Swathy and Sky

Fun in SA with Kyra

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Me (on phone) : Hey Kyra, great news!!! The trip is on. 
Kyra (replies back) : Great!!! Let’s go shopping. Make a list of essentials and you know what tops the list, right??? Let’s meet at 2.
Me : Seriously??? Not again!! It will be blazing hot. 
Kyra : Oh come on, its not as if you are afraid of getting sun-burnt, are you?? Don’t forget the protection, obviously. 
Me : Yeah, but remember, no outdoors between 10 and 4??
Kyra : Yes, I know but are you gonna sit indoors in SA as well?? And, come on, its shopping for the trip!!

This was my conversation with my friend Kyra. We both are going off for a vacation this summer in the beautiful city of Johannesburg and are also covering Capetown. But, primarily we shall be spending our time at Suncity, the beautiful resort just two hours away from Johannesburg. The trip got confirmed yesterday when our parents said yes and passports and visa processing was started.So, now, we girls are gonna meet at 2 o’ clock to shop for everything!!

Yes, Kyra loves sun and I don’t. It gives me headaches. And, now, again I have to slap up a good amount of sunscreen to protect my skin. Gosh!! what life? So, talking about the shopping, we both are obsessed with something called ‘sunscreen’. And, since this is South Africa we are talking about with its temperatures from 23 to 30 degrees, we definitely don’t want to be sunburnt or miss out the fun on outdoor activities. So, miss anything or not, this is definitely gonna be there in our backpacks.

Me : Hey, so what all are we hoarding on?
Kyra : Not decided on the clothes but some scarfs and stoles and wide-brimmed hats and my favorite Lakme Sun Expert SPF 50…
Me : Not again!!

Lakme should seriously consider hiring Kyra as their brand ambassador, especially for their sun safe range. The way she goes on and on about their sunscreens is just too irritating. No, I don’t use Lakme and never have till date, in fact. Oh no, we do have a lot of arguments on my and her choice of sunscreen and several times she has tried converting me to hers!! Well, don’t think she has stopped trying coz that’s not Kyra!!

Me (in the shop) : I am gonna wear jeans so I don’t really need to get any thing. Lets look at some tees.
Kyra : Are you serious? What happened to the skirts and capris???
Me : Nah!! Then, I will have to apply the sunscreen on my legs too. Can’t handle that much. 
Kyra : I know very well why you don’t like it. You don’t like the heavy feel, right? Use mine and you won’t even feel like you have applied the sunscreen. Lakme is light and doesn’t really feel like you have applied anything. 
Me : Can you please spare the lec, all time!! I don’t wanna use it. 
Kyra : Fine! (and *winks*)

And, I know something is going about her brain. After we finish the shopping, I know the what the *wink* was for. She bought two sunscreens.

Me : Why you getting two sunscreens? You bought one just two weeks back!!
Kyra : Huh…yes. I am going on a vacation. What do you think, I might get finished with one half way through our vacation!! And what then? Use your yucky sunscreen?
Me : Really?? I very well think I might be forced into using yours!!
Kyra : Yeah, right!! As if you listen to me. 

But, I am pretty sure she is upto something. SA, save me from Kyra *pray*. 
This is an entry for The Lakme Diva Blogger Contest.
PS: Hey everyone, if you like the post, please vote for me here. 

PS1: Your comments would be highly appreciated. Do let me know if you liked or hated the entry. And, don’t forget to enter my giveaway. SA: South Africa. 

Image Courtesy: Lakme Facebook Page

My current scent {DIY}

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Remember the perfume oil DIY series I had done long back?? Yes, I am back with another one on that and today I shall share the current EO blend I am using which is completely flowery and summery and springy all in one. And, I adore it and the best part of this is that its a universal blend which you can customise accordingly later on even if you end up making a lot!!! I did that and now, I am trying out adding spice and musk scents to it. Anyway, lets go with today’s blend.
Ingredients
  • Bergamot EO
  • Neroli EO
  • Ylang Yang EO
Blend
  • Add 10 drops of Ylang Ylang to a clean dark glass bottle. (base note)
  • Add 5 drops of Neroli. (middle note)
  • Add 10 drops of Bergamot. (top note)
  • Let it stand for a month or two in the dark. 
  • Add 18 drops of the blend to 60 drops of almond/jojoba oil to make the perfume oil. Again, use dark amber-colored bottles.
  • Let this stand for a week to blend well. 
  • And, your perfume oil is ready 🙂
My Opinions
Its a beautiful citrusy flowery blend and instantly lifts up my senses and I am absolutely in love with ylang ylang!!! I did make a whole bottle of this blend (around 15ml) and now, I am experimenting with some other scents. Don’t make the mistake of making a huge amount of the blend. You really need a drop or two at a time and this lasts way many days and you will get bored by the time the quantity gets over. The whole fun of this DIY is in experimenting 🙂

    Instructions to oil your hair {Hair Care}

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    So, I did talk about the intensive hair growth treatment I am currently on. So, there is particular routine I am supposed to follow (which I’m miserably failing at!!) and that includes a particular way to oil the hair. I just wanted to share it but let me make a disclaimer first: I am not spilling out any beans or secrets. So, lets get on with it. The routine is just a revisit to our old traditions. There is particular way to massage your scalp and that’s what the routine incorporates in some ways.

    Silver Utensil for Oil

    The girl asked me to use either a silver or an aluminium utensil for pouring out the oil before starting to apply it. This is because both of these metals are really beneficial for hair. Now, how much is either of the metal going to affect the hair when simply used as a container is out of my understanding.
    Anyway, the girl takes a huge bowl of silver (just like the ones in the dinner sets) and fills it up to half with oil and that’s the amount of oil I am supposed to use every time I oil my hair!!! No, I don’t use that much coz 90% of the oil is drunk by my pillow and by my skin and clothes. And, of course, the oil is pretty expensive, as well.
    Cotton Ball to apply Oil
    So, moving on, the next instruction includes the use of a cotton ball instead of fingers to apply hair on the scalp. I guess its coz of the long nails, some might have, which can tear and snag at the hairs. So, using a cotton ball is gentler on the hair. Dip the ball in the oil and rub it on the scalp. Now, while applying the oil on the scalp, run the cotton ball on the hair length as well on the section of hair in your hand to apply oil to the hair strands from root to ends.
    Remember to lift the hair to directly apply it on the scalp and results are best if done with small sections of hair. Yes, it does take a very long time. Also, when you are running the cotton ball along the hair strands, it is difficult when done on own and you can actually see the number of hairs falling which is very disheartening.
    All the weak hair falls from the scalp when you move the cotton ball along the hair length. That’s in a way good as it allows the old hairs to shed and new hairs to grow. And, those old hairs would have fallen in due course, anyway.  Now, a very huge con to this method is that a lot of oil gets soaked by the cotton ball as well so I dip only a corner of the ball instead of the entire ball and I finish up my scalp first and then proceed on to oiling the hair lengths.
    Head Massage Techniques
    After finishing with all the oiling, it is the time to massage your scalp. Scalp massage is the actual action which helps stimulate the hair follicles and helps in hair growth. So, this is the most important step and the more the time you devote doing this, the better the results would be. And, this also helps the oil to reach the hair follicles to nourish them. So, move the scalp instead of the hair whenever you do a massage.
    Try to keep the nails short or engage someone with short nails. Otherwise, you can end up scratching your scalp. Try to massage from the ears and proceed to the center of the scalp and similarly from front and back to the center using both of your hands. Always use finger balls. Be a little quick with the movements. After covering the entire scalp, take small sections of the hair and pull them very gently. That helps in hair growth. Also, it gets rid of the weak hair. Cover all the hair this way.
    After this is over, take the cotton ball and rub it in circular motion where ever you desire hair growth. Do that for like 3-5 minutes continuously. That helps stimulate the area. By now, your scalp should be feeling warm. Now, all this done, you can see that there is a lot of oil in the bowl left which is supposed to be literally poured on the head. Yes, this is one of the ayurvedic techniques for relaxation and stimulation. Actually, I did mention about this long back in one of my posts. It feels amazing.
    So, that’s all the hair routine I have been instructed to follow but of course, I don’t do all that and I kinda developed my own oiling routine which I shall share with you soon 🙂

    Related Post:
    How to massage your scalp?