Beauty Reviews: Nature-Based Treats and Treatments

We at eShe love natural skincare products and ancient Indian healing therapies. Here are our picks of the month.

Launched in 2015 as a 100% natural and vegan skincare brand, Alanna (pictured above) offers 28 products spread across eight categories. We recommend the Oatmeal and Honey Soap (Rs150) for a gentle, fragrant bath; the Rose and Grapeseed Face Mist (Rs250), which moisturizes while toning; and the Age No Bar Deep Oil Cleansing Scrub (Rs450).

Sometimes you just need a good massage to make all your problems seem better. An Ayurvedic massage with Shirodhara (Rs8,347) at the Metropolitan Hotel’s spa, NeoVeda (above), is just what you need on a day you’re overworked, underslept and aching all over. The therapist first gives you an invigorating body massage using long strokes, known as the Abhyangam. She then proceeds to gently pour herbal oils on the forehead while you drift into a deep, relaxing trance. Shirodhara is said to modulate the activity of the hypothalamus in the brain, and regulate sleep and emotions. Just what a busy woman needs.

Launched in 1992 by Vinita Jain, who was born on a tea plantation in the foothills of the Himalayas and studied biotechnology in Switzerland, Biotique has no peer when it comes to quality skincare that is also safe, easy-to-use and reasonably priced. Try their relaunched Saffron Youth Dew (Rs270), which gives you nourishment without oiliness.

This brand’s specialty is its cold-pressed black sesame oil, grown on their own farms in Gujarat. Headquartered in Mumbai, Mom’s Therapy makes body-care products with natural herbs, along with floral extracts and Ayurvedic ingredients. The Herbal Hair Oil (Rs339) and Body Oil (Rs279) are non-sticky and light, yet potent, and the Coffee Body Scrub (Rs225) leaves the skin smooth and soft, without drying it out.

Your treatment at the Andaz Spa, Delhi Aerocity, starts with picking out suitable oils and a coloured stone that tells the therapist (who is fabulous, by the way) just where the problem areas in your body are. Quiet, soothing and luxurious, this easily rates as one of the best spas in Delhi.

First published in the February issue of eShe magazine. Read it for free here.