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DIY

From the Archives : Turn your regular shampoo into a homemade herbal shampoo {DIY}

Swathy · September 1, 2013 · 22 Comments

Today, I would be sharing with you a recipe which I have been using for long for my hair and believe me, it has done wonders. I no longer believe in buying hair products according to your needs like a hair fall shampoo as a solution to hair loss or a damage repair shampoo for a heat burnt hair. I have got rid of these things using simple home remedies and I would suggest you to practice them regularly to see quick and long lasting results. You can use tomato repair the dry dull hair or fenugreek for hair loss. If you feel like, you can top your treatment with such fancy hair products too. They might do you some good, who knows!!!

Coming back to the topic, the recipe is very simple.
Ingredients (practically everything you think is good for hair and worth boiling in water)
– Indian Gooseberry (fresh or sun-dried amla) 
– fenugreek seeds and leaves (methi)
– curry leaves
– sage leaves / basil leaves (tulsi)
– hibiscus flower and leaves 
– mehendi leaves (henna)
– jasmine flowers and leaves
– rose petals
– lavender and rosemary flowers (if available)
Method
Soak them all the ingredients in two liters of water overnight. Boil next morning till water remains half of the original quantity. Let the water cool and strain. You can use this directly as a shampoo but it would not lather and I don’t know if it removes the oil completely. And, you might not get satisfied with it.

So, take a fresh clean bottle. Pour your regular shampoo to a one-third quantity of the bottle. And, pour this liquid over it. Shake well. Your herbal shampoo is ready. Do not worry about diluting your shampoo. It is good for you as less number of chemicals are applied on your hair and your shampoo lasts longer.

This shampoo works better than the regular shampoo. And, it will definitely give better results than the regular application. Do not judge it until you try this out. It might sound weird to some people. But, if you have ever heard, many people advice that one should dilute the shampoo with water to decrease the harshness of chemicals on the hair. I will request you all to give it a try.

You can use a shampoo sachet for a trial. And, then, you can decide for your own self whether this shampoo will suit you or not. And, it surely does help in hair growth too.

Words of Caution
Please refrain from using any ingredient, which you already know, you will be allergic to. If you want to dye your hair some color, you can continue with using henna leaves. But, remember that though henna is conditioning for hair, it is extremely drying too. So, you can skip it.

You may put some green tea (or your favorite flavor) too in the boiling water. Do not add anything which has short shelf life as it will spoil the whole recipe like lemon peels, soapnuts or shikakai. Use them fresh. You can use lemon juice as a hair rinse for shine. But, lemon causes hair to get dry. So, you might want to try out other remedies for shiny hair.

Have you tried something like this ever?
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Turmeric infused Almond Oil {DIY}

Swathy · August 7, 2013 · 20 Comments

turmeric and saffron infused almond oil

This was a DIY I have done like almost an year back. But, I did not share it because I wanted to try out the oil and wanted to report back the effects. So, let’s have a look at the ingredients.

Ingredients
Almond oil – 100ml
Turmeric – 1 tbsp
Saffron – a pinch of strands
Spices (nutmeg + cinnamon + cloves) – 1 tbsp
Method
Put all the ingredients in a glass bottle/jar and leave for a month undisturbed. Shake the bottle once in a day and if possible leave in direct sunlight for an hour or two everyday. After the stipulated period, strain the oil and it’s ready to use.
Results
I have to say that it has not been long since I have started using the oil so can not really report back on everything.
For the starters, it did help with some of my breakouts. I used to spot-apply the oil on the suspicious bumps and they used to disappear by the next morning.
As regards to complexion changes, I do not really think I have noticed any changes yet. Also, the blemishes on my neck do not really look any different but I do keep on bothering the skin repeatedly without letting it heal!
I shall keep on trying it and will report back if I see any changes.
Have you used any turmeric infused facial oils?
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From the Archives : Softening your skin starts from your bath {DIY}

Swathy · July 14, 2013 · 6 Comments

Taking Bath is the best way to unwind yourself from a hectic schedule. You can turn your bathing experience into an invigorating one by adding certain ingredients which help your body to relax and also relaxes your mind both your body and mind to relax. Some ingredients which can be added to your bath water and their effects:

  • Salt: Relaxes the tensed muscles, makes your skin smooth, detoxes the body, relaxes tired feet, improves circulation, prevents skin disorders, purifies the pores and removes toxins from skin. It is also good for exfoliation. Table salt would be a general choice but you can also go for rock salt. These days you get sea salts and Himalayan rock salts as well apart from the regular bath salts! Also, pair them with your favorite essential oils for a luxurious experience!

  • Milk: Softens skin, cleans the pores, good for exfoliation, nourishes the skin, improves skin texture and appearance, removes body odor, prevents skin disorders.
  • Honey: soothes and nourishes the skin, makes skin silky and fragrant, prevents skin disorders, lightens scars and any marks on the skin and removes any bacteria present in the skin.
  • Oils : You can use coconut oil or almond oil. It lightens complexion, moisturizes and nourish the skin. You can also put a mix of these oils.
  • Oat meal: soothes and nourishes the skin. Put some oat meal in a cheese cloth and put it under running water. and then, use it for exfoliation. This way you get oat milk in your bath water and the oats in the cheese cloth can be used as a body wash. This is an amazing tip for sensitive skin!
  • Essential Oils: soothes and softens skin, lightens scars and any marks on the skin, heals wounds and soothes tired muscles and skin and you smell divine.
    • Floral Water: You can definitely put many flowers into your bath for an aromatherapy. Rose,  Jasmine, Rosemary, Lavender, Chamomile, Marigold are some of the flowers which you can go for. They would relax your mind, elevate your senses and provide you the ultimate pleasure of relaxation. They soothe your complete body. You can also use the floral water.
      So, go ahead and try putting a combination of various ingredients and enjoy an invigorating bath.

      PS: Italicized paragraphs are updates on the original post!

      Related Posts:
      From the Archives : Aloevera for Hair : a quickfix {DIY}
      From the Archives : Exercises for Healthy and Beautiful Eyes {Eye Care}
      From the Archives : Oil Cleansing Method {DIY}

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