Swathy and Sky

Are you keeping track of UV Index? {Sunscreen}

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What’s a UV Index? 

It’s the measure of strength of sun’s UV radiation. Its just like a weather forecast and tells you if you need to cover up from the sun or not. This measure has been standardised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) so its a reliable measure.
UV Index Table (Source)
How to check the UV index?
You can always google it for your own city. Another source is weatheronline.co.uk. I found it while doing the googling myself 😀 And, the UV index of Hyderabad for April 12 to April 15 is 12 (Source). Who would think with the weather out there (its cloudy and rainy these days) that the UV index and radiation would be so high??? So, Hyderabadis, apply proper amount of sunscreen and don’t venture outside in the noon unless absolutely necessary!!!

PS: If you find the post useful, please don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. Its a health issue which everyone should be aware of.

More posts from sunscreen diaries:
Zinc Oxide vs Titanium Dioxide
Is my sunscreen working?
Surfaces and Radiations
What are UV Radiations?
What Sunscreen should I buy?
Sunscreen Ingredients
Use sunscreen 365 days a year
How much sunscreen do you apply?
Sunscreen: Role in anti-aging Skin Care

Home Remedies for Hair Growth {DIY}

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Yesterday, I talked about some of the tips to start taking care of your hair. And, I had said that I shall share some of the home remedies which have helped my hair tremendously in certain number of years. So, lets start on.

Fenugreek Seeds

Yes, the methi or fenugreek seeds about which I talked almost when I started my blog. That was one remedy which helped my hair fall and I guess it did help in a little in improving the hair texture but since I am so lazy, I had discontinued the remedy. I guess its time to start again!!

Egg
As always, I swear by this remedy. Applying egg on my hair weekly has helped my hair a lot and if not in hair growth, it has definitely helped to keep my hair soft, silky and shiny and strong too. But, the downside of the remedy is the smell which even I can’t bear so I have not used egg on my hair since quite long.
Yogurt
This was advised to me by one of my friends who was advised by an acquaintance. The said acquaintance used to douse her hair in yogurt everyday and wash it off (not shampoo but only plain water rinse) and used to shampoo her hair once a week. This was the routine in vacations but I do admit that she must have smelt bad!!! But, the remedy and the hard work paid off and her tresses were very beautiful and long.
Well, I did use the remedy and not quite in the same way but I used to keep curd / yogurt in my hair for 1-4 hours a stretch and wash it off with a shampoo. Over a period of time, my hair texture did improve a lot. And, here I am guessing, that it did improve my hair volume too. But, I am not quite sure on that count.

Onion Juice

This is something I swear by again and it is one of the top rated of my posts in all time. I know!!! And, yes, onion juice helps a lot in hair growth itself. But, yes, it gives a very foul smell which is why I get discouraged to use the remedy but the results are too obvious.
The reason why onion works is because of its richness in sulphur, one of the main minerals required for hair growth.  don’t know if it will cover a bald spot but yes, it will definitely revive the hair follicles if they have been dormant too long. A very difficult remedy to use, though 🙁
Tomato
Again, one of my few first posts on the blog, it had helped to restore my sunburnt and extremely damaged hair to a decent condition. Tomato gives a lot of shine to the hair and also helps with dandruff as it is a little acidic but not as acidic as lemon to leave the hair entirely dry!!!
These are the remedies which have helped my hair a lot overtime. 

PS: Read a status message on FB: 
“Be with a man who ruins your lipstick, not your Mascara!!” 
What say?? 😀

How to start caring for your hair? {Hair Care}

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Ok, weird title!!! I know. Actually, what happened was that I had ignored my hair for too long and got horrible case of split ends because of which I was so angry that I chopped off a good length of my hair and now, my hair is back to the shoulder level. Now, I am trying to improve my hair health and grow them out.

So, I thought I would revisit the basics. So, in one way, you can say that this post is for my benefit instead of yours 😛 I shall try to include as many things as possible in this. And, I do get a lot of queries regarding hair care and hair loss so guess, next time, I can simply point to this link 😀 Ok, let’s get started.
Moisturise the hair regularly
As I talked about in my hair diaries, I got cocoa butter for myself last month. I wanted to use it to as a hair mask because last year, the Lush Caca Noir really softened my hair a lot. And, I’m making it a point to not skip on the conditioner ever. 
Get a good hydrating conditioner as well which doesn’t weigh the hair down. Ok, I can’t recommend anything because I am on the search still but I remember that Biotique Watercress did very well for me so I might just get that.
Weekly hair conditioning is very important but don’t forget to do the lighter conditioning every time you wash your hair.

Use good comb
I can’t stress this enough coz I know how much the condition of my hair has improved since I switched to the TBS Wooden Comb. It really keeps my hair happy. Or, get any wide-toothed comb for yourself.
Scalp Care
Yes, very important. Try to massage the scalp everyday. That helps with hair growth and is relaxing as well. Also, if you feel your hair is not behaving, I would suggest to go for a hair wash immediately. Don’t forget to get a gentle shampoo as it will keep your scalp in a good condition. 
Use satin pillow covers
The cotton ones suck all the moisture from hair and also increase the static in your hair so get the satin pillow covers or silk is even better!!! Make sure that you change the pillow covers regularly too to keep away the bacteria and the oils on the pillow cover from the face.
Oil lightly before washing
Even if you are not big on oiling your hair and I can understand that in summers but it helps a lot. So, to make a compromise, try coating your hair lightly with oil just half hour  to an hour before washing your hair. That really helps. 
These are some of the tips I am following regularly. And, next time, I shall talk about few remedies which were helpful in my hair growth.