Henna henna...

i have always loved the khushboo [aroma] of mehndi. My mom is also an influence here..she loved putting mehndi on her hands and then in her 30 + years on her mane. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on me and i used to put henna on my hair whenever she used to prepare the mix during my college years. Then the frequency reduced to 1-2 times per year only in summers.
   

     Let's face it: applying henna is too much work ! Mix the mehndi overnight, next day apply it and then keep it on for atleast 3-4 hours.And then on white hair the best you'll probably get is orange color.In her 50s my mom usually sported dark brown orangish head.Well, she had tried coffee powder, iron vessel and everything else under sun to get a dark brown head of hair.
In conclusion, getting henna to go black or brown DOESN'T WORK ! Atleast not without chemical help !. Well, that's what 'kali mehndis' are all about !
I personally, have accepted Henna's personality- Orange and reddish orange to red brown !
So after 4 years i applied henna to hair again. Just for the heck of it ! Because i like the aroma, and because it reminds me of Mom !And the orange color make me happy. I have sinusitis and allergic rhinitis which had kept me away from henna for so many years so since summer is here..i thought i'll take a chance.

As i have grown older, i have lost patience with things that take time.....so let's see if i can keep it on my head for than 3 hours.

For those who are interested here my way of mixing henna for hair:

1. Earlier i used use plain henna but this time i bought Nupur henna pack and added my herb mix of shikakai,amla,jatamansi. But plain henna works just fine and is cheaper to buy too. I think branding has made henna expensive ..its just the same stuff under different brands.All you need to check is shelf life....buy from henna wholesaler if you put henna regularly on hair !
2. I mix henna with tea water and lemon juice. Make thick paste and keep overnight.
3. Next day, just thin out the paste with 2 tbsp of curd or as required apply with gloved hands.
4. Take your time apply properly especially if you are looking to cover greys.I start on top of the head ,take a few strands,coat with henna and make a bun. Repeat and keep piling the bun till you finish all sections.

i know many people put eggs in their mix and its a good idea too because the smell of eggs gets diluted and conditioning effect is tripled.But since i can't bear egg smell in summers i avoid !

After washing hair with water,i usually use a cheap conditioner as a shampoo to get a cleaner feel but if you have applied henna on oiled hair i guess you could shampoo a bit !

Personally, i think henna dries hair and does not condition it. Use it for colour or for tinting hair...don't expect moon out of it ! If you want to condition hair apply eggs/curds with herbs like nagarmoth,jatamasi,brahmi or bringhraj or mix of these herbs.They relieve dandruff and actually improve quality of hair. Keep them for hour or so just like henna mix.

The Journey

In last two years, i went through a journey where my aim was to look superficially good,colorful and vain. I went from painting only lips to painting eyes,cheeks and face. From owning zero blushes to 3 and also added various lipsticks especially from hues of pink and red and a plum which i avoided earlier since i have dark pigmented lips and because i really have nowhere to wear a red lipstick to !
    Now i wear brighter lipstick even to a supermarket and banks !Earlier i used to care how people would percieve me , now not so much !
      Now my new stress buster is following and reading up 2-3 blogs which i find give honest opinions about make up and skincare products. I instantly readup before i buy if there is a review about it.
      When i started trailing make up blogs a year and half ago my expenditure increased....you know,....'this is a must have' 'this is superlative' and ' oh if you don't wear an aqua blue eyeliner you are definitely missing something" and 'sale at XYZ site'.
  Soon, I realised that on some blogs opinions expressed are vague, superficial and plain bland and orchestrated !. Its like 'everything is ok' and really their categories were 'ok' and 'superlative'. They seem to never ever encounter DUDS !And i used to wonder...hey i have used this product - 'its far substandard in performance both for the price and claims.'
     Eventually reality set in -   I don't really need that super expensive eyeshadow in yellow, parrot green and pink  because i can't really use it daily...infact i won't. Too many rushed mornings, too much work and too many disapproving looks at work and on public transportation!
So untill and unless you are an actress or model- you don't really need gazillion hued eyeshadow palettes. All does an average and above average working brown/ wheatish or fair skin Indian girl needs is a nude to brown eyeshadows and a couple shimmer colours for wedding and parties.
        Another thing i realized- 'hey, you still have to get out of that morning slumber,prepare breakfast, cook lunch and then eat breakfast in time and then get dressed and then comes make up....so ? I never really have the time to blend that stupid foundation which seems to set so fast, forget the prepping and moisturizing ! Oh boy,now i have to hunt for a new foundation which suits my skin colour and blends like a beauty in flat 2 minutes !
Stuff will expire just sitting in the cabinet and accumulating bacteria!

     
When Pond's TM died, i cursed Pond's people ! You see, i have never got a foundation [thanks to ALL salesgirls  and companies in India] which suits my skin to the T. Its not all the gazillion brands even exist in my city for me to try out !
Now i think a perfect foundation is a mirage- you know, the one which blends in 2 minutes,and gives good coverage and is pocket friendly ! Its really not there no matter what all the beauty blogging fraternity says ! Some may work for you not all !And then search begins all over again because companies go ahead and DISCONTINUE products !
        Right now, i do jugaad ! I mix my Panstik with moisturiser and it blends like a dream and i don't bother whether its longstaying or not etc etc.For summers, i have found Revlon's Colorstay for combination skin but i had to get it from Amrika and luckily my guess work paid off and its a perfect match for me. In India, for all makeup companies we fall into : Light/Ivory, Natural Beige , Golden Beige, Dark. That's it !
      My fascination for blushes - well did not exist ! Before now,I had 'blushed' only once or twice for weddings.That too with a lipstick! Now i 'blush' all the freaking time ! And i love it. I blush and blush and then blush some more ! You see, earlier , i had no idea how to apply a blush ! Now I do thanks to Lisa Elridge !
Lipsticks i use more as blush and i love using only one color on my face - on cheeks and lips and eyes. It just looks so much better and wearable,not to mention quick .
      I even use my Lakme Earth trio as eyeshadow - just any one color on eyes, cheeks and lips. For lips i apply plain lipgloss and then dab the powder. I am so much happier because i am going to probably use up all my blushes then just throwing them away !
For skin and hair care, i think beauty blogs could be used only as guidelines- more like introduction to new products in the market ! They are of no help at all since everyone's skin is different and really shampoos and conditioners performance is more dependent on the type of water [ hard,soft or medium] you get in your bathroom , your diet etc !
   I do experiment when i am itching to try new products but i never really deviate from my general rule of thumb: Face wash to only clean face, moisturiser to supply / preserve moisture and sunscreen - well my only criteria to buy suncreen are the suncreen agents used in the formulation,price and feel on the skin. I absolutely hate suncreens which make skin more oily- i am afraid many do ! I just dab powder on -what to do ?
   All in all, i do believe i have become more colorful....but then that's it. People and stuff around me has not changed, neither has my life and its challenges. Applying make up for me is still secondary - i find i am more interested in sewing,cooking and walking ! Nevertheless, when you are down and out and feeling blah....there is something about picking up that lipstick and painting the face. Literally. You can hide behind makeup as long as you want,whenever you want !
Its worth finding that foundation which hides everything with as little work as possible. And its worth finding that lipstick which makes you want to use it everyday no matter what and brightens up your mood.Even if you don't know how to do make up - you could learn. I did ! No, you don't have to follow makeup trends and you definitely don't need eyeliners or lipstick in rainbow colours but you need that one black kohl or dark brown eyeliner and that one lipstick to shine !
Believe me,it doesn't even have to be costly ...it just has to be what you like and love and want out of it !

Masalas

I make masalas at home. My Mom used to make but now i do. People wonder what i keep doing at home and why do i make everything at home when everything is available in the market.
There are many small and big reasons but the most important ones for food are:

1. I get 4 times the quantity with less raw materials.
2. I know what is going into it.
3. I have access to internet which is a guru in its own right and many enterprising talented people share experiences, recipes and what not. So might as well make use of it.
4.And as with most homemade stuff, some of the ingredients are always at home so no need to run outside to get it.

Here I would like to reiterate that i get a major kick out of : researching,trying and perfecting the recipe for homemade stuff. I feel like an accomplished queen when i see the final product ,be it sewing or food !The day i stop getting the kick out of doing things at home i'll quit doing so.......because everything can be bought at the market !!

In that way, i think making stuff at home is for yourself because outsiders don't appreciate it and family members don't really care untill it starts pinching the pocket! Its not that your husband or inlaws or parents, sisters and brothers are going to give you a medal for it !

 If you are a normal indian upper class,well to do woman [why women? ....because men don't really care what is there in their masalas and most indian men can't differentiate between the spices because they don't cook] earning well,you'll probably snort at doing stuff with your hands and would believe in paying for it ,buying it ready made, or pay someone else to do it.There is nothing wrong in that especially if you couldn't be bothered and don't care about homemade stuff in general.

Chaat masala - My tweaked and tested recipe

Ingredients

1.  100g coriander seeds
2.  50-60g cumin seeds
3. 1.5 teaspoon ajwain/carom seeds
4. 50g black salt/kala namak
5. 50g rock salt
6. 5-7 kashmiri red chiles, stems removed
7. 3 tbsp dried mango powder/amchur
8. 1teaspoon dried ginger powder
9. 1tbsp black peppercorns
10. 3 tbsp dried mint
    
11. 1tsp citric acid crystals
12. 1" cinnamon stick,4-5 cloves 

I am an andaaza person- i eyeball everything. So i use andaaza in the above recipe too.

Method
Roast coriander,cumin seeds peppercorns,cinnamon,cloves chillies . i prepare dried mint at home and store it in fridge in newspaper packet.To prepare dry mint ,take 1 bunch mint ,pick the leaves, wash it well, spread on the newspaper,dry it to crisp in sunlight in summers or very low setting in oven. I air dry for 24 hrs and then heat my dosa tawa and turn it off and spread the leaves on tawa. In few minutes it crisps up.

Another important aspect are salts- both black salts and rock should be equal in amounts. Grind everything together into fine powder and store in air tight container. This recipe will give more than 200g of chat masala at fraction of cost.

I use chaat masala everywhere: on cucumber slices, in chass[buttermilk],in cooking,on fruit, salads,boiled chana and practically everything.

Garam masala:
Ingredients:

• Star anise    1-2
• Black cardamom   2
• Black peppercorns    21/2 teaspoons
• Cinnamon     5" inch stick
• Cloves     1 tablespoon
• Green cardamom     4-5
• Mace     1 blade
• Coriander seeds     4 tablespoons
• Cumin seeds     3 tablespoons
• bay leaves      3-4
• red chillies     3-4   

Roast the spices lightly and grind it to fine powder and store in airtight containers.

Have fun !

TLC for feet

Feet bear the brunt of practically everything. It starts with bad tight footwear-open toe sandles makes them even more open to abuse.
Then comes the torture of being overweight. Very few people realise that being more than 5 kg overweight puts quite a bit of additional pressure on ankles ,heels of the feet and knees. When we walk our whole weight is borne by lower legs and feet.Being overweight and wearing high heels constantly is a recipe for disaster !

I am overweight and since the weight hasn't being going anywhere, relaxing tired feet seems to be the only option right now.I have always taken good care of my feet.I know many women take care only of their face and do nothing for their feet.I mean nothing..........not even plain scraping of heels and application of a plain moisturiser !

I have grown watching pretty ok looking women,rich and poor, with or without class having gaping,crack heels showing through their chappals,sandles and expensive footwear. Its always surprises me to see well- to-do rich women who don't do any housework nor walk on the roads since they travels in cars, bikes or ricks with ugly feet !
One of my aunt had bleeding crack heels which required medical intervention and prescription creams !

My mom like most of everyone's moms also had visibly cracked heels which turned painful in winters.I learnt pedicure from Mom among other things ! :-)
 My mom did pedicure at home regularly . She has used Krack cream,Vaseline pedicure kit [not available since ages- this kit is a classic e.g of discontinuing useful products]

Anyway, from Mom i learnt cracks on heels don't really go away for good ! They come back when you walk on dry potholed roads in open sandals,in winters, and when feet are dry and not moisturised regularly ! I started wearing plain chappals at home to prevent cracks because open feet got more dirty and more dry !

The great part about taking care of your feet is it doesn't have to be laborious, lengthy or fancy - it just has to be regular ! Its a habit like any other and in few days you'll have pretty,soft and even colored feet !

Those who think taking care of feet is not really required amongst other things in life then may be they need to think again - especially if they are diabetic ! Being diabetic,means healing of minor wounds and cuts on extremities like foot is slow which in turn means neglected feet can lead to deeper wounds and sometimes turn gangrenous ! So having a feet TLC routine in place is a good habit to consider !

A simple Pedicure plan 
A simple non time consuming routine means that you'll follow it often and be more regular. This pedicure routine requires only 15 minutes extra in shower once a week.I soak feet once in a while since i am not patient to sit soaking feet more than 5 minutes i have to force myself to stretch it to 15 minutes.

My short quick version:

• Mix 1 tsp epsom salt [ or take cheap rock salt- khada namak] in a 1 tsp body wash or clear shampoo.You can add ambahalad,vetiver or mint oil or powder for more fancy pampering.Mix for one time use only.
• Wet and scrub feet ardously with this mix till you get tired or bored or lose patience !:-)
• Use a foot scraper to scrape heels.
• Wash off with warm water.
• Apply a thick lotion preferably non greasy quick absorbing one. If you do this routine at night i will suggest Kailesh Jeevan for tired nerves,feet and aches.You can wear socks if your lotion is greasy - i wear them because i can't sit still and long enough for the lotion to dry up.
• You can use any body moisturiser if you don't have wounds on feet.
• I recommend doing this procedure twice a week if you have a hectic lifestyle which includes abuse of feet and hands. Yep same thing for hands too !

 The longer version is nothing but washing feet with shampoo /body wash and soaking in warm salty [Epsom salts] water for 15 minutes and then doing the remaining steps.

Don't forget to enjoy the relaxation that massaging feet can bring. Its feels as good as a champi !

women and Public space

The main objection of Indian men seems in a narrow concept women sharing more and more of Public spaces which earlier belonged to men. Men think roads ,public toilets,hotels ,airports and everything associated with public transportation is primarily for their daily use. Men in municipality of any city have never thought of making more amenities for women on the move because according to them women don't travel much so they definitely don't need clean toilets at bus depots and local inns.

One way to show equality to women and respect is by sharing of public spaces so that she doesn't feel crippled of travelling because there are no toilets on the roads,safer and friendlier modes of transportation so she doesn't feel that she cannot travel in public transport at 11pm because she'll be the only women  amongst men.

Men don't understand the kind of restriction on movement women have to face because of their staring and leering and catcalls and snide remarks or patronizing tone.

Read this blog post about women in public space and about the book Why Loiter HERE