'I'm a cosmetic doctor. These 4 ingredients are the secret to glowing skin and glossy hair.'

As host of You Beauty's Tuesday skincare show The Formula, my favourite thing is getting the chance to meet so many experts in the skincare industry and picking their brains about what we should (and shouldn't) be doing when it comes to our beauty routine.

It's interesting as hell, and I always come away with new nuggets of information I can apply to my own skincare routine.

And goodness, this week was a goodie.

This week, I sat down with cosmetic care specialist and skincare formulator Dr Tanya Unni to discuss what kind of trends she's seeing in her skincare clinic — as well as some of the game-changing ingredients straight from Indian beauty rituals.

From how to use holy basil and turmeric for a lit-from-within glow, to the best natural oils for shiny, strong hair, Dr Unni dished out all her tricks for taking your beauty routine to the next level.

The best part? It's the kind of stuff she's been doing her whole life.

Watch: Speaking of hair, here's 5 ways to lift your hair game. Post continues below.

Speaking about her regular beauty practices, Dr Unni told us, "I've always wondered about the things that I grew up [doing], which I thought was just natural and normal. I thought it was just common knowledge. We call it a daily routine or 'dinacharya'."

"For example, there's certain foods that you should avoid and certain rules you follow when you have got particular type of skin, and that's based on certain principles in Ayurveda or Indian medicine."

Want to listen to the full episode? Check it out below.

Here, Dr Unni shares the top Indian beauty practices she loves, along with four ingredients every Indian woman swears by for glowing skin, glossy hair and deep hydration.

Class in session.

Indian beauty rituals.

A big part of Dr Unni's beauty routine growing up in India (and even now) is scalp and hair oiling. "Applying oil was something I thought everyone would know about it, and everyone does," she shared. "But then it changed when I started practicing in skin, and then I realised — actually, no, that's not the case."

"I apply oil every single time before having a shower — on my scalp — that's a normal thing for me because I have bleached my hair and I know I need to do something to actually antidote or protect it. I almost feel a bit uncomfortable if I actually have a shower without washing my hair with oil in it, because I feel that I'm not doing my scalp justice if I'm not moisturising it."

"It's like second nature. If there is hair fall, you suddenly think, 'Oh, have I not been oiling enough? Have I skipped the massage?'"

Image: Instagram/@drtanyaofficial.

These days, scalp and hair oiling are practices have now exploded into mainstream popularity — it's everywhere now. Just search the terms on TikTok. However, this wasn't always the case. After moving from India to England, Dr Unni said she was shocked to learn scalp oiling wasn't the 'done thing' in Western culture — in fact, people were almost 'uncomfortable' about it.

"When I went to England and I was in the hospital accommodation, it was very normal to me that I applied oil and massaged in and then I would actually go to the common kitchen to cook. You apply oil, you leave it on and put your hair in a bun, and then have your shower. But then I had people looking at me, like 'your hair is very, very greasy'."

"From that experience, I realised that one of the key problems with hair loss and hair fall, is dry hair and a dry scalp. People lose their hair because it lacks nutrients. My observation was that they're using a lot of hair products, straightening their hair and all that sort of jazz — but we are not doing enough to counter that problem."

When it comes to what kind of oil she uses on her scalp and hair, Dr Unni has developed her own formulation: Holy Basil Hair Serum, $65.

In terms of her technique, she said she parts her hair into different sections and uses the dropper to apply the oil directly to her scalp, massaging it in and making sure it's spread evenly (including right to the ends of her hair to smooth the hair shaft and tackle split ends).

"The reason I'm using this hair product now, as opposed to commercial oil, is because I can leave it on at night and it doesn't stain my pillows. In the morning, I can wash it out or even leave it in and wash [my hair] the next evening."

Describing holy basil as a "super drug" for scalp care that's high in antioxidants, the ingredient promises to help stimulate hair growth while boosting shine and luminosity of the hair.

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Indian beauty ingredients.

When it comes to her top ingredients for great skin and hair, Dr Unni said she has four (or five) on heavy rotation. The kind of stuff that acts as a backbone to her beauty routine. Starting with (you guessed it) holy basil.

"Holy basil is my absolute favorite because it's the most potent super drug, and its queen of herbs that can be used for the face, the head or as a tea — you name it. Every part of the plant is being used for different things," she said.

"The other one that I would say is turmeric. It's an antidote. It's an anti-inflammatory product and an antibacterial. Coconut oil is an absolute go-to favorite for every Indian — these are the foundations of beauty."

There's also something called Multani mitti — a clay, which Dr Unni said you use as a base for a mask and combine it with different ingredients, depending on your skin concerns.

"We add turmeric, yoghurt and you can blend it in, and that's your face mask," she said, adding "sandalwood is another absolute go-to."

"These are things that women have been using for years. Whatever we practice, it's an ancient medicine that's been passed from generations after generation. If you have a problem, you'd ask your mum or your grandma or your aunt, because they have solution to everything."

Have you used any of these ingredients before? Are you a fan of scalp oiling? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Instagram/@drtanyaunni.