From the Archives

From the Archives : Acne – How to take care of your skin?

Swathy · September 14, 2013 · 16 Comments

Acne is one of the most afflicting skin disorders. Getting rid of acne is not very difficult if a strict routine is followed. The only thing to be kept in mind is to be strict with yourself whether in diet or skin care routine.

First things first. Never exfoliate your face. That just worsens the problem. You want to slough off the dead skin. Use milk. Apply raw milk on face with cotton very gently and wait for it to dry. Wash off with cold water (as cold as you can bear). It gives a relaxing effect to your skin.

Do not ever touch your face and do not let your hair fall on your face. The dirt and oil form the fingers and hair does cause bad outbreaks. You might also want to make a change in your hair products if you have outbreaks near forehead or chin. This might happen if your skin is giving allergic reactions to the ingredients of the products.

Use a separate hand towel or wash cloth for your face. Do not use your body towel to clean the face. Use a very very gentle cleanser. Best if you can get a dermatologist recommended cleanser which is more gentle as compared to over-the counter products. A cleanser with bacteria fighting abilities would be preferred. Be very gentle while cleansing your face. Any rough movement can cause an outbreak. Wash in circular motions.

Lets talk about your skin care products. First thing is a very light moisturizer. Preferred if it has spf properties also so that you do not have to cake your face in lot of product layers which will lead to closed pores. Makeup products should be water based and best if in a powder form or if you can avoid them totally, that would be the best. At night, try to keep your skin completely naked instead of slathering any anti-aging cream. That would allow your skin to breathe.

Change your pillow covers every day. The dirt and oil is soaked up easily by the pillow covers and if you use the same ones night after night even for a week, they would cause some outbreaks. Hygiene is a very big part of your skin care regime. Change the face towel also daily and wash in an antiseptic like dettol or savlon. That would keep it bacteria free and dry them in direct sun light. That would prevent any humid bacteria build up.

Now, lets talk about your diet. Cut on junk, oily and spicy food. That just increases the outbreaks from the inside. Decrease the amount of sugar and salt too. Also cut down on alcohol, coffee, carbonated beverages and smoking. They all contribute to your aggravated acne condition. No energy bars or energy or fruit drinks too. They are just full of sugar and nothing else. Reduce the chocolates too even if it is the dark chocolate you prefer.

Drink lots and lots of water and eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Drink lots of fresh fruit juices made at home. Keep your body light and exercise for a hour or two daily or thrice in a week. Drink fresh lemon juice every day in the morning. Follow all the tips I talked about today and you should see some improvement in a week or two.

So, what are your acne skin care tips?

From the Archives : How to Get rid of Blackheads? {Skin Care}

Swathy · September 8, 2013 · 9 Comments

Well, blackheads are a very universal problem. Getting rid of them is not very easy. Blackheads are actually the dirt which settles in your pores and turns black due to oxidation when it comes in contact with the air. So, this is a recurring problem.

It is not like you get rid of it once and it never comes back again. Regular exfoliation is one of the methods to get rid of blackheads. I shall be posting one remedy which my friend has suggested to me once.

Steaming is your solution.
Well, it is just synonymous to exfoliation. Take boiled water in a pot, cover yourself and the pot with a towel and do not let the steam escape. Let the steam open your pores. Now, take a soft wash cloth and dip it in pot. Let the wash cloth cool to a tolerable temperature and now gently rub your nose area with the wash cloth.

Remember not to rub hard as it will peel off your skin. Do it gently and patiently. Do this for 5-10 minutes as long as you are comfortable. You can follow this procedure by exfoliating the whole face too. Wash off with cold water (as cold as you can bear) to close the pores. Follow with a very light moisturizer if you want or best is to leave your skin as it is.

Now, one of the rules for not getting blackheads is to keep your skin clean. Whenever we apply any kind of moisturizer or cream on our face, it closes the pores. The pores on the nose are bigger than that of the face so they get blocked easily and the dirt in them shows conspicuously. So, keep your face clean and non-greasy all day long.

Another remedy to get rid of blackheads is lemon juice. Apply lemon juice on your nose and extend it up to the cheeks covering all the crevices too. It will dry in a matter of seconds. Go to sleep. Wash your face with cold water only in the morning. Follow this as frequently as you can and you should notice some change in two weeks or a month depending on your frequency of application.

Third remedy which I have not tried is to buy some nose pore cleanser strips from a dug store and using them. I am not sure about their effectiveness. But, I think they should be fine for a quick fix job. Though I have suggested it, please remember that the pore strips are not good for skin. They also have the same harmful ingredients as are present in the refreshing wipes like alcohol and other preservatives. So, try to keep their usage to a minimum.

How do you get rid of your blackheads??

From the Archives : Downward dog position for dark circles {Skin Care}

Swathy · September 7, 2013 · 3 Comments

Downward Dog position is one of the important and easiest yoga postures and carries a multitude of health benefits. It helps stretching your spine so relieves you of painful backaches in the long run. It calms your mind and improves your concentration.

It relieves headaches, indigestion, stress, insomnia and strengthens arms and legs. It is also good for high blood pressure and asthma patients. But, apart from all the health benefits, there are a lot of beauty benefits which can be derived if one practices this yoga position everyday.

Let us look at the beauty benefits. Check out here for a step by step instruction on how to perform the downward dog position.

It uplifts the face and firms the skin giving it a natural glow as all the blood flows to the face when you are bent down in the downward position.
Since there is more blood flow towards the eyes, your eyes look more bright and alive.
It is a perfect cure for dark circles and puffy eyes.
There’s more blood flow towards the scalp too which helps in providing nutrition to the hair follicles and promotes hair growth.
Double chin disappears in gradual time and the neck firms up.
The skin tone and color improves and the discoloration disappears leaving an even color all over the face and neck.

So, start doing this yoga position everyday for 10 times holding each position for 1-2 minutes approx and see the difference in a few days. The best part of this position is that it also helps in weight control all over the body.

So, have you tried this position?