Swathy and Sky

How am I maintaining my weight? {Health}

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I am getting tired of the pressure of putting up a new post everyday and I want to maintain it as a routine. And, frankly, I am not getting a lot of me-time these days which help me do whatever I want. So, I decided I will write on something happening with me these days.
I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts in December or some time that I am not eating properly and consequently my health was suffering. Now, I have started to keep a healthy eating routine since almost two weeks and I am amazed that my weight has not yo-yo’ed this time. So, I decided that I would just discuss that with you all.
My weight always zooms up and down depending on the kind and amount of food I eat. Not that I am eating junk or less food, this time my routine is coupled with a healthy daily routine. So, let’s check out and see if you can incorporate something out of it. Btw, I am not doing anything new. No exercise too.
  • I have to get up everyday in between 7 and 7:30. Trust me, its damn difficult and my mom wakes me up. She has this habit of repeatedly calling my name and I have an aversion to getting up hearing that, so it always works 😀
  • Consequently, I take bath immediately and have my breakfast before 9. It is supposed to be a very good habit to have your breakfast at around 8:30.
  • I like my breakfast heavy but I am not able to eat much of it so let’s just say that my breakfast has oats or cornflakes w/o sugar and something going with it like bread with sesame butter I got from NaturalMantra recently or jams (that’s not a breakfast I relish!!) or poha or a single paratha (which is generally not enough). I did try to take fruits regularly till now – apple, banana, oranges till now.
  • Then, I have my lunch in between 1 and 2. Either rice or roti with vegetables. Btw, currently, the oil I am using is sesame oil.
  • I come back from work at around 5:30 or 6. I like a light snack time with tea. It can be bread, biscuits, chiwda or mixture made at home or if I am feeling really hungry, sunfeast pasta or maggi.
  • Then, my dinner at 9. Pretty light. Generally, some rotis.
  • And, I sleep by 10 – 10:30 (my beauty sleep) 😀
So, that’s what is my current routine is like. And, my day comprises of walking for 1km probably, not more. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I am desperately lacking on the amount of water needed in the system everyday. I really need to increase it. And, another bad habit I am facing is the addiction to tea. I have to cut that down as well. So, yes, I do need to work on some things but my weight is pretty much constant right now.
And, btw, did you notice how hot Hyderabad has got in this past week. Don’t know what will happen in the summers this time. 

How to make Perfume Oil at home? (Part II) {DIY}

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So, last time I talked about a little background information necessary to know when going to make perfumes. Today, I shall be talking about how to make a perfume and how to blend the essential oils.
Process of making a Perfume Oil
Ingredients
  1. Essential Oils (your favorites)
  2. Droppers for each
  3. Dark amber bottles
  4. Journal / Book
Method
  1. Mix the base, middle and top notes in your own desired ratio by putting some drops of each in the dark bottle. Use separate eye droppers for each EO. Very Important: Write down your recipe. This is called an Essential Oil blend. You can use it in making your lotions or massage oils or body oils too. But, don’t forget to follow the guidelines to use EO’s.
  2. When you are going to mix a recipe, always make sure that your EO’s blend well with each other otherwise your whole blend will get spoiled.
  3. Do not shake the bottle to mix the EO’s. Roll the bottle gently between your palms, instead.
  4. Leave this blend in a dark and warm place undisturbed for 48 hours. That gives the EO’s time to ‘marry’ each other and either enhance each other’s fragrance or degrade each other’s fragrance depending on the EO’s you have used.
  5. After 48 hours, take the bottle and open the cap. Let the fragrance rise from the bottle and sniff it. Write down your observations and notes on the fragrance. If you do not like it at all or if they are not blending together, you might want to add another EO which can allow the different fragrances to blend. It’s a lot of fun doing it and it’s just like an experiment which might pass or fail.
  6. Do all hit and trials and always remember to keep a record of whatever you are doing including the dates too – date on which you made the blend, the date of observations and even the date on which you are happy with the blend.
  7. Now, once you are happy with the blend you are going to make, you can make it in large quantities and store it for a month or two to let the blend ‘cure’. The fragrance of the blend changes overtime so you should keep on observing the changes for a month at least.
  8. After the curing period is over, the EO blend is added to the carrier oil (almond or jojoba oil or even coconut oil) in a ratio of 15-30% depending on the strength of the perfume you want.
  9. And, leave the oils to blend again for at least a week. And, after the period, your perfume oil is ready!!!
So, those are the steps to make the perfume oil. Now, I am going to talk a bit about my own experience.
What did I do?
  • When you are going to create an EO blend, always remember to take the EO’s which blend with each other. So, reading the profiles of each EO is very essential. I consulted MountainRoseHerbs (google it) database mostly. They mention everything pertaining to the EO information.
  • Also, I want to mention beforehand that many EO’s are concentrated and have their own side-effects so read the information carefully before buying them. For example, almost all the citrus EO’s like Bergamot, lemongrass, etc. are phototoxic, many EO’s specially spice ones like connamon, cloves, etc. are irritating to the skin, not all EO’s should be used during pregnancy.

So, I chose 5 EO’s which I bought keeping in mind everything –

  1. Bergamot (the top note which is probably phototoxic but I am not sure entirely),
  2. Rosemary (middle note and should not be used during pregnancy),
  3. Neroli (middle note which is floral and exotic and is safe to use anytime),
  4. Ylang Ylang (base and middle note, should not be used during pregnancy and gives headaches too if used in excess) and
  5. Frankincense (base note, entirely safe to be used anytime)
  • After you have your stock, you should take each EO and sniff its aroma and write your own observations on each. For example, Neroli is a very strong scent and generally overpowers everything but its lovely. So, I took notes about each EO. That also gives me a general idea about how I should go on blending it depending on what kind of fragrance do I want.
My First Blend
  • Frankincense – 10 drops (base)
  • Neroli – 10 drops (middle)
  • Ylang Ylang – 15 drops (bridge)
  • Bergamot – 10 drops (top)
Always add the base notes first, then the middle and then the top notes. I kept the fragrance for 24 hours (because I was impatient, don’t be!!) and didn’t really like it so I added 15 drops of Ylang Ylang again!! Don’t make that mistake. Excess of Ylang Ylang gives headaches but strictly speaking, I love the fragrance of Ylang Ylang but I am growing fond of Neroli now. I kept the blend for 15 days around and added it to almond oil in the ratio of 1:3 (again a mistake!!) [add 45 drops of almond oil in a dark bottle and then, add 15 drops of the EO blend] and kept it for a day or two before using (need it to keep it for a week). But, I loved the blend a lot. It was dominated by Neroli though. And, what I learned from this was that keep the strong fragrances concentration less if you don’t want them to dominate.
So, that was the story of my first attempt at perfume making. And, seriously, it’s addictive, especially when you can get all kinds of EO’s!!! Next week, I shall follow up with more of the blends and some other lessons I learned.

How to get rid of Dandruff? {Hair Care}

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This has been a continuous requests on my blog but I couldn’t really post on it because I have personally never suffered from this problem so I have no idea how to deal with it. But, again this week I got a request on this topic so I thought its a high time to do a post on it. But, think of this as a disclaimer, none of the remedies have been personally tried by me and may or may not work. I definitely shall try my level best to write only about the things which will not have negative effects in the short or long term.
What is Dandruff?
Dandruff is the flaky skin which is the result of shedding of the skin cells ont he scalp. Even the skin on the scalp gets replaced. Consequently, if the skin cells get replaced too frequently or quickly, the dead skin cells tend to accumulate on the scalp and create a flaky scalp. This leads to the condition of dandruff and the most common symptom is itchy scalp. [That reminds me that I had been having a really annoying time with my scalp lately!! It used to itch badly.]
How to treat Dandruff?
Dandruff, most commonly, occurs in people with oily skin and oily hair as opposed to the popular belief that dandruff is a symptom of dry scalp. Dryness is definitely a condition which encourages dandruff but it is an acquired dryness, not the naturally dry scalp, in general. So, instead of treating dryness, it is better to clean the scalp more frequently to remove the dead skin cells from the scalp which keep on accumulating on the scalp.
  • Wash hair Frequently. This might not sound as a remedy but instead look as a tool to worsening the condition but it is actually true. Washing hair more frequently ensures cleaner scalp and the removal of the older dead skin cells.Alternate days or once in three days should be sufficient if the problem is not severe.
  • Use mild products. This is extremely important since you would be washing your scalp more frequently. Milder products which do not dry out the scalp and hair altogether should be preferred.
  • Hair Oils. Oils, if used in excess, can cause dry hair in the long run. And, oil is also known to have aggravated the problem of dandruff. So, either keep away from oils or use the oils which you know have been working for you since quite long.
  • Hot Water. Stay away from hot water as it can increase the dryness of the scalp and also induces itching.Try to wash your hair in colder water or water at room temperature, whichever is preferable and comfortable for you.
  • Nizoral. This is one medicated shampoo which I have heard works really well for every kind of scalp problem so one can definitely give this a try. Weekly usage of the product should be enough. I have personally used the product and I do like it except for its price.
  • Underlying Skin Conditions. Psoriasis, Eczema and other skin disorders or infections can also cause dandruff so it is best to take a dermatologists advise in such cases.
And, when it comes to hair, everything takes time and diet is very essential so eat healthily and live happily and all would be well.