Beauty care for moms

Being a mother can be so demanding! You are probably left without any time to care for your appearance and grooming. I think attitudes are also partly to blame. Once married and a mother, many women are overwhelmed by looking after home and family. They tend to let themselves go and don’t give that much importance to their appearance.

Many housewives and mothers find they have become the garbage bin of the family, eating leftover food to prevent wastage. Slowly, weight gain creeps up on them. The lack of physical activity compounds the problem. Soon the youthful looks are lost. Efficient time-management is the answer. You need to set apart some time for yourself everyday. Daily skin and hair care take only a few minutes. So does daily exercise. So, organise your day and help yourself.

The ancient sages of India advocated a diet of natural foods. Today, there is enough evidence that natural foods improve the external appearance. A diet that is high in fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed cereals, sprouted grains, nuts, seeds and yogurt can make you look and feel much better.  The vitamins, minerals and trace elements found in natural foods are extremely essential for your well being and vitality.

You can also build yoga into your lifestyle. The exercises or “asanas” are particularly beneficial for strengthening the body, making it flexible, supple and youthful. The breathing exercises purify the organ systems and induce relaxation. Sensible eating, regular exercise and relaxation will give you all the energy you need and make you feel good. Feeling good is an integral part of looking good too.

Before your bath, take a few minutes to cleanse and tone the skin. Apply cleanser on the face and wipe off with moist cotton wool. Soak cotton wool in rose water. Wipe and pat your face briskly with it. Use a facial scrub twice a week.  Night-time cleansing is very important. For dry skin, massage with nourishing cream after cleansing. Wipe off with moist cotton wool before bedtime.

A facial mask is easy to use. You can apply it and do your household chores while it dries. In fact, you can mix a face mask at home with wheat bran (choker), ground almonds and one teaspoon each of honey, yogurt and rose water. Mix enough to last you for two or three days, keeping the excess in the refrigerator. This is one way of saving time.

Set aside one day a week to give yourself a manicure and pedicure and condition your hair with henna. Apply the henna and then go about your hand and foot care. This will help to keep your hands and feet in good condition and you can just touch up your nail varnish during the week. If you can manage to get away to a beauty salon, there is nothing like it. A weekly visit to the beauty salon can be used to have your waxing, manicure, pedicure and even a facial done.  Banish all the pangs of guilt that mothers feel. Think that this is something you really deserve. It will help you to have that well-groomed and well-cared for look.

A well-groomed look is actually a matter of paying attention to little details. What you really have to do is to evolve a lifestyle that is sensible. Plan your day according to your needs and convenience. Keep your goals realistic. Your day’s work should be planned according to your capacity and time at your disposal. You will find that your family fits into it easily. There are no awards to be won, but there are plenty of rewards, in terms of being a slim and attractive woman, who is also a mother.