Conscious buyers' compelling clamour for cleaner beauty solutions has surely been one of the game-changers when it comes to homegrown beauty products. Offering a limited edition of botanical products such as essential oils, carrier oils and floral hydrosols; four-year-old beauty label Speaking Herbs is steadily gaining repute among the busy-but-conscious buyers for specialising in unadulterated skin and hair solutions.
Co-founded by Amis Ahmed and Tanaya Sarma, this brand has over 19 botanical ingredients and 11 regimens. “We ensure that the botanicals are absolutely unadulterated. When a botanical product is extracted in the right manner, kept absolutely pure and used correctly, it can prove to be magical,” shares Tanaya.
A Masters degree in Biotechnology from VIT (Vellore) has helped Tanaya in understanding the dynamics and needs of the market better. And she busts some very common myths. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that one shouldn’t use any oil on oily skin. In fact, jojoba oil is great for oily skin. The oil is structurally similar to the sebum produced by the skin and when we apply this oil to our face, the sebaceous glands are tricked by the signal that the face already has enough sebum and therefore they stop producing excess oils,” explains Tanaya.
Apart from Jojoba oil, they also have Tea Tree Essential Oil, a great remedy for acne and pimples. Their limited range of pure hydrosols is also quite attractive and includes basil, peppermint, lemongrass and rose water. We loved their basil hydrosol for its soothing and dewy effect on the skin. The young expert claims that used in the right proportions, these unadulterated oils and hydrosols can solve almost all our skin and hair issues.
“If you have oily skin, you may take 3-4 drops of jojoba oil and massage your face lightly with it and if you have acne, add 1-2 drops of tea tree oil to it. To prevent fungal infection, use the combination of black seed oil and tea tree oil. If you don’t want to use so much oil, and then add 6-7 drops of tea tree oil to 15 ml of basil hydrosol instead,” she advises.
Any homemade ubtaan she advises for flaky and dry skin? “Take some gram flour, curd, a few drops of raw cold milk, a little honey, a tiny pinch of turmeric powder, a tablespoon of cold-pressed coconut oil, moringa or almond oil and a drop or two of tea tree oil. It is going to scrub off the dead skin and also, provide intense hydration,” she says.
sharmishtha.g@newindian express.com
Twitter: @sharmidas