EXCLUSIVE: Aahana Kumra shares her skincare and haircare secrets in this tell-all beauty interview

From her secret home-made oats scrub, to wearing oil on her face at night, Aahana Kumra spills it all…

Lipstick Under My Burkha actress Aahana Kumra has a glowing skin and luscious hair many would envy. The 37-year-old insists that she is a champion of homemade ubtan and ghar ke nuske more than the fancy products available in the market for her hair and skincare routine. Filmfare Middle East caught up for an exclusive interview with the actress where she shared all her beauty secrets. Read on…

What’s your everyday night-time skincare routine like?

I usually come back from a shoot, so first I take my make-up off. I’m somebody who’s not into too many lotions and moisturizers. I like to depend on a normal, light night-cream for my night-time routine. I use the Innisfree Black Tea Youth Enhancing Ampoule before sleeping. I have a dry skin, so if sometimes my skin feels too dry, I wear the Sunday Riley CEO Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil and sleep. I think I’m one of those few people in Mumbai who wears oil on her face and sleeps! I go for my runs early in the morning and ensure I get a lot of sun—I make sure I’m sweating, so that the skin feels luminous whole day.

What are the three constant must-haves in your make-up bag?

A kohl-pencil, a nude-coloured lipstick and a concealer.

What are some skincare practices you do today but wish you’d started earlier?

Where do I even begin? I wish I started with these home-remedies a lot earlier. I read a lot about these routines now and implement them in my day-to-day life. One thing that I swear by is an oats scrub that I make at home. When I come back home from a run, I usually get pretty tanned. That’s when I give myself a rough, hard scrub. I depend on home-made ubtans a lot more than I depend upon creams. I also wish I started using sunscreens a lot earlier. I do it now and it has made a huge difference to my life and my skin.

Which is that one skincare product that you just can’t do without?

I love the Sunday Riley CEO Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil; it’s one of my most favourite things. I also love my sunscreen – Bioderma Photoderm MAX Creme SPF 50+.

Do you have a specific day time skincare routine?

I come back from my run around 8:30 am and take a shower after scrubbing. Then I use a cleanser from Laneige, put the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum and then put the sunscreen on top of that.

Your work entails you putting on a lot of make-up. What steps do you take to not damage your skin?

The minute I’m done with my shoot, I take my make-up off—first with baby oil and then with the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Makeup Removing Micellar Water. I make sure that my cleansing process is very thorough. After that, I wear the Sunday Riley CEO Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream. But since my skin is so dry, I make sure I top it off with the Sunday Riley CEO Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil at night.

Is there any skincare practice that you had to unlearn when taking care of your skin?

I don’t go for too many massages and facials, it’s very rare. I do a face clean-up maybe once in three to four months. I don’t like to put my skin through too much torture, I’ve realised it’s not required.

Do you have any home remedies for your skin and haircare?

I put aloe vera on my entire hair and leave it for around 30 minutes to an hour. I also oil my hair quite often because after getting infected with COVID-19, I started to experience massive hair fall. I love the Arata Grow Turmeric Hair Oil. For my skin, I make a nice scrub for myself at home. I take rice, masoor dal, milk and soak it overnight. Next morning, I blend it and put oats in it. This is my favourite scrub and it really works wonders for me.

How do you take care of your hair?

I use a mild shampoo and sometimes put onion juice on my hair for hair growth. I also really like the Forest Essentials Intensive Hair Repair Masque Japapatti & Brahmi. I love doing a headstand; it really helps in hair care too. I also eat amla every day.

Any skin and haircare tips that have been passed on through generations that you religiously follow?

As a child, I was told to sweat it out. If you sweat, your skin improves and your face glows. When I wake up in the morning, I make sure I get a lot of sun—it’s a great source of Vitamin B12. I’m ageing backwards as far as my skin is concerned because of my runs in the morning where I sweat profusely. My mom makes the best besan ubtan and it’s superb for my skin.

After a long day at shoot, how do you take care of yourself?

I come back home, take my make-up off, watch a nice show or film on any of the OTT platforms and then go off to sleep!

Your all-time favourite…

Eye shadow colour: champagne gold

Lipstick: Pillow Talk by Charlotte Tilbury

Mascara: L’Oreal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara

Perfume: My sister Shivani is a perfumer and she makes a lot of perfumes for me. So, I have a lot of in-house perfumes. My favourites are her Japanese Cherry Blossom and Nargis perfumes.

Do you have any skin and haircare tips for the readers?

Exercise everyday—if you sweat it out, that’s the greatest gift you’ll give to your skin and hair. You’ll see the difference yourself—your skin will start looking gorgeous. Wake up early in the morning and take in the sunlight. Oil your hair, put onion juice for hair-growth… sometimes you can even use some aloe vera. Try to use as many stuff as you can from your kitchen rather than using products. Have ghee, it’s beautiful for your skin. Take it for a few days and stop, then again take it for a few days and stop. It’s incredible for your skin and hair—you’ll thank me later!

 

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