Every woman has a basic must when it comes to beauty. I have compiled below the ‘basics of beauty’ according to three women in my family, my grandmother, my auntie and my mum.
The Basics Of Beauty according to: My Grandmother
When I was little, growing up, my grandmother often had this comment; ‘There are two beauty musts a women should care for: her hair and her teeth!’
Hair
Every morning before school she would massage coconut oil into my hair before pulling them back into a braid.
The practice of hair oiling is a daily ritual for most Indian women. It prevents dryness, and makes the hair shinier, thicker and softer.
Our recommendation for an hair oiling session is to mix the following oils:
- 3 Tbsp of Coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp of Castor oil
- 1 Tbsp of Olive oil
Warm them up to make them liquid. You can place all three in a bowl and place the bowl in a saucepan on medium hit. Stir to blend the 3 oils together.
Massage into your hair and scalp. Leave it in for 2 hours or overnight before shampooing .
Teeth
Of course we should go by the general recommendations. Brushing them twice and flossing them at least once a day.
Actually it seems that flossing is even more important to get rid of food stuck in between the teeth which could cause tooth decay.
It might sound silly to those of you who brush your teeth regularly and religiously. But I can guarantee you it is not obvious for everyone…
However, the lack of oral hygiene has more consequences: Teeth decay, tooth loss and Gum inflammation. The side effects of these can also lead to lower self esteem, depression but also other health issues.
While our immune system is busy fighting tooth decay or gum inflammation, it can’t take care properly of the rest of our health. It is somewhat “ok” in our 20s but it can only get worse as the years go by.
So first things first, forget about day cream; BB cream, foundation and other baking powders or make up (well…we’ll look into make up after this crucial step).
Listen to your mama and brush your teeth! Giving love to each of them so they stay with you along you life journey. I know I am being a bit dramatic here, but I am sure you know what I mean.
Wanting to go all natural, some choose to go with fluoride-free toothpaste. However, fluoride has been proven to prevent cavities. You can read a good article from heatlhline.com here.
So follow the recommendations of brushing your teeth for 3 minutes at least twice a day. Avoid brushing right after eating especially if it is food that is acidic. The Citric acid softens the tooth enamel so brushing them at that moment can lead to damage and floss once a day.
The Basics of Beauty according to: My Auntie
For my auntie beauty was in the magical flex of the eyebrows. I remember how she would admire anyone with nice eyebrows, men, women, children, whether she saw them on TV or in real life. Naturally nice shaped eyebrows are a primary example what nature gives you!
And this is how you can take care of them…
Eyebrows
Let’s start simple: Keep them neat!
- Firstly, pluck your eyebrows but don’t over do it. You want to keep the natural shape of your eyebrows and remove only the first lines below or above the main chunk of hair.Tweezers are designed to remove rogue hairs not to shape them.
- A good tip for that is to draw the lines of your eyebrows and pluck out hair outside of that line.
How can I Shape my Eyebrows?
- For shaping your eyebrows, you might want to consider threading as a much more precise practice than waxing. See a professional to do it for you as it is not as easy as it may seem.
- Drawing the desired shape with an eyebrow pencil may help you be more precise about which hairs to pluck out
How to Color my eyebrows?
- Secondly, colouring in to give them the shape and density you want.
- There are many tools out there allowing you to do just that. Eyebrow pencils, or eyebrows powder and angel brush.
- You can also use an eyebrow stencil. It will help you define your eyebrows following the lines of an eyebrow frame.
- You have the choice for sizes and shape so you can experiment different looks without too much risk while colouring in.
- While colouring in, avoid one single stroke but instead opt for small little ones in the direction of your hair growth to get the most realistic results.
- Create a credible shape with the arch and the end at the right place. Use your eyebrow pencil to define where the shape should start, arch and end.
How Can I Draw Arched Eyebrows?
- First hold the stencil straight from each sides of your nose. Where it ends at your eyebrow level is where the shape should start
- Second, place the pen in diagonal aiming for the center of your eye, where it indicates where your arch should be defined.
- Lastly, move the diagonal line of your pencil slightly beneath your eyes and toward the end. Here again where it points indicates where your eyebrow should end.
- Do not make your eyebrow end too low, as it will give you a sad look and it is of course not the aim!
The Basics of Beauty according to: My Mum
And for my mum, she had two essentials. A neat manicure and never going out without basic make up.
A neat manicure
Step 1
- First wash your hands
- Clear your nail with nail varnish remover to prep them and remove any nail varnish but also oil or dirt
- Clip if necessary. Go for the edges and bit by bit instead of trying to cut all in one go
Step 2
- File gently in one direction to give them the shape you want, square, round
- Buff the sides and the tops with a nail buffer to render a smooth surface and get rid of any oil and other residue
Step 3
- Push back your cuticles. Prep your cuticles with cuticle remover. It should help dissolve the dead skin and soften the area. (Cuticle oils are totally different products and can’t be used instead. Cuticle removers are like an exfoliating treatment while oils will moisturize.)
- Push the cuticle back gently with a cuticle stick. Avoid cutting them off as they are a natural barrier against bacteria and other infections. Cutting them too short can also cause nail infections
Step 4
- Exfoliate your hands to eliminate dead skin cells
- Moisturize your hands and cuticles with cream
Step 5: Painting the Nails
- Apply a base coat which will hydrate and protect your nails
- Apply the first coat of color. Do not overload the brush or do too many strokes. Not more than three. One in the middle and one on each size.
- Wait for 2 to 5 minutes to allow the first coat to dry before applying your second coat of color
Finally…
- Finish with a topcoat which will help protects your manicure from chipping and adds shine to the nails
- Clean up with by dipping ear cotton buds in the nail varnish remover to remove any excess around the nail and let your nails dry
Basic make up
My Mother’s basic essentials to make-up were:
- Moisturise your skin, ideally with sun protection
- Draw your eyebrows (see above)
- Apply a thin layer of eyeliner to open up your eyes
- Put on some mascara
- Apply lipstick or gloss
If you have any skin imperfections or had a rough night you can apply a tainted cream or light foundation to mask them.
Here you are, you are ready to go!
It is said that in love and in life you need to know how to show others how to treat you. That is what self-care is. Take time to make yourself look and feel better, you are telling others, how much you love yourself. Your appearance is your best PR, and also your best self esteem booster.
What are your Basics of Beauty?
