Vasudha was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen when suddenly she heard Trisha, her adolescent daughter, letting out a loud scream. Before she could even react and race to her daughter's room, Trisha herself came running frantically into the kitchen, squealing. "O Momma, my life is finished", she was crying hysterically.
Vasudha got worried, and was startled too. Only a few minutes back when she had gone to Trisha's room to wake her up, her daughter had greeted her with an ever beautiful smile and a kiss. "What could then change her mood all of a sudden?" she started wondering.
"What has happened, Trisha? Why are you crying?" asked Vasudha.
"Momma, don't you see this?" Trisha asks, pointing her finger at her nose.
Upon close examination, Vasudha saw a red, shiny bump on the tip of her nose.
"Hahahaha, you are worrying about this, Trisha? It's just a stupid pimple. It means that you have got a, ahem ahem, secret lover, someone has got a huge crush on you, you should be happy", said Vasudha and burst out laughing.
Trisha got even more agigated. "How can you be so mean, Momma? Here I am feeling distraught and you are joking about it!" she said, before running back to her room and slamming the door.
Probably nothing upsets a girl more than a pimple! A pimple is a girl's worst enemy. The red bump can freak out any girl, more so a teenager who was dealing with it for the first time. All mothers get bombarded with questions from their teenage daughters when they are having their usual bouts with teenage skin problems. And often a concerned mother, out of an irresistible impulse, rushes out to the medical store to buy an allopathic anti-acne product -- a pill or a cream!
But Vasudha knew that such pharmaceutical products were not the right solution to the skin problems and that these harsh, chemical laden products could have adverse side-effects too (such a cream often contains Benzoyl peroxide due to which one's skin can become sensitive to sun exposure after applying these allopathic creams and may develop rashes; the skin may feel very dry and itchy too). However there are many natural alternative skin care steps that can be taken to address the pimle and other skin problems. Mother Nature has a cure for almost every health problem. So Vasudha chose to go for the natural way.
When she went to her daughter's room, she found her standing before the mirror and staring at her pimple with hatred. "Don't be overly tense, dear", Vasudha tried to console Trisha, "it's a normal occurrence in girls during adolescence. Almost everyone would have got a pimple at some stage during their growing up years, I too had my issues with pimples and other skin problems. But you needn't worry. I have got some sure shot home remedies that would get rid of this stupid pimple and in the next few days, even before you know, it would be gone. You won't find a trace of it whatsoever".
"Tell me quickly, Momma, what do I need to do to get rid of this bump from my nose? I don't want any blemish on my face!", urged Trisha. "Will this pimple go away by this evening, if I follow your advice?"
"Calm down, Trisha, calm down. I don't have a magic potion to give you or a magic wand to make this pimple vanish away in a minute. The natural remedies that I am going to share with you, will take some time. But they will not only help you in getting rid of this pimple but will also make your skin glow and feel healthy", said Vasudha.
"Okay, to start with, you need to apply freshly prepared sandalwood paste mixed with turmeric powder and rose water regularly over the affected area (i.e. your nose) and leave it to dry for a few minutes before washing it off with water. And you have to do this regularly. In fact you can apply this paste all over your face, as a face pack. You can also mix some yogurt with the paste, it will act as a moisturizer. This paste will help prevent any further pimple outbreaks by removing the oil and dirt collected on the skin surface. Thus not only will this pimple fade away eventually but your skin will also start to glow more. In addition to that, this paste will help you in getting rid of any scar or mark left behind by an acne."
Vasudha continued, "You can also apply honey mixed with a little bit of cinnamon powder on the pimple. Just dab a cotton soaked in fresh honey and cinnamon powder mixture over the pimple and leave it like that for about 20 minutes. You can then wash it off with lukewarm water. Honey has antimicrobial properties which will soothe your skin as well as fight off infection and thus will prevent the pimple from spreading."
She added, "the best solution for a healthy and a glowing skin would be to prepare and apply a homemade face pack every second day. You can mix some besan (gram flour), a pinch of turmeric powder, a tablespoon of yogurt, a teaspoon of rose water and a teaspoon of honey. This would work as a one-step solution for all skin problems".
"Momma, I agree that these natural home-made remedies would be much more effective in treating skin problems than the cosmetic creams and as an added advantage, they won't have any side-effects as well. However, given the time constraints, it mayn't be easy to follow this skin care regime regularly. Isn't it?", said Trisha.
"Hmm, that's true. It may not be possible to prepare such a natural face pack at home every day. But we need to take care of our skin, it gets exposed to so many pollutants, dust, dirt, sun every day. If we neglect our skin, it will age faster, and we will face more skin problems. The good news is that we have now got a naturally prepared cream -
Vicco turmeric. Because of its Ayurvedic formula, its regular application works as an effective medicine for the prevention and cure of pimples, blackheads and other skin problems. Thus one will not only get a blemish free skin but she will also be glowing radiantly!" said Vasudha.
"O Momma, you are a genius. You have a solution for every problem. I love you", saying this, Trisha hugged and kissed her mother lovingly.