Turmeric (Curcuma longa )also known as ‘haldi’, is one of India’s most widely used spices. It imparts a distinctly earthy, mildly bitter, slightly hot flavor and a mustardy smell.It not only adds abright yellow colour and an astringent taste to our food but also has been used as a cosmetic since time immemorial .Because of its cosmetic significance and antibacterial properties ,turmeric has also become a part of our rituals. It is regularly used for tilak (smearing the forehead for religious purposes ) and other religious procedures as it is considered a purifier .The most important one being the ”Haldi” ceremony where a paste made of turmeric, sandalwood and herbs is applied to the bride and the groom’s whole body as part of their marriage preparations .I guess ancient people did this to get rid of bacterial infection s before the bride and groom embarked onto a conjugal journey . That is why till today marriage of a girl is still referred to as “Hathe peele karna ( to stain the palms yellow ) ” in our Indian culture !
As a young girl I was introduced to simple skin care through home remedies by my mother .We regularly used a pack of turmeric, sandal wood ,besan , milk cream and oatmeal with rose water or plain curd to be applied on the face and body as an Ubtan ( body wrap ) .This would then be washed off with plain water after 10- 15 mins . Other additions can be neem leaves, powdered orange peel and even tea tree oil to this same paste that can further help in drying of acne .This simple face pack ensured visibly clean and blemish free skin for me for years till I became too lazy or busy to really take good care of my skin but I can swear by this simple skin care solution .Though I ensure that my daughter gets the goodness of these age old time tested beauty secrets from our grandmother’s kitchen .
But as I said I am now getting too lazy to go through the whole routine of grinding everything and making a paste and then keep it for fifteen minutes before washing it off. Because sometimes fifteen minutes is all I have to get ready in a jiffy and leave for work .So then what to do ?
One solution is to let things their natural turn and let it be at the mercy of God and weather .
But that is hardly a solution in today’s selfie obsessed world .You just can’t afford to have skin which is not camera ready .
So coming to the second solution ,You can rely on high end expensive creams , serums and potions to give you clean skin.
But here again there is a chance of getting duped by fakes and sometimes they can be very high on chemicals that can be damaging in the long run like retinoids and parabens .
Don’t just lose heart still .There is one final and most practical solution to this problem and that is the Vicco turmeric cream with foam action .So thanks to Vicco laboratories who manufactured , probably the oldest beauty cream in my memory (remember the Jingle Vicco Turmeric nahin cosmetic , vicco cosmetic Ayurvedic cream…) , we can now have a simple a reliable solution to our skin troubles in a convenient cream form .Isn’t that great !
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