home remedies

From the Archives : Oil Cleansing Method {DIY}

Swathy · June 25, 2013 · 27 Comments

So continuing in the same series, let me bring this long lost post. This is one of the very much recommended beauty practices for both oily and dry skin beauties. It helps with tan removal to acne healing. And, its amazing as it removes makeup and cleanses the skin and detoxifies it. Since it is a little intense treatment for the skin, it should be done only once or AT MAX twice a week.

Yes, by the name, you can make out it uses oil. So, please do not be afraid or prejudiced. I have always maintained that oil is amazing for skin when you know how to use them and which ones to use. So, here is a tip – Always use cold-pressed and extra-virgin or virgin oils whether it is olive or coconut or almond or sesame. Also, sesame oil is the one which is recommended heavily in ayurveda as apparently it is the only oil which can pass into the blood stream. Anyways, let us start with the post and please let me know of the doubts and clarifications.

A few days ago I had talked about OIL CLEANSING. Well, let me introduce to you something which I stumbled across a few days ago. I tried it and trust me, its amazing. I do not know how well it removes make up but it makes your skin squeaky clean without drying it. Rather, it leaves your skin smooth and supple. And, your skin glows the next day. You would love yourself.

It removes makeup fantastically as any oil would.

Before proceeding, let me give a little background into OCM method. Oil is said to dissolve all the grime and dirt and dead skin cells and blackheads and what not. So, in this method, we especially use castor oil because castor has the most cleansing properties of all oils. Since castor is a drying oil and is extremely thick and concentrated it is not advisable to use it naked on the skin. It should be diluted with some other oil. Many people in the west prefer olive but I would suggest almond or coconut or sesame. No personal grudges with olive but it is something I do not really find amazing. If it works for you, go ahead!

Procedure:

Start by keeping everything close to you. You would need a ~~dry~~ smooth cotton wash cloth (not too harsh for your skin), ~~a bottle containing castor oil and olive oil mixed in a proportion suitable to your skin~~* oils and running hot water.
Apply oil generously to your face and neck ~~skin~~ and massage it well ~~the oil~~ into your skin ~~well using firm hands~~ for around 5-10 minutes. It feels relaxing and is soothing for your face muscles. Exercise your cheek bone, jaw bone, nose, chin, forehead and eyes (use ring finger for eyes). The finger movements should be outwards and upwards towards the ear from the chin, cheeks, nose and upper lip area.
After massaging ~~to your heart’s content~~, soak the wash cloth in hot running water and cover the face ~~apply it on to your face~~. ~~Keep the warmth of wash cloth to the point you can bear~~. Make sure the cloth is not too hot and let the warmth seep into your skin. Keep it on the face until it cools down. Then, wipe your face to remove the oil. You will find a lot of oil gone from the face. Wash the wash cloth in running hot water and repeat this step until all the oil is wiped off from the face and neck. Use the same wash cloth.
Wash and soak the same wash cloth under hot running water for sometime to clean it and saturate it. Again apply it your face, keep till it cools and then, wipe away your face. Repeat this cycle till you feel your skin is clean. 3-4 times should be enough.
After you are done, DO NOT use any facewash. You can apply moisturizer according to the need of your skin. In place of moisturizer, you can apply a drop of the same oil used to cleanse your face. If it does not feel dry and tight, do not apply anything on to your face. Your face needs to breathe. Go and have a nice sleep.

Next morning, you need not cleanse your face. A wipe with a wash cloth or a splash of cold water is enough to clean it. Your skin would be glowing. Oil cleansing not only removes grime, dirt and make up from your face, but also, the blackheads and blemishes. This procedure should not be done too frequently. I think 2-3 times is fine in a week. Care should be taken not to scratch the skin.

Go and check it out for yourself. Have a happy cleansing.

* Remember, castor oil is quite thick and can be drying for the skin if used in large quantities. It has cleansing properties but is too strong on skin if used alone. That is why you need another light oil to dilute it. You can also use jojoba oil. For the mixture of oil, you can use 75-25 castor-olive oil combination for normal skin. You can experiment with different proportions till you find the one suiting your face. The proportion of mixture should be such that for dry skin people, castor oil should be less in proportion like 50-50 or 60-50 and people with oily skin can have 80-20 as the proportion. But, since every skin is different in its needs, you should find out the right one for yourself. It would take trial and error but remember one rule, do not use too much of castor oil. It will dry your skin irrespective of its type.

PS: Italicized and striked paragraphs/sentences are new additions. Rest of the post is as it was published earlier.

From the Archives : Growing Long Eyelashes {DIY}

Swathy · June 24, 2013 · 11 Comments

Please note that this is an old post which I am republishing for the benefit of the new readers. Interestingly, I am starting the new series From the Archives from today. I shall be posting at least one old post every week after editing them, if necessary. Hope you will like it.

Have you ever been jealous of babies or kids, especially boy kids and even guys. They always have better lashes! At least all those I have met specially have amazing eyes and even better eyelashes. I know of only one girl who has amazingly thick and long lashes and she has great hair as well!!

Well, growing long eyelashes seem to be too difficult. Everyone wants beautiful eyes framed with long and lush eyelashes. Such eyelashes are not a natural gift to everyone but you need not despair. Some patience and regularity in your routine can help you achieve that task. To be frank, I do not know whether you can grow that thick eyelashes as you watch on the screens when you look at your favorite actress but definitely, you can make them better than their present condition.

Oh my gosh! When I read that the first thing which came to my mind was was I really that bad??? Well, let us look at the silver lining. I have improved so much!! So, lets get back to the post. Yeah, getting great eyelashes is not exactly easy but it is do-able.

Apply castor oil every night. Be patient. The results would not be seen over night. The eyelashes growth cycle completes in about two months so by end of those months you can definitely see your eyelashes in a better shape.

Also, coconut works great. Do not try almond, though. It stings the eyes badly! But, coconut or castor, both do not sting the eyes.

And, before leaving, vaseline does no good for the eyelashes so please do not waste time using that remedy. It just makes your eyelashes wet and sticky and when they are wet, the eyelashes look longer so basically, what you see after applying vaseline is just an illusion and I’m not even sure whether you should actually apply vaseline to the delicate skin around the eyes.

Also, I have read so much about vaseline being great but I have not tried the method. What I have written above is probably not correct either. But, if the remedy works for you, go ahead with it without any qualms.

PS: All the paragraphs in italics are update and the regular text is the old one!

Do you apply Egg on Hair? {Your Opinion}

Swathy · April 17, 2013 · 57 Comments

Hey Everyone! I know I am not being regular with the posts so please bear with me. So, today, I wanted to discuss a very stinky topic. Now, I love watching videos on hair care and reading home remedies for hair care. But, more often than not, you would find egg to be almost one of the best remedies for healthy hair.

Now, I perfectly agree with that because I myself have tried it and I totally love it. But, there is a huge catch with Egg. The Smell. Yeah, you all know how awesome it smells! And, now I am not able to bear it. And, my whole room and bathroom starts stinking so I am not able to use it anymore.

I have been applying curd very regularly in March but sadly it is not helping with the hair dryness. I don’t know what’s wrong with it because curd works fantastically. And, I do use homemade curd not the yogurts available outside. And, still no benefits. And, I have been seriously thinking of switching to egg. It does help hair dryness and provides nourishment.

But, how to avoid the smell? Well, first is Essential Oils. May be they will work unless egg is so powerful that it will overpower the goodness of EO’s 😀 Ok, second, I heard in one of those home remedy videos that lemon juice helps reduce the stink from egg. Well, I do not know how true it is but seems worth a try. But, there is another catch. Lemon makes the hair extremely dry, at least for me. So, I tend to avoid it.

Or, may be, I would try using egg with musk root this time. And, that would be a working day so that I don’t have to bear the egg smell all day long. It would dissipate till the time I am back. Only my maid would be cursing me 😀 Or, it is also said that if you mix egg with henna, it doesn’t stink. So, probably I might go ahead and check out either of the remedies.

What about you? Do you apply egg on your hair? Can you bear the stink or you take some steps to reduce the stink? Would love to hear your remedies 🙂