Swathy and Sky

Dry Shampoo – What is it and should you use it?

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Ok, so shampooing is a really bad practice to follow everyday with products laden with loads of chemicals. But, we can not leave our hair dirty just so. So, Dry Shampoo is becoming popular as one of the ways to get rid of the oil (greasy hair) and dust in the hair.
What is Dry Shampoo? 
It is a mix of ingredients which are good at soaking oil in the hair and trapping dust so that they can be brushed off immediately. Most common of the homemade dry shampoo are corn meal, baby powder, orris root powder and ground oatmeal. You can store mix these ingredients or use them individually. You can also mix hair-nourishing ingredients like essential oils or aloevera gel. The powder soaks the oil from your scalp and also the dirt from your hair strands.
How to use a Dry Shampoo?
The quantity of powder to be used depends on the length of hair. Take two heaped spoons of the Dry Shampoo you have made for hair length which reaches up to mid-waist. Increase accordingly for longer lengths. But, make sure you do not get too much on your hair. It would become difficult to brush off. Rub most of it on the scalp. And, put some on your hair strands. Now, brush your hair to free it of tangles and spread the Dry Shampoo evenly on your scalp and along the hair body. Let it stay for 10-15 minutes. After the waiting time is over, flip over your head and brush off all the shampoo from your hair. Keep brushing till you are sure your hair and scalp gets rid of the shampoo. Your hair should look clean instantly.
Advantages of using Dry Shampoo
  • saves a lot of time so is best as a quick fix
  • hair-nourishing ingredients can be fed to hair anytime
  • can add volume to hair and make hair look puckered up
Disadvantages of using Dry Shampoo
  • is lot messy and needs a lot of cleaning up to do
  • may not suit some of the hair types as it can be little drying
Most Important: Dry Shampoo, since being a mixture of various ingredients in their powdered form, when applied to scalp may sit on the scalp and not get brushed off effectively. This causes the hair follicles to clog and the scalp to become dry. And, ultimately, it needs a proper shampooing regimen. If Dry Shampoo is used quite frequently, it can lead to severely clogged pores and other scalp problems like dryness, itchy scalp or scaly scalp. It can, also, effect the hair growth and health of the hair overall. So, in my viewpoint, Dry Shampoo should only be used when there is an extreme emergency. Otherwise, either stick to shampooing your hair alternate days or you might consider co-washing your hair regularly.

Masoor Dal Body Scrub {DIY}

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Pulses in our kitchen prove to be good scrubs as well. Earlier, I had talked about ‘Mung Dal’. Today, I would be talking about ‘Masoor Dal’ (Red Lentil). Ground red lentil is a very good scrub for the body.

How to make the scrub?
Grind the masoor dal into a fine powder and pass through a utensil with small holes (percolated utensils) to seperate the fine powder and the impurities. Store the fine powder in an air-tight container and use a little occasionally. If you find that the texture of the powder is too harsh for your skin, you can mix it with cornflour or chickpea flour (besan).
Using the Scrub
  • Mix it with honey or milk and use as body scrub while in shower.
  • Use as a face scrub twice in a week for oily and combination skin and once for normal to dry skin.
  • Alternatives: If you do not want to store it as a scrub, you can soak a cup of red lentils in milk or water overnight and make a paste in the morning and use it as a scrub or a face pack. You may even add the skin of almonds soaked overnight. It would make your skin glow like never before.
  • You can even mix the powder with pure ghee (made at home) and use it as a scrub. Pure ghee acts as lubricant reducing the harshness of the scrub on your skin and simultaneously nourishing it with the necessary fats to make skin look beautiful.
  • You can mix other ingredients like dried tulsi leaves, rose petals or orange peels also and make the scrub a invigorating scrub. They will provide a scrub a distinct smell if use separately.

What should you know about sunscreens?

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Referring to my earlier post on Sunscreen for anti-aging skin care, I would like to add my recent personal experiences. In the above-mentioned post, I have talked about the physical sunscreen to be better than chemical sunscreen because of the various harmful chemicals present in them.There was a bit of information I forgot to include. The chemicals present in the sunscreens (chemical or even micronized and nanonized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, for that matter) get absorbed by our skin and they form deposits in our body and produce free radicals which accelerate aging in the body. So, contrary to the popular belief, sunscreens do not prevent aging. But, they do protect you from harmful sun rays which can cause your skin to become dark and develop dark spots or patches and even, skin cancer.
Speaking of the protection from sun, I have till now tried some 3-4 herbal, physical or natural sunscreens and believe me, they did not provide proper protection against sun. So, I had to ultimately switch back to chemical sunscreens. And, for the time being, I am quite contended with these sunscreens because they do take care of my skin very well. And, regarding the free radical generation within the body, I am taking care of it through my nutritional needs. Drinking green tea, eating lots of fruits (specially rich in Vitamin C) provide lot of anti-oxidants which can fight against the free radicals. So, I would advise you to take care of your skin problems inside and out. And, sometimes, being natural is not an option. Before I forget, I’ll repeat it here again: eat lots of tomatoes and spinach (all green leafy vegetables) to increase your skin resistance to sun’s rays. 
A note at the end: I have tried both over-the-counter products available at the stores and prescription-based products and have found dermatologist prescribed sunscreens are much effective. So, I would advise you all to go for a visit to a good dermatologist and get yourself a good sunscreen. Please choose your dermatologist very carefully.