Home remedies for skin care: natural fixes for common face and skin problems

Our home remedies for skin care are built around gentle kitchen ingredients — besan, curd, turmeric, aloe vera, honey, sandalwood, multani mitti — and the everyday habits that make the biggest difference to how skin looks: sleep, water, sun protection and not picking at it.

Ayurveda sees the skin as a mirror of digestion and blood (rakta dhatu). Heat and inflammation (pitta) show up as pimples, redness and pigmentation; dryness (vata) as rough, flaky or early-wrinkled skin; and heaviness (kapha) as oiliness, open pores and whiteheads. So alongside each face pack you'll find a word on food, routine and what to avoid.

Browse the guides below for pimple marks, pigmentation, dark neck and underarms, open pores, whiteheads, puffy eyes, dark lips, body odour and more. A few ground rules apply to all of them: patch test on the inner arm first, don't use lemon or raw spices on broken or sensitive skin, use sunscreen daily, and be patient — skin renews roughly every four to six weeks.

See a dermatologist for rashes that spread, painful cystic acne, moles that change, or any skin problem that doesn't improve.