Skin Natural

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Mom's Oil {DIY}

I remember talking about this oil sometime last year and many of you had asked me the recipe for this. I did not really talk about the DIY since then because I did not have the recipe and I was not sure how good it really was.

But, this time when I went home, I made sure that I get the recipe from mum and also try out the oil so that I can actually share it with you with its amazing benefits!! And, it has been ages since I have done any DIY and I am really glad to do it.

First, I am sorry I do not have any pic. But, the oil is very pretty red in color thanks to one of the herbs! Anyways, let me speak about the results first. I have kept the oil only for 2 hours at max before washing it off.

So, it makes my hair more shiny and really really soft (unbelievably so!). I am missing the softness. Hair is also better hydrated but one has to apply the oil once in 2 days. I guess this part applies to all oils. The oil gets washed off pretty easily. It nourishes the scalp as well, thanks to all kinds of herbs put into it. I have not seen any hair fall with the oil and neither did my mom. That is interesting because my mom actually faces hair fall quite a lot! So, that is quite a small list of amazing results. But, I have used the oil only a few times.

Anyways lets check out the Ingredients.

Base Oil - Refined Oil. I was completely against it but my mom does not really listen to me :D Now, she is going to use sesame oil. I would suggest any cold-pressed organic oil like coconut, almond, sesame.

Herbs:

- dried fenugreek seeds (methi)

- dried Tulsi leaves (basil or sage)

- Dhaniya (coriander seeds)

- Jeera (cumin seeds)

- Black pepper (kali mirch)

- Green tea

- Cinnamon stick (dal chini)

- Laung (cloves)

- dried kari patta (curry leaves)

- dried Rose petals

- Sesame seeds (til)

- Mustard seeds

- groundnut

- badam (almonds)

- walnuts (akhrot)

- ratanjot (this is an interesting herb)

- Bhringraj

- Brahmi

- Amla (if not using triphala otherwise only triphala)

- Triphala

- dried Hibiscus leaves and flowers

- dried Neem leaves (margosa)

- Dried ginger (sounth)

- dry jasmine flowers

- dried marigold petals

- dried paan patta (betel leaves)

- dried mango leaves

Yeah, a long list of ingredients and I have no idea if she forgot some of the other ingredients! Anyways, let us talk about Ratanjot herb.

This is the one which gives the lovely red color to the oil. It is basically a red dye which is used in oils like dabur lal tail. It is actually a rare herb which might not be available everywhere. If you live in Himachal or Jammu, you can still get it in ayurvedic shops but I have not idea if you can get in normal shops.

Rest of all the ingredients are known pretty widely. I have no idea what some of the herbs actually do to hair like mango leaves or paan patta. And, I am not googling it right away. Ok, how to use these herbs. First of all, the herbs should be air-dried in shade but not in direct sunlight.

Once they are all dry, powder all the ingredients together. Take a two heaped tablespoons of the powder and put it in a bottle or a jar of 200-300 ml. Pour the oil in the jar till it is full. Adjust the quantity of herbs according to the quantity of oil you are going to use. Generally, one tablespoon is enough for 100ml.

Leave the jar aside for a month. Keep stirring the oil in between. And, try to keep the in direct sunlight for sometime. Read about how to infuse oil with herbs for more specific instructions. There is another way to infuse as well but the temperature of the oil should be carefully controlled so that it is not burned. That damages the hydrogen bonds in the oil which can destroy the properties of the oil.

Once the infusion process is over, oil is ready for use so filter the oil and pour in a glass bottle, preferably! Happy using in case you are going to give it a try :)

What do you say about the DIY?

Friday, July 3, 2015

How to take care of eye area? {Eye Care}

I hardly talk about eye care separately. Honestly, I have never really bothered using any particular eye cream or took special care of my eyes. So, consequently, hardly any post was dedicated to it. But, then, sometimes when I am low on moisturizing, I notice that the fine lines around my eyes become very pronounced.

And, consequently, it would add a year or two to my age :D So, then, I would get around to moisturizing again. So, I thought I would list down a few things I could follow on a regular basis, not making my routine very involved or crammed with lot of serums.

Sunscreen and Shades

Huh...have you ever skipped on a sunscreen and checked out how your skin looks in a few days? Trust me, you do not want to do that!!

Btw, while applying sunscreen on the eye area, make sure you use your ring finger and pat the area around instead of rubbing the sunscreen in. Try to apply 2-3 coats!!

And, unless you are specy, you could do well with investing in shades. And, not forget to wear it as well. I know people who do!

Moisturize

Almond oil has worked the best for me till date but I do keep on using some or the other random oil - just a drop of it, however.

Of course, if you have decided preference towards eye creams, go for it and do not forget it even for a day.

Dark Circles, Dryness or Wrinkles

Again, almond oil will be my answer. And, the best part is it helps with eyelashes as well :)

Puffy Eyes

It happens rarely with me but I simply splash lot of cold water on my eyes and rest my eyes a lot so they gradually lose their puffiness.

Drinking a lot of water or intake of salt at night results in puffy eyes so avoid doing that unless you have been drying your eyes out in which case the remedy would be to be happy :)

Clear Bright Eyes

Well, for starters, some are just blessed with the clear bright baby eyes and for those who are not, follow all the above advises and get good sleep. For the starters, its only a good night sleep which makes my skin look hydrated and young.

And, of course, washing eyes in the morning is a very important ritual, not only to clean them but also to wake you up! Probably a walk in the morning sunlight will help as well. And, keep strict technology off-limit times in your daily schedule.

How do you take care of your eyes?

Homemade Cleanser for Eyes

Eye Sight and Retina Detachment

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Himani Navratna Oil {Product Review}

Navratan hair oil product review at perfect skin care for you indian beauty blog

I have been suffering from headaches since time immemorial! And, then comes summers when the need for a cooling oil increases multi-fold so I finally took the plunge and got a small bottle of this oil to try out. Before that, I had taken two opinions - one from mom and other from a friend.

One said it burns the eyes like after you apply amrutanjan and one said it feels like you have put ice on your head. Well, neither really held true in my case so I guess the oil feels different for different body types!!

Pros

relieves stress and anxiety

helps in sleeping peacefully

feels really cool on the scalp

Day 1 - I took only a few drops of oil and massaged with finger tips on the scalp. It really felt cool after a few seconds and it was an awesome feeling! It was peak summers in Hyderabad and I do get a lot drained in summers. The oil relieved the tiredness to an extent and lulled me to sleep.

Other Uses - I have to say not all uses were same for me. Every time, it was different. Sometimes, I did feel cool on the scalp and sometimes not! I used it during headaches and it was a bit soothing. Oiling hair is good during headaches as it increases blood circulation and if you have something cool to compensate for the throbbing, what better than that?

Cons

smell might not be to everyone's liking though it is not exactly very strong! it smells herbally and does not go soon enough!

Today's Use (as and when the post is being written) - I had a headache due to combined effects of lack of fluids, improper diet and sleep and roaming in mid-afternoon sun and when I came back, the first thing I did was make myself a hot cup of tea and take a really hot bath and pop a pill and sleep! When I woke up, it was time for dinner so I fortified myself by which time I was feeling a lot better but hangover was still there. So, I oiled my hair with this and in half hour, I was decidedly awake thanks to the pill, sleep and oil. And, now I am typing away the review at the stroke of midnight without a wink of sleep in my eyes.

So, after all the rants, you would have got an idea whether I like the oil or not, right? Well, in my opinion, yes! The oil is great if you are looking to relieve yourself of headaches and anxiety and stress and lack of sleep. Bte, I have to add a word here that it might be helpful for dandruff though I am not very sure!

Price: Rs 30 for 50ml

Other hair oils reviewed:

The Body Shop Rainforest Coconut Hair Oil
5 Oils I love for my Hair
Essential Oils for Hair Growth

Are men listening?

Ok, so, Garnier has started a very cool campaign of #SayNoToBars specially for men. Obviously, drinking is bad and adds a lot of years to your man. But, we are talking about soap bars here. So, when I was talking to P about this campaign (who btw uses soap even on my countless behests), he was like yeah, I love that face wash but damn who will use so many products in the bathroom when one does all the work!!

Men will be men like the Imperial Blue ad says. And, my struggle with him continues. In the mean time, enjoy the campaign details by Garnier while I try to talk some sense into him :)

Join Garnier Men India In The Nationwide Movement

Men will be men! No matter what the situation, this statement will always hold true for them.

Take a minute to think this through...
How many men have you seen who pay attention to grooming? Well, we know your answer - barely any, right! That's true for most men. As the brand that cares about men and their grooming, Garnier Men India is out on a mission to change this.

We believe, behind every successful man there is a woman - who helps him with what to wear and what to do. So, what could be a better way to make men change their attitude towards grooming than get the women to lead this initiative with us?

This is why, Garnier Men has partnered with over 30 bloggers who are recognised as experts in beauty and care, in this Nationwide Movement where we ask men to Say No To Bars. Yes, we mean - Say No To ‘Soap’ Bars. Wondering why? Here you go -

1. Soap bars are unhygienic as the same bar is used for multiple purposes. Instead, why not switch to a face wash which is for a defined purpose?

2. Soap bars are history now! Modern men prefer to use face wash that is customised to suit their skin's needs. So, why not be the man of today who loves modern facilities?

3. Soap bars are inconvenient and not practical to use at all. Then, why not be smart and switch to a face wash which is easy to carry?

Keeping these advantages of face wash in mind, we ask men to take a pledge against the use of soap bars. We instead recommend men to use the Garnier Men Oil Clear Face Wash for a deep cleansing action which removes excess oil without drying your skin while ensuring a day-long oil-free feel.

To make sure, they get the message clearly, here's a fun song which tells you why it's time to #SayNoToBars and #SayYesToOilClear - bit.ly/StupidThingsMenDo

So go ahead, bring a change in the men you care about!

Poop and What it Indicates? {Infographic}

I was going through some mails yesterday and came across this really interesting post from Care2 Green Living about the poop types and how it denotes our health. I hope it helps :)

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-your-poop-is-trying-to-tell-you.html

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Blogging Series Vol. 10 - How to overcome Blogger's Block? {Five Series}

So as I said yesterday that I am lost as to how to come back to blogging, I thought this would be a damn good topic to start with! I have been thinking about it for the last week and I have put down a few things from where one can start!

Reading and Observing and Drawing Analogies!

This is one of the primary sources of inspiration for all my posts especially the ones in the category of Your Opinion! I love to observe and like to blog about any small thing which catches my eye or which my ears catch :D

Anyways, reading about your niche helps. Other blogs or reader's comments, anything can give you fodder for your next post!

Readers

For me, they are definitely one of the major post sources because of the amazing amount of queries I get but unfortunately in my case, I am not able to reply to all the mails lying in my mail box and when I am replying to the comments, very seldom does it occur to me to make it a post. But, if you have time and patience at hand, writing posts on unique queries is always helpful in the larger picture.

Re-blogging

As I mentioned in my last post of the series, republishing your older posts is a good practice. It gives more visibility to the post and more often than not, your reader's get something new to read. Also, this gives you chance to update the post and improve on it.

Passion

This is the easiest to do. If you are die-hard passionate about something, you can definitely blog about it anytime. I would also add that there may be some restrictions to this but still this comes easily to the tips of fingers to type away!

Gossip

Your blog is also a form of entertainment so always remember that juicy gossip is always welcome. A blogger is always an enigma to the reader, especially when the person hardly reveals anything about their personal life so giving them a peek into it every now and then really works :) And, when are girls not good at gossiping :D

So, these are a few pointers to overcome Blogger's Block. I do not know how much they will end up helping me but I can surely say that I finished writing this post in 20 minutes. So, may be the tips actually do work. So, give them a try and let me know :)

What do you all bloggers think? And, I would also welcome the reader's to add their tips :)

5 FAQ's on Conditioner and Hair Care

5 Skin Care tips to deal with Roscea, Psoriasis and Eczema

Blogger Series Vol. 7 - Should you give feedback to your blogger?

Just Gossip Vol. 18 - Just Back!

Hey everyone, I am back to Hyderabad after a 10 day stint and I am hating it :-( Don't you also face home sickness when the vacations are over? I am sure almost everyone would agree with me unless you haven't ever stayed alone.

Anyways, this Delhi trip was more than fruitful! I got so many things for myself and hopefully this post would turn out to be my first successfully completed post on my xperia :-) Yes, I got a new phone..yay and I am typing this sitting in T3 (Delhi Airport).

And, I also got a zoom lens for my DSLR though didn't get chance to use it. Btw, I have improved a lot in using my cam so if you have any questions regarding DSLR's, I might be able to help.

Leaving all that, I have loads of products up for review! It will take around a month of testing. And, since I have not blogged properly for so long AGAIN, I am totally lost as to where to start from.

Guess that would be the best place to start :-) Btw, donchya thunk smartphones disturb a lot. I have not yet activated internet packages on my phone but whenever I connect to wi-fi, my phone is incessantly blaring with messages from whatsapp to fb notifications! Whosoever said they make life easy...sigh!

What about you? How did you enjoy June? Can you imagine half of 2013 is already over!!