Frozen tricks to enhance your skin

Starting from B-town diva Katrina’s morning ice treatment for puffiness to beauty guru Lisa Elridge’s ice facials to charge up tired skin, skin-enhancing frozen tricks offer the best enjoyment for your skin. Just a few blocks of extremely inexpensive beauty ice hold power to transform the feel and look of your skin instantly. Plain ice, when applied to the skin, acts as a cooling and numbing agent for the skin cells as well as the blood capillaries netting underneath the skin. It makes the skin look fresh and glowing, helps to minimise pores, reduces fatigue and soothes the skin from sun damages. You can even apply ice as a spot treatment for your worsening acne or for sculpting your face for a firm and youthful look. Here’s how you can turn your everyday ice cube treatments into ultimate skin protection weapon:

Jasmine & Aloe Vera for Youthful Skin

Jasmine, not just an aphrodisiac, is a powerhouse of skin-friendly essential oil containing benzoic acid and benzyl benzoate. The essential oil of jasmine provides nourishment to dehydrated skin, soothes inflammations, induces collagen production and smoothens fine lines. Aloe vera, on the other hand, comes with the immense power of anti-oxidants that rejuvenates the skin. The jasmine and aloe ice is, thus, an excellent option for people with dull and ageing skin. Infuse fresh jasmine petals in water for 6-7 hours. Mix a little aloe vera juice to this and prepare ice cubes out of this. Use 1-2 times a day for 2 minutes.

Mint & Lemon Ice for Acne Cure

Mint is nature’s truest astringent that works wonders on oily and acne-prone skin. The presence of skin-peeling agents like salicylic acid and other phytochemicals enhance its anti-bacterial actions. Cooling effects of mint calms down the skin and provides deep relaxation. The excellent citrus fruit Lemon cleanses the skin from every bit of superficial impurity and bacterial growth. When mixed, lemon and mint become a treat for oily and acne-troubled skin. Take 2 tablespoons of crushed fresh mint leaves and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup and fill the rest with water. Freeze and use once a day on freshly cleansed face.

Green Tea & Tulsi for Sunburnt Skin

Power-packed with enzymes, phytochemicals and amino acids, green tea is a wonder of nature. It helps in reducing undereye bags, fades scars and pigmentation and shrinks open pores. This incredible skin friend, when mixed with soothing Holy Basil or Tulsi, becomes a potent after-sun skin cure for sun-damaged skin. Green tea and Tulsi enhanced ice soothes the redness and inflammation of sunburns and relaxes the skin cells. To prepare this ice, dip a green tea bag in 1 cup of lukewarm water for 5-7 minutes. Mix 5-6 fresh tulsi leaf either crushed or paste. Freeze this and use after sun exposure.

Rose Water & Turmeric for Bright Skin

If bright skin is your goal, the potent blend of rose water and turmeric is going to do some real good on your skin. Rosewater contains the essential oil of rose. This replenishing oil moisturises the skin and reduces dullness. Turmeric, aided with the minerals and anti-oxidants, brings a glow to the skin, fades blemishes and pigmentation. Freeze the mix of 1/2 cup rose water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/2 cup water to get ice cubes. Use it daily and see the glow yourself!

Neem & Rice Water for Problem-free Glow

This ice idea is best for extremely sensitive and problematic skin. If you have active acne along with oily, dry or dull skin, then this soothing ice will bring back your skin to its original health. Neem is a powerful anti-microbial skin ingredient. It kills the bacterial or fungal outgrowth that causes acne and other skin complaints like itching. Rice water, being a natural skin soother, tames down the potency of neem to a skin-friendly level. Rice water also helps in brightening the skin. Soak rice in plain water for 4-5 hours and use this strained water for making ice cubes. Don’t forget to add a handful of crushed neem leaves before freezing!

Cucumber & Milk for Sculpted Face

Is your skin going all dull and sagged and you don’t know what to do? Look no further because here’s something you can do for your skin to reverse these signs of ageing. Take 1/2 cup whole milk, add 2 tablespoons of fresh cucumber extract and fill the rest of the cup with water. Now, freeze this concoction and use the ice cubes to massage your skin. Start at the centre of the face and go up till earlobes. Don’t forget the forehead and neck. Cucumber is an incredible skin soother and toner for the skin. The watery extract of cucumber works equally well on every skin type, including the most sensitive ones. Whole milk, on the other hand, contains plenty of lactic acid and vitamin A to recharge your aged skin cells.

Pro tip: Applying ice cubes directly is not suitable for your skin. Always wrap it in a fine muslin or cotton cloth and gently dab it to the skin.