Wine for skin

AGENCIES

If you thought wine was only meant to be enjoyed as a drink, think again. You can also use it to give your skin a refreshing glow and remove tans and blemishes. Mix a variety of ingredients for a rejuvenating vinotherapy or wine facial at home.

“The antioxidant properties of wine help in getting the toxins out of the skin. Wine facials are also great for skin tightening,” says beauty expert Aashmeen Munjaal of Star Salon. Every wine has a different composition and should be used according to skin type.

“While red wine has anti-ageing properties, white wine is good for tightening of open pores and prevention of acne,” says Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, ISAAC Wellness Center. Innovation is the key in wine facials, believes Dr Naresh Arora, beauty and aroma expert of Chase Aroma and Skin Care. “Using wine in conjunction with a cream that suits your skin type is a wise choice. Add rose water if you have sensitive skin, almond paste if you have dry skin or aloe vera juice if you have oily skin,” he recommends.

Wine or regular

facials

You get a better glow from a wine facial than a regular facial, say beauty experts. “The anti-ageing and de-stressing properties make wine facials more beneficial. They often give an instant wrinkle-free effect,” says Dr Gupta. Munjal adds, “Wine’s active anti-oxidants are also beneficial. The positive and negative ions are a source of an active supply of oxygen into the skin.”

Dry skin

Sweet white wines with alpha hydroxy acids are good for this skin type due to their water-binding properties. Commonly used wines are Michel Lynch Bordeaux, Chateau D’Ori Sauvignon Blanc and Sula Riesling.

Oily skin

If you have acne-prone oily skin, go for a red wine facial, since it has a high concentration of polyphenol resveratrol, a chemical that helps reduces inflammation. Most commonly used red wines for facials are Sula Rasa (Shiraz) and Indus Cabernet Sauvignon.

Try gold

Japanese company UMO has launched a 24 Karat gold facial — a non-invasive skin rejuvenating treatment, using the highest grade of gold to lift and firm the skin, reduce appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and lighten the skin.

Wine facial

• Use a cleanser cream to massage your face, moisturise the skin and eliminate dirt. Do so for five-seven minutes and wipe it off with a cotton pad.

• Steam your face using a hot towel or steamer for five minutes. The steam will open the pores and the impurities will flush off through sweat.

• After steaming, massage a mix of wine, herbs and essential oils on your face. The wine and essential oil must be selected according to your skin type.

• Apply the blend on the face and pour some on the fingertips. The massage should start from the head with thumbs on the forehead and fingers on the sides. Press the space between the eyebrows using the thumb. Continue the massage in circular motion down the jaw line to the chin and draw a line under the chin till the sides. This will allow the facial muscles to relax and loosen and the wine will penetrate the facial skin.

• Clean the face using a cotton pad and apply a wine face-mask that suits your skin type. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water.