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Skin Care

Recipe for Lip Balm with Sunscreen factor {DIY}

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Lip Balm is very important for taking care of your lips. As you use lotion or moisturizer for body and cold cream for face, lips also need to be moisturized. Today, I am posting a recipe for lip balm with sunscreen properties.

Ingredients:
– Vaseline / Petroleum Jelly / Beeswax / Shea Butter / Cocoa Butter (can be used in combination also)
– Coconut oil
– Sesame oil

– 2 Vitamin E capsules

– Almond oil
– Essential oil
– Grated Chocolate / Honey
Method:
  • Melt Vaseline / Petroleum Jelly / Beeswax / Shea Butter / Cocoa Butter in a double broiler ( put a pan inside a pan). The butters or the waxes would melt and becomes liquid. At this point, remove the heat. The present heat would be enough to make the balm. (I used a 25ml vaseline jar so the measurements are according to that quantity. Vary them according to the quantity you are using.)
  • Pour 20 drops of  sesame oil and 10 drops of coconut oil. Sesame oil and coconut oil have sunscreen properties. Sesame oil blocks 60% UV and coconut oil blocks 20% UV.
  • Pour 5 drops of almond oil. Almond oil keeps your lips soft and moisturized for a long duration.
  • Remove the container from the broiler or heat completely now.
  • Prick two capsules of vitamin E and empty the contents into the container.
  • Wait for three minutes (do not let it get too solid, just wait for it to cool down a little) and put 5 drops of your favorite essential oil.
  • Stir all the ingredients together. It will begin to solidify in a matter of 5 minutes. Leave the mixture for  an hour to solidify properly and then scoop it out and store in a small glass jar.
  • Do not use food flavorings because they irritate the skin and cause dryness.
  • If your balm becomes too soft, add a bit more of vaseline / butters and if it is too hard, pour more of almond oil.
Variations:

  • For chocolate flavored lip balm, melt grated chocolate in the broiler along with the butters or jelly. Remove from heat and add oils. Mix all ingredients and your chocolate flavored lip balm is ready.
  • You can put a tea spoon of honey into the mixture for a more glossy and sweet smelling balm.
Note: Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly) is not good for skin as it blocks the pores. Try to use shea butter, cocoa butter or beeswax instead.

Prevent stretch marks {DIY}

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An after-effect of pregnancy is always the ugly stretch marks. You might follow any number of cures but they never seem to go. The reason for their occurrence is that the skin is not elastic enough that it can take that change easily which occurs during pregnancy. So, the cure lies in increasing the elasticity of the skin which has to be followed from a long time before pregnancy or since you have become pregnant. Some home remedies to avoid stretch marks:
  • Mix turmeric and milk cream in equal proportions and apply to your belly. Start this application as soon as to know about your pregnancy or better, as soon as you think about conceiving. The mixture increases the elasticity of the skin.
  • While taking shower, make it a habit to change the water temperature many times. Pour hot water then switch to cold then to warm and so on. The more you make changes in the temperature, the more the elasticity of skin would improve. Always end you shower with cold water. Set the temperature of water to hot and cold according to your tolerance. Do not use ice cold or too hot water. This treatment increases the elasticity of the skin.

Suryanamaskar – a step towards a beautiful you {Health}

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Suryanamaskar is a yoga technique done in the morning as a worship of sun god. It is a collection of 12 postures which flow from one to another. It provides all the benefits which yoga provides to the body.  Practice 10 rounds of the exercise early morning everyday.
I have enumerated some of its benefits:
  • improves memory and concetration
  • increases self-confidence
  • improves the spine flexibility
  • strengthens immune and digestive system
  • detoxifies the body
  • improves the body posture
  • removes the excess fat
  • improves blood circulation
  • improves the skin and hair health
  • increases the oxygen flow to the body and lungs
  • improves mental health by combating stress

The video describes the procedure of Suryanamaskar. Visit here for a detailed step by step explanation of the salutation.