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Is Mustard Oil good for skin?

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I have read about so many oils being good for the body but never heard from anyone about the usage of mustard oil on the body. But, when I ‘googled’ it, I found so many references for its usage on skin. Ok, lets talk first about its use on hair.

Mustard Oil is considered extremely good for hair growth. Using it regularly will keep your hair from going gray. Yes, if you want a proof, you can ask your grandmothers and ladies of the same age who have been using mustard oil since years and still have dark hair. Of course, it also depends on your diet. But, instead of dying, you can saturate your hair with mustard oil every night before you shampoo your hair and enjoy the benefits. Mustard Oil does not allow fungal growth making it useful for avoiding scalp infections. The oil is considered to be highly beneficial in treating dry and damaged hair. It is known to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth. You can couple the mustard oil with castor or coconut oil to massage on your hair for beautiful shiny smooth hair. And, you may even infuse the mustard oil with various herbs as instructed in the Hair Oil recipe for Faster Hair Growth for better results.
Coming to skin care with mustard oil, its a very debated topic that whether it should be used on skin or not. Actually it depends on how the mustard oil has been produced or extracted. The cooking oil is produced by simply pressing the seeds and extracting the oil where as the essential oil is produced by mixing the seeds with water which produces a compound Allyl Isothiocyanate which irritates the skin. So, if you are planning to use mustard oil on your skin, go for the cooking oil which is available in the general stores. Make sure that you do a patch test before using the oil. If your skin is sensitive and hypoallergenic, its best not to use the oil.  You should stop using the oil immediately if you suffer from any skin reaction. Always prefer a cold pressed mustard cooking oil. Though mustard oil has been used for centuries for massaging purposes, I would advise you not to use this oil on children and babies or you can perform a patch test before you use it on them since their skin is much more sensitive than ours. One thing to consider is that if you feel warming sensations after applying the oil, it is not the skin reaction but the increase in blood circulation which is a good thing and surely not a reason to stop using mustard oil.

And, I surely invite your opinions on the usage of mustard oil on skin.

Drink Water to Lose weight

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Losing weight easily becomes a nightmare for everyone. We all try so desperately to be in shape and most of the time we are unsuccessful and the sole reason for this is because we are not trying it in the right way. And, things which we go wrong about are, generally, the most trivial and the most important habits of our daily life . I would be talking about one habit per week and you can change or inculcate the habit in your life and see the difference it makes in one week.

Today’s Habit: Drinking adequate amount of Water
I know it sounds pretty simple and obvious. And, many will think they are already doing it quite right. But, there are many ifs and buts involved in this seemingly simple habit too. I would advise you all to first go through the post “Drinking Water for Skin and Hair Care“.
Water cleans up the toxins from our system and improves the fat metabolism. It helps the liver to fight the fats in our system and pushes it out through the kidneys. But, there is a loophole there.

Too much of water can wash away a lot of minerals and vitamins too from the body along with the fat. So, regulate the amount of water you drink according to your body weight, age and the physical activity you do in a day. A good estimate would be not to increase the regular water intake if you find your urine to be colorless. Another very good way to regulate water in body is to drink a liter of water in the morning as soon as you wake up and reduce your water intake after 7 PM in the evening.

Sometimes, drinking water leads to water retention in the body instead of passing it out of the system. The reason is due to the presence of huge amounts of salt and sugar in your body. So, reduce the intake of salt and sugar to reduce your weight. You can see the difference in a week. Tips to reduce salt and sugar intake:
  • Drink your tea and coffee with honey or without any sweetener to reduce the calories
  • Decrease the amount of salt you take everyday by a pinch and soon you will be used to less salt
  • If you drink milk, do not add sugar to it
  • Reduce the desserts, sweets, chocolates and carbonated beverages you take

Facial Exercise: Anti-aging Skin Care

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Just as our body muscles need exercise to stay in shape, our face muscles too need exercise to keep the skin from sagging. Sagging of the skin can be due to a number of factors ranging from aging, excess exposure to sun to gravity. Yes, gravity is a very big reason for sagging our body whether it is your face, your breasts or your belly fat. So, you need to exercise everyday at least for 15 minutes to counter the effects of gravity. You can couple the facial exercise with the facial massage everyday to get the maximum benefits. The exercises are very simple and you can perform them while sitting and watching television also.  They will take only 10 minutes of your time and take years off from your face. The results will show in as less as a month.