Swathy

From the Archives : Hair Types and their Hair Care Routine {Hair Care}

Swathy · August 25, 2013 · 10 Comments

Our hair has generally been categorized only in three types: Dry, Normal and Oily. But, have you ever thought that the hair can also be like skin. As skin has many types like dry, sensitive, normal, oily, combination; similarly, our hair can also be categorized in various types:

Normal Hair
Damaged (or Sensitive) Hair
Dry Hair
Oily Hair
Combination Hair

Dry Scalp with Oily body
Oily scalp with dry body

Please remember that I am talking about the condition of hair not the texture of hair. And, the way we care for our hair should be customized depending on the hair condition.

Normal Hair does not require any special care. Normal routine of shampooing and conditioning will keep it in place.

Dry Hair needs a lot of conditioning and deep conditioning treatments. Avoid going into sun too much and do not let your hair get subjected to heat.Always keep your hair moisturized using a leave-in conditioner or aloevera gel. And, of course, do not forget the hot oil treatments for your hair weekly once or twice.

Oily hair does not need oil. It needs something which can soak oil from the hair and neutralize the oil production. For this, you can two things: one is using lemon on your scalp and another is using ~~milk (without cream) or~~ buttermilk on your scalp. Apply fresh lemon juice on your scalp before you shampoo your hair every time. You can also use tomato instead of lemon juice as lemon juice is highly acidic and lead to dryness in the long term. ~~It also has the same effect.~~ You can also experiment with strawberry hair mask but then I would say eat those strawberries instead 😀 And, you can use your clay masks as a hair mask also. ~~After all, clay will absorb oil no matter where it is applied. Right!!~~

Combination Hair really needs a combination of oily and dry hair treatments but not so much in intensity.

– For dry scalp, you can massage a few drops of oil (coconut or olive) every time before you shampoo your hair. And, leave the hair body as it is. If your scalp is dry to the extent of being scaly and itchy, only then use hot oil treatment but use it just for the scalp. And, once in two weeks you can also go for deep conditioning treatments but make it only for the scalp (only if your scalp is scaly and itchy or if you feel a tightness in your scalp).

– For oily scalp, follow up the lemon juice or tomato treatment on the scalp and leave the body as it is. Follow up with a leave-in conditioner. You can also use your favorite conditioner to condition your hair. ~~But, in no case, use hot oil treatments or deep conditioning treatments on your hair.~~ Keep the conditioning treatments to the body of the hair only, especially the ends!!

So, what hair type is yours?

From the Archives : Use “Shaving Oil” to get rid of unwanted hair {Skin Care}

Swathy · August 24, 2013 · 16 Comments

I would like to share an absolutely fabulous home remedy today. Shaving Oil. This is to bring to kind attention of all people who like to shave, you can consider using a shaving oil instead of the shaving gels, creams or hair conditioners or whatever you use.

And, the best part is you do not have to go and hunt for a shaving oil in the market. You can use any oil available in your kitchen. Be sure to use only vegetable oils or pure oils. It might sound weird for you to hear that we can use an oil as an alternative to shave.

But, it works fabulously and gives a much cleaner and safer shave than any richly foaming hair conditioner or shaving creams.

What are the advantages of Shaving Oil over Shaving Creams and other products?

No chemicals. While shaving, any cream or gel might enter your body or react with your skin. It might give you rashes or allergies. Shaving Oil is nothing but a moisturizing ingredient so you would not feel any rash.
Oil moisturizes your skin well so there is no dryness which happens after shaving.
Oil helps the razor to glide smoothly so it gives a much cleaner and closer shave. You would love the way your skin feels afterward. Also, you would not suffer from any nicks and cuts while shaving due to the smooth gliding motion
Oil can be used anywhere on the body safely. You can apply oil on your pubic area also without having second thoughts where as other methods (use of gels and creams) might cause allergic reactions on sensitive parts of the bodies and might become big problems. You can also use this method to shave the genatalia.
You can easily shave a dense growth of hair too after applying the oil.There is a less risk of ingrown hair.
And, lastly, it costs much less so saves your pocket money or you can use the same money to buy something more worthwhile.

What is shaving oil made of?

I am not talking about a particular kind of oil which is known as shaving oil. By Shaving Oil, I mean using oil for shave. You can use any kind of an oil available at home which you are not allergic too. You may even mix 2-3 oils of your choice.

The ideal oils for shaving are: Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Sesame Oil, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil.

You may use them individually. If you would like to blend more than one oil, you can pour equal quantities of all the oils you want to use in a jar for storage. Make an exception while using Castor oil as it is very thick. Always use half quantity of Castor oil as that of other oils.

How to shave using shaving oil?

Do not wet the body part you want to shave.
Apply the oil very generously over the area you want to shave and massage the area well for 5 minutes to make the hair soft.
Now, gently shave with the razor.
After the shave, you can take a bath. Do not use soap on the shaved area. Instead, use enough hot water to wash off the oil.
You may consider sanitizing your razor.

I urge you earnestly to try this once. I have tried it and have fallen in love with it. This method gave me the smoothest shave ever in my life till now. And, the shaved skin does not hurt or irritate the way it used to earlier. I am looking forward to your comments about your experience with this method.

Can melanin production be controlled? {Skin Care}

Swathy · August 22, 2013 · 7 Comments

So, yesterday I got a very crude comment on the post “5 steps to fairer skin“. Wish it was a bit polite, I would have published it but the crux of the message is that melanin production can not be controlled. And, as you would be aware, melanin is the pigment responsible for skin color.

Skin Color can NOT be changed

So, yup, NOTHING can control melanin production. It is genetic and is dictated by a lot of factors like exposure to sun, your skin texture, exposure to pollution and dust among others. So, please realize that you can not change skin color EVER.

Are fairness cream claims wrong?

Not all! The expensive treatments like peeling and other treatments tend to decrease the melanin pigment in the skin. In peeling or micro-dermabrasions, they remove the top layer of the skin which is mostly dead skin cells and has been long exposed to sun and is heavily tanned.

The chemical treatments which work from inside do actually affect the melanin production. But, there are simple inexpensive treatments like bleaching which mainly have chemicals which have ingredients like Hydroquinone. It indeed prevents melanin production but safety of the ingredient is under debate.

Also, Niacinamide which is Vitamin B3 is also supposed to improve skin hydration levels and improve the skin texture and color by removing discolorations and reducing acne.

But, also remember that even if your product has all these ingredients, they might not really work for you because the ratio of these products or the concentration of the ingredients is very important. Also, many of these ingredients increase skin sensitivity.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids

Lets come to the home remedies and AHA’s. According to wiki, AHA’s can not inhibit melanin production unless they are in 50% concentration. They are just effective to remove the dead skin cells and improve the skin turnover. Whereas, lactic and glycolic acids have been proved to inhibit melanin production!!

So, yes, you CAN NOT lighten your skin color. But, then what can we do? Well, I can only say please wait for the next post 😀 Ok, don’t hate me. This had become too long so I had to break it up!

So, what do you say about skin color and lightening?

PS: This is to the person who left the absolutely CRASS comment, please mind your language!!