Brides, get ready for your big day

To look best on your wedding day, timely preparation is great help. This gives you the opportunity to take care of the minutest details and helps reduce stress.

Start taking regular treatments, at least, a month in advance to attend to your skin and hair problems, if any. As far as salon treatments are concerned, many services are available for bridal care which may include treatments for specific skin and hair problems. Some of these should be taken in good time. For example, if there is an acne condition or blemishes or a hair problem, the salon treatments should be taken, at least, two to four months in advance, depending on the problem.

Salons offer a total bridal makeover. Find out about the available packages in good time so that you can make your appointments in advance. Talk to the beautician about your make up and consult the hairdresser about the right hairstyle for the big occasion. Discussing these in good time saves a lot of last minute panic.

For normal to dry skin, the bride can take weekly salon facials with facial massage. This helps refine skin texture and revitalise the skin. For normal to oily skin, weekly clean-ups help smoothen and brighten the skin.

For your daily care routine at home, cleanse your skin twice a day. Use a cleansing cream for normal to dry skin or cleansing milk for normal to oily skin. Specialised cleansers for oily/ problem skins are also available.

If you have an oily skin which is dull or you have blackheads, use a scrub twice a week to deep cleanse the face and remove dead cells. Apply a facial mask twice or thrice a week. You can buy a facial mask, according to your skin type or prepare one at home. Take two teaspoons choker (wheat bran), one teaspoon ground almonds and mix one teaspoon each of honey, curd and rose water. Apply this on the face and wash it off after 20 minutes.

For the skin on the body, oil massage helps to make the skin soft. Apply olive oil and massage it into the skin, paying special attention to the elbows, knees, hands and feet. Take a small towel or wash cloth and wet it in warm water. Wring out the water and wipe the body with it. After bathing, apply a body lotion.

For the feet, soak them in warm water three times a week. Do this at night, before going to sleep. Add liquid soap or a shampoo. After 10 minutes of soaking, scrub the feet with a loofah or sponge. Use a heel scrubber or pumice stone to remove the dead skin on the heels. Wash and wipe the feet.

Apply a cream on the feet, massaging it into the skin. If the skin on the heels is dry and cracked, apply cream generously on the heel area. Tie a piece of clean cloth, like a bandage, then wear cotton socks and go to sleep. This will help to soften the skin.

Diet and lifestyle are an integral part of bridal preparation. The diet should help keep the system flushed and the skin clear and glowing. A part of the daily diet must consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt, skimmed milk, paneer. Fruit and vegetable juices, freshly extracted, are ideal.

Cut down your intake of sugar, starch and fried foods and increase your intake of raw foods, like fresh fruits, raw salads and sprouts. Drink plenty of water. Take the juice of one lemon in a glass of water first thing in the morning to cleanse the system.

All brides go through some kind of stress which can reflect on the face or cause problems, like dull skin and hair, dark circles or eruptions. Yoga is ideal, with deep breathing exercises and meditation, to prepare you for the big day.