Kick Start Your Bridal Beauty Routine

by Sindhu Jayaprakash, 17th January 2017

Wedding is one of the most important events in a person's life. Getting married changes the life of an individual, a little more for a woman than the man. Most girls dream of their wedding day from a young age and have expectations of how they want it to be. The wedding ceremonies that last from three to seven days and the constant inflow of people and visitors leading to the ceremonies can be mentally and physically exhausting for the bride-to-be. It's important for the to-be bride to therefore look after her physical and mental health and well being in the days leading to the wedding.

Prepare yourself mentally for your big day.

There is no right time to start preparing oneself for the wedding. It generally depends on the time between the engagement ceremony and the actual wedding date. There is no general rule and the time gap may vary anywhere from a few weeks up to a year.

This article gives some tips for the prospective bride to maintain her health and well being during potentially hectic times.

Physical Well Being

In terms of general physical well being, it is important to make sure as a bride-to-be you should;

• Get at least eight hours of sleep. Sleeps helps to relax the body.

• Engage in some kind of physical activity such as brisk walking, jogging, yoga or cardio fitness in the gym every day. Exercising daily has multiple health benefits such as increasing blood supply to the body, releasing endorphins or the 'feel good' hormones, getting rid of toxins in the body, keeping the skin glowing and achieving a calm mind.

• Eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water, at least eight glasses a day. See a dietitian for help to correct your diet and deficiencies if any.

• Have a good skin care regime. Always remove make up before going to bed; cleanse, apply a toner and a moisturizer. If going out in the sun, always apply a good quality sunscreen on your face and other exposed parts of the body. There are a lot of herbal sunscreens available in the market which are not laden with chemicals. Wear a hat or scarf and sunglasses to protect yourself while going out in the sun. Apply a face pack made from natural ingredients based on your skin type every day before taking a shower. This helps in cleansing and hydrating your skin deeply and increasing the glow over time. Some of the popular face packs include multani mitti (fullen earth) with rose water, turmeric and milk with besan (chickpea flour), orange peel powder with rose water. Consult a beautician to find out your skin type and what face packs will suit your skin the best.

• Have a good hair care regime. Wash your hair at least two times a week to make sure your scalp is clean. Stress, unbalanced diet and a dirty scalp can often result in hair fall and other hair problems such as dandruff or a flaky scalp. Apply a herbal hair oil, that is slightly warm and massage it into your scalp before washing hair. For best results, leave the oil in hair for at least half an hour or even overnight where possible. Herbal oils are easy to make even at home and do not cost much. Boiling a handful of curry leaves in a cup and half of coconut oil, cooling and using it is known to promote hair growth. Olive oil is known to hydrate the scalp and reduce flakiness/dryness. Avoid excessive use of chemicals and hairspray for the hair. Consult a hairdresser or beautician to find out what type of hair you have and what natural homemade therapies would suit you the best. Consult a skin and hair specialist if there is no resolution to the problem or if required.

Mental Well Being

In terms of mental well being, it is important to make sure you should;

• Get good sleep daily, at least eight hours a day.

• Practice deep breathing exercises such as pranayama (a type of yogic exercise) for at least ten minutes every day. Deep breathing increases the oxygen to all the tissues in the body and helps in relaxing the body and mind.

• Try doing guided meditation for at least 30 minutes a day. Many videos are available on the internet today on guided mediation and are free of cost. You can listen to it before going to sleep, if you are short of time during the day.

Above all look after your physical health well to support a healthy mind in a healthy body.