Ah mothers! Where would we be without them? They were our first teachers, tailors, doctors, counselors and a whole lot more. There is that ever popular adage, “Mom knows best”, and we can hardly argue with the fact. Apart from everything they taught us, they schooled us in the subject of beauty and some of the practices are still very precious to the following generations. And why not? There is no dearth of gorgeous, glowing mothers everywhere around us. Let's explore some of their thoughts on beauty rituals
DIY treatments
Sure there were beauty salons back in the day, but women preferred to take the natural route when it came to skin treatments and took matters into their own hands. Here are some combinations they swear by:
A clean slate: Instead of using straight up soap (which is super drying) to get rid of impurities, a paste was made from raw turmeric, cream, (the dairy kind) and lime juice for super soft and radiant skin. Some even added some lentils to the mix for an added kick.
Rapid refreshers: Some women used sliced tomatoes on their skin, which is really great for your skin. Lycopene, anyone? It's even better if you eat some slices. (maybe not the ones you put on your face) Another popular method of waking up the skin was rubbing cucumbers on it. We still do this as it's an instant pick-me-up and temporarily tightens the face.
Soothing sensations: When ever our mothers or even we developed itchy allergies, they would boil Neem leaves and turmeric and mixed it with the bath water for relief. Neem paste also helps with Chicken Pox.
Expensive potions are not a must
Unless your mom was lucky enough to be a jet setter, traveling to fancy destinations and bringing back exotic elixirs that promised them everlasting youth, they probably had a bottle of good old Oil of Olay lotion on their dressers. Lets not forget that ubiquitous navy blue tin of Nivea cream that our mother's used and shared with us. There is absolutely nothing wrong with affordable brands. Don't let the pricey companies tell you any different.
Kneading it out
If you are a Bangladeshi baby, your mother most definitely used to give you oil massages and indulge in them herself. Mustard oil was the go-to standard because of its tremendous benefits for skin as well as easing congestion. At the end of the day, no product will ever moisturise the epidermis better than natural oils. Use them daily if you can. The added bonus is that regular massages tones our bodies by stimulating circulation.
Less is always more
You may have gotten livid at your mama in your pre-teens when she asked you to wipe off the gunk on your face before you walked out the door. What we thought was brilliant make-up application just looked wrong in their eyes and rightly so. This is a lesson that can and should stay with you for the rest of your life. Take it easy on the war-paint and let your real beauty shine through.
