Firoza, a homemaker in her mid- twenties, shares her beauty secret with us.
Firoza says, “I’ve always had naturally good skin; fair and spotless, just like my mother. My friends would admire my crystal clear complexion and even call me Snow White. Therefore I’d never try any face packs, face masks or face scrubs, like other girls my age. In fact, I’ve always used the same brand of soap for my skin since childhood and haven’t spent a single penny on any type of products like face washes, moisturisers etc”.
She further adds, “I was born and brought up in Kolkata and anyone’ who’s been to the city knows how harsh the sunrays are there. They just burn your skin and then you have the after effects of a suntanned skin, spots on your skin and a dull and darkerned complexion. But I was lucky; my school was pretty close to my house and college wasn’t that far either. So my skin didn’t suffer from those sunrays, as such. And again, since my mother was a bit strict with my brother and me, we would simply rush home after school. I wouldn’t loiter around after college hours too except for when we’d be out shopping or then celebrating a close friend’s birthday and that would be once in a blue moon”.
“After graduation, I got married and settled in Pune. My husband had a 9- 5 job, so I had loads of work and responsibilities to handle at home. Once my child was born, things got even more difficult. But my two- wheeler was my saving grace. I would leave my son and pick him up daily from school and then take him for his weekend drawing classes too, all on my scooty. Now, that is when I got exposed to scorching sunrays and my skin started to change. Though I’d apply sunscreen and wear a cloth face mask and dark glasses to ward off the strong UV rays, the truth is, you just cannot escape the sun. Gradually I got dark spots on my face, prominently on my cheekbones and forehead and my skin became a few shade darker too. You don’t realise this when you have a busy life but I started to sense it as time went by. When family members, friends and even aquaintances met me, most of them told me the same thing. They said that I had such beautiful, clear and fair skin and why had it now become dark with marks and spots? I would get conscious and irritated every time someone pointed this out to me. There were times when I would experience some sort of a mild panic attack when I’d glance into the mirror. I thought those marks would never go and I would never get back my flawless skin again”, says Firoza.
Firoza asked her regular beautician for advice and she suggested Firoza avoid the sun as far as possible specially during the peak hours but that was not feasible in her case. She also gave a few tips like keeping herself hydrated and using a broad spectrum sunscreen when stepping outdoors. Last she mentioned some names of OTC products which she had heard of from her clients as being effective for such skin issues. A few friends suggested some facials and skin treatments that could be done at any good parlour and even chemical treatments to be follwed by a dermatologist. But as Firoza hadn’t used strong chemical products all her life, she was sceptical about trying those synthetic, chemical laden products now, moreso when her skin was in this condition.
She recalls the fortunate day when she had visited the parlour and shares, “Once while waiting my turn for a haircut at the salon, I picked up a beauty magazine from the table and started reading it to pass my time. While going through it, I came across an article that mentioned the recipe of a homemade chironji face pack. It said it was for clearing sun tan, skin spots and solving many other skin issues. I had heard of gram flour packs and multani mitti face packs but this was something new. I read it and kept it in mind. It was simple and didn’t need much; it required only chironji and water. Since it was a natural remedy there was no harm in trying it I thought. It did take some time but the effects were visible after a few months and gradually the tan kept lightening and the dark spots faded too. I always share this recipe with people when they ask me how my complexion became clear and beautiful again”.
skinnhair 