessed that she's never actually gotten a professional facial, even before her wedding. “There's this concept of bridal facial and I was like no way, I'm not letting anyone else touch my face,” she shared.
Her first step? Applying half a lemon to her face. “The nimbu fibres become brush-like. It is highly acidic but I like the after-effect,” she shared. Then, she puts on a gram flour and yoghurt mask, with optional mix-ins that include orange peel, sandalwood, moringa powder, neem powder, saffron and rosewater. “My kids love looking at me when I have this mask on, they get a really good laugh,” she shared. After the mask, she likes using tomato juice on her face (owing to the brightening malic acid) and then finishes off by slathering on aloe vera. “The last step is aloe vera, which just cools your skin, tightens it, tones it. I can feel that my skin is breathing, it is really refreshed,” she confirmed. Her #1 trick? “Don't forget to put all this stuff on your neck as well.”
“I've always seen hibiscus as an ingredient for hair packs, so why not make it yourself?” asked Rajput Kapoor, who now mixes seven-eight hibiscus leaves and two hibiscus flowers with coconut oil, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, amla powder and neem powder. She lets it boil and then lets it steep and cool down before she applies it to her strands. Next on the agenda? Adding bhrami to the mix.
For a hair gel that'll tamp down your strands while moisturising it too, Rajput Kapoor likes to boil half a cup of flaxseeds with water and then strain it to create a gel. “The gel is quite a good hack for baby hair. It is helping you keep your hair neat and it is nourishing you at the same time," she shared.
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