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How to protect your Skin and Hair during Holi?

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holi, protect your skin and hair, indian festival, organic colors,
Image Courtesy : Aneesh Ans via pexels.com

Wow! We are already celebrating holi in 2019. How fast does time move? Now a days, organic colors have become a little more common and everyone is concerned about putting unnecessary chemicals on their skin. Kudos to us! But, we are not yet rid of the chemically synthesized colors completely yet. So, you have to take precautions so that the color does not touch your skin and does not affect it.

How to protect your Skin and Hair in Holi?

Getting ready to play

Wear a high factor water proof sunscreen on every part of your body which is exposed. Apply it in a thicker layer than usual. Wear white clothes so as to deflect sun rays. Do not forget your forearms, hands, feet and back of the ears while applying sunscreen.

If possible, follow up with a light layer of body oil, preferably almond or coconut oil, over the top of sunscreen. They make a film on your skin and protect direct contact from colors. Sesame Oil also provides an added sun protection as it is a natural sun blocker. Protect your lips, nails and cuticles as well.

A leave-in conditioner or a serum will protect your hair from absorbing any colors.

Observe these precautions while playing with colors

Protect your eyes with sun glasses. It would be advised not to wear contacts as they may come out when playing with water or if someone accidentally pokes you in the eyes. Glasses are better. If any color enters your eyes, wash them with cold water repeatedly.

Go for organic or homemade colors instead of the synthetic ones. They are also good for the environment.

Playing environment conscious holi is a way to save water. Play with dry colors and encourage everyone to do the same.

How to wash off after playing with colors?

If you have put on sunscreen or makeup, use a cleansing milk or cleansing balm. Most of your color should come off right then. Clean your lips as well.

Brush your teeth once just in case you accidentally got color there. It does happen!

Wash off the dry color with cool or room temperature water. Do not use hot or lukewarm water as it takes more time to wash off.

Use a gentle soap and do not be harsh on your skin. Try to remove as much color as possible but do not scrub your skin too harshly. In case the color is not getting off, let it be.

Wash off your hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup. Condition it with a hair mask for 10-20 minutes, preferably.

If color has gone into your nails beds, clip your nails or use lemon wedges to clean your nails.

So, follow these tips and I am sure you will have a wonderful Holi. Wish you all a very Happy Holi. Feliz Holi, todos!

Till then, ciao.

How to take care of eye area? {Eye Care}

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I hardly talk about eye care separately. Honestly, I have never really bothered using any particular eye cream or took special care of my eyes. So, consequently, hardly any post was dedicated to it. But, then, sometimes when I am low on moisturizing, I notice that the fine lines around my eyes become very pronounced.
And, consequently, it would add a year or two to my age 😀 So, then, I would get around to moisturizing again. So, I thought I would list down a few things I could follow on a regular basis, not making my routine very involved or crammed with lot of serums.
Sunscreen and Shades
Huh…have you ever skipped on a sunscreen and checked out how your skin looks in a few days? Trust me, you do not want to do that!!
Btw, while applying sunscreen on the eye area, make sure you use your ring finger and pat the area around instead of rubbing the sunscreen in. Try to apply 2-3 coats!!
And, unless you are specy, you could do well with investing in shades. And, not forget to wear it as well. I know people who do!  
Moisturize 
Almond oil has worked the best for me till date but I do keep on using some or the other random oil – just a drop of it, however.
Of course, if you have decided preference towards eye creams, go for it and do not forget it even for a day.
Dark Circles, Dryness or Wrinkles
Again, almond oil will be my answer.  And, the best part is it helps with eyelashes as well 🙂
Puffy Eyes
It happens rarely with me but I simply splash lot of cold water on my eyes and rest my eyes a lot so they gradually lose their puffiness.
Drinking a lot of water or intake of salt at night results in puffy eyes so avoid doing that unless you have been drying your eyes out in which case the remedy would be to be happy 🙂 
Clear Bright Eyes
Well, for starters, some are just blessed with the clear bright baby eyes and for those who are not, follow all the above advises and get good sleep. For the starters, its only a good night sleep which makes my skin look hydrated and young.
And, of course, washing eyes in the morning is a very important ritual, not only to clean them but also to wake you up! Probably a walk in the morning sunlight will help as well. And, keep strict technology off-limit times in your daily schedule.
How do you take care of your eyes?
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From the Archives : Exercises for Healthy and Beautiful Eyes {Eye Care}

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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.