Swathy and Sky

How to treat Sunburns? {Skin Care}

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Well, I know that summer is long past in Hyderabad but apparently Delhi is still very hot. Now, this is an impromptu post which I am putting up coz my dad just faced a sunburn yesterday after being exposed to the sun for a long time. So, what should be done to avoid and cure sunburns.
Avoid Sunburn
  • Always apply a sunscreen of spf 30 or higher when you know that you would be in the sun for a very long time. Don’t forget your sunscreen even if you are going ot the hills. You can get easily burnt in the hills as compared to plains (except beaches where there is a lot of sun rays reflection which are equally bad) simply because the rays of sun are much more damaging on the hills because of the distance from sea level.
  • Wear proper clothes and try to keep all the areas covered specially the sensitive regions like the neck and back.
  • Always carry an umbrella not matter how many layers of clothing you have put on yourself.
  • Try to be in shade whenever you can.
Now, I would also mention that sunscreens are meant to prevent skin cancer but you skin can still burn or get tanned so do not rely completely on the sunscreens.
Treat Sunburn
  • Apply cool things like ice packs. If ice pack is not there, apply cold water. Just pour it over the body. Don’t use a wash cloth or a sponge. Leave the sunburnt area to maximum air and make sure the air is cool.
  • Wash the sunburnt area immediately with cold water and do not rub the area at all. In fact don’t touch the area. Avoid using soap on the affected area and do not apply any moisturizer or astringent or toner too even if they claim to have cooling properties.
  • Wear loose-fitting clothes to avoid irritation and aid proper air circulation.
  • Take a soft cloth and soak it in cold milk and cover the sunburnt area with the cloth for 30 minutes or so. This provides relief.
  • Aloevera gel is extremely cooling so always carry aloevera gel in your toilet kit no matter where you go – on the beach or on the hills. It is useful for cuts and nicks too.
  • Sandalwood paste can be applied to the area but be careful to just tap the paste ont he area. Don’t rub to spread it.
  • Slices of cucumber, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelon can be used.
  • A paste of mint leaves also helps in cooling the skin.
  • A paste of apricots is also helpful.
  • Spraying green tea or taking a green tea bath (mix green tea in bath water) is also helpful as tannins in the tea helps control inflammation of the skin.
  • Do not scrub the sunburnt areas even if you feel they have healed. Give it two weeks at least to heal properly and a week more to ensure there is no sensitivity. Stay out of sun in the mean time.
Food for Sunburns
Not only the remedies but diet is also very important to speed up the recovery.
  • Eating a proper balanced diet is very important.
  • Drink lots of milk and fluids.
  • Increase the intake of Vitamin C and E, betacarotenes (found in carrots and all orange and yellow colored vegetables and fruits) and Zinc (peanuts, dairy products, beans, brown rice and bread, potato, yogurt and pumpkin seeds).

Lush Gorilla Perfumes – Short Description {Product Review}

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I went to Lush today and was very curious about the perfumes launched recently. So, I asked for the Tuca Tuca and Imogen Rose sticks to try them out. So, the sales girl applied one on one hand and the other on other hand.
Price: 600 INR for Tuca Tuca and 1200 INR for Imogen Rose (approx)
My Experience
Well, you might end up hating these perfumes if you take a sudden whiff because it has a unique raw wild smell which completely assaults your nostrils. That happened with both the products though Imogen Rose was less strong in notes as compared to Tuca Tuca. And, so, consequently, I rushed out of the shop as soon as I could coz I hated it and thought who makes perfumes like this. I am not much of a perfume fan and don’t really like strong fragrances and Lush has really strong fragrance. So, now, I am sitting in front of my laptop writing this post after around 2-3 hours of my visit to Lush. So, what’s my final verdict?
Well, I have been constantly inhaling the perfume and in the start, it was really a pain to inhale because of the wildness of the smell. But, after an hour or two, the notes of raw and wild fragrance fades and the perfume smells just like itself.
So, Tuca Tuca is really strong but a happy fragrance. I can’t describe it but I really liked it. Ok, this fragrance is so strong that your nose would be impaired to smell anything else. It stays for really a very long time so no worries on that point. It is violet in color.
Imogen Rose is pretty gentle and is not strong at all. It leaves a faint fragrance of Damascus Rose. I feel that this probably might not stay for so long as Tuca Tuca or the fragrance which comes from you would be really subtle.  This one is a light pink in color.
I washed both my hands with water and Imogen Rose got washed off leaving a very faint fragrance but Tuca Tuca still has very strong notes.
My Recommendation
Give yourself sometime to like it. It will definitely not be an instant love but it will probably be a permanent one. I loved the Tuca Tuca so do try it out and don’t forget to wait for an hour or two before you decide and I think I would definitely try out the Imogen Rose again and also would give a try to other two I left out. I tried the sticks but next time I’ll probably go for the sprays. They might be a little different in their notes.
PS: This post was written day before yesterday at around 2:00 P.M. 

Himalaya Protein Conditioner Softness and Shine {Product Review}

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I had reviewed the protein shampoo almost a week back. I was not much impressed by the shampoo but I had pointed out that the conditioner removed all the roughness of my hair.

Price: 70-80 INR for 100ml (approx.)
Ingredients
Key Ingredients: China Rose and Lotus (hair conditioners), Chickpea and Oats (proteins)
My Experience
I am not one to believe that the shampoos and conditioners must belong to the same product range. I do use conditioners which I like and the shampoos often turn out to be ones which I don’t like. So, if anyone can suggest me a good shampoo which is SLS free, I would be very grateful. So, returning back to the review, I used this conditioner both with its own product range and Pantene shampoo. And, both times, the result was good. My hair felt soft and shiny and it was all tangle-free. But, I have a feeling that this conditioner is only for normal to dry hair. Oily hair would become limp because the conditioner is a little heavy.
There is only one problem with the conditioner. Actually, this is a problem with all the Himalaya conditioners. They are really sticky and need loads of water to wash off. And, this is a very big problem, not only from the environmental point of view, but also from time and patience point of view. But, I would also mention that this conditioner gets washed off easily when compared to the earlier conditioners of Himalaya so I think they are trying to make better products. Ok, one very big problem with the conditioner is that you have to struggle a lot to get it out of the bottle. It is a thick conditioner and doesn’t come out even when I am madly pressing the entire bottle so I often have to take out the upper cap and then thump the bottle on my palm and squeeze it and all sorts of stuff to take it out.

Now, something which I noticed just now is that the conditioner does make the hair a bit oily on the second day. I have dry hair but sometimes it is hydrated and quite soft. It became especially healthy after using the last piece of Lush Caca Noir because of the cocoa butter treatment to my hair. So, avoid this shampoo if you have healthy and fine hair. It will make it limp but it will really suit the dry and frizzy hair well. It also helps in taming the curls so very helpful for curly haired gals.

My Recommendation
Yes, it is a good conditioner which softens the hair well and gives shine to it.
PS: Product provided by brand for consideration.