I am 28 years old and have lost a lot of weight through dieting and exercise and hope to loose more. As a result my skin has become extremely dry and I am also loosing a lot of hair. Please advise on how to improve my hair and skin.
-Depressed

Crash diets have an adverse effect on your skin and hair. Adapting to a healthy life style with enough exercise and balanced eating is the wise thing to do. Most people lose a lot of weight in a very short time by denying the body essential minerals and vitamins and by starving the body. Once they have reached the target weight, the craving for food starts again, leading to eating wrong things and the cycle of weight gain and loss starts all over again.

Step one of following your diet is to see a nutritionist who will advise you on a suitable diet . Do not read books or follow any old weight loss programme. Every individual is unique and needs a diet programme suitable for that person only.

Answering your query-
Trim your hear at least an inch or so, or as much as possible. Every night, massage your scalp gently in small light circular movements for 15 minutes. No oil required. It is important to be gentle. Twice a week use the following pack:
fresh amla paste
1tbsp onion juice
1/2 tsp methi powder
1 tbsp yoghurt
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp castor oil
Mix, apply to roots. Keep on for 1/2 an hour. Wash off and shampoo.

As for your skin, use the following pack every day in the evening.
1 tsp- olive oil
1 tsp- milk powder
Mix with a little water, apply and keep on for 15 minutes. Wash off. Apply Johnson baby lotion with 2-3 drops of Johnson oil.
Please drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juices everyday.

Dear Sadia,
I am a 14-year-old girl. I am having a problem with my oily skin. My skin always shines and there are numerous, small pimples all over my face. I always drink plenty of water and use face wash twice daily. But my skin is still not improving. Can you please suggest something that will reduce the oily content of my skin? I am really waiting for help.
- Worried

Wash your face with neem water (water boiled with neem leaves for ½ hour and cooled) 2-3 times a day.
Make the following pack:
paste of 7 to 8 neem leaves
pinch of turmeric powder
4 to 5 mint leaves
1 tsp cucumber juice
½ tsp rose water
Use twice a day. Do not prick on pimples, they will scar.

Dear Sadia,
How are you? I am a regular reader of your column. I want to know how I can make a protein pack for my hair at home? How many times should I use such a pack in a month? I would also like to know that if I have very sparse hair can I use fair polish instead of waxing and threading, as I am afraid that it will grow back more thicker. Can you tell me how I can make a fair polish pack at home?
Yours sincerely,
Farhana

The ready-made protein or deep conditioning packs are excellent and easy to use. Nevertheless here is an herbal option.
1 mashed banana
1 beaten egg
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp conditioner
1 tsp powdered masoor dal
Mix, apply and keep for ½ an hour. Shampoo off. Use once a week.

Yes, fair polish is a very good option for you. No, you cannot make fair polish at home. It does not suit everyone, so let the professionals do it.

Dear Sadia,
I am a 23-year old girl and I have always had sparse hair, with a dull and rough texture. But in contrast, my scalp is very oily and has a tendency to accumulate dust and grime whenever I go out. As a result, my hair gets dirty very often, and I have to end up shampooing every single day. On top of that, I can't use a conditioner because whenever I do, my hair starts to fall out in bundles!
Please suggest a possible remedy or a hair pack that I can use.
Thank you.
Upset

Rub lemon rind on your scalp before every shampoo. Never apply conditioner to the root only on the ends of the hair. Use a mild shampoo like Timotei, Johnson or Herbal Essence. Wash with cold water.

She looked like poetry, although I am not a big fan of poems. I am more the short story type- written to be told- not recited. I like music but she didn't look like a song, she looked more like poetry.

There was an ocean on one side and an ancient sleeping volcano on the other. In between there were trees and lush green forest. Banyan trees growing since the dawn of time it seems; kanakchapa, dolonchapa and krishnochura at each curve of the road and in between.

The road to Hana is what it was called. Narrow curvy paths that didn't suit everyone, but the ones who went to fall in love. Four wheelers drove cautiously stopping for in-coming traffic at each turn. No one sped up. We knew that like all roads this will end too, and we didn't want that to happen quick. We heard and read about the road to Hana and now we were on it. Our wide eyes wanted to take it all in, yet it felt like it was leaving something behind. We were not able to absorb all the beauty, we couldn't, it was too powerful, too alive yet too unreal for us to grasp. But there was that feeling, you know that feeling that every place creates, and this road had its signature. We felt it, and we knew that even if we don't have enough sets of eyes, enough time to listen to the leaves brush against each other that feeling would stay forever.

The road would take us to Hana, a tropical paradise, at the eastern, isolated part of Maui, one of the glorious islands of Hawaii. Once we would reach Hana, we would then find our Oceanside cottage, where there would be more dolonchapa, kanakchapa and krishnochura at the gate, and Hawaiian music playing from somewhere far. There would be locals, the Hawaiians and the visitors who came to tour the island and made permanent abode. And there would be afternoon rain, mists over the mountains, always to be followed by sunshine.

But before all this there was the road, and its curves and the people who stopped at every waterfall to wet their hair and dip their toes. There were fruit stands every 30 miles, selling out-of-season guavas, in-season mangos, custard apples, pineapple, smoothies and coffee. We stopped and ate a Hawaiian plated lunch, two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni and barbequed meat - cooked at someone's front yard, open or close for business whenever they pleased.

We didn't stop and kept driving. It felt wrong to stop. There was that flow and that feeling and our high required us to keep moving. I kept looking left and right, as far as I could, and between the bamboo forest and black sandy beaches I saw her, the one who looked like poetry. Her hair flowing down her back, she stood still facing the ocean, her feet buried in the sand, her legs wet from the waves. I didn't see her face and I couldn't make out the colour of her skin. She could have been anyone but then and there she was poetry. And it wasn't just her, it was all like poetry: me, the sand, the beach and the krishnochura. Although I am not a big fan of poetry, it didn't feel wrong to be recited.

Books galore

Boi Bazaar, after its big success in Dhanmondi, has launched their second outlet on Road #11 at Banani. Boi Bazar is the price club of bookstores; they offer a considerable amount of discount almost through out the year. It sells all kinds of English medium schoolbooks at a 22 percent discount and also there is a 20 percent discount on all Bengali novels and storybooks. Located on the spot of schools and universities, the store has been receiving a good response from the neighbourhood. A catchy mela had also been organised from the 15 to 24 of May. The environment was enchanting and would make anyone visiting the place a fan of books. This project has been initiated by Dhaka Ahsania Mission. The store and the mela showcased every sort of books from music, cooking, wedding, beauty, health, fashion, cars and food, to novels, dictionaries, encyclopaedia and children's books. There is a book on virtually every topic. Price varies according to the quality and the type of the book. They also sell their own local publications at a very cheap rate, which are also taught in many schools, as well as supplies books to various public libraries and universities. In addition to books, Boi Bazaar also sells stationery, toys, bags, card and board games. This store has contributed to make reading more economical and has especially satisfied school students.

A book is said to open and reveal one's identity. So next time you drop by this popular road, don't forget to explore the books available at this store. Exploring increases knowledge and knowledge is power.

By Zion Ara Hamid