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Grooming Lessons Vol. 4 – Breezy Breaths OR not so much!

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Ok, so this is one of the major social faux pas one can ever make! So, be always careful about how you are smelling, orally or physically! Carrying a sample perfume bottle and a handy mouthwash or spray is a very good idea. Let me talk about dental health today.

Be sure to check your breath after the meal
Please do not forget to ditch those onions in your midday meal even if you love them! I know this sounds so obvious but people who love onions tend to forget that the other person talking to them has to bear that smell even if they are standing a meter away from you.
Are you brushing your teeth correctly?
Ok, many people do not really pay attention to how they brush! You should brush your teeth vertically with quick strokes instead of horizontal brushing. I remember the countless times my dad used to comment on my method of brushing till the time he approved of it!

Flossing might be a good idea!

Flossing instead of brushing is a better way to get rid of bacteria and cavities issue. So, take 5 minutes out of your time and give a nice floss to your teeth. That helps in promoting gum health also.
Scrape your tongue!
If you are brushing right and flossing regularly and still have breath issues, get a tongue scraper. The bacteria and the germs which thrive on the moist tongue are more often the culprit of bad breath. In Ayurveda, it is said that tongue should be scraped every morning after brushing to detox the body.
Pull that Oil
I told you some days back that I had started oil pulling. I can safely say that though it is not exactly my favorite task of the day, it makes my teeth clean, white and tends to keep the bad breath away by removing the oral bacteria and germs.
So, always be aware of how your breath smells, even if you have just snacks or coffee breaks! And, don’t forget to simply rinse your mouth after every meal, small or large.
So, do you take care of your breath? Do you use any breath fresheners?
PS: Image copyrights belong to the original owners. I do not claim any ownership.

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Weight Loss Series Vol. 1 – Why do you wanna lose weight?

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Ok, since you all like my Blogging Series and Hair Diaries, well most of you, I thought I could start this new series and I shall try to do a post every week or may be once in two weeks. So, let us start with a discussion of why exactly do you want to lose weight. I am not talking about motivations but the real inspiration behind the decision!
My Attempts at Weight Loss
For me, I have always been a very non-athletic kid and though I was not fat or obese, I was always healthy. In my teens, I still had my baby fat on and when I went to college, I did put on a lot of weight in the last two years and though I had started various exercises, mainly yoga, I was never very regular and walking was the only thing we did A LOT!
Then, I entered my post graduation and I was definitely on the heavier side at about 63kgs. I started with cycling in the gym but then the quality of the gym equipments wasn’t so good so that was kind of on and off. Then, I went to Pune for a month where I used to go for regular walks in the evening. Before that, I had tried out some early morning walks. And, none of them actually paid off.

Then, I started blogging and came across Suryanamaskars which I tried to follow diligently for sometime. Again, no proper routine! And, then, came December 2012 when I had enrolled for my life’s first artistic Yoga classes which I had definitely enjoyed but then it was too expensive and I did not care to spend that much. Though, I can always do the same things at home but then I am lazy, remember?
I tried to go for light early morning jog-cum-walks for somedays but nothing doing. Then, I thought I would go for some swimming classes and excuses were having no swimming costume and cap or the goggles. And, then, I bought a skipping rope which I never really bothered to use. So, these are the very many attempts to losing weight.
Current Routine
And now two weeks back, I was high on my inspiration and I did not let it die down completely. I have to say that there have been quite a few slip ups. But, more or less I am sticking to 300 jumps of skipping rope! My inspiration as I would call it is to lead a healthy and active life as opposed to just losing weight. So, I think it is better to stick to the routine when we find the right reason for which one wants to pursue some course of action.
What can be the possible reasons for losing weight?
Leading a Healthy Life
I have often seen people who suffer from serious set-backs and are able to survive are the kinds who have such lofty goals as to lead a healthy life. Well, that did happen with my father when some 15-20 years back he found his cholesterol levels had hit a major upper limit. He started taking care that he does a minimum of an hour exercise and walk a lot!
Special Occasions
Well, nothing is more amazing than looking good for that cousin’s or friend’s wedding! And, when it comes to one’s own special occasion’s, there is no looking back, right? But, unfortunately, I find this reason does not bode well for a regular routine!
But, my motivation is a mix of both right now so it is kinda working for now 😀 Well, right now, I can think of only these two but something I wanted to convey with this post is that find out why you exactly want to lose weight? That might probably hold you long enough to do as you really want! I really hope this post makes some sense!
What do you say? Does a real inspiration for anything life works as an everlasting motivation?
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Specialized Ingredients and Skin Care {Skin Care}

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PS: Please spare time and write honest testimonials about my blog here and make Perfect Skin Care for you one of the winners in Indiblogger Awards. You will have my undying gratitude 🙂 Now, let’s move on to today’s discussion. 
So, I had decided early this year that I would resort to anti-aging skin care but unfortunately I am not really doing anything except trying to use sunscreen without fail! That itself is of such a big help that you do not really need anything else. 
But, of course, you must have come across the information suggesting Retinoids, AHA’s and all kinds of things to get rid of wrinkles and other aging signs! Well, I totally agree that they work really well but I am of the league that better not try them unless you really need them or use them sparingly!
Retinoids and sisters/brothers are very strong!
I have heard retinoids being used for the eye area to prevent crow’s feet and fine lines around the eyes, majorly. They might also be useful for frown and laugh lines. But, the issue with them is that they make your skin extremely photo-sensitive and if you do not use adequate amount of sunscreen to protect your skin, you might be doing more damage to your skin!
Moisturizer Havoc
I have an example to quote in this. I had reviewed my mum’s long-time moisturizer, moisturex, long time back. But, soon after I had read the ingredients, it struck me that the product might not have been as good for her as I am supposing. The product has 10% of lactic acid and daily application of it has probably made my mum’s skin sensitive. Many of the reader’s comments also suggested this perception!
My mum has very sensitive skin and now I have realized that she can not even use something else because nothing else suits her! I once tried giving her a pampering treatment using Pond’s flawless white face mask sheets. After keeping it for like 10-15 minutes, she removed it and let the gooey stuff on the mask seep into her skin. But, soon after she started complaining that her skin was burning! I have tried those same sheets and never have I felt it doing anything to my skin, good or bad, lest burn my skin or tingle it!

May be I am presuming too much when I think the product has made my mum’s skin sensitive! Her skin often flushes when she comes back from being in sun but I do not remember if she had the very problem before using the above-mentioned product. So, I can not really conclude that the product made her skin sensitive or photo-sensitive!
Usage of Fresh Fruits on Skin
Ohk, not only the products but also the home remedies which we try out on a daily basis might not be a great idea! Few months back I had done a post on pH levels of citrus fruits to determine how safe lemon is for daily usage. And, turns out, it can make you age faster even if you see great results because it is very acidic!
Same goes for fruits rich in AHA’s like papaya or pineapple. They should NOT be used on skin for more than 5 minutes and should be used at most twice a week! AHA’s are very strong acids which no doubt are really beneficial to skin but they can be dangerous if misused a lot! In fact, in higher concentrations, they can cause skin peeling.
Vitamin C serums
There are a lot of DIY’s I have been seeing over-time using ascorbic acid or like. I have thought of doing them myself as well. But, may be they should also be used occasionally like once or twice a week for a skin prep instead of making it a daily routine.
Salicylic Acid Face Washes
No doubt, they are amazing on acne-prone skin but they do dry out the skin a lot, the effects of which might not be felt immediately. I have never really prescribed to the usage of such products but lately I had used Garnier Pure Active which has the acid as one of its ingredients. No doubt, I loved it but it fails miserably on dry skin and I am not using it in the longer run! 
Long back I had talked about the aspirin face mask, DIY’s for which can be found immediately on googling but should not be used in more than a concentration of 1-2% because they can result in drying of skin and hyperpigmentation, not to say photo-sensitivity!
Thus, these are my personal observations and opinions that any product having specialized ingredients should be used with care and caution and exactly as prescribed. Any deviance from the instructions can actually be really harmful for skin. 
Please note that this post is entirely my opinion and observations put in words. I would love to know what you think about the issue. So, comment on!

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