Roots to Radiance

by Nikita Upadhyay

  But if only we made this activity more fun, our approach could change. Putting a tad more effort to make water infused with our favourite ingredients can add antioxidants, Vitamin C and other benefitting ingredients to water. And let’s be honest, when we’re putting this much effort to fill a glass jug or a mason jar with water, we’d hate to watch it go to waste, hence will end up finishing it. My dermat Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta is such an infused waters enthusiast. I love how every corner of her clinic has a new combination of these waters.

  It’s a trick to making yourself drink more water with added ingredients that are good for your system and skin. Here are some easy-to-make infused water recipes that’ll force you to become a hydrate enthusiast!

  Just one little request: if you want to sweeten it, don’t add sugar . . . try honey, jaggery or other forms of ‘natural’, non-fattening ingredients. Take this as making drinking water more exciting than anything else.

  1. Cucumber + Lemon + Mint

  This is a great one, especially for the summers when our body gets severely dehydrated by the scorching heat. These are all cooling ingredients that’ll relax your body and keep you energized.

  Slice or grate one full cucumber and add the juice of half a lemon and 25 mashed mint leaves in a glass jar filled with water. Drink all day to relax your system, keep metabolic rates up and maintain good skin.

  2. Blueberry + Orange + Cinnamon

  This one will charge your metabolism with a blast of Vitamin C and antioxidants.

  Add a cup of crushed blueberries, 4 slices of peeled oranges and 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder in a glass jar full of water. Drink throughout the day.

  3. Strawberry + Kiwi + Lime

  Slice 3 strawberries, 2–3 kiwis and half a lime and add them all to a glass jar filled with water. Drink all day. This too will hydrate your skin and system with its Vitamin C and antioxidant content.

  4. Cherry + Basil

  Basil has high anti-inflammatory properties that’ll soothe your stomach, more so if you love spicy food. Cherry will help you get a good night’s rest and lower blood sugar levels.

  Add a cup of sliced cherries and 20 roughly mashed basil leaves in a jar and drink all day.

  5. Pineapple + Coconut

  The whole idea behind this is to give you the pleasure of a Piña Colada without the alcohol and useless calories. Take off the shell of the coconut and slice off 3–4 pieces of it and of pineapple, and add it all to a glass jar full of water. Drink throughout the day without guilt. This water is also good for those trying to keep their weight in check without making the skin suffer.

  6. Raspberry + Grapefruit + Rosemary

  Applying rosemary to skin and hair has been discussed often in this book. Now it’s time to drink it too, for its cancer and heart diseases fighting ingredients—not to forget skin hydrants.

  Slice 5 raspberries and a grapefruit and dip them in a glass jar full of water along with 5 sprigs of rosemary. Drink all day.

  7. Apple + Green Apple + Ginger

  If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, imagine what two apples can do.

  Slice one red and one green apple and add them to a jar full of water along with half a teaspoon of grated ginger. Sip all day. This water has ageing-fighting, nausea-relieving ingredients.

  8. Pomegranate + Hibiscus + Beetroot

  Better digestion, anti-ageing, bone-strengthening, full of antioxidants—this recipe is for winners!

  Add pomegranate seeds, the petals of one hibiscus, and one grated beetroot to a jar full of water. Sip throughout the day.

  9. Aloe + Jujube

  Aloe vera soothes the stomach and improves digestion and skin from within. Jujube helps relieve anxiety and regulates blood pressure. Add half a cup of aloe vera extract to a cup of sliced jujubes in a jar filled with water and drink all day.

  Remember: There are two types of aloe vera—one that can be eaten and one that can be applied on the skin. Pick the right one for the respective recipe.

  10. Blackberry + Lemongrass

  Boost brain health with added benefits of manganese and Vitamin K, among other things, from blackberries, and help menstrual pain, speed up metabolism and burn fat with lemongrass in this detox recipe. Add 1 cup sliced blackberries and 4 sprigs of lemongrass in water and sip all day.

  You can totally switch the ingredients according to your liking to come up with your own recipes.

  Detox away!

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  Under Three-Minute Hacks

  None of us can turn down a tip that benefits our health and takes minimum time to do so. And to fight our skin and health issues with just a couple of ingredients is such a win-win. But here’s what you need to know—not every DIY tip has to have an elaborate list of ingredients, although that doesn’t make it any less filled with goodness.

  As Yvon Chouinard rightly said, ‘Going back to a simpler life is not a step backward.’ How can it be?

  The year 2019 glorified this new term called ‘JOMO’ (Joy of Missing Out), an antonym of ‘FOMO’ (Fear of Missing Out). Didn’t your best friend say that she had serious FOMO when you chilled with your other besties without her? Well, this year has taught us to embrace the opposite.

  With all those memes about celebrating cancelled plans, doing absolutely nothing on weekends and keepin’ it #LowKey, the fellowship is hinting on resorting to simpler choices to unlock the secrets to feeling truly liberated. But while we’re Netflixing our way through the weekend, sparing a minute or two to treat skin and health concerns does not seem like a bad idea at all.

  While writing this chapter, what I kept in mind are things we can do without actually taking out time for them. Often, I would see my mum apply organic ingredients on her face while working in the kitchen. A ripe banana that no one was having was actually one of the best masks to restore the glow and smoothness on the face. This way she never had to take out time for masking . . . she just mashed and applied it while working and rinsed it when she was done in the kitchen.

  A used green tea bag in an empty cup could be used both to fertilize plants and to treat puffy eyes. While I’m giving out tips to be your best beautiful with the help of natural ingredients and help keep it cost-efficient, I thought, why not have a list of hacks that will also keep it time-efficient?

  One of the many plus sides to productivity is that it goes hand in hand with happiness and contentment. For instance, won’t you have the best Monday ever if you arranged your closet, cleaned your house, got your dose of long due beauty sleep, masked your face and got a hair spa the day before? I know, Monday would still be Monday, but feeling gorgeous and being sorted will make you feel so much lighter.

  And in this day and age, organic hacks that are pocket-friendly and don’t even take a lot of time are an idea we millennials can totally chase.

  And while we are at it, let’s discuss some three-minute healthy alternatives you should add to your routine to max out the power of holistic beauty.

  1. Smoothen you face in minutes before applying make-up

  Our skin tends to get tired of being painted with make-up every day. So kiss and make-up with your skin by showing it some love before applying foundation.

  Mix 1 teaspoon honey with 1 tablespoon raw milk and apply it to your face. Keep it on for a minute or two and then rinse with lukewarm water.

  The effects of milk and honey will make your skin feel even and moisturized. After that, your foundation will do a better job at blending on your face.

  2. Get amazing lashes without using a mascara . . .

  . . . but with a mascara wand. Never throw out mascara wands after the product is over. There are so many ways to use them. For instance, this one: mix castor oil, avocado oil and coconut oil in a small bottle and apply that to your lashes with a clean mascara wand. This will give your lashes an instant lift and will also make them grow faster. You can also use this oil to set the baby hair on your crown area and help stop balding. You can grow bushy brows if you’re into that by applying the
same oil on the wand and brush your brow hair with it. This will not only help shape the growth of your brows but will help form a smooth base for your eyebrow pencil to glide on.

  3. Remove upper lip/eyebrow hair with this homemade wax

  It’s infuriating when you need to head out for an important meeting or a date, and your favourite salon can’t give you an appointment. So here’s what you can do to deal with that situation at home:

  Simmer ½ cup water with ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and coconut oil. When it’s fully heated, pour it in a container—and your wax is ready. Use a spatula to apply on to the areas you want to wax.

  4. Use the healthiest lip and cheek tint

  Looking great all the time gives you a certain kind of high. And with the help of all-natural products, you can have a blush on your cheeks and tint on your lips without harming your skin or using chemicals. Here’s how: grate a peeled beetroot for a few seconds—even that much should be enough to produce the juice you need to give the hint of pink to your lips and cheeks.

  5. Exfoliate your lips in a jiffy

  Stop complaining about your lipsticks not lasting long enough. The reason could be that you’re not exfoliating your lips. In order to make your lipstick stay longer, you need to remove the dead skin time to time. Add sugar to coconut oil and massage your lips gently. After 1–3 minutes, take a warm, damp cloth or dry tissue to wipe off the extra oil. Coconut oil is a great alternative to make-up removers as well.

  6. Deodorize your armpits without using a flammable deodorant

  Tired of that burning sensation you get after spraying a deodorant on your freshly shaved armpits? Well, chuck that! Here’s how you can deodorize your armpits with natural ingredients.

  Take a few spoons of bentonite clay and mix lemon juice and rose water with it. Apply that paste to your armpits and wipe it with a warm, wet towel.

  7. A lazy girl’s toner

  I call it a lazy girl’s toner because it literally requires you to mix water and apple cider vinegar in a 1:1 ratio to come up with the easiest solution that’ll tone your skin in no time. Using this in the morning and at night before sleeping will energize your skin.

  8. Ditch hair serum for this oil

  Mix 2 drops of jojoba oil in your palms and apply it to the dry ends of your hair to moisturize them. Unlike serums, hair oils help repair your hair in ways a serum won’t. Use just the minimum amount to nourish the ends; if you overdo it, it can make your hair look oily. If you’re doing this before you shampoo, you can go ahead and oil your hair properly to make your hair more manageable and silkier post wash.

  9. Scrub and exfoliate your body with this two-ingredient scrub

  Keep collecting coffee grounds from the remains of your everyday coffee. Mix the coffee grounds with coconut oil and gently massage your body to exfoliate dead skin and get smoother body texture. The coarseness of coffee grounds helps exfoliate and polish your body.

  10. Not just coffee, save your green tea bags as well!

  Don’t toss the bags out of your morning and evening green tea cups. Refrigerate the tea bag after you’re done sipping your morning tea. When you’re about to end the day, take out that used green tea bag from the refrigerator and rest it on your eyes for 2 mins each. The natural tannin present in green tea helps treat puffy eyes and dark circles.

  11. Make your hands soft instantly

  This may be one of the easiest hacks. Just pluck a marigold (genda), remove the petals and mash them with your hands. Apply the nectar all over your hands—that’s all. The nectar of this flowers makes for a great hand salve for skin. You can also use this to cure rashes and minor wounds.

  12. Fix scalp greasiness with this DIY dry shampoo

  Apply cocoa powder (if your hair is black or brunette) or cornstarch (if it’s blond) directly to your scalp and brush it off with a hair brush. This will not only clear out excess oil and absorb the greasiness but also help add volume to your hair.

  13. Give natural volume to your lashes by applying petroleum jelly

  Wearing mascara can be heavy on your lashes after a while, so on days when you want to say no to make-up but still want to have voluminous lashes, take a cotton earbud and apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly on your lashes. This will give it an instant volume naturally, and help it grow too! Win-win!

  14. Flatten a pimple overnight

  Garlic has anti-fungal and drying qualities. Slicing the head off a garlic clove and applying garlic juice on a pimple can help flatten it overnight.

  15. Whiten teeth with baking soda and lemon juice

  Add a few drops of lemon juice to 1 teaspoon baking soda in a non-metal plate to make a paste. Clean excess saliva from your mouth and teeth with a tissue and dip your toothbrush in the paste and brush your teeth with it for 2 minutes. Rinse your mouth after you’re done.

  16. Use this one-ingredient scrub mask to exfoliate your skin

  Sapodilla, also known as chikoo, is such a humble fruit! It tastes yummy, but your face will love it too. Peel the chikoo and take the seeds out, crush the fruit and apply to your face to scrub and mask at the same time. This is quite a multitasker.

  17. DIY cleansing milk that puts every expensive make-up remover to shame

  Most make-up removers will require you to wash your face after using them. This DIY cleansing milk won’t. Mix raw milk, lemon juice, rose water and a few drops of almond oil together and take a cotton pad to remove your make-up with it. This is the only hydrant you need after wearing cosmetics on your face all day.

  18. Freshen up your skin on the go

  If your face gets dehydrated quickly after you leave your house, pour some distilled water in a spray bottle and add rose petals (desi gulab) to it and carry it in your bag. Spray on your face every once in a while to hydrate your skin on the fly and on the go instantly.

  19. Speed up your hair-conditioning routine

  Usually a regular conditioner requires you to apply it and wait for a while before you wash it off. But this DIY one only requires you to mix it with water and give it a quick wash. Add 1 cup apple cider vinegar to 1 cup water in a mug and run it through your hair thoroughly before rinsing.

  20. Make an organic hairspray that won’t harm your hair

  Usually after you use heat, using a hairspray is just another addition to the damage you’re already putting your hair through. This damage is usually done by straightening, curling and blow dry. So instead, make braids and leave them overnight, and when you open them in the morning, set them with this DIY hair spray: Mix 2 teaspoons of sea salt with 50 ml carbonated water, and pour it in a spray bottle. This should be able to hold your curls without harming them.

  21. Reduce redness and inflammation on the skin with one simple trick

  Acne can be persuasive sometimes . . . almost all the time. Just reduce the inflammation and swelling with rubbing ice on it for 5–7 minutes at night to flatten it as much as you can overnight.

  22. Get a radiant and refreshed body by making an absolutely simple scrub

  Party plans that require wearing that backless dress you bought and never wore? Pull it out and take it to town. Mix 2 teaspoons sugar with ½ cup olive oil and 10 drops of peppermint/lavender/spearmint oil. Mix and massage your body before bathing to feel and smell fresh.

  23. Heal cracked hands by using this hand salve

  Winters can be brutal. No matter how much hand cream you feed to your hands, they always feel dry and ashy. Apply a layer of mayonnaise to your hands and layer it with two teaspoons castor oil. Wash it after a minute to hydrate your skin for a whole day.

  24. Moisturize, depigment and even skin tone with one fruit extract

  Avocado is the most millennial fruit. It’s expensive for all the right reasons, but the surprising thing about it is that it’s better to apply as a face mask than to be eaten. Just apply mashed avocado on your face and hydrate, reduce pigmentation, reduce puffiness around eyes and get even skin tone by doing this twice or thrice a week.

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5. Treat dry scalp with this easy-to-make oil-in-spray

  A few tips ago I suggested a DIY dry shampoo for oily scalp, so naturally dry scalp shouldn’t be left out. Mix 10 drops of tea tree oil with 50 ml jojoba oil and pour it in a small spray bottle. Spray this oil to your scalp—it’ll barely take two minutes. Follow up with a shampoo whenever you plan to.

  26. Make eyelashes longer naturally with this mixture of oils

  Remember how I have kept reminding you to save your mascara wands? You’ll need a wand for this too. Mix 1 teaspoon castor/coconut oil with 8 drops of lavender oil and blend it. Use the mascara wand to apply that to your lashes thrice a week to grow naturally long lashes.