DIY

From the Archives : Aloevera for Hair : a quickfix {DIY}

Swathy · July 6, 2013 · 12 Comments

As you all know, I swear by aloevera anytime of the day for hair. This was a tip I had found works really great when I had been at home and was trying out aloevera gel on my hair. I realized that applying aloevera gel is really messy but the gel dries off after a little while leaving really soft and really shiny hair.

The best part is you can use the aloevera gel on the not-freshly washed hair to give it bounce! It can be applied everyday as well and you can use essential oils as well.

Also, when removing the gel from the leaf, the yellow parts or the green sticky messy parts should be avoided and only the clear gel be removes otherwise they get tangled in the hair.

A quick fix to make your hair beautiful and style it in a short time is to apply Aloevera gel. Take a little of Aloevera according to your hair length in the palms and apply it to the hair. Massage some of it into the scalp and apply the rest on the hair. Pay special attention to the ends. Aloevera makes the hair sticky till it gets absorbed into the hair so you can style your hair in the mean time. It takes around 5-15 minutes for aloevera to get absorbed into the hair and does not weigh your hair down. After getting absorbed, Aloevera makes your hair shiny and bouncy.

Aloevera conditions your hair, makes hair smooth and soft and protects it from sun. It also stimulates hair growth if used on a regular basis. Aloevera can be used to moisturize hair. It is a natural humectant like honey and retains moisture. It can also be used on a daily basis. The gel from the plant can be applied directly on the hair. If bought from store, ensure that aloevera is pure and does not contain artificial additives.

Have you applied aloevera gel on your hair?

PS: The italicized paragraphs are the new updates. Rest of the post is same as it was originally published.

Mom’s Oil {DIY}

Swathy · July 4, 2013 · 12 Comments

I remember talking about this oil sometime last year and many of you had asked me the recipe for this. I did not really talk about the DIY since then because I did not have the recipe and I was not sure how good it really was.

But, this time when I went home, I made sure that I get the recipe from mum and also try out the oil so that I can actually share it with you with its amazing benefits!! And, it has been ages since I have done any DIY and I am really glad to do it.

First, I am sorry I do not have any pic. But, the oil is very pretty red in color thanks to one of the herbs! Anyways, let me speak about the results first. I have kept the oil only for 2 hours at max before washing it off.

So, it makes my hair more shiny and really really soft (unbelievably so!). I am missing the softness. Hair is also better hydrated but one has to apply the oil once in 2 days. I guess this part applies to all oils. The oil gets washed off pretty easily. It nourishes the scalp as well, thanks to all kinds of herbs put into it. I have not seen any hair fall with the oil and neither did my mom. That is interesting because my mom actually faces hair fall quite a lot! So, that is quite a small list of amazing results. But, I have used the oil only a few times.

Anyways lets check out the Ingredients.

Base Oil – Refined Oil. I was completely against it but my mom does not really listen to me 😀 Now, she is going to use sesame oil. I would suggest any cold-pressed organic oil like coconut, almond, sesame.

Herbs:

– dried fenugreek seeds (methi)

– dried Tulsi leaves (basil or sage)

– Dhaniya (coriander seeds)

– Jeera (cumin seeds)

– Black pepper (kali mirch)

– Green tea

– Cinnamon stick (dal chini)

– Laung (cloves)

– dried kari patta (curry leaves)

– dried Rose petals

– Sesame seeds (til)

– Mustard seeds

– groundnut

– badam (almonds)

– walnuts (akhrot)

– ratanjot (this is an interesting herb)

– Bhringraj

– Brahmi

– Amla (if not using triphala otherwise only triphala)

– Triphala

– dried Hibiscus leaves and flowers

– dried Neem leaves (margosa)

– Dried ginger (sounth)

– dry jasmine flowers

– dried marigold petals

– dried paan patta (betel leaves)

– dried mango leaves

Yeah, a long list of ingredients and I have no idea if she forgot some of the other ingredients! Anyways, let us talk about Ratanjot herb.

This is the one which gives the lovely red color to the oil. It is basically a red dye which is used in oils like dabur lal tail. It is actually a rare herb which might not be available everywhere. If you live in Himachal or Jammu, you can still get it in ayurvedic shops but I have not idea if you can get in normal shops.

Rest of all the ingredients are known pretty widely. I have no idea what some of the herbs actually do to hair like mango leaves or paan patta. And, I am not googling it right away. Ok, how to use these herbs. First of all, the herbs should be air-dried in shade but not in direct sunlight.

Once they are all dry, powder all the ingredients together. Take a two heaped tablespoons of the powder and put it in a bottle or a jar of 200-300 ml. Pour the oil in the jar till it is full. Adjust the quantity of herbs according to the quantity of oil you are going to use. Generally, one tablespoon is enough for 100ml.

Leave the jar aside for a month. Keep stirring the oil in between. And, try to keep the in direct sunlight for sometime. Read about how to infuse oil with herbs for more specific instructions. There is another way to infuse as well but the temperature of the oil should be carefully controlled so that it is not burned. That damages the hydrogen bonds in the oil which can destroy the properties of the oil.

Once the infusion process is over, oil is ready for use so filter the oil and pour in a glass bottle, preferably! Happy using in case you are going to give it a try 🙂

What do you say about the DIY?

From the Archives : Exercises for Healthy and Beautiful Eyes {Eye Care}

Swathy · June 29, 2013 · 2 Comments

Hope you are all enjoying your vacation.

I wrote this post during the New Year vacation of 2009.

Well, today I have something really useful to tell you all. Its about cleaning the eyes. We all know the importance of keeping our eyes dust-free and giving them time to relax. Morning eye exercises are most important to keep eyes in good condition. There are various exercises which you can do.

Staring at an Object

Stare at a far away object without blinking your eyes till they begin to water. It will sting badly if you are a starter, but, you get used to it gradually. This is one of the best exercises to remove the toxins from eyes and also improves your self-confidence.

Tip: Try holding the eyelids with your fingers if you are not able to stare without blinking.

I have not done this since I wrote the post. Guess, its back to basics!!

Tighten and Relax

Close your eyes tightly and pull all your face muscles in a taut condition for 5 seconds. Relax. Rub your palms together to warm them and place them on your eyes for 5 seconds. Repeat the procedure 10 times.

This works really fantastically.

Simple Eye Movements

Look towards extreme right and then extreme left without blinking and without moving the head. Just move the eye balls. Repeat 5 times. Blink several times. Look up and then down. Repeat 5 times. Blink. Look diagonally up on left and then, diagonally down on right. Repeat 5 times. Blink. Follow the same with diagonal right up and diagonal left down. Repeat 5 times. Blink. Finally, rotate your eyes, first, in clockwise and, then, in anti-clockwise direction. Blink several times.

Also, do not forget that when we stare at our laptops, we actually FORGET to blink!! Yes, that is true. So, remember to move away from the computer for 5 minutes every once in an hour. Use that time to gobble down some fluids into the system. Sitting at laptop also drains your eye and makes them dry and itchy!

These exercises are enough to keep your eyes and the skin around it in good health. There are many others which you can try out. Do not forget to blink. Blinking keeps the eyes in watery condition and eliminates the toxins. The more you blink, better your eyes will look.

And, do not forget to wash your eyes with triphala infusion. It is so soothing for the eyes and apparently also improves the eye sight!

PS: The italicized paragraphs are updated.