Swathy and Sky

Wheat Grass for anti-aging

· · 1 Comment

Wheat Grass is an extremely useful and beneficial plant. It is rich in so many minerals and nutrients and can fight against so many diseases in our body ranging from acting as anti-inflammatory agent to preventing cancers in the body. Wheat Grass has been a highly prized medicine during the time of Egyptians. Spray wheat grass juice on a burn or inflammation and voila, the skin gets soothed immediately. It is that potent. Why? Because, it acts at cellular level within and outside the body.
What is so special about Wheat Grass? 
The green pigment of the plants – chlorophyll – is the real ‘hero’ of the wheat grass. Plants use sun light to make chlorophyll and thus, trap the benefits and energy of direct sunlight in them. Thus, consuming this green pigment will help to release this energy in our system and allow it to make beneficial changes in our body. Not only does this energy give a boost to our health, but it also improves our appearance. “Healthy In, Healthy Out”.
You will ask why not other greens help then? Well, because Wheat Grass is one of the plants containing the highest amount of chlorophyll in it. About 70% of the plant constitutes of chlorophyll. This releases the much needed energy and catalyses the action of healing and regeneration within the body. Thus, comes its contribution in the anti-aging arena.
Our body can absorb as much as 60% of the wheat grass juice. It is an excellent cleanser, toner and also protects the body from harmful radiations from the sun. It can stimulate blood flow in the body so extremely useful for collagen repair and also, rejuvenating the dead hair follicles.
It is also rich in fiber helping in weight loss.
How to consume Wheat Grass?
Juice it or chew it. Juicing is an easier option as chewing might or might not be a pleasant activity. But, it can be included in salads and dishes which requires garnishing along with parsley or coriander. While juicing, you can strain the juice and apply the pulp on your face and leave it on till it dries or for 30 minutes. Wash it off after the stipulated time.
You can also grow your own wheat grass. Buy some organic or non-organic wheat grains from a farmer’s market and lay them in a tray. This is a great resource for instructions on how to grow wheat grass at home. I have to yet give it a try.

Dark Knees and Elbows Home Remedies

· · 57 Comments

What do we know about the skin around knees and elbows?
It is usually thicker than its surroundings and has more folds, is rough and dry and appears to be dirty even though the part may have been covered like full sleeved clothes and jeans. The skin is at least a tone darker than the original skin color. It looks ugly and never seems to restore to its original state. 
Why is the skin dark?
Have you seen a baby with dark elbows and knees? No, obviously. It is the result of friction like leaning on the elbows or knees which causes the maximum problem. In schools, we are supposed to sit on the ground or participate in sports activities which causes the knee skin to grow drier. And, of course, due to our bad habits, we seem to lean on our elbows rather than sit straight and keep a good posture. The other cause is lack of hygiene and improper care. So, your affected areas need more care now on.
There are other reasons as well. Being overweight is one of them. And, another of the most pertinent reasons is eating a lot of sugar. Now, I would suggest you to ponder on certain points? Is your menstrual cycle highly irregular? Have you been to a doctor or ignored it? Are you a teenager going through puberty? Are you having any other dark patches or blotches on your skin, especially near your genitals or breast or neck? If all these questions are answered in negative, you do not need any professional advice. If not, you might need to consult a doctor and get yourself checked. Darkening of skin is usually a symptom to some of the diseases caused by hormonal imbalance in the body. 
An Advice: When you read these questions, I am sure everyone of you would feel that all the questions are positive and may get panicked. So, I would like to suggest that you talk to your mom about all these issues and then come up to a conclusion. Always remember many of our problems including skin and hair conditions are due to weight issues which seems always out of control. So, take time and start with losing weight. I am sure that many of your would notice an immediate change. Even the cure for the said diseases is to lose weight so no need to think much. Now, on a lighter note, let us go to the home remedies and see what we can do to get rid of the dark skin.
Home Remedies and Habits to get rid of the Dark Skin
  • First things first. Lose weight. Start pranayam. It is the simplest of the exercises and extremely relaxing. 
  • Secondly, stop munching on sugar and processed food. All the processed food including breads, cereals, energy drinks, soft drinks, energy bars and health foods are extremely high in their sugar content. And, they can wreak havoc with your system. Feel like having a dessert. Go for yogurt banana custard which is satisfying enough for the palate. Or, prepare the particular junk food which you feel like munching on at home. 
  • Stop leaning on your elbows and knees and you would see the difference in two days. Trust me, I have been there and done that.
  • Always use a moisturizing and little rough body scrub made from honey or oils like coconut, almond, olive and such. They help in getting rid of the dead cells in these areas in an effective way. Sugar and rock salt are obvious choices for the granular part of the scrub. Use Cane Sugar (powdered jaggery). It is widely available and use organic products as much as possible.
  • Apply a heavy moisturizer on your legs and arms. They are, generally, the driest parts of the body even if your skin type is oily. Keep the elbows and knees moisturized.
  • Use a loofah at least 3 times a week in your bath if you have sensitive and dry skin and once a day for other skin types. It helps in regular exfoliation of the area and keeps the skin smooth.
  • Applying coconut oil or almond oil is also beneficial as they are best oils for curing dry skin.
  • Use bleaching fruits (fruits good for oily skin) in conjunction with moisturizing agents (liquids good for dry skin) of your applying as a knee packs, elbow pack or scrub. Like, lemon juice with sugar is a good option, even better is tomato juice or pomegranate juice with honey or oils. Fresh Lime (mausambi) juice or orange will give more potent results than lemon.
  • Coconut oil and Walnut powder make good exfoliators for dark skin patches.
  • Another great remedy which surely works is milk cream. Mix milk cream with a pinch of turmeric and apply on the affected areas. 
  • Aloevera (straight from the plant) also shows lightening of the skin.
  • Keep the elbows and knees covered as much as possible. 
  • There should be no deep lines visible on the joints. If you can see lines, that means your skin is dry and you need to moisturize it. Apply oil from Vitamin E supplements topically.
  • Sesame oil is great for moisturizing such areas as it has especially high proportion of essential fatty acids. 
  • Massage the areas with oil daily. That will make the skin soft.
Note: The skin on elbows and knees always look little darker than original skin color because of the folds in the skin which increases if you are overweight. So, to check if the color of knees and elbows have lightened, folds on the elbows or knees and see the color. That should give you the accurate state of your skin.

How to Deep Condition your Hair?

· · 2 Comments

As I have repeatedly stressed on the point of Hair conditioning, it should come as no surprise if I embark on a really elaborated ritual of homemade deep conditioning treatment. This is a variant of the regular egg or yogurt mask only. Just that there is one more ingredient – Honey. Nothing great about this recipe itself. You are well aware of the properties of egg and honey for the hair.

Dry Hair needs protein treatment so use egg and if you have oily hair, you would do better with yogurt or milk. Apply the conditioner and keep it as long as you can (as long as you can stand the smell of egg) !! Now, before applying the mask, prepare your hair a little just like you would prepare your face for a face mask.
  • Comb your hair and get rid of all the tangles.
  • Brush it once or twice to make sure it is free flowing.
  • Now, steam your hair. Take a bowl of water or the appliance/ saunas available for taking steam for your face. I know its kind of difficult to direct steam to your hair so you have to juggle a little with the appliance. If you are using a bowl of water, juggle with yourself or you would end up burning. Carefully, direct steam to all parts of your head. You can even divide your head in 5 parts: top, back, left, right and middle. Middle is the most difficult to get your steam to. For back and middle, bend backward on the bowl or sauna. So, place the bowl/sauna at a comfortable position. And, remember, steam is very hot and you would not be able to bear it more than a few seconds on the more sensitive portions of your skull so keep the steam time to a minimum. Once you try this, you would get used to it. Do this for at max 15 minutes. That would be enough to let the scalp absorb the mask well. Switch off the fans and AC in your room or you will end with a headache due to the temperature differences.
  • After opening the hair follicles a bit, apply the mask by massaging it into your scalp. Start from one side and end with the other or part your scalp in 5 parts again. That makes easy application of the mask. After covering the scalp, part your hair along its length and dip them into the mask and spread it evenly. Keep maximum at the ends.
  • After whole of the hair is covered in mask, massage it a little for 10-15 minutes and cover with a shower cap.
  • If you have a drier, set it to warm setting and direct the flow of air evenly on your scalp to provide warmth for better absorption. Or, wet a towel and heat it in microwave for 30 seconds and wrap it around the head. You can repeat the towel wraps as many times as you want reheating it after it has cooled.
  • Now, wait for as long as you can. Preferably, do this treatment in the evening because there is more to come.
  • Go and rinse your hair after your tolerance is over. Do not shampoo or condition. Just rinse with lukewarm water and get all the egg out of your hair. Egg tends to stick to hair.
  • Come out of the shower. I know you are smelling nasty !! So, let your hair air dry first.
  • Now, comb your hair and untangle it. Now, take a cup of your favorite oil and warm it a little so that oil is tolerably hot to touch.
  • Apply the oil to your hair and massage well. Yes, a hot oil treatment after a homemade deep conditioning treatment. Massage your scalp gently but firmly for 30 minutes. It really helps.
  • Leave the oil overnight and wash off with a mild and nice smelling shampoo the other day. You would not even need to condition it but you can apply a little to the ends if you want.
Tips:
  • Use any hair mask in place of egg+honey mask. You can even use the commercially available deep conditioning treatments.
  • Use a strong smelled oil for hot oil treatment so that it will mask the smell of egg. Coconut is great for that but only unrefined.
  • You can add vitamin E or Evening Primrose Oil supplements to the mask and oil as well for extra nourishment and shine.
  • You can also use a homemade herbal shampoo which is just a variant of your favorite shampoo.
  • You can end this hair pampering session with one of your favored hair rinses too. They would give extra bounce to your hair.
  • Do this once a week to counter the effects of the whole week abuse of your hair.
  • Results: Hair would be softer and shinier for days together. This treatment will take care of your hair till the next treatment 🙂