Oily Skin Care Tips

Posted by Shubhi in on Friday, August 26, 2011

Oily Skin. Perhaps the only skin type that is the absolute worst of all … or at least as per those unfortunate people who have oily skin. Do you know what exactly oily skin is? Well besides the fact that it makes you look as if you dipped yourself in some kind of weird grease just now ... let me tell you what exactly oily skin is...

So, the sebaceous glands are the microscopic glands in skin that secret the oil/wax material to lubricate the skin and hair. This results in several medical conditions whereas acne is one of the biggest ones. In human skin, these glands are found everywhere (except for palms and soles), but primarily they are found in great abundance on forehead, near nose and cheeks (or commonly called T-zone).

Enough with the mumbo-jumbo? Fine! Let's cut to the chase and here are some very effective and ... wait for it ... very easy care tips for you:

1.  Every night, just before you go to bed, apply half a spoon juice of lime and cucumber on your face

2.  Take shower with cold water. Hot water will only open more pores and will result in producing more sebum

3.  Try to avoid soaps on your face as they are hard and may over dry your skin. Use an oil free acne face wash or talk to your dermatologist to find out what kind of oil free face wash suits you more

4.  If possible, avoid makeup altogether.
If not, apply the same cucumber and lime juice and let it dry before you apply makeup. This will not create the patches when your skin excretes oil

5.  To get rid of excess oil: blend 1 teaspoon of green clay powder and 1 teaspoon of honey. Apply on your face and leave for 15 minutes to dry before you rinse it off with water. Repeat this for 2-3 times a week for more effective results

6.  Concentrate on diet that is rich in protein and restricted in sugar and salt

7.  Avoid any consumption of oil if possible. If need be, use olive oil only

8.  Any soft drink, alcoholic beverages, chocolates, junk food work as catalyst for sebum; avoid them as much as possible

9.  Most importantly, drink WATER, plenty of WATER, as much as you can drink WATER! Well actually about 2 liters of water every day would be good enough ;)


So follow these and your most irritating oily skin will stop irritating you altogether! Stay tuned for more easy tips every week!

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11 Health Alerts Worth Noting

Posted by Shubhi in on Friday, August 19, 2011

We often experience some sudden and unexpected changes in our health. But even more often we tend to ignore them due to many reasons. Most of the time they might not even be worth noting but sometimes those sudden changes may lead up to something more dangerous than where our imagination would allow.

Read 11 health alerts listed below to know what I am talking about...

  1. Head Aches
    we tend to think: normal stress head ache, acidity
    a possibility we ignore: migraine, high Blood Pressure, brain tumor, sinus or even something as deadly as brain hemorrhage

    We feel head aches very often and are very casual towards it as well. Every time and any time we feel head aches, Advil always comes to rescue and we never even bother thinking about consulting any doctor for it. But what we ignore thinking as a minor head ache, could also be a symptom of something as dangerous as brain tumor. If you experience: vomit, nausea, blurred vision, or light headedness, don’t ignore it. Consult your doctor.

  2. Weight Loss
    we tend to think: stress, tiredness, imbalanced diet
    a possibility we ignore: thyroid, diabetes, TB, peptic ulcer or even cancer

    If you experience sudden weight loss with neither any change in diet plans nor as an expected side effects from long term illness, then this is the time for you to be alerted. A possible cause for sudden weight loss could be related to experiencing some problems related to endocrine glands or even worse, it could also be cancerous. Consult your doctor immediately.

  3. Heart Burn
    we tend to think: acidity
    a possibility we ignore: heart problem, angina pain

    Experiencing any burn in heart or chest, which we often ignore thinking as simply acidity, could be as serious as heart trouble or even angina pain. Ignoring regular heart burn would be nothing but stupidity.

  4. Faster Heart Beat
    we tend to think: excitement, anxiety or weakness
    a possibility we ignore: high Blood Pressure or even first hint of heart attach

    Whenever one experiences faster heart beat they often tend to dodge it with the thought of labeling it as excitement or anxiety. True, it could quiet possibly be due to weakness but don’t ignore it as it could even be a knock on the door for a heart attach

  1. Morning light-headedness
    we tend to think: possible weakness
    a possibility we ignore: low Blood Pressure, serious issue related to nervous system, problems in ear nerves, sinus

    There could be several possible reasons for morning light headedness but one thing we often tend to ignore is it could be low Blood Pressure or something even more concerning...

  1. Shivering hands
    we tend to think: weakness, extreme heat in body
    a possibility we ignore: Thyroid, Parkinson’s

    Due to anxiety our hands shiver all the time. And most times we avoid and don’t give it any importance. But shivering hands might not just be a result of extreme heat or weakness, it could even be as serious as thyroid as well. Seeking a doctor on time would be a wise thing to do.

  2. Sudden release of urine in pants while coughing or laughing hard
    we tend to think: weakness or another aging factor
    a possibility we ignore: urine infection, bladder problem or diabetes

    It happens sometimes that when we are laughing or coughing or even sneezing hard, there is a sudden release of uncontrollable urine in our pants. For obvious reasons we never share it with anyone and often ignore it thinking it as a little weak bladder or just another downside of aging. But what may be as simple as ‘aging factor’ could also be as serious as urine infection, bladder problems or even diabetes. Never ignore it and see a doctor as soon as possible.

  3. Extreme Panting
    we tend to think: weakness, tiredness
    a possibility we ignore: high cholesterol, anemia, thyroid, high body fat

    If you start panting only after a small walk then be alert and consult a doctor

  1. Feeling Hungry more than ‘normal’
    we tend to think: weather change, high metabolism
    a possibility we ignore: diabetes, high body fat, or stomach worms

    There might be some days when you feel hungry more than usual, as if you are hungry all the time … even after having a full meal. Okay, some days it could be due to weather change or even because of high metabolism as well but there are chances for other reasons as well such as: diabetes or stomach worms. Now tell me, what should you do ... that's right! Consult a doctor.
 
  1. Constipation
    we tend to think: dehydration or imbalanced diet
    a possibility we ignore: extreme acidity, intestine problem or even cancer

    Constipation is one of the most common health problem faced by everyone at least once in a lifetime. And as usual, we rarely take it seriously. Where constipation could be a symptom of dehydration or imbalanced diet, it would be stupid and dangerous to ignore it as extreme case of acidity or intestine problems could also be a possible reason for it. Consulting a doctor is always the best choice

  1. Extreme tiredness
    we tend to think: weakness
    a possibility we ignore: lack of: mineral, iron, sodium, calcium, vitamin; diabetes or even low Blood Pressure

    Whenever we feel extreme tiredness we often relate it with weakness and/or stress. In some cases some people sweat a lot and if that happens, chances are high it is not just regular tiredness after a long day at work it could be jaundice, or fever. Consult your doctor and get checked if your body lacks any vital source of energy.

If you do/or ever experience the above mentioned sudden changes in your health, don’t ignore them. Consult your doctor as soon as possible. After all, you do want to be safe than sorry … don’t you?!

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Toned Face in 20 Minutes

Posted by Shubhi in on Sunday, August 14, 2011

20 Minutes. The amount of time for an episode of The Big Bang Theory [without commercials], the amount of time to prepare a quick meal, the amount of time it even takes me to get to work each day ... and now ... behold ... the amount of time [on a regular basis] for you to get your face muscles toned!

I know...for real?!
What do you have to do for that? A very good question indeed! Relax. Sit straight. Take a deep breath in. And just follow the steps below:


  1. Open and widen your eyes. Rotate them once in a clock-wise manner and then rotate them once in an anti-clock-wise manner. Now close your eyes, relax, and count to 5. Repeat this step for 10 times

  2. Inhale with your mouth wide open. Close your mouth and hold the air inside. Shift the air to the right cheek, hold and count to 10. Now shift the air to your left cheek, hold and count to 10. Exhale. Repeat this step for 10 times.

  3. Pout your lips in a way your inner cheeks are touching your teeth; as if you are making a ‘fish’ face. Hold your breath and count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  4. Pout your lips in front of your face as if you are kissing. Pout to the right, hold and count to 10. Now pout to the left, hold and count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times.

  5. Look down towards the ground. Pout your lips and look up on the ceiling; hold and count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  6. Laugh hard so that every muscle in your face is pulled out, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times.

  7. Smile while widening your mouth, do not part your lips. Count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  8. Stick your tongue out and try touching your chin with it, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  9. Look up at the ceiling and move your mouth as if you are chewing gum with closed mouth, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  10. Widen your eyes and your mouth, say ‘aaaahh’ out loud to feel the stretch in your eyes and throat, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  11. Close your eyes pull your eyebrows up and push your eyelashes down to feel the stretch in your forehead and eyelashes, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  12. Close your eyes and squint your: forehead, eyes, cheeks, and chin. Count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  13. Open and widen your mouth. Say “eeeee” to feel the stretch in your chin and lower lip, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times. 

  14. Open and widen your eyes while saying “oooooo”, count to 10. Repeat this step for 10 times.


And voila! Your are done! This should not take you more than 20 minutes. Try to do this exercise everyday and believe me, these 20 minutes will be the best time you'll invest in yourself on a regular basis.

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Sore Shoulders...not anymore!

Posted by Shubhi in on Thursday, August 11, 2011

Thursday night…aahhhhhh…soooo tired, can’t even move, sore shoulders…have to make dinner as well…oh someone just KMN!

Whoa!! Hold on, hold on…no need to be extremely depressing about one sore shoulder woman! Ooookay, fine, I apologize…it’s not just “one sore shoulder” but you know what?! Well I might just be your rescue tonight ;)

Here are some very easy, quick, and the best of all … self massaging tips for you. That’s right! Self-massage! Just sit at a calm and quiet place, wear something comfortable, and relax (after all that is the whole point anyway)

1.    Let’s first start with stroking your right shoulder with your left hand. Start at the base of your skull, moving down to the side of your neck à down to your shoulders à to your elbow à and then slowly slither back to your neck

Repeat this 3times and then switch to the left shoulder (stroking with right hand)

2.    Now we’ll slowly put little pressure on the spine. Making circular motions (using your fingertips only) apply little pressure on either side of the spine. Glide towards your neck and then squeeze and release sore muscles on each shoulders

Well you can do this for as long as you please, but I would suggest for 10 minutes…

3.    Ooooo this is my personal favorite. Make a loose fist using left hand and pound your right shoulder.

Repeat this 3times and then switch to the left shoulder (stroking with right hand)

4.   And now you end it with gentle stroking on shoulder and neck area again. Make sure to stroke on one shoulder using the opposite hand and oh my! You will feel the relaxation yourself!

So…are you feeling a bit relaxed and charged up now? Great! So while you are making dinner tonight, make sure to visit us again…I promise to bring you more self-massaging techniques – only here!

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Totally Worth It

Posted by Shubhi in on Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Did it ever happen to you that you worked for 8 hours non stop, no break, were exhausted, famished (don't waste your time in thinking what that means)...in short, you were completely gone! And the worst of all you had flu for last couple of days so was asked by your boss to go to a doctor the same night!?!?

Sigh, I know pretty bad...so anyway you were still tired and hungry and half dead waiting for your appointment but when you see the doctor, who (by all your luck) is:
  1. young
  2. handsome
  3. tall
  4. dark
  5. smells like heaven!

[And with a very mesmerizing smile] he asks: Sooooooo dear, what brought you to me today?
[With confidence and same smile] you say: oh just your intoxicating smell that makes me feel alive again ...

.........aaaaand just then you notice the ring on the finger! 

What happens next?! Well nothing much, he ends up prescribing anti-biotics to you and you end up blushing all the way home.

Regardless .. in the end .. it was totally worth it! ;)

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Easy Tips for Glowing Skin

Posted by Shubhi in on Sunday, August 7, 2011

Hello Ladies ... and men who are not so uptight enough to not care about their skin ;)

So seriously, how fanatic are you for a perfectly soft and glowing face?! I remember it was almost 2 years ago when (now this stays between you and me only!!!) at the age of 20, I was losing the glow on my face and was going crazy for it but then luckily I stumbled upon a few amazing tips to get the glow back.

And guess what?! Yeap, as a very dear friend of yours, I am sharing them all today, here, with you :)

For Cleansing Lotion
Take 1 tsp of milk, 2 tsp of cucumber juice, and ½ tsp of lemon juice. Mix them well together and apply on your face with a cotton ball. This will clean the deep pores on your face and will make your skin glow like sunshine.

For Cleanser
Take 4 tsp of plain natural yogurt, and 1-2 tsp of lemon juice. Mix them well and apply on your face, with a cotton ball, moving from chin to forehead. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then wipe it off using another cotton ball. And believe you in me - works like magic for oily skin!

For Astringent
Take 2 round slices of cucumber. Rub them on your face in a circular motion, let it dry naturally and then wash your face with a little warm water.

For Freshener
Take 1 liter of water in a pan and add 22-25 mint leaves in it. Bring the water to boil then let it cool. Now drain the water and store it in a bottle. Use this freshener after you clean your face. This will give you a warm fresh feeling.

For Moisturizer
Take ½ cup of warm milk and add 2 tsp of honey in it. Mix well and apply on your face using a cotton ball. Leave it on for 10-12 minutes and then wash your face with water. This will make your skin soft and glow.

Try them and you will see the difference yourself. BTW, if I forgot to say it already, today my face glows no less than a ... how do i say it ... in a setting sun like a pearl upon the ocean ;)

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What is collagen?

Posted by Shubhi in

Collagen – you all must have heard the word but may not be very sure about what does it actually mean? Alright so collagen is a type of natural protein, which is fibrous in nature, present in human body. Oookaaay, but what more? Why is it so important for healthy and toned skin? And more importantly where and how can it be consumed for healthy and toned skin?  Relax, all of your questions, and more, will be answered here today.

So first: Why is collagen important for human body?
Most of you probably don’t know but collagen is one of the most vital proteins in our body. Roughly around 30% of all proteins are made of collagen, which is usually found in connective tissues such as skin, bone, cartilage, muscles, and tendons.

Ok, once again, sure…but what does it actually do?
Well as you all may already know that proteins are essential to keep our skin firm. Imagine our body as a bed and collagen as the mattress. When it’s young, it’s firm. As it ages, it starts to wear out and we need to take good care of it to make it last longer.  What collagen does; it is the main builder component in dermis, which is basically the sensitive connective tissue layer of the skin located below the epidermis, containing nerve endings, sweat and sebaceous glands.

Hmmm, I see. So what effects does it have on us then?
Alright, so as we age, collagen in our skin begins to break. What happens is when we are young and our skin is still healthy, collagen strands slide into each other easily and returns to normal after we stretch our face or smile. But as we age, those collagen strands begins to melt, skin loses its elasticity and does not return to normal after any stretch or a smile. Hence, you notice wrinkles and lose skin on your face.

OMG! That’s the reason? What do I do now? How do I consume more collagen?
Well that is certainly one of the main reasons, indeed. But no need to panic; you can easily adjust your diet in a way to consume more collagen rich food products. Stay tuned for more information right here.


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Bird-Nest Hair on a Busy Day

Posted by Shubhi in

This is for all you ladies who have little curly hair and bad humidity gives them a look of carrying ... hmmm, now how do I put it nicely ... bird nest on their head. I know, I go through the same...

It happens quite often that you are getting late to get to work and the weather is not supporting you in at least reducing the time for fixing hair. Besides, anything you do turns out pretty bad anyway. In situations like this you know what I usually do? I just make a very quick bird-nest-hair-bun [yeap, that is exactly what I call it] on uncombed and un-brushed hair. Just give yourself a "too-busy-to-fix-yourself" look ... yes, yes, even at work ... and believe me it actually works. 

You don't always have to look fresh, ready, and energetic in corporate world. I know very well you can't, not always at least. Sometimes, "too-busy-to-fix-yourself" look adds in a true quality in your physique and that seems more realistic than "always-look-fresh".

Just remember, absolutely anything would look great on you as long as you have the confidence to carry it. 

So, next time you make this hairstyle, do share your thoughts here!





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