Natural Foot Care Products

The skin on your feet needs to be taken care of in the same manner as the skin of your face. You need to clean it, exfoliate it and moisturize it like you would any other part of your body. There are a number of foot care products available in the market. But you can make your own natural foot care products at home. These products are simple and easy to make and use naturally available material. Given below are a few simple recipes of natural foot care products.

Lime Cleanser

Ingredients:

* Paper towels
* Lemon juice

Take a bowl and mix half water and half lemon juice. Then dip paper towels into the mixture and apply on to your feet. This will soften, smooth and remove odors from your feet. This recipe does not contain preservatives and requires refrigeration. The shelf life of this product is approximately one week.

Strawberry Foot Exfoliator

Ingredients:

* 8 strawberries
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil or safflower oil
* 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
* ½ teaspoon finely chopped almonds

Mix all the ingredients together and make a paste of it. Do not blend too much as the strawberries have a lot of water and this will make the paste too watery. Massage it onto your feet, rinse off and dry your feet. This foot care product has no preservatives and has to be refrigerated. Shelf Life is about one week.

Relaxing Foot Lotion Recipe

Ingredients:

* 1 tablespoon almond oil
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
* 12 drops eucalyptus essential oil or fragrance oil

Put all these ingredients into a dark colored bottle and shake it well. As and when you require rub into the feet and heels. Store in cool dry place. This recipe does not contain preservatives and requires refrigeration. Shelf life is approximately one week.

Foot Care Tips

It is true that most of us neglect out feet. Taking care of our feet normally takes a back seat when compared to other beauty treatment. But we need to take care of our feet if we want to stay active and comfortable all through out lives. Taking care of our feet is important as if they do get damaged then a simple job like walking can become a painful exercise. Foot care can be simple and easy. Here are a few simple foot care tips that are not only good for the feet but are relaxing as well.

* Take care of your feet regularly to keep calluses under control. Use a pumice stone or an abrasive foot scrub to remove the dead and rough skin. If this skin is not removed it will become hard and thick and can become cracked and infected making walking difficult.
* Give your feet a foot bath. Put a cup of marbles in the bath water and roll your feet around on top of them to stimulate the nerve endings. Pick up the marbles with your toes, flex and contract your feet and toes and then let go off the marbles. This will allow the arches and muscles of the feet to stretch.
* Get a foot massage once in a while. Ask a loved one to take time off to give you a foot massage. At the same time you can have a foot massage, which is extremely relaxing. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your lotion for a sensational treat for your feet.
* The skin on the soles of your feet does not have any oil glands to soften them. So use a good moisturizer every day. Every night put a generous amount of cream on your feet before you go to bed and then pull on a pair of cotton socks.
* Every time you buy shoes ensure that you get your feet measure. Measure your feet standing and not sitting. The shape of your feet changes with age as a result of the daily pressure and pregnancy. Your feet are likely to expand and lengthen with age.
* Replace your shoes every 6 months as well-worn shoes lose their ability to support your feet properly. This can lead to feet, leg and back fatigue and problems. If your job requires you to be on your feet all day it is best you change your shoes every 6 months.

Perfumes

Both men and women use perfumes or fragrances. Everybody likes to smell nice and pleasant and nobody wants to stink of body odor. Women have a wide range of perfumes to choose from. There are perfumes specifically meant for the day and those that are specially meant for the night. Many people do not know how to buy perfumes. Here are a few pointers as to how to choose a perfume:

• Try the perfume before you buy it.
• Try buying new perfumes. While buying new perfumes limit yourself to three perfumes, as your nose will not be able to differentiate between the perfumes if you try too many.
• The same perfume will smell different on different people because it will react differently to each person's body.
• Wait for 10 minutes after applying the perfume, it will give you the right smell after it reacts with your skin.

After buying the perfume of your choice your would like to get the most out of the perfume. Here are a few tips on how to get the best out of the perfume:

• Do not expose your perfume to extreme temperature and sunlight. After the perfume bottle is opened the perfume will change and exposure to sunlight will disturb the delicate smell of the perfume. Store it in a cool dark place to keep the fragrance intact.
• Use shower gel, body lotions and body sprays of the same fragrance as your perfume it will last longer if you do this. Use your perfume as a highlight on your pulse points finally.
• Perfumes should be used throughout the day. Even concentrated perfumes do not last for the whole day. You will have to re-apply every 3-4 hours.
• Use a different perfume for the morning and a different one for the night. Choose a perfume according to your mood.

Here are some interesting facts about perfumes:

• Women have a keener sense of smell than men.
• The sense of smell is affected by your medication, diet and lifestyle.
• Perfumes react differently on blondes, brunettes and redheads.
• Our ability to remember smell is greater than the ability to remember things that we have seen.
• Our sense of smell is sharper in the latter half of the day.
• The older you grow the less sharp your sense of smell is.
• Perfumes rise and if worn only on the face or behind the ears, it will rise and vanish quickly.
• Oily skin holds perfumes better than dry skin.
• Perfume once opened will fade with time.
• Increase in altitude reduces the lasting ability of a perfume.

Relieve Tired & Swollen Feet

While most of you are too conscious about your face, did you ever think that your feet also require some attention? Your feet are the most used and abused part of your body. Right from the time you wake up in the morning, to the time when you go back to bed at night, your feet are constantly being used. Though most of us exploit our feet to the maximum, we rarely bother of consciously resting or relieving them. The result - extremely tired and swollen feet!! The need to relax, revitalize and soothe the feet, after a long day of standing, walking or wearing uncomfortable shoes, scores high on many people's wish list. In the following lines, we have provided some tips for getting relief from swollen and tired feet.

Tips To Relieve Tired & Swollen Feet

* The easiest way to get relief from tired and swollen feet would be to dip them in a bucket of cold water. You can even keep your feet under a cold-water tap.
* Another effective method would be to take cold drink cans from the refrigerator and roll them over the feet. It will provide relaxing effect, kicking away bouts of tiredness or swollenness.
* Place your feet on a pillow and rest for about twenty minutes. Elevated feet helps in getting relief from tired and swollen feet.
* Rubbing feet with peppermint oils and fragrant herbal oils are effective in treating swollen feet. Massaging would improve circulation, which in turn will reduce edema.
* This might come to you as a surprise but rolling a tennis ball under your feet for several minutes is an effective way of exercising the feet and treating tiredness.
* Take two buckets of hot and ice-cold water respectively. Soak your feet first in the bucket of hot water (keep it as hot as you can bare) for about 10 minutes. Thereafter, quickly switch to the bucket containing ice cold water for about 30 seconds. Repeat the process several times a day.
* Mix 2 tsp of castor or jojoba, 3 drops of lavender essential oil, 1 drop each of German chamomile essential oil and geranium essential oil in a small bowl and massage gently into your feet. Once you do this put your feet up for sometime. Wash your feet with a mild soap and apply nourishing cream on your feet.
* Massaging from ginger essential oil is effective for reducing swelling. Apart from alleviating pain and soothing aches, it also improves circulation.

Shaving Tips For Woman

Shaving among women became the rage during World War II when the supply of nylon stockings plummeted. It was then that the trend of bare legs started and to this day is a fashion statement. Today though many women wax their legs, shaving is still the least expensive way to remove your hair. Shaving has to be done carefully or it will result in nicks and irritation. Here are a few shaving tips for women to ensure that they are doing it right.

* Do not shave dry skin. Wet your skin and let the moisture soften your skin. Shaving is a natural exfoliator and if your skin is dry, your razor will get blocked with dead skin and you are likely to nick yourself as well.
* Do not waste money by buying creams specially made for women, as they are almost the same as those made for men.
* To find the perfect razor you will just have to use all those available and choose the one that you like best. You can ask your friends who shave to recommend razors. Look for a razor with lubricated strips, pivoting heads and spring mounted multiple blades.
* Exfoliate before you shave to ensure that the dead skin cells do not clog your razor and prevent a close shave.
* For your legs you will have begin shaving from your ankles and then work upwards. For your underarms you will have to shave in every direction as hair grows in every direction under your arm.
* After you have finished shaving apply oil or moisturizer. The skin on your leg has few oil glands and hence may become dry.
* When hair curls back under the skin it caused ingrown hairs. To avoid ingrown hairs exfoliate everyday and use a glycolic acid body lotions.
* If you have a chronic case of ingrown hairs then use a lotion that is specially made for ingrown hairs, that is easily available at the chemists. Apply it in the morning and at night and the bumps will vanish within a few days.
* If you shave your legs coarse hair will grow back fast. Therefore consider waxing your legs at least.

Self Tanning Tips

Getting a tan in the sun is not the really safe way of tanning yourself. Using a self-tanning product is a safe way of getting a tan. The tan from a self-tanning product not only removes the white areas caused by winter but they also give you some amount of protection against the sun. The tan that one gets from using these products normally washes off easily. Today there is an increasing demand for semi-permanent tanning lotions. Most of these self-tanning products come with additions like vitamin E and aloe vera that softens and moisturizes the skin. In order to ensure that the tan does not look fake choose a tan color that suits your skin color. Most self-tanning products are available in a range of shades.

To ensure that your tan lasts longer, use the following tips to prepare your skin:

• Exfoliate your skin with a body scrub to remove loose flakes of skin. This will ensure that the tan does not look patchy and it will last longer.
• Moisturize the areas you want to tan. This will allow the self-tanning lotion to spread smoothly and reduce the chances of streaking.
• Apply the self-tanning product with long firm strokes on your legs and arms. Rub the lotion using a circular motion into your stomach, buttocks and checks.
• Apply self-tanning lotion carefully to the dry areas of your body, as they will absorb more color. Pay special attention to your knees, elbows and heels.
• To ensure that you have an even tan around your eyebrows and hairline, use a cotton bud to remove any tanning lotion that gets accumulated. Use this along the side of your nose and along laughter lines, as tanning lotion normally clogs around these areas and tans the areas more.
• Do not apply self-tanning product on your nails, as they will turn orange.
• Wash your hands well after applying self-tanning lotion, especially wash your cuticles and under your nails.
• Do not wear clothes or sleep on your bed cover for about half an hour at least. This will stain your clothing and bedcovers.

Facial and Skin Care

Daily skin & facial care makes us look more charming and beautiful. By following some easy tips, you can look younger and more beautiful without spending too much of extra time and money. Before beginning you skin care regime, consider your skin type, is it oily, normal, combination, dry, sensitive, or sun-damaged. After knowing your skin type, you can use products available in the market meant for your skin. However, healthy skin is something that is from within; eating healthy food and avoiding stress can help you the most in this. The four basic steps of skin and facial care are:

Cleansing
Start your skin care with cleansing. Get a cleanser that suits your skin type. Steer clear of soaps as they make your skin dry; cleansers on the other hand contain oil, surfactants and water. Cleanser helps to remove oil, dirt and makeup from your skin effectively. However, using cleanser too often can also be harmful; at times just washing your face at night is enough. In the morning, it's great to use a splash of lukewarm water to remove excess oils from your skin caused by nightly moisturizer.

Scrubbing
Scrubs are very useful for removing the top layer of dead skin cells that make your complexion dull. A gentle scrub with tiny grains is the best for all skin types, as big grains in cheap scrubs can tear your skin and can cause rather more harm than good. You can also use a half-teaspoon of sugar for scrubbing your face. Keep rubbing it until it melts away and then wipe off your face with a warm & wet cloth. Thrash of the flour can also be used for scrubbing. You can also find some good scrubs in the market.

Moisturizing
Moisturizer is a must for everyone, no matter which skin type you have. Even oily skin will benefit from moisturizers. Only the skin with acne should avoid it. Your skin will tell you that how much moisturizer is needed. If your skin is tight, it means that it needs moisture, but do not over moisturize your skin as it can cause clogged pores. You can go for any of the good quality moisturizers available in the market, but make sure that you read the information written on it as for which skin type it may be used. Olive oil can also be used to give your face required moisture, but it can only be used in winters.

Use Sun-Screen
The skin care you're doing can go waste if you don't have the habit of using sun-screen lotion. Yes, the UV Rays of the Sun adversely affect our skin, even causing skin cancer. It is important to make a protection shield on your skin while going out. Skin care is not only about doing cleansing, scrubbing and moisturizing, but it's also about maintaining. Apply sun-screen lotion daily on exposed parts of the body on daily basis to avoid tanning and other skin-related problems.

Some Other Skin-Care Tips
Along with your face, other parts of your body also need care. If your eyes look puffy or swollen, wash your face and cover your eyes with sliced potatoes or cucumbers for a few minutes. This is really effective in the morning. Clean you nails with white vinegar before applying nail polish for a smoother finish and make it last longer. Olive oil mixed with melted beeswax can serve as a great lip balm. Try all these tips suggested and get prepared for receiving bunch of compliments for your glowing & youthful skin.

Travel Body Care

It is a real fun getting away from home with your family & friends for a holiday. In fact, holidaying is the best way to relax your mind & body from the stress of your routine work. But traveling long distances can make you feel tired and reduce the joy of a vacation. To keep your body fit, it is always better to avoid junk and switch to healthy foods. Any exertion cannot only spoil your mood, but can also result in dehydration, fatigue and hunger. It's better to be proactive rather than reactive. Given here are a few tips on how to take care of your body and health while traveling.

Eat Healthy Food
Some people don't eat enough while traveling which is a big mistake and some eat a lot of junk food which is even worse. While traveling you should try to eat as much of fresh fruits and vegetables as you can. If fresh fruits are not available then try to have some dried apricots or raisins, which you can even take along with you in your hand bags.

Fruits & dry fruits, such as, apples, bananas, unsalted peanuts, dried apricots, etc, have the nutrients that are necessary for your body and helps in keeping you alert and active. Do not eat food that is high in salt content, as they will result in swollen ankles and feet. Drinking plenty of water and limiting the alcohol consumption can help you feel fresh & active. Try to keep your meal timing constant, eat small portions and try to eat slowly.

Carry Enough & Comfortable Clothing
Make sure that while traveling your clothes should be very comfortable as if they are too tight you will have difficulty to sit & relax. You should also keep in mind that clothes you wear are washable so that they can withstand travel stains.

Have A Sound Sleep
Some people have difficulty in sleeping while traveling. If you face same problem then make sure to keep your own pillow in your bag as you are used to that pillow and it is already adjusted according to the shape of your head and you will feel like home by relaxing on it. You could even wear a sleep mask on the journey. Most of these masks are made from soothing herbs that help reducing puffiness and have a cooling effect.

Exercise Is A Must
Wherever you're, try to exercise. As you're spending most of your time in traveling, your joints and back will get stiff. Probably you don't get adequate gear and machines, never mind and try to walk. Walking is the best exercise for everyone. Prefer taking stairs, than elevator or escalator.

Frugal Beauty

You don't have to spend big bucks to get beauty treatments commercially. A little care at home can help you to attain that glamorous finished look at home, quite frugally. For a hydrating treatment for your hands while doing your dishes in the kitchen, cover your hands with a thick layer of lotion and wear latex cleaning gloves. The warm dishwater helps you to get the deep lotion treatment while gloves provide insulation of heat. Repeat it once or twice per week to get beautiful soft hands. Exfoliation to remove dead skin from your body and face can be done with a lot of things available in our kitchens. Pamper yourself with ground almond or be more economical by using cornmeal or a mix of grapefruit and salt or vinegar with some lemon juice in it.

Milk bath strewn with rose petals worked for Cleopatra so there seems to be no reason that it will not do the same for you. Mix half cup of milk powder with your bath water and see the difference. To keep your face naturally beautiful and free of any common skin problems, splash your face with warm water and massage it with a tablespoon of honey, which is antibacterial in nature, once or twice per week. Rinse your face well with warm water. You can also use plain yogurt instead of honey, which works as an exfoliant and its lactic acid dissolves dead skin cells. Prepare a mixture of ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup vinegar and ¼ cup water to substitute your night cream. Oliver oil serves as a moisturizer and revitalizes skin while vinegar takes care of bacteria, dead skin cells and skin discolorations.

Olive oil is also an effective cleansing cream for dry skin, softens the skin and gets absorbed better than baby oil. Do not waste any leftover olive oil or that has been dripped over. Use your fingers to wipe it off and rub it on your elbows. Tone your skin using witch hazel that you can buy for pennies. It can work as an effective aftershave for your husband too! The best and most inexpensive way to keep your skin healthy and glowing is to drink several glasses of water a day as it helps your body to flush away any impurities.

Instead of freaking over any freckles or aging signs that you can spot over your face and rushing off to costly beauty clinics, try fading them away with lemon juice instead. For scrubbing, rub olive oil over your body after the bath and then scrub sugar on the body until it melts. Then wash it away with water. It is quite effective for face and hands too. Look younger by preparing a mixture with equal parts of onion juice and vinegar and rubbing it over any aging signs daily. However, it takes few weeks to achieve the desired results.

For filling up dry and cracked calluses on your hand and feet, use olive oil mixed with melted beeswax. Cover them up with cotton gloves or socks respectively. Spices and essential oils added to your bath water can make you fragrant for a long time. Frugal hair care ideas include adding a two spoonfuls of baking soda in your shampoo once a week to remove styling product build-ups and using mayonnaise or raw eggs as a hair conditioner. To bleach your hair, you can use lemon juice while olive oil works as an effective hair conditioner and gets rid of the frizz. A quarter cup of vinegar mixed with three quarters of a cup of warm water is a great rinser and makes your hair soft and shiny. We have even found out that a daily soak in burdock tea will stop hair loss!

Tweezing Brows

Well-plucked eyebrows make you appear more groomed than any thing else. Today it is a trend to get eyebrows tweezed or threaded professionally in eyebrow boutiques, which are very expensive. It is even recommended that you should get your eyebrows done by a professional to set a 'blueprint', which will give you an idea of shape, so that you can yourself pluck where the hair grow. The most common way to give shape to your brows is to pluck them, by threading or tweezing them with a good set of tweezers.

Types of Tweezers
Tweezers serve as the best option because using thread is somewhat difficult while making your own eye brows and moreover, it needs proper training; otherwise it can harm your skin by leaving cuts and marks. There are several kinds of Tweezers available in market, such as, one with thin tips which are great for getting a good hold on small fine ingrown hair to pluck them. Tweezers with slanted tips gives you more control and are good for novices. Tweezers with square tips are quite useful when it comes to pluck off coarse thick hair or more than one hair at a time. You can choose any of them depending on your need and convenience.

Before Tweezing Tips
You need to take care of few tips before you start tweezing your brows. Keep a hot washcloth over your face for some time before tweezing as it loosens up hair follicles, making plucking easier and less painful. Smoothen up brows with a little moisturizer as it helps hair to slide out more easily. Brush up the brows to define the natural arch and draw the desired shape using a soft eye shadow pencil before you start plucking. Comb brows upwards with an eyelash comb and trim hair extending beyond the natural brow bone. Make sure that you are standing near a window or under a bright light with a good mirror to get a clear view of your hair growth.

Tweezing Tips
Avoid over plucking as it takes too much time for brows to grow back in shape. The space between your brows should be equal or a little wider than the space in your eyes. Always pluck hair in the direction they grow and avoid grabbing too many hairs at a time. After the job is complete, apply aloe vera gel, which will help to calm the redness, occurred due to plucking. It is also recommended to soothe the area with cool and wet tea bags. Always try to pluck your eyebrows before bedtime so that the redness disappears overnight.

Herbal Beauty

External impurities and internal toxins are the worst enemies of our body and skin and herbal beauty products and detoxification remedies help us not only to get rid of them but also provide additional nutrients to the body. Some of the popular herbs known for detoxification, elimination and expulsion of toxins from the body, providing nutrition and stimulation to skin and other vital organs such as liver and digestive system, are Burdock Root, Cascara Sagrada, Dandelion Root, Echinacea Purpurea Root, Fenugreek, Ginger Root, Lactobacillus Sporogenes, Marshmallow Root, Milk Thistle Concentrate, Pepsin, Red Clover Flowers, Sarsaparilla Root and Yellow Dock Root among many others.

Natural herbal products are skin-friendly, have almost nil side effects, provide nourishment to skin and contain minerals and vitamins that keep your skin healthy. Skin care products must be fragrance free, should not have artificial colors, should be non-irritating and non-comedogenic and must be cruelty-free. Sometimes beauty problems are born out of dietary imbalance and must be paid attention to from that aspect. Weak fingernails may be symbolic of calcium deficiency while lusterless hair may speak of silicon deficiency. Dull and dry skin needs more vitamin D. Healthy person looks naturally beautiful. Green tea, calendula, linden, chamomile and rosemary are some of the natural herbal products that work quite well as sunscreens and skin revitalizers.

Choose lip balms with Aloe Vera for they soothe cracked and dry lips and get rid of painful cold sores and fever blisters. Other herbal lip balms can include Apricot, Bee Propolis, Beeswax, Camphor, Castor Oil, Golden Seal, Icelandis Moss, Jojoba Oil, Menthol and/or Squalane. Products that use animal testing should be strictly avoided. Use only cruelty-free products. Herbal products are the safest bet in this category. Herbal shampoos and conditioners are gentle, organic, environmental-friendly, safe and are made from herbal extracts.

They have ingredients like Aloe Vera, Burdock, Chamomile, Coconut Oil, Comfrey, Jojoba Oil, Marshmallow, Rose Hips, Rosemary and/or Sage. They are effective in treating dry and damaged hair, cleanse and nourish the scalp and hair and prevent dandruff. Natural botanical moisturizers with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and humectants have herbal extracts of Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Jojoba Oil and are usually free of color and artificial fragrance.

Nail Care Tips

Your nails form a very important part of your hands and they too need to be well taken care of. Well-kept hands, with neat, clean and healthy nails, are a pleasure to behold. On the other hand, dirty and poorly kept nails will make your hands look ugly, even though the latter are healthy and well cared for. In other words, we can say that for your hands to look beautiful, your nails need to be strong and healthy. For the purpose, you need to undertake certain steps, such as cleaning your nails on a regular basis, treating the cuticles properly and keeping the nails well moisturized. Go through the hand nail care tips given below and know more on keeping you nails well nurtured and full of healthy shine.

Nail Care Tips

* To harden soft nails, soak them in warm olive oil for about 20 minutes, on alternate days.
* To remove stains from your nails, mix one tablespoon of lemon juice in a cup of water and soak your nails in this liquid for a few minutes. Then, wash off with warm water and apply a hand moisturizer.
* It is not a good idea to remove the cuticles from your nails, as it will make the nail susceptible to infection. Rather, you should make use of good quality cuticle oil and gently push back the cuticles, with the help of an orangewood stick.
* Try to stay away from acetone polish removers as much as you can and stick to the one that make use of acetate. Still, try not to use a polish remover more than once a week.
* In case you wear nail polish, make sure to give your nails a break from time to time. In other words leave them without polish for a few days, every now and then. Otherwise, they will develop an ugly, yellow tint.
* If you want to give a natural sheen to your nails, just like the colorless base coat, rub petroleum jelly on your nails and then buff them, with the help of a soft cloth.
* If you have brittle nails or split or dull nails, then increasing your consumption of Organic Silica, Vitamin B (especially B5) and MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane) will surely help.
* Never ever resort to nail biting, as it is extremely destructive for the nails as well as the cuticles. If you are in the habit of biting your nails, drop it as soon as possible.
* Whenever you wash your hands, while bathing as well as otherwise, make sure to dry the nails properly and apply a hand cream or lotion, using it on the nails as well. This is because soap makes the nails dry and brittle.
* The best time to file your nails is when you are already wearing a polish. This will prevent splitting or breaking of nails.
* If you have brittle nails, it is advisable to wear a nail polish, or at least the colorless base coat, as much as you can.

Hand Care Recipies

Our hands have a very few oil glands, with the result that they tend to get dry easily and very often as well. As they come in contact with chemicals, detergents, garden dirt, and so on, when you undertake cleaning works, they are exposed to further damage. Therefore, it is necessary to take special care of your hands. You should exfoliate them and moisturize them on a regular basis. In order to help you with task, we have provided a few hand care recipes in the following lines, which you can make at home, to take special care of your hands.

Easy Homemade Manicure Recipes

Hand Sugar Exfoliant
Mix two tablespoons of oil (vegetable, olive, baby or safflower oil) with three tablespoons of sugar (using coarse sugar will be better) and form a paste. Gently rub the paste on your hands and continue doing so for 2-3 minutes. Wash off with warm water and dry thoroughly.

Hand Softener
For coarse and dry hands, mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with a teaspoon of sugar and a little water. Apply this mixture on your hands and let it sit for 5 minutes. Wash off with warm water and dry thoroughly.

Tomato-Lime Softener
If you have rough skin on your hands, this recipe will surely prove to be handy. Take out the juice of one tomato and one lime and mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp glycerin to it and massage your hand with the mixture, for 3-4 minutes. Wash off with warm water and dry thoroughly.

Honey-Egg Softener
In a bowl, put an ounce of honey, the white portion of an egg, one tsp of glycerin and some barley powder. Mix the ingredients well and apply on clean hands. Let the paste sit on your hands for a few minutes and then wash off with water.

Nourishing Hand Cream
Mix 1/3 cup of glycerin and 2/3 cups of rose water. Put the mixture in a bottle and shake it well. Store it in a cool and dry place .Massage your hands with the mixture as often as possible.

Cuticle Softener
Warm olive oil can go a long way in softening your cuticles. Just after you have taken a bath, push your cuticles back and massage warm olive oil into them. Use the tips of the fingers for the purpose.

Homemade Manicure Tips

• Before using any homemade manicure recipe on your hands, make sure to remove the nail polish, if you have put on any.
• Always make sure to apply a hand moisturizer after your manicure in complete. It will help give extra moisture to your hands.

Hand Care

We often forget to take care of our hands. Through we use our hands to do all the work in and outside the house we seem to pay very little attention to taking care of them. Our hands come in contact with water, chemicals, is subject to heat and cold, we work with our hands in the garden etc. all this puts stress on the skin of our hands. The first signs of aging are visible on our hands. Here are a few ways in which you can take care of the skin of your hand.

* Moisturize your hands as many times as you can in a day. Dry skin looks wrinkled and can easily be damaged.
* Wear gloves while washing dishes, dealing with chemicals and while gardening.
* Protect the skin on your hands from the sun.
* Ensure that your hands are dry. If you have water on your hands it will evaporate drying your skin.
* Take special care of your hands once a week. Give your hands a herbal oil massage once a week.

Here are a few hand treatment ideas:

* Herbal Hand Bath: Boil one quarter of water and add one tablespoon of herbs (use one or all of these: chamomile, nettle, sage, coltsfoot, calendula). Let this mixture cool and soak your hands in it for 15-20 minutes. Dry your hands thoroughly and apply nourishing moisturizer.
* Homemade Nourishing Hand Cream: Mix one teaspoon of honey with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add one tablespoon of strong herbal mixture. This will make a very rich cream, that will take a while to absorb, but will make your hands soft and smooth.
* For dry skin: Mix one tablespoon glycerin, one egg yolk, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, juice of one lemon, 3 to 4 ounces of herbal infusion or rose water. Apply this once or twice a week.
* Mashed potatoes with milk make a great hand mask.
* After cooking with eggs, before you throw the eggshells away, scrape out the remaining egg white and massage it into your hands.
* Rub a piece of lemon on your hands to give your skin a more even tone.
* After washing dishes with detergents wash your hands with sour milk or with a vinegar and water solution (1 tablespoon of vinegar per 2quaters of water). This will restore the pH balance of the skin.
* Keep your hands warm as colds often start as a result of cold hands.

Hair Cuts & Styling

The haircut, which can well complement your persona, hide the 'low points' of your face as well as highlight your best facial features will be the perfect hairstyle for you. You can exude the 'celebrity look' in a matter of few hours, by stylizing your hair the right way. Today, innumerable ideas on the latest trend in hair cuts and styling are available in fashion magazines, newspapers and the Internet. Although you are given numerous options to choose from, it is always suggested to go for a style that is best suited for you. We are here to give you a generic idea of how to land in the perfect hairstyle, by considering the face of your shape, texture and form of your hair.

The shape of your face is an important thing to consider, before you set your mind for a new hairstyle. Generally, face shapes are broadly divided into eight types - oval, round, square, oblong, triangle, pear, heart and diamond. Layering, angled bob, long side swept bangs are some of the flattering hairstyles for round faces. In case you have square shaped face, go for short and spiky cuts and sleek styles with layers. You can sport short, long, straight or wavy hair for your oval face. Angular bobs and long waves are the best bet for oval shape. Side swept bangs and brow-grazing fringe are good for heart-shaped face.

If you have a diamond-shaped face, go for hairstyle that has width at the top and bottom and sleekness in the wider part of the face. Chin-length haircut with temple-to-temple fringes is the best bet for a diamond shaped face. For a pear-shaped face, the haircut should symmetry to the narrow forehead and wide cheeks and jaw line. You should concentrate fullness at the temple and the fringe area, make it sleek at the cheeks and jaw line. Layered hair with fullness at the crown would look best for pear shaped face. For an oblong shaped face, layered bobs and choppy cuts are best suited. Short to medium layered hairstyles are best suited for triangle shaped face.

The texture of the hair is yet another decisive factor, when it comes to styling of the hair. Generally, the hair texture is divided into three types - fine, medium and coarse. If you have very fine and thin hair, you should opt for the hairstyle that does not tend to break your locks. In addition, the hairstyles should not be too tight. As far as the haircut for fine hair is concerned, you may opt for a short, layered hairstyle, which is manageable for the texture. Angle layered haircut is suitable for medium to thick hair types. If you have very coarse hair, go for the haircut that tends to enhance the volume of the hair, which you are already blessed with. Loose buns are appropriate for coarse textured hair.

The form of the hair - whether it is straight, wavy or curly - plays an important role, when it comes to choosing the perfect hair cut. Straight hair is a very versatile form, because almost every cut would look good. You can go for layered hairstyles, asymmetric bob, traditional bob, medium, long or short haircut, if you have straight hair. You may also stylize the hair differently, by using curling irons, to give it entirely different texture. The hairstyle best suited for curly hair will depend upon your facial shape and texture of your hair, for a great extend. Talking about the wavy hair, you can either straighten or curl the locks. Whatever the hairstyle is, be sure to consider your facial shape, texture, color and form of your hair.

Understanding Hair Color

Sometimes, the color we choose for our hair does not come out to be the same, as it appears in the swatch book of the product. It may be because of the 'underlying color pigment' of your hair that plays a key role in the final outcome of the hair color. To determine that you get the desired look, you need to identify the color of this pigment, melanin, in your hair. Melanin is generally of two types - Eumelanin, which is responsible of shades of brown and black in hair and Phaeomelanin, which brings yellowish blonde tones of hair to ginger and red colored hair.

White and gray hairs are the result of absence of melanin in hair. The tone of your hair color can be warm or cool. While red, orange and yellow are considered warm tones, shades of blue, green and violet fall under cooler tones. Hair can also be classified according to the level of color within each tone, on a scale of 1 to 10. As per this scale, 1 indicates black and 10 signify the lightest blonde hair. The intensity of hair color lightens, as you go down the scale. The level of hair color usually depends on the saturation of the hair pigment or the degree of concentration of melanin in the hair. The scale can be graded as follows:

1 - Black
2 - Very Dark Brown
3 - Dark Brown
4 - Brown
5 - Medium Brown
6 - Light Brown
7 - Dark Blonde
8 - Light Blonde
9 - Very Light Blonde
10 - Light Platinum Blonde

Types Of Hair Color

Temporary
This type of hair color generally lasts from one shampoo to the next, and is deposited on the outside of the hair shaft

Semi-Temporary
Semi temporary hair color usually lasts up to 4-6 times of shampooing and contains no ammonia. In this case, a developer is also not used.

Demi-Permanent
This type of hair color contains little or no ammonia and makes use of a low peroxide developer. The demi-permanent hair color lasts for about 6 weeks after which the color fades back to the normal shade.

Semi-Permanent
This type of hair color contains a small amount of ammonia and uses a developer of 10 to 20 vol. It lasts for about 3-4 months, depending upon the growth of your hair.

Permanent
This type of hair color uses a developer and an alkalizing ingredient as part of their ammonia or an ammonia substitute. The permanent hair color usually lasts for almost a year, depending upon the growth of your hair.

Hair Coloring Tips

Are you bored of your hair color? Do you want to revamp your look? If yes, then the easiest way to change your look would be to opt for hair coloring. A new hair color can add a new dimension to your personality, making you look more confident and impressive. However, with the need to be in sync with the competition around, people are left with little or no time to flock to the salon. Nonetheless, when time or money doesn't allow you the pampering of salon color, you'll find that at home hair coloring preparations are both affordable and easy to use. Here are some handy tips that will make your hair look healthier and glow with the desired color and give you salon-like results, along with quick and easy solutions to common problems related with coloring your hair.

Hair Coloring Tips

• Shampoo your hair properly and then condition them. Thereafter, wait for two days, to give the natural oils in your scalp time to resurface. This is an essential step to protect the scalp from chemical reactions and also would help your hair color to set better, giving you uniformed results overall.
• On the day of hair color, you need to first arrange the toolkit for the hair coloring purpose. Put on an old t-shirt and collect some older towels and washcloths. Get some hair clips for sectioning your hair, a handy timer and a hand mirror, which will enable you to view the back of your head.
• Section your hair so that you can handle you hair better, during the coloring process.
• Before starting, make sure you read the instructions at least two times. Each of the coloring brands follows a definite style or process, so if you don't want to do a blunder, ensure that you read the instruction. Also, do not forget the strand test.
• Put on the gloves and start the coloring process. If you are touching up the roots, be sure that this is the area that you target. You shouldn't be applying the color to the entire head as in the first application.
• For those of you, who are coloring for the first time, start at the crown or at the nape of the neck. This because it is here that the natural hair color is darkest.
• For the ends, apply hair color that is one level darker, without adding the developer. The color at the ends of the hair tends to fade faster than the rest, because the ends are porous and does not hold color.
• Once you have applied the color, use a timer to keep track of the time. Often while reading a magazine, we completely forget to keep a track of the time. So, a time would be beneficial in this case.
• After the specified time is over, rinse your hair thoroughly. Rinse, until the water runs clear.
• Make sure to condition your hair properly. After the coloring process, hair becomes very vulnerable to damage.

Precautions

• Always color your hair, when they are fully dry because color of damp and wet hair may get diluted later.
• If your current hair color is darker than the next shade chosen, use a color remover to completely lose the old tint. However, they are effective on only artificial colors and not natural hair color.
• For gray hair, use a shade darker than the shade of color used on the rest of the hair.
• After coloring your hair, do not perm or straighten for several weeks.
• If you go out in the sun or swim regularly, your hair color may wear off quickly. To avoid this, condition your hair regularly to negate the effects of summer heat and water.
• If light-reddish blonde tones fade to orange color, you can use a little red-gold accent to give fashionable highlights.

Party Make Up Tips

Everyone wants to look good, especially when it is the time to party. The idea behind hosting or going to parties is to meet the people you know as well as to make new friends. At the same time, you try to impress others by your dressing sense and looks, along with the way you carry yourself. The self-confidence comes when you know that you are looking perfect, with the right make up and a dazzling ensemble. However, while getting ready for a night out, you need to know that party makeup also has some limits and rules. For instance, you should apply either heavy eye makeup or heavy lip makeup, but not both at the same time. If you want to be the essence of a party, there is no better place to start than at your dressing table. In this regard, the party makeup tips given here will come handy.

Party Make Up Tips

Prepare Yourself
Choose your dress, footwear and accessories for the big occasion in advance. Once all the elements come together, it will help you get an idea about your look and you will be able to select your make up accordingly.

For Fresh Looking Skin

• Wash your face with warm water, using your favorite face wash.
• Rub ice on your face for 5-10 mins, in breaks.
• Dab some cleansing milk on a cotton ball and wipe your face with it.
• Apply some lotion/ moisturizer, while making sure you do not end up leaving your face oily.

Preparing The Base

• Depending upon your complexion, apply foundation all over your face, with the help of a sponge/foundation brush. You can apply a darker shade of the foundation on the broader parts of your face.
• Now, apply shimmer powder on your face, over the foundation, with the help of a brush.
• Blush your cheeks, adding color gradually. Use some blusher on the sides of the forehead and chin as well.

On The Eyes

• First of all, you need to apply the eye-shadow on your eyelids
• Define your eyes with eyeliner, making use of short strokes.
• Next, apply 2-3 coats of mascara, on the tips of your lashes.
• Finally, define your eyebrows with the help of an eyebrow pencil.

For Your Lips

• Shape up your lips nicely and precisely, with the help of a lip liner pencil.
• Now is the time to apply the lip color, with the help of a brush.
• Blot the lipstick with tissue and then apply once again.
• Finally, add a coat of gloss on your lips.

For Your Nail

• Clean your nails thoroughly and file them to give a proper shape.
• Apply a coat of the colorless base coat and let it dry.
• Add two coats of a nail polish, giving a gap of 10 minutes in-between.
• Add another coat of the colorless base coat and let it dry.

Cleansing, Toning & Moisturizing Face

One's beauty is incomplete without a fresh and glowing skin. However, not everybody is blessed with a naturally good skin. As skin is one of the most delicate parts of our body, even those who are blessed with a good and charming skin need to take care of it properly. Those who are not blessed with that natural charm and appeal need to work hard on their skin to make it shiny, smooth and beautiful. Different people have different textures of skin like oily, dry and normal. However, some of the people have extremely sensitive skin which needs extra special care. The basic ways to take care of any kind of skin is cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

Why does skin require cleansing, toning & moisturizing?
Moving around in dust, smoke and traffic makes skin dull, dry and dead. Regular exposure to all these things makes skin faint and pale. Gradually, it starts taking toll on the skin and permanently damages its texture. If you do not want your skin to lose its charm before time, the only remedy to it is constant caring. The easiest and effective way to care for your skin is regular cleansing, toning & moisturizing.

Cleansing

Benefits: Cleansing is the most effective way of removing dust, dirt and dead layer from your skin. It is also meant for cleaning the previously applied make up. Cleansing helps in removing the extra element on the skin to make its pore open and breathing. Regular cleaning makes your face fresh and clean.

Process:

* Wash your hands with soap properly do remove dust and bacteria.
* Use a good quality face wash with water in order to remove dust stick to your face. Remember, a face wash can help you get rid of the dust but it is not simply enough to remove all the impurities from your face.
* Once you have done cleansing, you can go for light scrubbing. This will help you get rid of black heads a dead skin.
* Now pat your skin dry with a clean towel.
* Dip cotton in fresh milk or artificially available cleanser (whatever available) and properly apply it all over your face. Remove it with dry cotton after few minutes. Wash the face with water again.

Toning

Benefits: Toning helps in removing any residual dirt or cleanser on the face. It also helps in restoring the natural pH level of the skin, making it ready for being hydrated.

Process:

* Toners with glycolic or alpha hydroxy acid are best for toning for almost all kinds of skin.
* Natural toning is also a nice way to take care of your skin. For normal and dry skin use a combination of fresh cucumber juice with yoghurt as an astringent.
* You can use the combination of egg white with honey mixed with few drops of lemon juice as a toner for oily skin.
* Apply toner with cotton all over your face except the eyes and lips. Wipe the toner in upward and outward direction.

Moisturizing

Benefits: It helps in restoring the natural moisture to your face and making it more soft, supple and glowing.

Process:

* After you are done with your cleansing and toning, you must moisturize your face in order to regain the moisture lost.
* Clean your hands before you apply moisturizer to your face.
* Deeply apply the moisturizer on your face in a circular with upward strokes motion.
* Do not over use moisturizer as it will clog your pores and give way to black heads and pimples.

How To Apply Makeup in Five Minutes

Doing your own makeup is always challenging and it becomes all the more hard when you do not have enough time at your disposal. If you are in hurry and have limited time to spend in front of the mirror, do not start worrying. We can tell you that getting the perfect made-up look in a few minutes is not a difficult job. In fact, by being a little systematic and organized, a woman can do her makeup in as short a time period as five minutes. In case you need any help, the quick makeup tips given here will come handy. Follow these tips and see yourself changing from a simple girl to a 'diva', in just a few minutes.

How To Apply Makeup In Five Minutes

• After taking a bath, apply some moisturizer on your face. Leave it on your face for sometime; say a minute or two, so that your skin gets enough time to absorb the moisture.
• In the meantime, get your entire makeup ready, so that you do not end up wasting time looking for different cosmetics. In other words, you need to prepare your foundation, sponge/ foundation brush, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, sharpened brow pencil, lipstick, lip brush, loose powder, powder blushes and blush-on brush.
• Now, apply the foundation on your face and blend it with the help of a sponge or a foundation brush.
• Next, you will have to apply your favorite eye shadow, followed by eyeliner, which will help define your eyes. Concentrate on the shape of your eyes while using the liner, since you only have limited time in hand and do not want to use it in correcting wrong make up.
• Apply mascara on the tips of your eyelashes. At this point, if it is needed, you can apply a few small strokes of brow pencil, to enhance the color or shape of your eyebrows.
• Apply a nice shade of lipstick on your lips. Instead of directly applying the lipstick onto your lips, use a lip brush to spread the color evenly over them in less time.
• Put some blush-on on your cheeks, with the help of a brush. Thereafter, gently apply some loose powder on your nose and the t-zone. This will prevent the area from becoming oily.
• Finally, go for a quick final check in the mirror to see whether you need to make a few corrections or not. If not, you are ready to dazzle in front of the world!

Lipstick Tip

Every woman loves to wear lipstick. Just a dash of lipstick adds so much glamour to your face. Lipstick should be applied properly and should be of the right color. Most of you would have noticed that lipstick does not last long, especially when we eat and drink. Here are a few tips on lipstick and how to make lipstick last long.

* Store lipstick in the fridge, it will last longer.
* While buying lipstick never use the tester on your lips. It is very unhygienic. Apply the tester on fingertips. This is a better option than the back of your hand as it closer than your lips.
* Use your lip liner as a base for your lipstick. This will ensure that lipstick lasts longer. While using light lipstick, use nude liner. Then apply lipstick on top of it.
* Line your lips whenever you use lipstick. Without lipstick your lips will look soft and less defined and your lipstick will appear smudged.
* To keep lipstick off your teeth, once your have applied lipstick, put your index finger into your mouth and pull it out. The extra lipstick will come off on your finger.
* Lipstick can be used as blush, but do not use blush as lipstick.
* Apply lip liner first. If your apply lipstick first and then try to apply lip liner you will not be able to see the natural line of your lips.
* Older women should avoid gloss and matter lipstick and stick to creamy lipstick.
* If you do not like a shade of lipstick, do not throw it out. Just mix it with other shades of lipstick and create your own shade.
* If you have plump lips, apply lip liner just outside your natural lip line.
* To keep gloss on for longer first fill your lips with lip liner and then apply gloss on it. The gloss has something to stick to and therefore lasts longer.
* If your lipstick has broken, the just light a match under the broken part of a while, when the lipstick melts a little then put it back on the base. Then swivel down the lipstick and put it in the fridge, uncovered for about 5 minutes.
* Try and avoid orange and brown shades of lipstick as they make your teeth appear yellow.
* When you are to the last bit of your favorite lipstick scrape out the last bits with an orange stick and mix it with lip-gloss or vaseline and use it.
* To prevent lipstick from sticking to the glass you are drinking from, discreetly lick the edge of the glass before touching your lips to it.

Make Up Tips

Every girl or woman wants to look beautiful and to highlight their important features, especially on their face. Every girl sooner or later starts experimenting with make up. There is no doubt that make up, makes you look beautiful but only if it applied properly. Many women do not know how to apply make up properly. Here are a few make up tips that should help you.

* Use a gel blush or a cream blush instead of powder in a shade of pink and it will look more natural. Gels or creams are more transparent and blend smoothly. Rub them onto your cheekbones and blend upwards towards your eye for a glowing rosy complexion.
* To fix unpolished nails, fail nails into square shape, buff them to give some shine and then apply a clear coat of polish. Then rub a little cuticle oil around the edges of your nails and apply rich moisturizer on your hand. In about 15 minutes your hand will have a polished look.
* The trend now is to have natural looking eyebrows and not thin, arched brows. Use a tinted brow definer or eye shadow to fill your brows if they are scanty.
* Before you sharpen your eyeliner or lip liner keep it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. The pencil will harden a little and will not break when sharpened.
* Women whose eyes are deep-set should use liquid liner instead of pencil eyeliner. Liquid liner does not smudge easily and will not smudge in the crease of the lid in deep-set eyes.
* To prevent mascara flaking off and smudging on your face, apply a thin coat of mascara on your top lashes only. Then brush your lashes with an eyelash brush to prevent clumpy mascara build-up.
* Before curling your eyelashes, heat the eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds. Test to make sure that it is not very hot and then apply it on your eyelashes. The heat will ensure that the curl stays in place on extra long eyelashes.
* Before buying a concealer or foundation, test the color on the inside of your wrist. The skin here is unblemished and will give you an idea on how the color will look on your face.
* To extend the life of your foundation mix a drop of your moisturizer to create a glowing look for your skin.
* Apply foundation after you have done your eye make-up. This way you will be able to fix any mascara or eyeliner smudges.
* To prevent your lips from feeling dry when you apply matte lipstick, apply lip balm on your lips before start your make up. By the time you do your eyes and the rest of the face your lips would have absorbed the balm and will be ready for the matte lipstick.
* To make lipstick last for longer shade your lips with lip liner before you apply lipstick.
* If you have applied nail polish in a sloppy fashion, then just soak your nails once they are dry in warm water for a few minutes and them rub off the extra nail polish with a finger.
* Dark eye shadow can be used as eyeliner as well. Use a very flat brush, wet is and dip it in dark eye shadow. Wriggle the brush into your lash line paying special attention to the space between the lashes and then use the color just above your lash line.

Beauty Food

Beauty Food

There is no doubt that all of us want to look beautiful, slim and fit. One has to exercise sufficiently to look good. But it is important to eat the right kind of diet to look beautiful. There are a number of beauty foods that are healthy and help in enhancing your looks. Given below some foods that you can add to your diet if you want to look beautiful.

* Apple Cider Vinegar: This vinegar has a number of healing properties and it makes the skin soft and supple. Apple cider vinegar is concentrated with enzymes and these help peel off dead skin cells. It breaks down fat and helps food digest properly.
* Carrots: Help to maintain the outer layer of the skin to prevent premature aging. It works just like Retin A.
* Cheese: Make a slice or two of hard cheese a part of your diet. Cheese helps to prevent bacteria from growing in the mouth and prevents cavities. Choose between Swiss, cheddar or Gouda.
* Citrus Fruits: These fruits hold the skin cells together by forming collagen. Collagen cannot be added to the skin topically and hence fruits and juices must be made an integral part of your daily diet.
* Cranberries: These berries keep the urinary tract lining healthy.
* Garlic: Helps to combat wrinkles and restores tissues.
* Nonfat Yogurt: Is high is calcium and helps to keep your smile white and your teeth cavity-free.
* Sweet Potatoes: These potatoes are full of vitamin A and vitamin A is known for being an anti-wrinkling agent. The result of eating this vegetable is smoother skin.
* Tomatoes: This vegetable does wonders to your skin. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.
* Wheat Germ: To get rid of pimples efficiently include two or three tablespoons of wheat germ in your diet. You add this to your cereal, yogurt and cottage cheese.

Here are some general tips about a beauty diet:

* Vegetables: you should have three to five servings of vegetables daily. Include one serving of raw, leafy greens.
* Do not have more than three-ounce servings a day. Take off all the fat. Try to include two servings of turkey or chicken and a serving of fish a day is ideal.
* Fruits: Have two to three servings everyday. ½ cup of chopped or sliced fruit is one serving.
* Dairy: Have at least two servings daily. One serving is eight ounces of milk or yogurt.
* Fats: Salad dressing, cooking oil, butter and mayonnaise should be limited to two servings a day.

Home Beauty Tips

Everyone wants to look their best and as beautiful as they can. Many of us spend a lot of money on branded beauty products and on numerous visits to the beauty parlor. There are a number of simple beauty treatments that we can use with things that are easily available in our homes. Here are a few home beauty tips that you can try using things from the kitchen without any extra cost.

• To remove puffiness from the eyelids, massage a drop of very fresh castor oil on to them.
• To cool your eyes, make eye pads using thick slices of cucumber. Another option is to use cotton pads soaked in cold milk. Lie down and place them on your closed eyes and relax for a while.
• Putting a drop of rose water into each eye just before you sleep can also refresh you eyes.
• To prevent your lips from chapping, use hot water fermentation on your lips and then apply a mixture of vaseline and honey. Apply this mixture about three times a week.
• To prevent your lips from drying you can use a ground mixture or rose petals and milk butter.
• To delay age spots on your hand, use a piece of lemon and rub all over your hand, before washing. This will delay onset of age-spots.
• If you have no time to shampoo your hair before going out, then brush 1 tablespoon of talcum powder or corn flour through your hair. Try this out first when you are not in hurry to make sure that it works the way you want.
• To prevent hair loss you should have a biotin rich drink. Blend bananas with honey, yogurt and low fat milk. Drink this for a few weeks.
• While blow drying and setting your hair, blow-dry at hot on the roots of the hair. Roll your hair inwards or outwards at the ends. To improve the setting make sure the ends are evenly rolled in or rolled out. Heat the hair for a second and then let it cool. This process of setting the hair will last longer and make your hair look beautiful.
• To condition your hair, after shampooing your hair take some conditioner on your palm and rub it with both hands. Apply from the hair shaft moving downwards. Do not apply on your scalp. Rinse your hair after 5 minutes.
• To add extra shine and glow to your hair add 2 tablespoons of malt vinegar. Use it as a last rinse and towel dry your hair.

Cause Of Dark Circles

Cause Of Dark Circles

Our face attracts the most amount of attention. Therefore, we pay most attention to the way our face looks. We take special care of our face, its skin, its appearance and we try to present our face in the most beautiful manner we can. In a person's face, it is the eyes that catch the attention of the observer. If the eyes are beautiful the beauty of the face is enhanced. But a problem that a number of women face is dark circles under the eyes. When a woman has dark circles under her eyes, no matter how beautiful her eyes are their impact is diminished because of these dark circles. If we understand the cause of dark circles then we may be able to deal with them and treat them if possible. There are a number reasons for dark circles under the eyes. Given below are some of the common causes for the unsightly dark circles.

* Heredity: Dark circles under the eyes can be an inherited trait. If you have dark circles, then it is likely that other members of your family have dark circles too. The skin under the eye is very thin. When blood flows through veins close to surface of the skin it can produce a bluish tint. If your skin is transparent then the darker the circles will be. Transparent skin is also a inherited trait.
* Exposure to Sun: Exposure to sun especially during the summer months can make the skin under the eyes look darker. This is true for dark skinned people as well. Suntans are caused by an increase in the natural pigmentation of the skin, as a result of exposure to the sun. This increase in pigmentation is drawn to the surface. This applies to the skin under the eyes as well.
* Allergies and Eczema: Any infection of the eye that leads to itching can contribute to dark circles as rubbing and scratching the eyes darkens the skin. People who suffer from hay fever will notice that dark circles appear when the allergy is at its height. Certain food allergies can cause dark circles too.
* Medication: Any medication that dilates your blood vessels can cause dark circles under the eyes. As the skin under the eye is delicate an increase in blood shows through the skin in the form of dark circles.
* Nutrition: An improper diet, an unbalanced diet or lack of a nutritious diet can cause dark circles under the eye.
* Tiredness and Lack of Sleep: A lack of sleep or excessive tiredness can cause the skin under the eyes to become pale, thus, making the blood flowing under it visible.
* Pregnancy and Menstruation: During pregnancy and menstruation the skin becomes pale and the veins under the skin become visible.
* Age: As you grow older there are greater chances that you will have dark circles and they may become more prominent and permanent. If there are too many folds in the skin under the eyes, it will make the dark circles more prominent.

Beauty Diet

Your diet contributes a great deal towards making you beautiful. Therefore eating a proper healthy diet is important to keep looking beautiful. Given below are a number of food items that you should include in your beauty diet.

• Almonds: These nuts are known for their anti-aging properties. They contain a lot of vitamin E and have a high amount of fatty acids that help to keep your skin supple. Almonds also contain antioxidant selenium. Do not too many of them as they will add calories. A handful is enough.
• Protein: To keep nails strong and moisturized by eating plenty of protein. Protein helps in the build up of keratin. Keratin is the substance that makes up nails. Skinless, boneless chicken breast, lean turkey, tuna and beans are rich in proteins.
• Vitamin B: Food that is rich in vitamin B makes your hair shiny. Important sources of this vitamin are eggs, milk, green vegetables and poultry. Silica is important to keep your hair elastic, shiny and healthy. Raw oats, cucumber skin, onions and bean sprouts are rich in this mineral.
• Fish: Eating oily fish like salmon that contain omega-3 fatty acids will help hydrating and nourishing skin.
• Zinc and Calcium: Both these minerals help in eradicating pimples. Zinc is found in oysters, turkey, seafood, eggs and milk. Calcium is no doubt good for your bones, but helps in clearing your skin too. Calcium rich foods like skim milk, low-fat cheese and yogurt. These foods not only remove pimples but reduce wrinkles as well.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps in the build up of collagen, which reduces wrinkles. When your skin has more collagen your skin retains its elasticity and wrinkles take longer to form. Kiwi fruit is the best source of vitamin C. Other good sources are oranges, mango, honeydew and papaya.
• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is known to ease the swelling and redness associated with sunburns. Swelling causes the stretching of skin that in turns leads to wrinkle formation. Eat plenty of peaches and blueberries to increase the build up of vitamin E in your body.
• Vitamin C and Iron: Vitamin C and iron together help to reduce the dark circles under your eyes. Eat skinless chicken and red, yellow and orange peppers. These are rich in both and will help in reducing dark circles.
• Water: Drink as much as water as you can. Water removes the toxins from the body and refreshes your skin and makes in glow. Water hydrates your skin and keeps it supple.
• Tomatoes: Tomatoes contains skin-caner-fighting antioxidants: beta-carotene, vitamin C and lycopene. Eat tomatoes in any form and you will ingest these antioxidants. To increase the body's absorption of lycopene cook tomatoes in a little olive oil.
• Apples and Celery: To remove stain from the enamel of your teeth eat crunchy foods like apples and celery.

Tips To Look Young

There will hardly be any one on this earth who wants to look old. In fact, almost every one of us wants to look young throughout his/ her life. However, time is relentless and you tend to get older every year. When it comes to looking younger, there is no need to go under the knife. All you need to do is to inculcate few tricks in your routine. There are some tips and techniques that, if followed religiously, can make you look younger than your age and also much more beautiful. For instance, if you keep fit, exercise on a regular basis and watch your diet, your body will feel as well as look quite young. Let us explore some tips on looking younger than your age.

How To Look Younger & Beautiful

• Make sure that you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. It will help your body stay hydrated and flush it free of toxins as well. At the same time, it will make your face glow and shine.
• Always wear a sunscreen lotion when you go out in the day, to protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays. Make sure that you are using a sunscreen with at least 15 SPF.
• Visit your hairdresser for a younger hair makeover. Rather than sticking to an old-fashioned hairstyle, go for a younger and more carefree look. You will drop years from your age, this way.
• Pay attention to the lipstick color. Always avoid bright red and brown shades and stick to neutrals, like beiges and pinks.
• Do not overdo with your eyebrows outlining. Subtlety is the key when it comes to eye makeup that makes you look young.
• Get manicures and pedicures done on a regular basis. Go for a facial sitting at least once in a month.
• Avoid wearing round neck blouses, which may draw attention to a drooping posture. You should always prefer wearing V-neck clothes, which direct the eye up.
• Always maintain a proper and confident posture. It not only makes you look younger, but also help you appear slimmer than you are.
• A young fragrance always makes you seem much younger than you really are. According to a survey, women wearing scents with pink grapefruit in it appeared, on average, 6 years younger than their actual age.
• Try to get at least 7-8 hours sleep on a daily basis. It will help you feel younger as well as extremely refreshed.
• It is said that love can make you feel as well as look years younger than your age. Fall in love with your spouse once again. Better yet, fall in love with yourself.
• Avoid processed foods as well as those food items that have too much sugar in them.
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Increase your consumption of food items that are rich in proteins.
• If you are overweight, try to lose those extra pounds, by sticking to a healthy diet and indulging in exercise. No crash dieting please!
• Include the basic steps of cleansing, toning, moisturize and nourishing your skin, in your daily routine.