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How do Essential Oils affect our Health? {Health}

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I have been interested in Essential Oils since quite a while though I had not an idea how could I lay my hands on good quality essential oils. More about that in some other post but I wanted to discuss today about how Essential Oils affect our health.
What are Essential Oils? 
I have already discussed a bit about Essential Oils in one of my previous posts. So, when we think about EO’s, the thing which automatically comes into our minds is fragrance or the aroma and its therapeutic effects on our health.
Essential Oils have a huge amount of impact on the health of a person not only the skin and hair. So, one can use essential oils for simple problems ranging from insomnia and migraines to beating cough and cold and bronchitis and some other respiratory problems.
How Essential Oils affect our EQ?
Whatever else EO’s may be good for, the main usage of essential oils comes to help you with your emotional quotient. Some EO’s are great to relive stress, anxiety, some are great for improving confidence in person, some improve the energy levels in the body and some are great for depression treatment and many more. Why is this so?
It has more to do with the sense of “smell”. Human beings have five senses – smells, taste, see, feel and hear. But, only one of these senses links to the brain directly and that is the “Smell”. The sense of “Smell” directly goes to the emotional center of our brain and controls our emotions. The other side effects of this “Smell” are that the brains sends signal to another part of the brain which controls the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels and all those physiological needs of the body. So, consequently, when you “Smell”, not only it affects your emotions but also the physiological needs of the body. That is one of the main uses of perfumes as far as I can garner – to uplift the senses and the spirits.
So, I hope, I did clear out certain things about why Aromatherapy works? Looking forward o your opinions!!! And, yes, I am gonna bug you on the DIY Thursdays in February with some DIY’s using Essential Oils. You have been forewarned 🙂

Spicy spices for Acne {DIY}

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Well, DIY’s are not only floral. Look around your kitchen and you will find the most interesting ingredients for your DIY. So, today I bring you a spicy mixture which can be used as a face pack or in your body scrubs or even in your hair packs. So, let us start.
The final product is not as granular as its looking in the pic but still, you should make it as fine as possible!! Mine is little grittier so has to be milled into a fine powder.
Ingredients
  • Cinnamon (3 parts)
  • Nutmeg (1 part)
  • Cloves (1 part)

Method
The ratio should be 3:1:1 in the order in which ingredients are listed. You can use the spices as such and mix them in a mixer or a food processor or blender to a powder and store in a clean glass jar. Or, you can directly mix the powdered versions of the spices but make sure that they are not adulterated and if organic, nothing could be better.  Since they are spices, they are not likely to go bad ever but make only that much which will last you a month. 
The spices are warm in nature so they will provide a nice and different experience than a regular face mask. And, it smells really warm of cloves and hint of cinnamon. 
Mix with Honey
Mixing the mixture with honey is especially recommended for acne skin and all other skin types too. I tried it out on my skin though I don’t have acne or any breakouts and the result was that my skin was looking brighter and clearer immediately so I will highly recommend this face pack to all of you.

It also provides scrubbing effect as it is little gritty and be gentle and thorough in application. Make it a thick face pack and wait for 15-30 minutes. It will feel tingly in the start, may burn a very little bit for few seconds so add a good amount of honey. If diluted properly, it wouldn’t so no need to worry on that score. While you have it on, it might feel a little warm at times. And, wash it off with cold water. It really makes the skin glow immediately.

Other Uses

  • mix with yogurt to give a good pep up to your skin – for oily skin
  • mix a table spoon or two in your henna hair pack to give your a deeper brownish tinge and a richer hair color

Benefits of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a very common spice which is great for adding taste to your dishes. But, it has more properties than that. It acts as an inflammatory on the skin and increases the blood circulation and plumps up the skin. It brings a natural glow to the face like you have put on a blush. And, it is also great for dry acne and reducing the scars and blemishes on the skin.

Benefits of Nutmeg
It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Because of these properties, it is great for acne and eczema too. It also helps clear out the skin when used regularly and has beneficial effects on acne. Caution: It should not be used on the skin alone so we make a mix of all the spices. It can burn your skin as it is very strong.

Benefits of Cloves
It is a great remedy for acne and scars. Caution: It is also irritating to the skin like nutmeg so it should not be used alone.

Hope you like it 🙂 Pin It

How To Take Care Of Long Nails? {Guest Post}

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So you have ordered the best party supplies and are all set with your favorite dress and makeup but ever thought about your nails? Yeah, they are often neglected but long, healthy nails can go a long way in attracting him to you.

 
Everyone likes having nicely manicured nails and keeping them long is something of a style statement. However, maintaining long nails and keeping them strong is no ordinary feat and should never be judged as an easy task. Before you start reading about nail care, you must know about the things that form your nails. Nails are nothing but dead cells and compose of two parts – the nail plate and the cuticle. Both need to be taken care of and the following tips will help you maintain long and strong nails.
Yellowing Nails – To remove the yellow and pale color off your nails, get some baking powder and put it on the brush tip, then rub your nails with it. You can also brush your nails to whiten them by using strawberries and lemons as substitutes for toothpaste. But because these things will lead to dryness, moisturize properly after you are finished. Never cut your cuticles – The cuticle area is made up of two layers – the dead skin layer and the live skin layer. When you go to a professional, you can get your dead skin layer clipped down but trying it yourself can be really risky. It can also result in infections.

 

Oil Treatment – Many people are seen complaining about their nails being brittle and the skin cracking around the edges. You can simply massage your nails with Olive Oil every day. It will keep your skin moisturized and make your nails stronger. Jojoba Oil is great for cuticles and can be used to. In fact, you can use your choice of oil and dip your nails in it for some time regularly.

No Nail Paint – Remove your nail paint, at least twice a month because it helps your nails breathe. Also, for people who complain of having yellowing nails, this could be one of the problems. It also promotes fungal infections.

Filing Nails – Try to switch onto filing instead of clipping your nails if you have time. Also, filing should always be done in one direction. Doing it in both the directions give jagged edges and make the nails look ugly. It makes them brittle too.

Post Manicure – Usually after a manicure, hands are pat dried and them moisturizer is applied. You must never forget to moisturize your nails.

Diet – Nails are similar to your hair and they need you to give your body proper nutrition. Nails grow faster and become stronger if you increase your intake of proteins and vitamins. It is also good for your hair.

Milk – Keeping your nails dipped in milk can be very beneficial for your nails and will act as the perfect manicure. This is because it will moisturize them and help prevent chipping.

Don’t revert to artificial nails. You can always follow these simple tips for having great natural nails.
About the Author: Salina Gomes is a beauty expert and an aspiring hairstylist.