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After washing your face, wipe it with an astringent lotion, using cotton. You can use a facial scrub on the areas with blackheads and whiteheads. But, do not use it on the forehead. Mix multani mitti with rose water, lemon juice and sandalwood into a paste and apply it on the face three or four times a week. Wash it off when it dries. Sandalwood paste can also be applied directly on the boils.

Olive oil can be used both for the skin and hair, mainly to soften and provide nourishment. However, it should not be applied on the face if the skin is oily. It may be used as a body massage oil and applied on babies too before their bath. Mix besan (Bengal gram flour), curd, lemon juice and a little haldi (turmeric) and apply it on the neck at least three times a week. Wash it off after half an hour. Then, apply olive oil or gingelly (til) oil and massage it into the skin.

Apply a little castor oil on the eyelashes daily, using a cotton bud. It is said to encourage the growth of eyelashes. Apply it during the day. Do not apply the oil at night and go to sleep, as it can lead to puffy eyes.

Daily exercise will help. The breasts are supported by the pectoral (shoulder) muscles, which have to be exercised. Join your palms together at the waist level, with elbows out. Press the palms together and count till 10. Then, raise the palms till bust level. Repeat the same exercise 10 times. The second exercise is to stand with your feet slightly apart. Stretch your arms out to the sides and rotate them, making wide circles, first clockwise and then anti-clockwise. While doing this exercise, the shoulders should move too.

What should I wear to look thinner? — Srinidhi

Wear dark colours and simple designs. Too much detail will make you look heavier. Avoid large prints. Single-colour outfits will suit you well. You could choose a salwar and kurta in the same colour, and team it with a printed, sequinned, embroidered, shaded or decorated dupatta. Vertical stripes and V-necklines will also help to make you look slimmer. Avoid tight fitting clothes. Avoid gathers and pleats. Sometimes, clothes that are slightly large help make an individual with a heavy build to look thinner. Simplicity should be the keyword.

Odour forms six hours after you sweat. Bathe twice a day, and wear freshly washed clothes, because odour can cling to them. Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is said to help prevent body odour. Make a paste of baking soda using water (you can also add lemon juice) and apply it on areas such as the underarms. Leave it on for 10 minutes and wash with water. Or, mix a little baking soda with talcum powder and apply it on areas like your underarms, or feet, where sweating is more profuse.

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