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Application of Sunscreen {Sunscreen}

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How can any summer pass-by without me talking about sunscreen :-O That would be a travesty 😀 Anyways, the reason I did not write about sunscreen till now is first because I wasn’t serious on the blog and second I have written so much on the topic last year. So, if you missed it, you can check out the entire list of posts here.

Anyways, coming back to today’s topic, one thing I have always remained indecisive about is how much sunscreen should be applied. Last time I wrote about this topic, I mentioned the two fingers rule. But, that is actually impractical and I had realized it long back. But, I still tried my best to keep up with it!
But, I was always skeptical and I read a lot on that topic. So, here are my pennies on it.
Two finger rule holds
Yes, you actually have to apply that much sunscreen to give yourself optimum protection. But, re-application is necessary.

Apply according to the Day’s Schedule
If you know you are going to spend the entire day in hot sun, you SHOULD follow the above rule. And, if you already know you will sit inside the house or office and roam only till the in-house canteen or washroom, you can apply enough to cover yourself for the time you are outside.
So, decide according to your needs and schedule. Do not follow any rule blindly but don’t take things in a stride and ignore them either! Its a very delicate balance.
What if my day is unplanned?
Yes, this is worst of the situations! And, always remember that applying sunscreen doesn’t prevent tanning. And, just like you are always ready when it comes to waxing your legs or getting your facials done on time, same rule applies here as well.
Apply sunscreen everyday whether you go out or not and if the outing is sudden, just make do with as much application as possible in the bare minimum of the time. This is where physical sunscreens come more effective as well.
They start working as soon as you apply them whereas the chemical ones need 20-30 minutes of incubation to start working. And, then, when you are outside for the entire day, make sure you reapply the sunscreen every two hours and follow the two finger rule on all parts of the body, specially which are naked.
So, how much amount of sunscreen do you apply everyday?
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How to treat a water burn? {Skin Care}

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So, on Thursday evening, I inadvertently placed my hand under a running hot water tap and the water was scalding hot. And, it burned my hand for almost a second. But, that was itself enough to burn the hand.

And, that was when I realized that how much can an acid burn scorch the body! The skin on the top wasn’t affected at all. I didn’t get any peeling or any blisters but under the skin it was burning like hell!!
Anyways, I tried out quite a few remedies to improve the condition. Let me discuss them.

Aloevera Gel

Incidentally, when my hand burnt, I didn’t really care much for it. I went on with my usual activities of having bath and getting relaxed in the evening, all with a burning hand. Then, I applied the Rustic Art aloevera gel.

But, honestly, it didn’t really help much. It was cool for a second and back to square one next! Though, I don’t really think it is meant to help with deeper burns! May be aloevera gel from leaf helps though can’t say much but it does soothe superficial burns.

Ice and Iced Water
Well, this was my savior. I have, god knows, wasted how much water that day. But, keeping cold ice on the hand wasn’t really easy either. It hurts equally. This I did when I told my mom about my burnt hand.
And, later, when I was going to bed, I wrapped my hand with wash cloth soaked in ice water. This I kept on changing till I slept off. I kept a very huge bowl of cold water by the bed to dip the hand if I felt any burning. Fortunately, I slept off.
Toothpaste
Not the gel ones but the regular white toothpaste. I did apply quite a bit of it but I don’t really think it helped me at all.
Vinegar diluted in Water
Apparently, this helps! Vinegar acts as a painkiller so if you get a painful burn, you can bathe the burn with water diluted with vinegar. I did pour some vinegar once into the iced water I was using but can’t say how much helpful it was.
Sensitivity after the Burn
Ok, those were the few things I did. Honestly, had not my friend insisted so much on the ice water, I would probably have let go of the remedies after an hour only 😀
Anyways, the next morning when I got up, I was expecting my skin to be peeling off from the hand but fortunately there was not even a small blister over there. No redness, no scar, nothing!
The only thing was the area was bloody sensitive and if it touched water, I would feel a discomfort. And, I was irritated the entire day because of the slight discomfort I was feeling in the hand.
So, one thing I learnt from the story was that you can burn yourself anytime so always keep a burnol or something else at hand so that it really helps. Once, I remember, a drop of oil fell on my hand when I was frying something. I didn’t do anything and the scar is still there!
So, have you burnt yourself ever? How did you deal with it?

Homemade Castile Soap

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Guest Post by Waseema

This is the first time that I am writing a review and I am excited and nervous at the same time. Today I would like to review a pure olive oil soap also called Castile Soap handmade by me at home.

Why I got into soap making is because my daughters aged 5 yrs and 1 yr have very sensitive skin and any soap I use caused dry flaky skin or dry patches with redness and itching on them. 

The soaps I make are cold process soaps which have a high percentage of glycerin in it as a result of the saponification process. Hence, these soaps are very conditioning and do not dry out skin unlike commercial soaps.

Ingredients

Saponified oils of olive, castor, lye and distilled water.  Unscented, Uncolored.

My Experience
This soap does not lather like the commercial soaps as it contains 90% olive oil, but the addition of castor oil helps with bubbles as seen in the picture above. If you use a pouf/nylon mesh scrubber you can get decent lather. Though this soap does not lather much but it cleanses very well and does not dry the skin. 
Ever since my daughters have been using this soap their skin is behaving well and does not break out in itchy rashes or flaky patches.  I would recommend this soap for babies and those with sensitive and dry mature skin. Overall this works as a great soap for all skin types.

Editor’s Note: This is so true. Read what I wrote about the difference between soaps and bathing bars.

Due to high glycerine content these soaps melt very easily and to keep it around longer you have to avoid holding it in the shower stream, and make sure that you store it on a well-draining soap dish, or else it can end up in a gloppy mess. 

I make these soaps at home. Currently I have a batch that’s cured and ready to be used. You can check more pictures here. If you would like to buy them, let me know. 

Price: Rs 99 for 80gms 
Thank you so much for reading my review!
Luv,
Waseema.

Editor’s Note: Thanks a lot Waseema for letting us know about the castile soaps. They are indeed really awesome!

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