Saturday August 29, 2009
Powder panacea
Stories by ROSE YASMIN KARIM
Bedak sejuk is back and it’s kicking talcum’s butt for skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
Leave the rat race behind for a little plot of paradise, grow herbs and flowers and make your own beauty product . . .
The recipe for making bedak sejuk has been handed down from generation to generation by Azizah Daud’s family. While most may sigh and then shake their heads at the idea, the mother-and-daughter team of Azizah Daud, 50 and Nur Syakira Fazli, 18, of Pasir Mas, Kelantan decided to grab the bull by the horns.
In the battle against Father Time and gravity, the duo have allied with none other than mother nature to produce a home blend of bedak sejuk.
Unlike talcum powder (which the Consumer Association Penang claims may lead to ovarian cancer and asthma in children (The Star/Feb 18, 2009)), these super potent tiny beads of powder shaped like Hershey’s Kisses are made of rice and are chemical-free.
“Good quality, broken rice is selected and then soaked in a tub of water for two days,” says Azizah, or Kak Zah Bedak, explaining the production process.
“Of course, if you have the time, you can even soak the rice for up to a year or until the grains naturally dissolve. I make sure to cover the container with a lid so insects don’t get in. After two days, the water is drained and the rice is rinsed.
“Then, the grains are ground using a machine until they become flour. Next, a white cloth is used to sieve the flour to remove the larger particles. The smooth, fine powder is what’s used to make the bedak sejuk. It is mixed with water to form a batter and spooned into a funnel cloth,” says Azizah, a mother of eight who learnt the craft from her late mother.
Azizah demonstrates, dotting tear-sized blobs onto a paper-lined rattan tray.
“Lastly, it is sun dried for two days and packed in plastic packets. We operate entirely from home, doing the entire process ourselves, from buying the rice to distribution.”
Azizah squeezing out tear-drop sized droplets of bedak sejuk for drying. In a week, Azizah uses 50 kilos of rice to make the rice powder.
“Every Friday, my daughter (Nur Syakira) loads the packets of bedak sejuk into her car, taking up all the space in the boot and back seat, and drives to Kota Baru to distribute it to the sellers at the Siti Khadijah Market,” she says, showing me a packet.
The packaging is plain and without a label either.
Azizah’s other daughter who lives in Kuala Lumpur recently bottled some and branded it Rintik-rintik Ayu. She sold it at the pharmacy at the hospital where she works.
“It’s very easy to use. Just mix a few chips with a bit of water to form a paste and apply it to the face and neck. If used diligently, the result is noticeable after a week. Your skin will feel softer. It reduces pimples and oil, and has a whitening effect,’’ claims Nur Syakira.
“Even men are not beyond a pimple or two, and they too can wear it without looking any less macho.
“I wear it every night before I sleep. During the day, I use it as a base powder by mixing one or two beads with water,” she adds.
A pimple standing between you and perfect happiness? Adult acne calls for adult measures, and Nur Syakira has a zit-zapping recipe.
“Mix the bedak sejuk with a few drops of lime juice, spray a bit of water and dab it on your spots. Your skin will tingle a little because the lime is acidic. Another effective way is by mixing it with cinnamon powder or the pounded shoots of a guava tree.”
The powder, Nur Syakira says, can also be used as a mask just by adding more bedak sejuk to form a thicker paste so it hardens on the face when it dries.
“For smooth skin, mix it with tamarind juice, turmeric and a bit of water. Scrub it over your face every night for a few minutes and rinse with water.”
In the relentless heat and humidity, mothers in rural areas, adds Azizah, use bedak sejuk on their babies to avoid rashes and skin problems common to children.
“It has a cooling effect and helps them sleep better.”
“Nothing soothes water-starved faces like bedak sejuk,” claims Nurkhairiah Razali, 37, a seller.
“First, it treats blackheads, so you’ll be seeing fewer of them in the mirror. It also unclogs your pores so you don’t get pimples. And finally, it makes your skin glow. We have customers who have been buying Kak Zah’s bedak from us for years. It’s testament to the quality.
“People like it because they don’t need to spend money on expensive beauty products and facials. They can simply treat their skin at home.”
“I think of myself as experimental when it comes to skincare products and make-up,” says Junaidah Hambali, 32, a food technologist.
Bedak sejuk is safe for babies. — NORAFIFI EHSAN/The Star “There are so many breakthrough wrinkle creams and state-of-the-art moisturisers, that it’s hard not to get sucked in. But bedak sejuk is my skincare staple. My only complaint is that I need to line my pillow so I won’t leave behind any white streaks. Still, I’ll draw the line at using it outside the house although I know of women who do. I wouldn’t want to be gawked at like a Chinese opera actress.”
“I use to wear bedak sejuk religiously to sleep before I got married,” says Maisarah Mohd Zain, 29, a seamstress.
“I’ve stopped now because I don’t want my husband to have a heart attack when he wakes up to a ‘ghost’ next to him. But when he’s at work, I apply it to calm my skin because it’s quite sensitive when exposed to the sun.
“Once my husband came home for lunch while I was napping and caught me by surprise. I quickly hid under the covers!” chuckles Maisarah, who keeps her powder beads in an old coffee jar.
“I add some chopped-up, dried pandan leaves and rose buds to give it a subtle fragrance.
“What it does to my skin? My pores are tighter and my skin has a brighter glow.”
It’s cheap and effective too. Should we be giving this old beauty remedy another look? The women who use it swear by it.
A good substitute
White rice powder is used in many Ayurvedic remedies,” says Dr C. D. Siby, from the Ayur Centre for the treatment and practice of Ayurveda in Malaysia.
“When dissolved in milk and applied onto the skin, the rice powder helps balance the skin’s moisture by controlling excessive oil secretion and perspiration, and inhibits bacteria that cause pimples, blackheads and various inflammations.”
For those who have experienced skin irritation from using talc, Dr Siby says, rice powder is the perfect substitute.
“It is suitable for both food and cosmetic use, and is gentle enough for sensitive skin or as diaper powder. It can also help lighten dark pigmentation.”
Source:
RSS
