- Apply the warm mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and coconut oil. Do a steam -towel- wrap for 15 minutes and wash the hair with a shampoo.

- Massage the Scalp with pure coconut oil. This will also help for growth of hair.

- Apply a mixture of almond oil and gooseberry juice with finger tips on the scalp.

- Apply a paste of fenugreek and mustard to the scalp.

- Mix Shikakai powder with the water drained from the cooked rice and wash the hair with it.

- Crush the leaves of five petal hibiscus flower and take the juice. Wash the hair with this juice.

- Heat the oil with a little camphor. Apply the oil in the scalp and massage for 10 minutes. After 30 minutes wash the hair with a herbal shampoo. Do the steam -towel- wrap for 15 minutes.

For healthy and shiny hair

- It is better to apply castor oil for a healthy growth of hair.

- Wash hair with tea once in a week.

- Apply besan in the hair and wash it with water drained from the cooked rice.

- Soak a handful of gooseberry in a cup of milk for two hours. Make it as a paste and apply in the hair.

- Apply the mixture of an egg white, 2 spoon of castor oil, 1 spoon glycerin, in the scalp and hair. Wash it after some time.

- Massage hair with warm coconut oil an hour before washing. Let it soak. Cover your head with a hot towel and wash your hair after an hour or so.

- Boil a few hibiscus flowers in coconut oil. Filter and use this hair oil to control hair loss and thinning.

- Do a ‘steam-towel-wrap’ once in a while, if your cuticles are damaged, as this steaming opens out the pores and absorbs the oil.

- Deep condition with curd, beer and egg.

- Mix a little vinegar in warm water and rinse your hair with this solution. This will add bounce to dull and lifeless hair.

- Soak 1 teaspoon fenugreek in curd and keep it for a night. Have it in the next morning.

- Boil coconut oil with the juices of curry leaves, basil, hibiscus flower and gooseberry. Apply on hair, keep it for sometime and rinse.

- Egg white and curd is a good conditioner for hair.

- Take a cup of coconut and mustard oils. Soak half a cup of curry leaves in the oil mixture and keep it for a night. Next morning, heat on a slow fire till the curry leaves turn crisp. Remove from heat and add two to three camphor balls. Allow oil to cool and then strain. Apply oil to hair roots using cotton wool along the parting and massage in circular movements. Leave the oil overnight and shampoo the next morning. Repeat twice a week.

- Add a lemon peel to a ‘shikakai’ and ‘amla’ mixture while washing your hair.

For graying hairs

- Take a little Mehandi , an egg, juice of half a lemon, one table spoon of instant coffee powder. Mix it together and apply on the hair. Wash it after 45 minutes.

- Boil one cup of dried gooseberry with 4 cups of water. Add a pinch of sugar in it. Keep boiling till the quantity of the liquid reduces to one cup. Mix 2 cups of Mehendi, an egg, juice of a lemon and the gooseberry solution and apply on hair. Wash the hair after two hours.

After my pregnancy, I realized I wanted to bring the 
wonderful nurturing and pampering feeling to more women. By putting together spa recipes in my book, “Spa Mama”, I wanted to make it easier for women to
pamper themselves at home. Each recipe has been formulated to give you all the mental and physical benefits of a luxurious spa treatment without actually having to leave your home! So get comfortable, relax and get ready to make the most out of the opportunity to pamper yourself.

Baby your face: relaxing facial massage

This is a great way to relieve headache or sinus pain. All you need are your own two hands and a comfy place to sit or lie down.

Forehead. Using the fingertips of both hands, stroke your forehead from the midpoint towards to the temple as if you were drawing four rows between your brow and your hairline.

Eyebrow ridge. With both hands poised above the bridge of your nose, inhale deeply. Pinch your eyebrow ridge as you exhale. Inhale and move your fingers to a new position along the ridge. Exhale as you pinch, and so on.

Nose and cheekbones. Using both hands, draw your middle and index fingers down either side of your nose, pausing where cheekbone meets nostril. Inhale and press your fingers towards the back of your head. Continue tracing underneath your cheekbone until you reach your temples.

Jawbone. Make small circles with your fingertips from the temple down along the jawbone until you reach the tip of the chin.

Cheeks. With your hands in a loose fist, use the flat part of your fingers to make soft circles in the fleshy part of your cheeks.

Ears. Pinch the edge of your ears from the top ridge down to the lobe and back, gently pulling as you do so.

Head. With flat fingers, push up from the corner of your jawbone to your temple. Continue up and over your ears, and down along the underside of your jawbone finishing under the tip of your chin. Then massage your whole head with your fingertips as if you were shampooing.

Sweet and Simple Facial Mask: Bye-bye break-outs Although it doesn’t happen to all women, acne is a fairly as we age. Try this natural and gentle facial mask designed to unplug your oily pores without irritating your skin.

- 2 tablespoons bran
- 1 tablespoon baby applesauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried peppermint

In a small bowl mix the ingredients to make a paste. Spread the gooey (and fairly yummy-looking) mixture on your face. Treat yourself to a quick 20 minute nap and then rinse the mask off with lukewarm water.

Lullaby Time: Moisturizing night cream for normal skin

Use this combination of apple juice, glycerin and sweet almond oil every evening and you’ll wake up with glowing, healthy skin. Apple juice works wonders on fine wrinkles and cracked skin, while the sweet almond oil combats dryness and reduces the appearance of scarring and skin imperfections.

- 1 tablespoon apple juice
- 1 teaspoon glycerin
- 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil

In a pan, mix all ingredients over a low heat to create a viscous liquid the texture of pouring cream. Transfer the cream to a small, sterile plastic container. To use, massage a few drops onto your freshly cleansed skin before going to sleep.