Swathy

From the Archives : Use ginger to get rid of acne {DIY}

Swathy · September 25, 2013 · 70 Comments

PS: Everyone has been asking me about how to get rid of acne so this is an old and a very useful post on the same topic. Hope this helps 🙂

Ginger is a very useful spice. And, it has great anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties along with its astringent properties which comes handy when you are dealing with a stubborn problem like acne. Acne can come in form of pimples, outbreaks or even worse. So, let us discuss what all you can do from ginger.

Ginger is great as a drink every day. Yes, it is pretty bitter in taste but it improves your skin from inside. It helps your body fight the free radicals and keeps your digestive system in order. It cleans out the toxins from your system. Ginger improves the blood circulation throughout the body and also cleans out the blood. Not only this, it also improves the skin tone and helps in getting rid of blemishes and spots.

Squeeze out a little of ginger juice and apply it on your face or just the acne-affected areas and see your skin improve in a matter of days. It works very well for unexpected outbreaks and pimples. You can also use the juice as a face mask for blemished and sun-burnt skin. And, you can also help your body by including this spice in your daily diet.

A little every day goes a long way. You can also use a little ginger in your spinach-lettuce juice in the morning. Pass a small slice of ginger along with spinach and lettuce while making the juice. It would give a spicy taste to your drink. And, not to mention, ginger is really good for throat infections, dry coughs and colds.

So, have you used ginger on your acne ever? Does it help?

All about Facial Oils? [Part – II] {Skin Care}

Swathy · September 23, 2013 · 2 Comments

photo 17156408-portrait-of-blonde-with-the-ideal-glowing-skin-isolated-on-a-white-background_zps1487fdb4.jpg

Continuing from yesterday’s sermon on how to use facial oils, we will talk about different methods to use facial oil and how oil helps the skin. Read on…

Extra Rich Treatments using Facial Oils

Now, there are two kinds of options available to you. You can try either of them. Leave the massaged facial oil as a moisturizer just as it is for a nightly treatment.

Or, you can keep on massaging for 5 minutes to ensure that most of the oil gets absorbed into the skin. In this method, you can take a bit more of oil, like 10 drops, if you feel like. Keep the oil for 5 more minutes if you want or take a tissue and blot off the excess oil on the skin. And, follow with your favorite night cream or serum.

Another simple method is the Oil Cleansing Method itself. One can use heavy or the lighter oils, as the preference lies. Take a generous quantity and massage for 15 minutes. If done on clean skin, skin does absorb quite a good amount of oil.

And, use a face wash cloth to remove the rest of the oil just as in the OCM treatment. Do not wash the face. Follow with your favorite product or leave it just as it is. Also, let me tell you that this method with the oil which suits your skin is absolutely amazing to remove blemishes and scars and dark spots!!

photo stock-photo-beautiful-young-woman-receiving-facial-massage-43575766_zpsb1884d44.jpg

My Skin is Oily. How can I use oil???

This is the most common question when it comes facial oils. Yes, you CAN and you SHOULD use oils. The trick is to find the correct oil which suits your skin. My recommendation would be to start with grapeseed oil. And, you can probably use 1-2 drops instead.

Why facial oil helps any kind of skin?

Well, for one, oil is the only thing which can actually break down the dead skin cells binds and wash them off so oil acts as an exfoliant for all kinds of skin. Also, the molecular formula of oils is similar to the lipids present in our skin. [Remember the lipids?]

So, these oils go and form bonds with the lipids ensuring that skin remains at its best. Now, these lipids are mainly fats which is why we are advised to intake as much of Vitamin E and omega 3 as possible.

This is why oil is recommended even for oily skin. Also, oil and lipids on the skin only control the excess secretion of sebum as well so if skin is properly hydrated, skin generally does not produce more of oil.

So, you think you are up to use oils now?

From the Archives : Do you clean your tongue? {Oral Hygiene}

Swathy · September 22, 2013 · 2 Comments

photo dep_6109356-Oral-hygiene-cleaning-teeth-for-beautiful-woman_zpsb1aeb0b7.jpg

I wanted to talk about how to detox your body and then, I came across an article which said that tongue cleaning was a habit which has been carried out since centuries and it actually has a great importance for our body according to Ayurveda.

I was a little surprised to read that because I had always thought of it as a habit which has to be carried daily after we brush our teeth and I thought its importance was limited only to hygienic purposes. But, what I came to learn about was that it is one of the ways to help our body get rid of toxins.

The question which pops to our minds is How?
During our sleep, body gets rid of all the toxins in our body, right. So, how do all these toxins get out of our body? Sweat, urination or excretion. Yes. But, some of the toxins also get deposited as a film on our tongue. So comes the ritual of tongue scraping in the morning to remove this film of toxins.

The bacteria present in these toxins are also the cause of bad breath. And, they prevent our taste buds from getting a proper taste of the food. How? Because, they get deposited continuously and if not cleaned, the deposits can become pretty thick and the food we eat is not actually tasted by our taste buds.

Ultimately, we do not get the feeling of satiety which the taste buds trigger to the brain because taste buds do not know that we are eating. So, we end up overeating and gaining weight in the process. So, I hope you realize how important it is for us to clean our tongues everyday.

Now, how do you clean your tongue? Using a plastic tongue scraper or your brush? Well, both of the methods are not advisable. Plastic is not good for health and the brush actually does not clean the tongue. It just disturbs the bacteria and sometimes, the bacteria can begin breeding in the brush too which is definitely not good for your dental health.

So, you should use a tongue scraper made of stainless steel or brass to avoid toxicity from metals. Be gentle while using the scraper but firmly remove the debris from your mouth. Hold the scraper on both sides and place it at the back of the tongue near the tonsils and start scraping from there. Repeat the movements 5 times. Clean the scraper properly and disinfect it occasionally using baking soda.

Today’s Lesson: Detox your body by making tongue scraping a habit.

So, do you clean your tongue?