Give your eyes a gift. Use a diya to make kajal. You probably remember your grandma doing it. Or even if she didn’t, it’s really simple and worth it.

Homemade kajal will not subject your eyes to chemicals that are often used in industrially-made kajal, such as charcoal and silver nitrate. Plus it can stay on for years without spoiling.

You need:

• A large diya
  
• A copper plate
  
• Ghee (homemade, if possible)
  

Procedure:

Light the diya. The bigger the diya, the better. Use a thick wick. Place the diya in such a place that the flame remains steady and unwavering.

Hold the copper plate over the diya with a tong or place it on a stand in such a way that the upper part of the flame, which will be black, touches the plate. You will see black deposits collecting on the plate.

Depending on the amount of kajal you want to make, keep the lamp burning.

Once it stops burning, or enough deposits have collected on the plate, mix the powdery black substance with a little ghee. Keep adding the ghee till you have the desired consistency.

Store it in a clean, dry container with a lid.

To apply it, you can use your finger tip, or a cotton bud or kohl applicator. Please keep in mind that homemade kajal is very dark and it can smudge easily.

If you want to make some kajal quickly, you can use a bit of banana leaf, or something similarly sturdy, instead of a copper plate.