Healthy skin is an essential part of health and natural beauty. The skin of a healthy person should have a pink glow. Good skin is a reflection of inner health. However, sometimes we tend to ignore skin care until signs of neglect begin to show. As with health, prevention is easier than cure

Causes of Unhealthy skin

One of the main causes of unhealthy skin is faulty diet.
A child is born healthy and with a perfect complexion soft, smooth and flawless. It retains these for most of its early life. But as the child grows older, he gradually loses these attributes due to wrong feeding habits and other factors. Devitalised foods like white flour, refined sugar and all products made from them, tea, coffee, and soft drinks take away energy, bring about wrinkles, unattractive skin and premature old age.
Another important cause of unhealthy skin is the lack of healthy blood which not only adds a glow to the skin but also keeps it wellnourished, moist, and free from dryness and roughness.
Inadequate cleansing, which is responsible for many skin problems, is yet another important cause of unattractive skin. Do not be deceived if your skin looks clean. You will be amazed at how much hidden dirt appears on the cotton wool when you use a goodcleanser. Proper cleansing not only removes all the dust, dirt and make-up, which accumulate during the day, but also stops the oil-secreting sebaceous glands fromgetting clogged.

Natural Care

Diet plays an important role in maintaining the health of the skin. Those with skin problems must have a vital diet consisting of foods which in combination would supply all the nutrients needed to build health, namely, protein, carbohydrates, fats, essential fatty acids and all the. essential vitamins and minerals. Such a diet should consist of liberal quantities of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, supplemented by special protective foods Jike milk, vegetable oils, curd, honey and yeast.
All the nutrients are essential for a healthy skin. if your skin is unusually dry and rough, orif you have blackheads and whiteheads, you are probably lacking sufficient vitamin A. Deficiencies in iron,iodine and the B Vitamins may also contribute to this condition. Adequate amounts of protein and vitamin C are also important. Both of these nutrients are needed before antibodies are produced to fight any infection and accelerate healing.
The vitamins of the B group are important in producing beautiful skin. Vitamin B1 aids skin health byhelping to keep the .circulation normal. A mild lack ofvitamin B2 or riboflavin, continued over a long time, causes brown pigmentation, or liver spots to appear on the skin. These ugly spots usually disappear if generous amounts of vitamin B2 are given over a period of six months.

Natural Aids

Several natural aids have been found useful in promoting healthy and beautiful skin. One of the more important of these aids is the use of lime juice. Lime may be squeezed in a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerine may be added to it. It should be left for half an hour and then applied on the face, hands and feet before retiring at night. This application every night will help one to look young and beautiful. It will also help cure pimples.
The use of orange juice has also been found valuable for a glowing com plexion. The fingers should be dipped in pure orange juice and the same applied liberally over the face, chin, neck, and forehead. Pimples and acne can be cured by anointing the eruptions at bed time with a paste made from the powdered sun dried pips of unripe oranges.
The juice of water-melon has been found useful in the removal of blemishes on the skin. A lotion can be prepared by grating and squeezing the juice of a small piece of water-melon. This lotion should be applied over the face and neck for fifteen minutes. Then wash with hot water and splash on cold water.
Tomato as an external application is a useful cosmetic. Its pulp should be applied liberally on the face and left on for an hour. Then wash off with warm water. Repeated daily,it will give you a good complexion and remove ugly-looking pimples in a short time.
The juice of maranth (chaulai-ka-saag), applied over the face with a pinch of turmeric (haldi) powder, bleaches the skin, prevents it from drying and wrinkling,cures pimples and makes one look fresh. If milk and lime juice is added to this juice and delicately massaged over the face and neck for half an hour and washed off with lukewarm water each night before goiag to bed, it acts as an effective skin tonjc to increase and retain its beauty.
Grated cucumber (khira), applied over the face, eyes and neck for 15 to 20 minutes has been found effective as a beauty aid and is the best tonic for the skin of the face. Its regular use prevents pimples, blackheads, wrinkles, and dryness of the face.
A paste of almonds (badam) with mild cream and fresh roseb.ud paste applied daily over the face is a very effective beauty aid. It softens and bleaches the skin and nourishes it with the choicest skin-food. Its regular application prevents early appearance of minkles, black heads, dryness of the skin, pimples and keeps the face fresh.

Another effective natural aid:the beauty of the skin is the application of curd on the face every morning and washing it off after a few minutes with cold water. This will keep the complexion smooth, healthy and fresh. A mixture of curd and lemon juice is ideal for softening hands.

A paste of Ientil (masoor dal) and curd, when applied as a mask, cleanses the skin and gives it a glow. When dried, it should be removed with fingertips and washedoff with water. Adding a few drops of the juice of margosa (neem) leaves to this paste is very effective in dealing with pimples.
The flour of the unroasted Bengal gram (besan) is a very effective cleansing agent and its regular use, as a cosmetic, bleaches the skin. In allergic skin diseases likeeczema, contact dermatitis and scabies, washing with this flour will be useful. The flour can also be used
beneficially in the treatment of pimples. The flour should be mixed with curd to maka paste. This paste should be applied to the face. It should be washed off after sometime.
The flour of the green gram (mung) is an 6(xcellent detergent and can be used as a substitute for soap. It removes the dirt and does not cause any skin irritation.gives good complexion. Honey, olive oil and a mixture of turmeric and sandalwood (chandan) paste are all very effective in rejuvenating dry, parched skin.

Protection Against Sunlight

Excessive exposure to sun can lead to many seriousconsequences, including sun-induced premature ageing. The skin which is repeatedly exposed to sunlight becomes leathery, wrinkled and loose. It may alsobecome dry and acquire yellowish brown hue with liver spots all over. The skin may become inflamed, which may contribute to the breakdown of other cells and tissues. Excessive exposure to sun can also lead to thickening of epidermis and enlargement of sebaceous glands in the face, ultimately resulting in acne and
pimples. It is therefore essential to protect the skin from exposure to sun. This can be achieved by covering up and using a sunscreen with a high protection factor on the exposed parts. Even with these protective measures it will not be safe to stay in the sun for long periods.

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