Apart from being a healthy drink, tea is an excellent beauty aid too that is easily available in all homes.
° Brew 1/2 cup of unscented black or green tea leaves in approximately a litre of boiling bottled water for at least 10 minutes. Strain and set aside. Cool the filtrate and refrigerate. Use this solution to soothe sunburns.
° For minor cuts and scrapes, apply the cold tea brew with a pure cotton pad onto the cuts or abrasions. Leave the cotton pad on the affected area for at least 5 minutes. Do not wash off. Apply this 4 times and day and see the difference.
° Apply a piece of cotton cloth that’s been soaked in the cold tea brew to the sunburned area. Leave on until the affected areas cool off. Repeat this 3-4 times a day.
° To remove puffiness from eyes, soak cotton pads in the cold tea brew and keep the pads on your lids for about 10 minutes. Refrigerated used tea bags are another alternative.
° In case you have had a rough day, soak your feet in the cold tea brew for about 15 minutes. This is a great way to treat your feet after a long day of standing, walking, or running. For an aromatic soak, you can use flavoured tea brews.
° For a face scrub, mix 1 teaspoon of fine cornmeal or oatmeal with cooled chamomile tea brew. Apply on face and neck. Rub off gently when dry. This scrub is not recommended for sensitive skin.
° Another exfoliating paste would be using chamomile tea brew with powdered milk. Rub gentle and wash with warm water when dry.
° Rinse your face with brewed tea solution. Tea acts as an astringent, so it works well on pimples.
° To strengthen hair, warm 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons fresh ground lavender and the dry contents of 2 peppermint tea bags (easily available in departmental stores). Massage into scalp over damp hair. Cover hair for 20-25 minutes to keep the heat in. Shampoo and rinse hair. Repeat this treatment once a month. A great nourisher and hair strengthening agent.
° Tea also makes excellent hair colour. It’s cheap and can be easily made at home. Make a pot of medium strength tea, strain and cool. Pour as last rinse over shampooed hair. This tea rinse imparts color to hair. For a glossy look on your hair, polish it gently with a silk scarf. Alternatively, to colour hair, you can mix henna with tea when applying the henna pack to your hair.
° To ease toothaches, apply spent tea leaves on affected tooth till you manage the visit to the dentist.