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From the Archives : Softening your skin starts from your bath {DIY}

Swathy · July 14, 2013 · 6 Comments

Taking Bath is the best way to unwind yourself from a hectic schedule. You can turn your bathing experience into an invigorating one by adding certain ingredients which help ~~your body to relax and also relaxes your mind~~ both your body and mind to relax. Some ingredients which can be added to your bath water and their effects:

Salt: Relaxes the tensed muscles, makes your skin smooth, detoxes the body, relaxes tired feet, improves circulation, prevents skin disorders, purifies the pores and removes toxins from skin. It is also good for exfoliation. Table salt would be a general choice but you can also go for rock salt. These days you get sea salts and Himalayan rock salts as well apart from the regular bath salts! Also, pair them with your favorite essential oils for a luxurious experience!

Milk: Softens skin, cleans the pores, good for exfoliation, nourishes the skin, improves skin texture and appearance, removes body odor, prevents skin disorders.
Honey: soothes and nourishes the skin, makes skin silky and fragrant, prevents skin disorders, lightens scars and any marks on the skin and removes any bacteria present in the skin.

Oils : You can use coconut oil or almond oil. It lightens complexion, moisturizes and nourish the skin. You can also put a mix of these oils.

Oat meal: soothes and nourishes the skin. Put some oat meal in a cheese cloth and put it under running water. ~~and then, use it for exfoliation.~~ This way you get oat milk in your bath water and the oats in the cheese cloth can be used as a body wash. This is an amazing tip for sensitive skin!

Essential Oils: soothes and softens skin, lightens scars and any marks on the skin, heals wounds and soothes tired muscles and skin and you smell divine.

Floral Water: You can definitely put many flowers into your bath for an aromatherapy. Rose, Jasmine, Rosemary, Lavender, Chamomile, Marigold are some of the flowers which you can go for. They would relax your mind, elevate your senses and provide you the ultimate pleasure of relaxation. They soothe your complete body. You can also use the floral water.

So, go ahead and try putting a combination of various ingredients and enjoy an invigorating bath.

PS: Italicized paragraphs are updates on the original post!

Garnier Pure Active Pore unclogging wash {Product Review}

Swathy · July 9, 2013 · 9 Comments

So, just on the weekend I revealed that I absolutely love this particular product. Little did I know that I had almost run out of the product so I would anyway be doing the product review within 3 days! Anyways, as I said earlier this is amazing for oily and acne-prone skin though I am not really sure about the dry skin.

Let me start with the packaging. Hate it! First, the product just comes out as soon as you unscrew the cap. Also, you get more than enough of the product because of which you tend to overuse it and run out of the facewash early. It lasted just 15-18 days with two uses per day. Also, if it came with a flip top cap, it would have been easy to open it in the shower otherwise the tube feels a little slippery in water.

Pros

feels cool on skin

removes blackheads completely

helps to avoid breakouts

Now, let me come to the good. It is a light blue tinged in color and foams really well. Well, it does have SLS 🙁 Anyways, it feels so so cool on your face after applying as if you have poured a lot of menthol on the face. Damn awesome in summers specially. Might not be a really great feel in winters, though 😀

Now, it has salicylic acid so yes the blackheads are all GONE! First product which actually works on blackheads and I do think it works on breakouts as well because I did have a few bumps thanks to my skin-picking habit which did not dwell for more than 24 hours. It definitely helps in prevention if not cure.

Cons

bad packaging!

might dry out the dry skin

might not be great in winters

What else do I like about the product? Ummm…I pretty much mentioned everything. Yeah, one more thing is this might not be a great product for winters. Otherwise, yes, I would suggest it to every oily, combi and acne-prone skin.

Price: Rs 79 for 50gms

Availability

This facewash is pretty much available in all supermarkets and general stores. I got it from myntra, though.

PS: Product was bought against a voucher in return for a product review for the website.

Get it from flipkart

5 tips to avoid Headaches {Five Series}

Swathy · July 8, 2013 · 4 Comments

I am in angst with Hyderabad weather! It is so damn unpredictable that I always find the sun shining on top of my head when I am out and the sun happily goes and hides behind the clouds when I am inside!! And, not to speak about the sultriness these days….huh.

And, all this takes a toll on my health and my chronic headaches get worse. So, I decided to list down what are the very common reasons why one may get headaches and how can you avoid them. So, lets check them out!

Stay out of Sun

Well, pretty obvious reading the introduction to the post, right? Direct exposure to sun rays might prompt the headache especially when you are doing a lot of in and out from an air-conditioned place! The change in warm and cold atmosphere itself is enough to trigger some or the other problem. Same goes to the fluctuating weather conditions and change of seasons.

That is why not only sun but excess wind should also be avoided! And, of course, getting used to a lot of cool in summers or hot in winters makes one sensitive to any slight change in temperature. And, if you have to, make sure you cover yourself well especially your head and ears!!

Acidity can trigger Headaches

Proper diet is very very essential for proper functioning of the body. If you do not eat on time, you might get acidity. If you eat more, you might get acidity. Either of the conditions, acidity suffocates the body a bit and that might lead to a headache so control acidity by following a strict daily routine.

And, say no to coffee when you have headaches. I do not know if it increases acidity but it sure increases your headache. Tea is good because it relaxes the system a bit but I would suggest to go for herbal teas instead because they are refreshing for the body and feel nothing more than you are drinking delicately-flavored hot water.

Do not skip on Breakfast

Again the same thing. Proper diet is very important and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you eat in breakfast determines how your entire day goes! So, eat a healthy balance of lots of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Try to get a heavy breakfast even if you have a desk job.

Exercise for 30 minutes everyday

This is invariably a condition if you want to lead healthy life so I would not say much except that get moving, guys and gals!

Sleep at correct times and for right amount of Hours

For me, if my sleep gets disturbed or if I over-sleep or under-sleep, I always get headaches. So, yes proper deep sleep is very important for me. Also, I would add that proper pillows and mattress and sheets aid in good sleep so invest in them. And, always take care of your postures so that you do not get a crink while sleeping!

And, now the bonus tip!

Healthy Snacking

I totally get it that you love to munch and snack and at the tea-times more often than not you want that extra samosa or the burger which the other person is enjoying! But, they are really bad for you and that is not just because of junk. But, also because they do not satisfy your appetite.

You need to develop some healthy snacking habits. Either carry something from home or get some salads at the office. Some extra fruits would not put a lot of weight on you. And, when really hungry, go for fiber even in healthy options! That peanut butter is very useful. Or, carry some dates or sprouts or dry fruits!!

What are your ways to avoid a headache?