Is your face summer ready?

With the heat on, here are easy DIY hydrating masks to cool you off this season. While the summer is a great time to wear those hot shorts and jumpers and look cool, its also a time for skin woes, so taking the right care becomes crucial. Says spa manager Sonali Kadam, "During this season the skin's natural moisture gets evaporated, therefore keeping it hydrated is very important. This will not just delay your skin from ageing and developing wrinkles, but it also keeps it healthy and fully functional, giving the skin a smooth and even texture. Hydrating masks help in replenishing and balancing the skin's moisture level. You can use easy ingredients like honey and fruits such as kiwi, orange and strawberry on your face. While honey is a humectant and a natural moisturiser, the fruits are rich in Vitamin C, they help in hydration and de-pigmentation." Adds Nirmala Shetty, beauty therapist and naturopath, "Due to the heat the skin can suffer from boils, rashes, pimples, sunburn and tanning. It's therefore crucial to cool the skin at least twice a week. Hydrating masks work best in this regard. Use ingredients found in your kitchen." Here are Nirmala's easy-to-make masks... Skin glow tonic Ingredients Water melon juice - 1/4 cup Orange juice - 1/4 cup Carrot juice - 1/4 cup Lime - 2 drops Honey - 1 tsp Method: Pour this in a glass bottle and place it n a refrigerator for five minutes. Apply the tonic all over your face and neck and let it dry. Apply the second coat. Let it also get absorbed by the skin. Repeated applications will help supply the skin with necessary vitamins while the honey will help moisturise the skin. Wash this off with lukewarm water followed by cold water splashes. Sunburn pack Ingredients Hung curds - 2 tsp Pure watermelon juice - 4 tsp Soaked almond paste - 6 tsp Method: Mix all the ingredients and apply on the face and neck as soon as one returns home after a day out. This pack helps to brighten the skin, and helps to remove the tan from it quickly. Refreshing eyepack Ingredients Watermelon, grated - small amount Cucumber juice - 2 tsp Method: Summer makes the eyes red and watery due to extreme heat. Cool the eyes by applying grated watermelon as an eye compress or simply place a slice of watermelon on closed eyelids daily for five minutes. Simply applying cucumber juice or coconut water also helps hydrate and cool the skin. Note: All fruit packs are to be used fresh and preserved for half a day only. Summer coolant For the skin Ingredients Oatmeal - 1/2 cup Watermelon, grated - 1/4 cup Cucumber, grated - 1/4 cup Method: Mix all the three ingredients and apply it thickly on the face. Relax with this for about 10 minutes. This is great refresher and coolant for the skin. Those with heat boils and rashes also benefit from this pack.