Lips that are naturally pink? No problem

I am a young girl and a great fan of your column. I have a few queries: For the past few weeks, I have been suffering from heavy hair fall. I also wish to have smooth and clear skin. Lastly, my lips are chapped and dull. Is it possible to get pink lips naturally?
- Name withheld
Aloe vera is a miracle plant. You can arrest dandruff and hair fall by massaging your scalp with a mix of aloe vera, lemon juice and a few drops of tea tree oil. Do this thrice a week. You can apply the same to your face for clear skin. For chapped lips, mix two drops of glycerine with 1 drop of lemon juice and rub it on your lips. Leave overnight and do it every day. Lips will become a healthy pink, and it will get rid of dryness too.
I am a 12-year old and I love your remedies. I have a lot of dark circles - maybe due to the stress of homework and exams. Please tell me what I can do? Also, I have a lot of arm hair and I don't like it. I sweat a lot and that leads to odour issues that are pretty embarrassing. Lastly, I get teased for not having pink cheeks, as all my sisters have them. Please suggest some remedies to get these problems out of the way.
- Name withheld
Let me start with your skin tone. For pink cheeks, ensure you have seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables every day and drink at least 8-10 glasses of water. Exercise or walk for 30 minutes, five days a week. For dark circles, place used damp tea bags on your eyes for 10 minutes daily. Apply a mask of 1 tablespoon of gram flour, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, half a teaspoon of lemon juice and enough rose water to make a paste; apply on arms and underarms. Gently scrub skin of underarms and hands; do this every day. Gradually the odour and sweating will reduce and hair will be removed.
I am a 13-year-old girl who has the following problems: my hair has started falling recently and is getting worse day by day. I have a lot of pimples and marks, which makes my face look bad. Some areas of my hands, legs and neck are dark. Lastly, a remedy for upper lip hair, please.
- Nafeeza
Hair fall can be treated by adding 1 tablespoon of onion juice to 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel or yoghurt. Rub a slice of juicy tomato, with some turmeric sprinkled on top, on your face, hands, neck and upper lip. After 20 minutes, rinse off. It will lighten skin, shrink and clear pimples, get rid of facial and upper lip hair and clear marks. Do this every day.

I'm a 17-year-old girl. I have a dark outline around my lips, though my lips are pink. Can you help?
- Name withheld
A regular mask of potato juice over the dark outline will help lighten it; you may alternate with coconut cream to keep lips supple and smooth.

I am a great fan of yours. I have pimples on my face, very dry lips and dark circles. I'm also looking for two easy face masks, a remedy for removing hair from my hands (without waxing) and a homemade cream for dry skin.
- Hajrah Rukhsar
Thanks for reading my column. For dry skin and pimples, add 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of yogurt and half a teaspoon of turmeric; mix it all with some corn flour and apply on the face, under your eyes, and on your hands and lips. After 12-15 minutes, gently scrub against hair growth. Rinse with cold water. Do this every other day. You will see good results. A good homemade skin lotion that is gentle on dry skin would be 2 tablespoons of rose water mixed with 3 tablespoons of aloe vera gel and a few drops of vitamin E oil. Add to a bottle and shake before use.
(Got a beauty-related query? Write to Rima Soni at wknd@khaleejtimes.com)

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