Swathy and Sky

Blogging Series Vol. 9 – Reviving Old Posts!

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If you have been blogging for a year or more, you would realize that any old post is a bane for the blogger. If one has blogged about a trending topic, it is no longer in vogue. If one has talked about some beauty tip, one would like to make sure it reaches every new reader who joins the blog. And, so on. So, how does one make sure that all those previous posts receive equal viewership as well?
Granted that some of your old posts would be a legend and come what may, the traffic to those posts would always remain unbeatable. You would love to see those numbers for your current posts as well but somehow that never happens. That may be simply due to the fact that you have inadvertently placed great many number of keywords in those posts!
If you think I am speaking latin and greek, please excuse me. In laymen terms, once you have written and published the post, your responsibility with the old post is not over. You should consistently modify it and update it so that it is fresh and consistent with your current blog layout.

You must have already noticed my two previous posts, they were the long forgotten ones lying in the archives! In fact, they were the first two posts when I had started blogging. I had been thinking since quite long that I should bring out those posts again but could not find out the best way to do so. It was then I came across the simple tip of republishing the blog posts by changing the time stamp.
This ensures that your old post has been published as new without changing the URL of the post so that any backlinks to the post are not lost! Also, this ensures your readers get to read the things which they might have missed out on or have not come across since they have joined the blog!
But, doing this has one major disadvantage. Your blog layout and blog language might not remain same. If the post which you would republish is very old, like in my case, the language and the structure of the post would be very very different. At that point of time, you have two action items. Either rewrite the entire post, update it or create a new one. Or, edit the post with your current thoughts about it and publish it as it was. And, any changes you might have regarding the post, create a new one and give a backlink to the other post.
This way you would have created new content for your blog and the inter-linking among the blog posts helps boost the page rank. Ok, I have to say this that reviving the old posts might not be the best thing in the world. Why? You might actually get bored editing it or you would be shocked by how raw you were in your hey day!
What do you think? Does republishing your old blog posts really help?
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From the Archives : Oil Cleansing Method {DIY}

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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}

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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!