natural remedies – Mygirlypedia

Beauty Benefits of Mango

Summer has a special place in my heart. I’m sure it does in most of your hearts too. Even though the heat might make us go crazy sometimes, it brings so much joy of its own. One major thing I remember is, the summer holidays. I as a kid used to look forward to enjoy summer breaks. Where my mom used to get us ice creams, Rasna (a famous drinks among kids those days) on her own. We didn’t even had to beg much. haha. Also, talking about summer, how can we forget that it’s the season of yummy mangoes.

Who doesn’t like mangoes??? We all do..!!! So many dishes we can prepare, be it sweets, spicy pickle what not…!!! Every dish made out of mangoes will win our hearts.

We all have heard that eating more mangoes is not good. It will increase body weight and body heat. But let me tell you, too much of anything is bad. Isn’t it? In fact, nutritionist recommend seasonal fruits. With weather, our body changes internally. Eating seasonal fruits would help our body for sure.

Apart from helping our body, mangoes also help us in improving our skin and hair. How? Let’s see the list of benefits we can get from mangoes to get beautiful skin.

Vitamin A and C are more important when it comes to maintain good skin and hair. Mangoes have both these vitamins in them. Applying mango pulp to hair adds moisture and shine.

How to prepare mango hair mask:

All you need to do is take the pulp and squeeze. Apply the juice and pulp to your hair. Keep it for 15-20 minutes before washing it.

Similarly, if you are worried about dry skin, apply mashed mango pulp to your face to add moisture.
Vitamin C is required to maintain collagen level. Collagen is responsible for skin elasticity and avoiding wrinkles. By consuming a cup of mango everyday helps in improving skin’s texture.
Maintain health of facial pores is what is important to maintain good facial skin. Clogged pores are the biggest culprit to cause breakouts. Applying mango pulp to face helps in unclogging pores and thus keeping pimples at bay.
Not just the pulp, even the seed can be helpful in order to improve the health of our hair. Mango seed oil can help with reducing hair fall and greying of hair.

How to prepare mango seed oil at home:

Remove the pulp and dip the mango seed in any oil of your choice, like for example coconut/ sesame oil. Place this container under sunlight for some days. Using this concoction regularly, can help you get healthy hair.

Vitamin A in the mango helps in adding shine to hair, plus it helps in reducing dandruff when applied.
Mango also has vitamin E in it. When we apply mango pulp on to our scalp, this vitamin helps in the scalp circulation thus boosting hair growth.
If you have blemishes or dark spots on your face, all you need to do is to apply mango pulp on the effected area. With regular use, it is proved that mango can reduce the appearance of dark spots or blemishes.

These are some of the quick tips to make the most of this season’s fruit – Mango. 😉 So the next time while you enjoy eating one, don’t forget to apply on your skin and hair to get glowing skin and hair. (In short, be like Katrina Kaif in ads of a soft drinks you see in the television. haha. You know what I mean, If not, check the glimpse below..!!! )

PC: Internet

All You Need to Know About Orange Oil

I have been hearing a lot about vitamin C and essentials oils etc. Which help in taking care of skin not only by improving it’s texture but also aid the anti-aging process. So, just thought of gathering more information about them, so that I can include in my daily skin care regime and of course to share with you beautiful people.

For today, I am starting with one of the essential oils – Orange oil.

Let’s see how it’s going to help our skin and hair. Ready??? Hop in…!

How to Prepare Orange Oil at Home???

First thing first. How to prepare orange oil.

Peel off the orange peel and remove the white part by scratching. This will make sure the oil is more concentrated.
Place these peels in a glass jar.
Add vodka to the jar and shake well. Vodka helps to marinate.
Keep the jar in cold and dark place for a week.
After a week, filter out the liquid from the jar.
Place this liquid in ventilated space so that the alcohol in the liquid gets evaporated.
Post 2 to 3 days, the liquid free of alcohol smell is what we need – orange oil.

I know it takes a lot of time and patience to prepare one at home. But it is purest one you can get. No matter how good it can be, some are too lazy to wait for long. So, people like me, just go and buy one from online. hehe

How does it smell???

It smells like orange (obviously) but a very strong one.

Why You Should Use Orange Oil???

Mental health:

You must be thinking I started with the beauty benefits and first point says mental health. Well, well, if you are happy inside, your skin looks happy outside. Orange oil has this amazing fragrance which has proven to reduce depression or anxiety. It calms down the pulses and helps you relax. Now when you are calm and content from within, it definitely shows on your skin as well.

Treating Acne and Skin Infection:

Orange oil has anti-bacterial and inflammatory properties. Using diluted orange oil on acne, swelling or redness helps in soothing it.

Moisturizing:

Orange oil has been proved to add needed moisture to your skin when applied. Dry skin beauties, I hope you are listening.

Deep Cleanser:

Orange oil helps in cleaning the facial pores and thus avoids clogging.

Improves Blood Flow:

If you apply orange oil it gives slight tingling effect. Orange oil helps in improving blood flow thus helps you get glowing skin.

Anti-Aging:

You already know that the oil has anti-bacterial property. What you might not know is that orange oil also has antioxidants in it. Which are important to slow down the process of aging. This oil helps in stopping the appearance of lines and wrinkles on skin.

Reducing Dark Spots:

Orange oil has bleaching property. Which helps in lightening the skin tone. Regular usage of diluted orange oil on dark spots should fade them away.

Reducing Large Pores:

While keeping the pores super clean, it also helps in shrinking them. How??? Orange oil has tightening property, which helps in shrinking the facial pores.

Reduces Cellulite:

Many of us suffer from appearance of cellulite. Orange oil can be a handy if you also suffer from the same. Massaging the affected area with diluted orange oil helps in blood flow, softens the epidermis and thus helping in reducing the cellulite.

Reduces extra oil secretion:

I hope this point will bring a smile on oily skinned beauties. Using diluted orange oil on skin that secrets more oil helps in reducing that extra oil secretion. Orange oil has this charm to control the oil secretion. So bye bye shiny face.

Special Note:

Always remember that the essential oils should not be used directly on skin. You need to dilute the oil by mixing with some carrier oil like coconut oil/ almond oil and then use it on skin.
It is not recommended to use orange oil while you are out in sun. Orange oil when comes in contact with direct sun, reacts and it might harm your skin.

Health and Beauty Benefits of Sea Water

Are you a mountain person or a beach one??? I love both. I discover my inner self between mountains and I find enormous happiness when I play with the waves. Looking at the huge sea/ ocean/ mountain makes me realise how tiny I am in this huge world…!!!

Apart from making us happy and taking care of our mental health, the sea makes our skin more healthy. Did you know that??? Yes, it does. How??? Let me tell you.

Sea water has lots of minerals in it. Which has been proved that it cures many skin issues. I have even heard my granny saying that, wearing accessories made of sea shells can also help to cure skin disorders. Isn’t it amazing??? Making skin healthier with some natural remedies, ahhh sounds perfect to me.

Let me list down some more advantages of sea water to our skin and hair.

Cures various skin disorders:
As I said earlier, it does cure the skin diseases but how??? Well, sea water contains magnesium, calcium, and potassium in it. Which are the reasons for this magical property of salt water. Sea water absorbs toxins from the skin and bacteria which causes acne thus making skin clear in the long run. It is also proved to cure infection and encouraging healing process.

Boosts Immune System:
Salt water increases oxygen level in the blood thus strengthening the immune system of the body.

Thyroid:
Iodine content of sea water helps in boosting thyroid activity.

Bye bye Cold and Flu:
It also relieve cold and flu symptoms, as well as to cure bronchitis and sinusitis.

Treats oily skin:
Sea water absorbs extra oil from the skin. Thus preventing overproduction of natural oil which if not treated might clog the pores resulting in breakouts.
If you are a dry skinned beauty, you really need to apply a good moisturizer post your visit to sea water. Because you don’t want to end up with itchy skin due to lack of moisture.

Used for good oral health:
Most of you must be familiar with this remedy. Whenever you are suffering from tooth ache, someone must have advised you to gargle mouth with salt water. The reason being, the salt water has anti bacterial property which kills the bacteria which is troubling you.
Even when you are not in any teeth trouble, you can use the salt water as a mouth wash in order to maintain good oral health.
Plus, certain studies say that it cures oral conditions like gingivitis and halitosis also.

To exfoliate dry skin:
Minerals in the sea water helps in scrubbing the skin cells gently thus unclogging pores and increasing the blood circulation. These open pores are further cleansed by the minerals which in turn helps in better absorption of the product applied on skin later that.

Relieves muscle pain:
You might have seen people dipping their feet in the tub full of warm salt water to get rid of the pain. The magnesium present in the salt water helps in relieving the muscle pain.

Beach waves:
We try so many methods, with and without heat to get those dreamy wavy hair. Do you know which is the easiest way to achieve that? One dip in the sea can make you achieve those beach waves. I know not everyone can afford to visit beach everyday. A quick replacement is a spray bottle and salted water. Spraying salt water to hair should also serve the purpose.

So, these were some of the prominent benefits of sea water.

Like I said, not everyone live by the seashore. Visiting one might not be a daily business. So you can try mixing table salt with water to get some benefits. But I must say, sea water is more effective than any other ones.

If you have any skin issues and want to try out salt water bath, you can try some amazing salts with healing properties. Which we call it as Bath salts. You can read this post where I have mentioned what and how does bath salts work.

There are multiple brands which have introduced different flavored bath salts to the market. In case you want to try out pure bath salts, you can prepare one at home. Here is the post where you get step by step details to prepare your own customised bath salts.

The next time you get drenched in sea water, instead of worrying about the stickiness, just feel good about great things it is doing to your skin and body. 😉

For The Dark Patches Around The Mouth

You must have noticed or might be facing this skin issue – dark patches. Also called hyperpigmentation. Especially around mouth area. You guys know that melanin is something that defines the tone of our skin. If the melanin content is high at some spots than usual, causes hyperpigmentation.

There are multiple reasons why this skin issue occurs. Majorly,

Sun exposure:

Spots caused by more exposure to direct sun is called sun spots. These are dark brown spots that might take time to appear visibly dark on your skin. But once they are there, they are quite hard to remove completely. A good care with the help of appropriate creams and scrubs is what it takes.

Melasma/Chloasma:

This is caused due to hormonal changes. They usually appear on forehead, cheeks and upper lips.

Due to skin breakage:

This is quite common dark spot faced by many. This is due to pimples, burnt skin or any skin abrasion. These dark patches are high in melanin. Takes long time to fade.

Weather:

If you have noticed, our skin behaves differently in different weather. For example, skin lacks hydration during winter.

Some of us tend to wet the lips and around it with saliva. But, unfortunately saliva makes skin even more dry, as it evaporates quickly.

If you also have this habit, stop doing that…!!!

If you feel your skin needs instant hydration, carry a travel size good moisturizer with you in your little handbag. Apply it whenever you feel the need.

Because more dry the skin, more chances of pigmentation.

Considering the skin around mouth is way more thin and delicate, let’s see how we can take care of it:

Exfoliate daily:

When I say daily, it should definitely with mild scrub. Because the more you scrub, more harm you are doing to your skin. But, scrubbing in moderation is necessary for good skin.

Mild scrubs on other hand, gently exfoliate and remove impurities plus dead skin cells. Doing this everyday, on the effected area, should help you lighten the skin tone.

Use concealers:

Concealers are the ones which helps to hide skin issues. (More about concealers here. Type, how to use etc etc.)

Try a moisturizing skin whitening cream:

Moisturizing, because skin that is dry is prone to suffer from such patches.

While buying a skin whitening cream, look for below ingredients:

Vitamin C
Kojic Acid
Arbutin
Azelaic acid
Licorice Acid
Niacinamide
Grape seed extracts.

These ingredients help in reducing the melanin production in your skin. This making your skin look pale.

Try out below home made packs:

Here are some natural bleaching agents you can find at your home. You just have to apply a layer of fresh juice or mixture of ingredient with water to form paste. Wash with warm water.

Lemon Juice
Potato Juice
Turmeric mask
Cucumber Juice
Aloe vera gel
Tomato Juice
Milk Cream

Laser treatment:

If you have severe patches, post a good consultation, you can go for laser treatment. This treatment is going to lighten the patches. But couple of things to consider here are – it is expensive and it is not permanent.

Dermatologist:

If none of these home remedies work, kindly consult a good dermatologist to get your skin issues resolved with prescribed medication.

Hope you find this post useful. 😘

Home Remedies to Treat Dark Underarms

Even though the summer is over, we still love wearing those cold/off shoulders or sleeveless tops or dresses this season. Bright colored outfit is going to brighten a gloomy day anyways….!!!

One thing to take care of, while wearing outfits that’s gonna expose your underarms area is the dark patches on the area. You might have also noticed ladies who have darker armpits as compared to their overall skin tone. That looks bad. Isn’t it???

Reason might be due to excess use of hair removal creams, deodorants(you should not use perfumes or deodorants directly on your skin. Check this post about perfumes to know more about it. ) or may be due to excess sun exposure. Reasons may vary but I have a list of home remedies which you can try out to get the one solution.

Ready to know the recipes?? Hope on…

Lemon:

When I hear the word skin whitening, one home remedy that comes to mind is ‘lemon juice’. (More about beauty benefits of lemon juice, here.)
All you need to do is apply a layer of freshly squeezed out lemon juice on your armpits. Let it dry and them wash it with warm water.
With regular use, it’s proven to lighten the armpits.

Potato:

Lemon and potato are like the president and vice presidents of the kitchen’s department of ‘skin whitening’. Just like the lemon, potato juice helps in brightening skin.
I know squeezing out lemon juice is way more easier than that of potato. You need a little more effort of grating potato to get the juice out of it. Apply this fresh juice on the effected area and leave it for sometime. Wash with warm water. It may or may not show the results within one use. But, with regular use, it will.

Multani Mitti:

One more ingredient for skin brightening is fuller earth, which is popularly known as multani mitti. In order to apply you need to make a paste out of this dry powder. For which, you can mix fuller earth powder with rose water or even with regular water.
Apply a thin layer on underarm area. Leave it for 5-10 minutes and rinse with water.
Please note, you don’t have to leave it till it dries of completely. Because it might just make the area dry by absorbing all the moisture of the skin, on which it’s applied.

Cucumber:

As cool as this vegetable is for summers when consumed, it is cooler for eyes and to skin when applied. Rub freshly cut cucumber pieces on the effected area. Along with soothing, it will brighten up the underarms.

Exfoliation:

You can either use dry brushing technique or try some home made scrubs to scrub away those dark and dead skin cells. Along with brushing away the layer of skin, it also unclogs the pores. You guys know clogging the sweat glands causes skin infection, which I have explained in this post.

Baking Soda:

Just like you use this one good ingredient for brightening your teeth, you can apply mixture of baking soda and water paste on dark patches to lighten the skin.

Orange peels:

Ok, for this you really need time and patience. If you have them, go ahead. One thing to mention, the results are totally worth the efforts.
In order to use orange peel, you got to dry them under the shade. Once they are dried, grind them to make powder out of it. As you guys know we can’t apply dry powder as a pack. All we need is a paste like consistency. To make a paste, mix the powder with rose water or regular water. Apply this paste on under arms and let it dry for 10 minutes, before washing using warm water.
With regular use, it not just going to brighten the underarm area, it also makes it smell good with fruity fragrance. So, bye bye bad odour.

Milk:

For a milky white underarm area, apply a layer of raw milk on it. Leave it for a while and then clean with water.

Coconut oil:

This is one magical oil that almost every south Indian swear by. This oil can heal anything. Like literally. haha. Applying coconut oil on armpits is going to add moisture and lighten the skin in and around it.

More beauty benefits of coconut oil here.

Saffron:

Saffron is one more Ayurveda ingredients used since ages for skin treatments. Dip few strands of saffron in milk. Apply this mixture on darkened area. Results are effective.

Things you need to avoid in order to avoid dark underarms:

After all, prevention is always better than cure. Isn’t it???
1. Do not use hair removal cream frequently. Once in a while, is fine. But always??? Na. If you use razor, you guys know it just cuts the hair strands. Doesn’t remove them from roots. Thus giving an illusion of dark underarms. Best solution??? Out of different hair removal techniques, go for waxing. It not only removes hair from roots, giving you a clean look, but also it removes the dead skin layer. Thinking about the pain??? Na… you will get used to it. hehe.

Do not use perfumes directly on skin. Perfumes contain more alcohol that causes skin darkening. (Here is how you can use perfume without harming your skin and clothes).

Do not over expose your skin to hot sun. More exposure, more skin damage.
Weight loss.!!! When we exceed the idol weight, fat of our body that gets aggregated under the arms rub against the garments and can lead to dark underarms.
Regular hygiene is important, to avoid dark underarms. Do not skip shower and also regular exfoliation helps you keep skin healthy.

I hope these help you if you have dark underarms. The next time you wear sleeveless dresses, you don’t have to be conscious about dark patches. Flaunt those white underarms with grace.

Tanned Feet??? This Post Will Make Them Happy Feet

Sometimes it happens with everyone of us, that even though we know the solutions to our beauty problems, we are way too lazy to execute them. I mean we silently cry due to the issues we face but not ready to spend time working for it. #typical.

I know I have quite handful of posts for taking care of feet. But my feet are the most neglected ones, when it comes to ‘skin care’. I was so lazy to buy new pair of socks(ahh whenever I buy, one of them always always manages to disappear magically…!!!), that I used to travel to office under hot sun with my feet almost open(I rarely wear closed footwear). You don’t really have to think much about the consequences I am facing because of that. Ummm tanned feet…!!! Arrggghhh…!!!

tan feet — They are not my feet. haha. My feet are tanned evenly. #sob

Skin covering our face is the most delicate one, where as the one covering feet is quite hard. Hence the care which needs to be taken differs. Even though I do know the steps I need to take care of to keep feet look fresh, I am bit lazy to follow them.

I am writing this post to share my ‘knowledge’ and with the hope to start following them by myself. Starting from today.!!

Prevention is better than cure:

Don’t be as lazy like me. Always cover your feet too when you are going out in hot sun. A good quality shoes are the better option. This helps in preventing your feet from getting tanned. Also, in monsoon it helps in protecting feet from fungal infections caused by dirty water on roads. (Most of the Indian women can relate to this.)

Scrub:

Those dry, cracked heels look really bad. (I don’t have that issue. All thanks to sweatty feet). To get rid of dead skin cells and tan to a certain extent, all you need to do is scrubbing. A pumice stone or a good foot brush will help you with this.

I use the one from The Body Shop. You can buy it from here.

Foot Mask:

Yep, just like you would treat your face to get rid of tan by applying face packs, you apply a nice foot mask. There are multiple brands who have introduced so many nice foot packs and masks to the world. For removal of tan, I’m gonna list out some of the natural bleaching agents you find at home. You can mix them or can apply them individually.

PS: Click on the ingredients you wanna know more about, how to use, why to use etc.

Lemon
Potato
Turmeric
Corn flour
Tomatoes
Baking soda
Papaya
Soured milk
Curd
Yogurt

Foot Cream:

To lock in the moisture in order to enhance the texture of skin, all we need is a good moisturiser. I recommend this amazing foot cream from the brand The Body Shop. I had gifted this foot cream to my mom couple of months ago. She just loved it. I am sure it will work for you too. Check the full review of the foot cream here.

So this is how we can make our tanned feet a happy feet…!!!

I hope you try these at home and share your experience in the comments section… 🙂

If you know any more tips, do share. I would love hearing and trying out beauty recipes. 🙂

Home Remedies to Say Good Bye to Blackheads

Last week, Mygirlypedia had asked this one single question on all it’s Social Media channels -What is that one beauty problem which you are facing and which you would like to get home remedies for?

Deal was – you ask and we answer. 🙂

Thank you for responding to it with bunch of beauty issues of yours. Mygirlypedia would love to answer you all, one by one. So, today let me just start with a beauty query which was common among most of you – Blackheads.

In this post, I am gonna tell you what and how these blackheads are caused. What can be done at home to get rid of them. Ready??? Read on then…!!! 🙂

What is a blackhead???

Technically, blackheads are type of acne. As the name suggests these are tiny black bumps on skin. Caused due to clogged hair follicles.

How are blackheads formed???

Ok, so, our each and every skin cell has these two glands – One for hair and one for oil secretion. As you guys know the oil secretion is necessary to keep the skin hydrated. You guys also know the skin type, where this oil secretion is excess. Do you??? – Check Your Answer is here. 😉

So when dry skin cells and oil secreted, get trapped inside the skin cells, it forms the bump. When this bump is closed, it is called whitehead. But when it opens, it looks black thus called blackhead. Simple…!!!!

What causes these blackheads???

Below are some of the major reasons for blackheads –

Medication
Hormonal changes
Excess oil secretion
Dry skin
Bacterial infection
Excess dairy products consumption

Blackheads are formed on these body parts –

Face (Especially on nose)
Neck
Arms
Shoulders
Chest
Back

How do they look like???

Did you just say ewww???? Well, not your fault. They do look like that. As I said before blackheads are form of pimple. Unlike pimple, these are painless. Due to their dark pigmentation, they can be easily noticed.

Home remedies for blackheads –

Even though there are methods where post giving nice steam to face, with blackhead remover, people just squeeze out the blackheads. But honestly, it takes time and it is painful. Hence listing some of the easy breezy techniques here.

Exfoliate –

Scrubbing away those dead cells can give your skin cells a chance to breath. Thus saying bye bye to blackheads.

Here are some home made scrubs you can try out.

Baking soda paste –

Baking soda has the property to balance pH level of skin. Mix a table spoon of baking soda with water. Apply this on effected area. Massage gently. While giving mild scrubbing effect, it removes dead skin cells, unclogs pores and clean the skin cells.

Turmeric paste –

We all know how this magical ingredient from our kitchen shelf has helped us with our beauty issues. Turmeric paste applied and massaged on effected area, effectively kills bacteria and cures skin.

Green tea leaves –

Take out that green tea powder from a tea bag and apply it as mask. Gently rub it while washing it off. While purifying the skin cells, it also wash away dead cells.

Peel off masks –

There are multiple peel off masks you must have heard of or tried of. You just need to apply a layer of a mask. Let it dry. Once it is dried, peel it off. It might be painful but it does removes blackhead effectively.

Since we are discussing home remedies, the best peel off mask you can prepare at home is using egg white. Apply a layer of egg white on effected area. Let it dry. Peel it off. You can visibly see the blackhead on the peeled mask. Eww. But your skin looks wow…!!!

Plus, egg white is used for anti aging also. Bye bye blackhead and of course bye bye fine lines.

How to prevent blackheads –

As they say, prevention is better than cure. To avoid this nasty skin issue, follow these simple steps.

Wash your face regularly. This keeps skin pores clean.
Scrub away dry skin cells at least two times a week.
If you have dry skin – here are the skin care rules to keep it health.
If your skin secrets oil more already, here is the guide to take care of your skin.
Normal or combination skinned beauties, try to use oil free products to avoid blackheads.

I hope this post helps you totally to get rid of blackheads. anddd hello beautiful skin…!!!! :*

Skin Care Tips for Dry Skin

Last week I have shared a post with all the care we got to take if we have oily skin. Today, let’s talk about skin which lacks hydration. That is dry skin.

Some girls are so much worried about their itchy dry skin that they try a lot many products. But not all the products are meant for this particular type of skin. Lets see how to take care of dry skin in right way.

First thing first. No matter what your skin type is, the basic mantra is these three letters – CTM.

Cleansing –

Harsh face washes and soaps are a big no no for you guys. Because they dry the skin even more. To clean or cleanse your face, always use a cream based cleanser. Reason being, while serving the key purpose, it will also add some moisture which your skin needs.

Toning –

Toner removes the left over dirt from facial pores. If you have good cleanser, you can skip this step.

Moisturising –

There are multiple types of moisturisers available in market. I am not just talking about different brands, there are types like water based, oil based, heavy, light moisturisers. Based on your skin condition choose the right one. Since the skin is already dry, oil based or heavy moisturiser suits the best for dry skinned beauties.

Scrubbing –

This is one of the ‘needed’ step in skin care regime for dry skin. Scrubbing removes dead skin cells. Which is much needed in your case. Even while choosing a scrub, look for a lotion based scrub. You can try out sugar and honey scrub. While sugar removes the dead skin cells, honey adds moisture. Too much scrubbing is something I never recommend. Two to three times a week(provided your skin is extremely dry) is what best suitable one.

More homemade scrubs here.

Face Packs –

There are some moisturising face packs which you can prepare at home using kitchen ingredients. Try them twice or thrice a week to add the moisture to your skin.

For body:

Along with eating right and drinking loads of water, below are some of the points which are essential for better skin texture.

1. Cleansing –

Instead of using soaps, opt for a mild shower cream or gel. Cream being the first choice, for the obvious reasons.

2. Scrubbing –

Just like face, it’s necessary to scrub away those dead skin cells from body. This will avoid the itchiness as well as it lets skin breath. You can try some home made scrubs or try dry brushing.
Know about dry brushing here.

3. Body Lotion –

A heavy body lotion is what your skin will be thankful for. These are the body lotions I recommend for you. Apply the lotion twice a day for better results.

So these are the quick tips to take a good care of dry skin. I hope you find it useful. ☺️

Skin Care Tips for Oily Skin

Ahh skin care… I know it’s tiresome yet times, but worth the efforts. Because no makeup can get you those compliments, which your natural skin gets you.

You must have read the basic mantra for a great skin – CTM. Now the tricky part is not everyone has same skin type. I am not talking about skin texture or definitely not about shade/tone. I am taking about different types of skin i.e. normal, dry and oily.

Some of you have been asking me to write a post on one of the most sensitive skin type – oily skin. So, in this post I am gonna tell you how to take care of it, what are the daily routine you can follow to keep the skin in a great condition.

I mentioned oily skin as most sensitive one. Because, oily skin is called so because of the excess oil production by the skin cells. This excess natural oil not only makes face look too much shiny, but also it clogs pores, attracts dirt. Thus causing breakouts. Hence oily skin needs more care than the other two types of skin.

Oily skin can be caused due to genetics, diet, too much stress or hormone changes in the body.

Let’s see what is the basic Skin care routine to be followed for oily skin:

Cleansing –

Use a non oily cleanser to clean the skin. Because unclogging pores and removing impurities from skin should be the first step which need to be done.

Toning –

As you know, toner is for ultra purification of cells. If there are any left out impurities, toner will make sure to remove them. Hence cleansing and toning is a must for oily skin.

Moisturising –

I have often got queries that, do the oily skinned beauties really need a moisturiser??? Yes. They definitely need one. Since skin is already producing excess oil, opting for a oil based moisturiser is not a good idea. Hence a water based or light moisturiser should do its tricks of adding that hydration your skin needs.

How to manage oily skin???

Couple of quick tricks to reduce skin looking shiny,
1. Always keep facial tissue papers handy. Well, I am not saying facial wipes here because, we want to absorb that excess oil. So dry, yet soft facial tissue should do the job.
2. Go for matte finishing makeup products. This kind of finish is meant for oily skinned girls.

Face Packs:

There are some of the home made face packs, which are proven to reduce the oiliness.

Lemon Juice:

Secret here is, ingredients which are a big no no for dry skin, works best on oily skin. Lemon juice, as you guys know is a natural bleaching agent. Also, it dries out the skin. Key to reduce oiliness is to reduce the excess oil. Apply a layer of lemon juice on face. Keep it for 10 minutes and wash with warm water. This absorbs the oil and makes skin look fresh and healthy.

Egg white:

This is been used for anti aging and skin tightening purposes. Also, applying egg white on skin for 10 minutes or so has proven to absorb excess oil from skin. Thus bye bye oiliness.

Tomatoes:

Just like lemon, it is also a bleaching, cooling, clarifying and oil absorbing ingredient. Applying a layer of tomato juice is been proven to leave the skin with matte finished look.

Cucumber:

Cucumber works just like lemon and tomato. Plus the cooling effect…!!!

Apple cider vinegar:

More about this magical ingredient here.

Aloe Vera:

You have already know the benefits of this amazing plant in this post.

Fuller earth:

This is my favorite. Fuller earth or multani mitti has the best oil absorbing properties. Using the mask twice or thrice a week should help you in getting rid of oily skin eventually.

So these are the basic skin care routine you can adopt to reduce the excess oil from the face. Also, don’t forget to reduce the stress level. Because all bad things starts happening to your body due to the negative thoughts in your brain. 😊 Inhale positivity… Exhale negativity. Stay happy, stay gorgeous.

Home Remedies to Get Rid of Dry Lips, Hello Pink Lips

Hey,

Are you also facing the dry and pigmented lips like many girls out there??? Well, welcome to the club. Even I am one among those ‘many’. But with constant care I must say my lips’ condition has been improved.

These dry, flaky lips are annoying and they look really tacky. Now that I have tried and tested so many lip care stuffs and lip products(as you guys know), let me tell you some of the tips I use to take care of my lips.

You guys know, “Prevention is better than cure”. Let me start with the things which you need to avoid in order to stop making the condition of your lips worse. Here are certain things which causes dry lips.

Causes:

Licking your lips.:

I know when lips are dry we try to lick them to give them temporary moisture. But thing which might surprise you is, doing this will dry your lips even more. That’s because saliva evaporates quickly. Thus sucking the moisture out of your lips.

Not drinking enough water:

Dry lips, skin and hair might be a sign that your body is screaming for more hydration inside out…!!! So now that you know your body’s signal, you know what to do.

Applying matte lipsticks:

Matte lipsticks are tend to dry the lips. If you apply it on already dry lips, along with worsening the condition, they also highlight these dry cracks on your lips. Ahh I know, looks totally bad.

Breathing from Mouth

Some people breath from mouth, that’s may be because they are allergic to somethings, they need more oxygen especially post some exhausting physical activities etc. While you breath from mouth, it tend to absorb moisture from lips, leaving them dry and flaky.

Vitamin level

Dry lips can also indicate the level of vitamins in your body. If your lips are dry, it might be because you have too much vitamin A in your body or you are suffering from vitamin B deficiency.

Medication:

If you are on some medications, let me tell you some medicines tend to make your lips dry.

Sun damage:

Ahh you all know, how the exposure to sun rays causes dehydration. Lips are also an easy target.

One more great message your dry lips are giving you is, you are not taking care of them well..!!! haha

Now, that we know what not to do, let me tell you some of the tips to follow and of course give you some valuable home remedies to scrub away those dry skin cells from your lips. After all, who doesn’t like those pink, soft lips. We all do right??? Read on to know the dos.

Hydration:

Drink loads and loads of water. This will improve not only lips, but also your overall health.

Protect them:

A good lip balm is a must for protecting your lips from getting dehydrated. Adding moisture with each application will make your lips thank you.

Exfoliate:

Just like you use body and face scrubs to exfoliate your body and face respectively, you need to use a mild exfoliating scrub to exfoliate your lips. Read the word ‘mild ‘ twice, because unlike our body and face skin, skin covering our lips is way too soft. Thus needs more gentle care.

There are multiple brands with some amazing scrubs. I personally suggest this scrub from the brand “The Forest Essentials”.

Well, if you are one among those who love trying out home remedies for the obvious reason that they have minimal or no side effects, I have a list of home made lip scrubs for you.

Toothbrush:

Let me start with a easier and super handy one. Yep, toothbrush. All you need to do is gently brush your lips for a minute. Don’t forget to wet your lips before brushing them. Because you want to scrub them not hurt them.

Dry cloth:

Preferably cotton cloth is used for this. Wet your lips and post few seconds, rub the cotton piece of cloth against your lips gently. This will also remove the dry layer of skin.

Almond oil and sugar scrub:

Mix brown sugar and almond oil. Apply this on your lips. Leave for a while and scrub the lips. While sugar granules remove the dead skin cells, almond oil adds moisture. Voila..!!! two in one work done..!!!

Coconut oil scrub:

Being a south Indian, we use coconut oil for most of out beauty regime. I will tell you how to make the scrub. Mix coconut oil with sugar or with coffee powder. While sugar or coffee granules scrub off the dry layer, coconut oil adds moisture. I prefer coffee over sugar. Because it works like aroma therapy for me.

More about coconut oil uses in beauty care, here.

More about aroma therapy, here.

Super moisturising scrub:

Honey is the most moisturising kitchen ingredient you can use for your dry skin issues. Mixing homey and sugar to exfoliate your lips will make your lips soft and moisturised at same time.

Flavored Scrubs:

You can add different flavoring agents which you use in cooking. Like vanilla essence, bubblegum flavour etc. to make the scrub more interesting one.

Lip Masks:

Also, you must have heard about face masks. Just like those masks, we do have masks for lips…!!! To serve the same purpose. You can check the recipe of lip mask here, which I use on my lips.

So, exfoliation, masking and applying a good lip balm should solve your dry lip issues.

I hope these tips will help you. 🙂

Health and Beauty Tips for Summers

Hello,

You know one of the secrets of good health and beauty??? Modifying the care required for great health and beauty, as per the seasons. That’s why the most intelligent creator of this Earth has this concept of seasonal fruits and flowers. Which are perfect for the respective seasons.

As you all know weather plays vital role in the overall health. Going by nature’s way, adopting to climate change by modifying food and beauty regime will definitely help us to achieve the goals.

Now that the summer is here, here are some tips to make our skin glow and give a tough competition to Sun. hehe.

Read on to achieve #skinGoals.

Hydration:

As every one knows, the heat drains out our body. So keeping our self hydrated is the key to survive summer.

Drink plenty of water.
Try on hydrating masks for couple of times in a week.
Consume food which have more water content like cucumber, watermelon etc. to keep body cool.
Try to reduce or avoid caffeinated drinks, as they dehydrate body even more.
You can try out some recipes out of one of the most super friendly kitchen ingredients – Basil seeds. Check this post to know more about Basil seeds or Sabja.

Sunscreen Is Your Superhero:

In fact, not only summer but every season we need to use a layer of sun screen. I recently started using sun screen. All thanks to the super hot Sun.

Not only while stepping out, but sun screens should be applied and re applied every couple of hours even when you are indoor.

While looking for sunscreens, do look for the one with more PA factor along with SPF. I will write up a quick post about it soon.

Don’t Neglect Eyes and Lips:

This is the season which is ideal to flaunt those sun glasses. Wear a good quality sun glasses to protect eyes from harsh Sun rays and keep them cool. I said ‘good’ quality. Because, if you compromise with the quality, you will be harming your eyes more than doing any good to them.

Also do not forget to pamper yourself by placing cucumber slices on eyes to keep them cool and healthy this summer. This also helps in keeping dark circles away.

For lips, do invest in a good SPF lip balm. Because you don’t want to end up with dry and pigmented lips. Do you???

Protect Your Crown:

Hair is our crown. How can we neglect that??? When you step outside in the sun, don’t forget to protect them by wearing hats or scarfs.

We happen to sweat a lot in summers. This might make our scalp oily and cause scalp infections. Which will result in dandruff and hair fall. Washing them twice in a week at least, should help. If you face such problem this summer, do try these hair masks at home. Which will add that shine and make your hair summer ready.

Also, use good live in conditioner to avoid dry hair. Here are my recommendations.

Kitchen ingredients which will keep your skin cool:

There are certain home remedies which helps in keeping body hydrated and cool.

Exfoliation:

Scrubbing away those dead cells helps in achieving smooth skin. Also, it helps the skin pores to breath. This also helps in unclogging skin cells thus avoiding skin rashes.

Change in Cosmetics:

If you have not yet opted for waterproof makeup, do switch. Because water proof makeup is something essential for summers as well as monsoons. All thanks to sweat and rain in the respective seasons.
I have posted about waterproof makeup here, which you might find helpful for summers as well.

This are some of the tips that can make summer even more joyful… 😊

Keep in mind, health comes first. The more you are healthier from inside, the more you shine from outside. 😊

Hope this helps 😊

My Take On Himalaya Face Pack

Hi,

Which is your favorite face pack??? No, I am not talking about home made one. If I have to ask you, which is your face pack from the ones you get in market… which one would it be??? Mine is this one.

Recently, I wanted to buy a new face pack as I was bored with the ones I have. But not in a mood to spend much on one.

I have heard a lot about the brand Himalaya, which is known for its good products with safe ingredients. Plus prices are comparatively low for the quality of their products. I have used their body lotion before. It had turned out to be a good one. So, after looking at different shelves in the shop for face packs, going through different types of face packs of same range which are meant to serve different skin purposes, picked up this one. Lets see whether this pocket friendly product turned out to be skin friendly or not.

Brand:

Himalaya

Name:

Himalaya Herbals Fairness Kesar Face Pack

Price:

135 INR for 100 gm (Affordable I say)

You can try out smaller version for testing purpose too. 50gm will cost you 75 INR.

Shelf Life:

What Company Claims???

Himalaya Herbals Fairness Face Pack lightens and evens skin tone, reduces dark spots and blemishes, reduces visibility of dark circle, nourishes skin and moisturises the skin. It is enriched with natural ingredients like walnut which act as natural exfoliator helping remove dead cells, impurities and black heads. Himalaya Herbals Fairness Face Pack help to clean the skin surface making skin look soft, healthy and supple.

Removes dirt.

Exfoliates the skin without being harsh on the skin.

Made with natural ingredients.

Ingredients:

Seems to be safe…

Curcuma longa (Turmeric, Haridra) Juglans regia(Walnut, Akschota) Crocus sativus (Saffron, Kumkuma)

Packing:

A very first reason to opt for Himalya face pack is, apart from being good ingredients it is also a hygienic packing. The tube packing helps in maintaining hygiene because we don’t have top dip fingers in it to take out the product. Like we do in case of tub packing.

This off white and green combo plastic tube has flip cap. Which is tight and thus it can be carried while we travel. Also, you can squeeze out required quantity of face pack without having to worry of any spillage or wastage.

Fragrance:

Strangely it smells like lacto calamine lotion.

Texture:

It is creamy.

How to Use:

Apply it evenly on face leaving mouth and eyes(obviously. And yes nostrils. Because of the obvious reason haha) Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Remove with wet sponge/towel. Rinse with cool water.

I am suggesting to use towel because this face pack is thick in texture. Its not easy to wash with water in one go.

My take:

Something that made me pick this face pack is it’s ingredients. Turmeric has antibacterial and healing properties, walnut is good for scrubbing. Kesar/Saffron is the queen of home remedies when it comes to skin.

I applied this on my face. It feels like a thick layer of cream on your face. It doesn’t give you any cooling or burning effect. Just let it stay on face for 15-20 minutes. It doesn’t really dry fast as it’s thick in texture. But let me tell you one thing, a common mistake we all do when we apply face packs. Not all the face packs need to be left till they dry. The idea here is to get most of benefits from face pack not to dry the face pack on our faces. Some face packs, as and when they dry they absorb all the natural oil from your face too…!!!

So post the specified time, tried washing it with water. But washing cream away is not an easy task. Patches of cream are still be there on face. So using a cotton pad or towel would be more handy. Plus using cotton pad or a cotton towel has the benefit of scrubbing also. Thus bye bye dead cells.

Once I had cleaned my face completely, I liked the glow it gave to my skin. Even though it didn’t really last that long, but that instant glow is worth trying this face pack for. Plus it didn’t dry my skin like some other packs and left skin super cleaned. #HappyMe

As per as skin lightening is concerned, I didn’t see much of that. It does add that glow and instant brightening. But no long lasting skin lightening benefits as such.

Good things about Himalaya Herbals Fairness Kesar Face Pack :

Affordable
Gives nice glow
Cleans skin very well
Does not dry skin
Safe ingredients
Travel friendly packing
Availability – available both at local drug stores as well as online.

Not so good things about Himalaya Herbals Fairness Kesar Face Pack :

Glow doesn’t really lasts longer
Can’t clean only with water. Need cotton pads to clean it completely from face.

Will I repurchase???

Yes(but once I finish all my stock of other face packs). I liked the way it adds glow and brightens skin tone in one use.

Will I recommend???

Yes. Its within budget, brightens skin tone, adds glow. I guess it’s a good deal for the price we are paying. Ideal to use before any special events to attend.

Mygirlypedia Rating: 3.5/5

Home Remedies to Cure Prickly Heat Rashes

Hey,

Changes are always difficult in the beginning. Be it a change in life or change in weather. Haha.

April has just started and sun has already started to work on his skills to shine brighter in coming months.

As much as I love summer, the facts like some skin issues and stuffs, make me meh for summer. Even though I’m sensitive for cold than heat, this time even I have started facing some heat pimples. My sister, she is at her worst during summers. She can’t just withstand the heat. Phew… Poor baby girl, she starts complaining about these small pimples she gets at the beginning of summer. Every summer. Which we technically call prickly heat rashes.

I’m pretty sure this must be the case for most of you out there. Let’s get to know what are these rashes are about and how exactly they are caused. Are you ready???

What are Prickly Heat Rashes??

They are small red, itchy rashes caused due to heat. They also have prickling or stinging sensation.

How They Are Caused?

These are the rashes that are caused when a person sweats more than usual and the sweat glands get blocked.

Babies are also prone to get effected by these nasty rashes as their sweat glands are not fully developed.

So when skin cells breath, because of skin’s dead cells and bacteria clogs the pores. Thus skin cells are blocked and sweat is trapped inside skin cells. This is what formes these rashes. As and when you burst the rash or pimple, the sweat gets released thus causing stinging or prickling sensation.

Even though they get cured on their own within few days, for some it might take a bit long time to get cured completely.

In some severe cases, heat rashes can disturb the body heat mechanism and cause heat exhaustion.

How to Cure Prickly Heat Rashes???

Doctors always suggests to keep the effected area cool and dry. You must have seen the TV commercials of prickly heat powders. The idea here is, not that the powder gives you cooling effect. But it keeps area dry and avoiding further infection. ( I remember my sister keeping the powder inside freezer before applying. She used to get such a relief. )

Avoid sweating for the obvious reasons. Keep yourself cool by the help of fans, air conditioner or a shower.

Avoid using heavy creams as they clog your pores more. This is why we need to change our skin care products with a summer friendly one.
Wear cotton and flowy clothes. Avoid skin tight clothes. Let your skin breath.

Use aloe vera gel. You guys know how soothing and cooling effect this natural gel gives you. All you need to apply a thin layer of it on effected area to get the relief. Check out more benefits of aloe vera here.
Fuller earth to the rescue. Apply a paste of Fuller earth on prickly heat rashes. This helps in unclogging the pores. This helps in healing pimples.

Applying a dilute baking soda solution also works as the baking soda has antibacterial properties.
Potato is one more natural remedy which helps in soothing the skin. Apply it’s juice to heal the rashes.

The creator of the Earth is the ultimate intelligent person. The seasonal fruits are one of the proofs for that. I mean watermelons are the ultimate weapon to beat the heat. Be it by consuming it or by applying it’s juice on the rashes. It works either way. What you might not know is watermelons have antibacterial properties in them. Thus killing bacteria which is the reason for the rashes.
Ginger, you know how prominent it is in the books of Ayurveda. It has antibacterial properties thus you can use it’s juice to cure the rashes.

Lime juice, my favorite. Consuming lime juice helps in cooling down body temperature. Also it fastens the healing process.
Apply honey on rashes to get rid of itchiness. Honey has antibacterial and moisturizing properties.

Cucumber is one more summer essential. All thanks to it’s high water content. Applying or placing cool cucumber slices on body helps in healing and consuming cucumber helps to maintain healthy body temperature.
You must have read my post about apple cider vinegar. How beautifully it works on skin. Apply diluted ACV to soothe the rashes.

Coconut oil is every south Indian’s essential part of day to day life. It has tons of benefits. Check out this post to know more about how it works on skin.

Hope these remedies help you or your loved ones who might be suffering from these prickly heat rashes this summer…

So, are you summer ready??? Well, with these remedies you will definitely care free to welcome summer… 😊😘

This is What Apple Cider Vinegar Does to Your Body

Kardashians..!!! Half of the world at least knows who they are… If you don’t belong to that half, let me introduce them to you. There is this English reality show called “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”. It’s like being with them 24 X 7. Listening to ‘everything’ they talk. What do they talk??? Everything…!!! You can imagine everything a ‘modern’ family would discuss. In one sentence – you can keep your brain at rest while watching this show. Absolutely no brain required to watch this show. You know what’s the surprising part of this whole family drama is, they have earned a lot more than you must be thinking by this show. Its already 10 seasons old and all have earned millions.

Even though I am not a huge fan of theirs, I love their wardrobe and the way they experiment with their looks…
Couple of years ago all these 5 sisters have launched their personal mobile apps.. Where each one of them post their beauty, fitness secrets and details of their wardrobe. You must have read about Kylie cosmetics on my blog before. Kylie is the youngest daughter of this Kardashian family.

In one of those beauty apps of theirs, I came across this beauty drink called – apple cider vinegar (Courtesy- Instagram). Kourtney Kardashian swears that she starts her day by drinking apple cider vinegar. After making my home work about this, I have started drinking this every morning. Since I know most of the things about it now, thought of sharing it with you guys.

What is Apple Cider Vinegar???

Apple cider vinegar, also known as cider vinegar /ACV, is a type of vinegar made from cider or apple.

How does it looks and tastes like???

It has pale to medium amber color and sour in taste. IMPORTANT thing is, its highly concentrated. It’s pungent, can even irritate your eyes. So, ALWAYS dilute before you consume.

I bought mine from Amazon. Here is the link.

Health Benefits:

Weight Loss:

Yeaahhhh…!!!! I know, I know,we all wanna eat our favorite food and never wanna look fat. How about doing these little things to shoot that nasty fat ???

Studies have proven that the acetic acid found in apple cider vinegar helps in slowing down fat accumulation. Also, its proved that on consuming this our stomach feels full thus we end up eating less. There you go, you have started with your weight loss journey already…!!!

Low Cholesterol:

A research was conducted where 1st specimen was not allowed to have Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) in his diet, whereas the other one was allowed to. At the end of the study it was found that the one who was consuming ACV had drop in cholesterol level.

Detoxification:

So, ACV has potassium content along with acetic acid in it. So, while the acid bind to the task of removing toxins, potassium helps in breaking up mucus and clearing lymph nodes. Thus helps in detoxification.

Cures Sinuses

As mentioned in previous point, ACV helps in clearing lymph nodes by breaking mucus. In addition to that, it also helps in clearing sinus. Also, ACV helps in preventing any sinus infection, all thanks to its antibacterial properties.

So, if you have any sinus issues, do include ACV in your diet.

Cure for Sore Throat

Since ACV has antibacterial properties, gargling ACV helps in healing sored throat.

Improves Digestion

ACV helps in keeping health of stomach in a good condition. Also, aids in digestion.

Energy Booster

Replace your energy drink with ACV. Why??? The potassium content in ACV helps in boosting the energy and making you feel good and energetic.

Controls Diabetes and lessen heartburn

Let me not go to medical terms here. But in simple sentence – apple cider vinegar lowers blood sugar level. Thus it does reduces risks of diabetes and heartburns. I didn’t ‘prove’ that, studies did. haha

Oral Health

Who doesn’t like those white pearly smile??? Brushing teeth with diluted ACV helps in whitening teeth naturally. Killing the bacteria is the bonus.

Beauty Benefits:

For Shiny Hair

Rinse your hair with a little quantity of ACV post shower. This will make your hair shiny and bouncy.

Itchy/ sunburn skin

Applying diluted ACV on sunburnt or itchy skin can heal it.

It’s a good Toner or cleanser

As it’s antibacterial, you can use diluted ACV on your face to get the most of the benefits. Along with cleaning the facial pores, ACV also helps in preventing the bacterial infections/ pimples/ breakouts. #happyyy

Deodorant

Summer is just around the corner. Uff that stinking smell of sweat. Yikes. This is due to odour causing bacteria. Applying diluted ACV on armpits can stop the bacteria from producing that nasty odour.

Bad Breath Go Away

Bad breath can be really embarrassing. Gargling mouth with ACV(Diluted of course) can keep bad breath away.

Smelly feet

Ewww. Just soak feet in a tub full of warm water. Don’t forget to add few drops of apple cider vinegar to kill the bacteria and making feet smell fresh.

So, my dear, are you convinced enough why you should start using apple cider vinegar in your diet???

You can drink diluted ACV directly or you can use it in your juices or salads. Cooking is not really my thing so I cant really help you out with how and where to mix this this drink with. #sorry But don’t forget to use DILUTED apple cider vinegar ONLY.

Take care reader…!!!

Umm you can keep in touch with me via Instagram, I have shared my Monday Motivation recently. You can check it here if you wish to.

Cya in next post..!!!

Three Letter Mantra to Follow for A Beautiful Skin

Hellooo,

I have been writing a lot about makeup products in detail. I realised something which I was missing, when one of my friends asked me so innocently,” Pallavi, what is CTM??? Could you please write a post about it???”

So here is the post about the basement of skin care – CTM. Its an abbreviation. Each letter represents different basic products we need to keep the skin in good condition. Ummm you must have heard about these products… Any guesses???

C – Cleanser

T – Toner

M – Moisturizer

Let me explain more..

Cleanser-

As the name suggests, cleansing or cleaning. Cleaning skin from external dirt. There are different ways to cleanse your skin. I will write about it tomorrow.

Umm if you have a doubt about washing face is considered as cleansing??? I would say to a certain extent yes. But not every facial foam/wash can cleanse your skin pores completely. Not every face wash can remove your makeup. Agree???

Easiest way to cleanse your face is using a good cleanser. There are multiple cleansers available in market. I have been using a cleanser from the brand Garnier. I have already bought my second bottle already. You can check this post to know why I recommend this to you.

How to use:

Check the video here where I have demonstrated how to use toner.

Toner:

Toner is oil based liquid. It is used for ultra purification of facial pores.

No matter how good the cleanser might be there are chances that traces of makeup or impurity still persist inside pores. This will lead to pore clogging that in turn leads to pimples. Toner helps in removing that dirt from pores and leave them ready for absorption of moisture or serum which we will be doing in the next step.

Toner also provides soothing effect to skin and said to lighten the redness or blemishes if any. Point I want to mention here is, there are some toners in market which I had tried earlier gives tingling effect too…!!! May be that’s how they work. Personal suggestion, do not opt for alcohol based toner. As it might irritate your eyes. Because I had made that mistake I don’t want you, my dear reader, to do.

There are multiple brands with so many options for a toner. If you are thinking of which one to buy, I have a suggestion for you. Which suits every skin type and a budget friendly one or I would say it costs nothing. Rose water. Yes that’s the best toner you can find.
Check this out to know more about how to prepare rose water at home.

How to use:

Drop few drops of toner on cotton balls/pads. Apply it on face. No need to rub. Be gentle and pat it on face.

Moisturizer:

As you all know what this is for.

Yes you are right, to add that extra moisture or hydration to your skin. Adding moisture to skin helps in improving texture and tone of skin.

Thing we need to take care is that one single moisturizer may not meet different skin needs. Every different skin type needs different moisturizer for a good care.

Dry skin – Badly needs more hydration. Oil based moisturiser is best for this type of skin.

Oily skin – We can not apply oil based moisturiser to already oil producing skin. Can we??? This will worsen the situation. Hence, light weight or water based moisturizer is ideal.

Normal/Combination skin – This type is a lucky one as they choose either (water/oil based) of the moisturisers as per their current need.

How to use:

Using fingers apply gently on face leaving eyes and lips area(I know it’s obvious but no harm in mentioning. hehe)

Now, the biggest question –

what’s the order to carry out these steps…

It’s in the word – CTM itself dearie…!!!

Cleanser then toner, followed by moisturizer.

Clean your face. Clean more. Add moisture.

See, this is that easy…!!!

If you have any more questions regarding CTM, please feel free to contact Mygirlypedia…!!!

Happy to help you…!!!

Happy CTMing…!!! haha… Muuuaahhh…

Dozen Reasons to Include Garlic In Your Daily Regimen

Garlic – is such an ingredient which has both haters and lovers. Some just love it, like I do… Some, run away because of it’s smell. I personally love the taste it adds to a dish. At my home, only my mom and I love garlic so my dad and sister give us the garlics to us if they find it in their plates. Not because sharing is caring, because garlic is precious. At least to my mom and me. hehe.

So, you know this little ingredient can work wonder on your skin and hair??? Yes. You can replace some of your beauty items with this. Skin, hair friendly and most importantly budget friendly.

Let’s see how this kitchen ingredient does wonders to your skin and hair..!!!

Hair:

Hair Loss and Hair Growth:

Allicin, a sulphur compound which is used to treat hair fall or hair loss. This is also found in one more kitchen item – onion.
All you need to do is, slice the garlics. Squeeze the juice out of it and rub it on the scalp. Massage the scalp and leave it for a while. You can wash your hair post half an hour or so. This helps in preventing hair loss as well as promoting new hair growth.

Improves Blood Circulation in Scalp:

Garlic has Vitamins C, B2 and B1. They boost the blood circulation. Which in turn helps in boosting hair growth and improves health of hair.

Skin:

Acne Treatment:

Garlic has great antioxidants. Which helps in killing the bacteria. You know the acne or pimples are the skin’s way of fighting against bacteria. To help your skin to win this battle, all you need is garlic in your team. Rub garlic juice on pimples which will kill it’s enemy – bacteria.

Smooth and Rash Free Skin:

Garlic has great anti-inflammatory properties. Thus as you might have heard garlic oil is been a part of skin treatments. It helps in healing skin and result in rash free and smooth nourished skin.

Perfect Pedicure Ingredient:

We need to wash skin between the feet fingers especially during monsoon for the obvious reasons. If you are looking for anti fungal liquid or something, don’t waste your money on them. Instead, slice garlics and dip them in the bucket of warm water and dip your feet. Garlic will do its magic.

Anti Aging:

Garlic is a good source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients etc. They are the key ingredients which help in protecting it against aging signs like wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots etc. So next time when you find garlic in your plate, don’t waste it. Eat it for the sake of that glowing skin.

Minimizes Large Pores:

If your facial pores are visibly large, you are at a risk of more skin damage. How??? The open pores invites more dirt accumulation. Thus resulting in clogging them and causing acne. But worry not, mix garlic juice with any of other favorite kitchen ingredient of yours to make a paste. Apply it on face. Let it dry before washing it warm water. With regular use, this has been proved to minimise the large pores.

For Your Nails:

No matter how much you take care of nail’s hygiene, there is always a scope for improvement. There is always this tiny dirt stuck in the edge which will cause infection thus effecting nail’s health. So rubbing slice of garlic on your nails acts as anti bacterial lotion. Thus killing bacteria and helping the growth of nails.

Health:

Cold:

Garlic has been said to improve the immune system. When you are effected by common cold, drop few garlic in a pot of water and boil it. Strain and drink the water. This will help in curing the common cold. If you do not like the taste of it, you can add honey to it.

One more Ayurveda remedy which I have heard is, put a tiny piece of garlic inside a small cotton ball. Put this cotton ball inside your ears. It’s said that it will cure the cold as well as ear pain.

Weight Loss:

A study was conducted to prove that garlic in diet can help in reducing the weight. Thus if you are on the way to weight loss, do include garlic in your diet. What’s more happier than reducing weight by eating. Isn’t it???

Mosquitoes Hate Garlic:

Yes even though there are no exact reason for this, but they hate garlic. And we hate mosquitoes for their annoying noise and their bad habit of spreading diseases while sucking our blood out. Bad mosquitoes.
The good news is, you don’t have to spend money on mosquito repellent any more. Make one at home with less cost. Ingredients required are – garlic(obviously), Petroleum jelly and beeswax. Mix them well to form the lotion. In case you do not like the smell of it, add any essential oil of your choice. and tada you have your customised mosquito repellent.

Pests too Hate Garlic:

If you love gardening and thinking of which pesticides to buy next, try this out. With garlic oil, mineral oil, water and liquid soap – make one and spray it on plants. Pests hate garlic so they don’t dare to harm your little green friends.

Did you know these benefits??? I hope you found this post useful.

If you know any other benefits do let us know. Happy to share your remedies on Mygirlypedia so that it can help more people.

Do You Have Aloe Vera Plant At home??? Read This to Get Most Out of It. If Not, I am Sure You Will Get One Post Reading.

Hey,

Who doesn’t like to look beautiful… that too without burning the pockets??? Huun???

Today’s magical beauty product doesn’t cost you much. All you need is to give the product a space to live and pour a mug of water to it everyday. Haha… Yes, the product I am talking about is natural and green. It’s the multi purpose plant – Aloe vera…!!!

Even though there are multiple brands out there, who have made packed aloe vera gel for us. But, I am sure they do have some kind of preservatives to preserve them from getting spoiled. Hence, planting a Aloe vera plant at your balcony is a great idea to get more benefits with no side effects.

It might not add that ‘beauty’ quotient to your balcony though. As leaves are prickly and bitter. I am sure you must have heard, bitterness is good for health. Umm I am talking about taste here…!!!

Without wasting much time lets jump into the list of benefits of this plant…

Wait a sec, you know how to use it right??? Just have to pluck a leaf, and slice it. The gel which you get is the magical product which we need to heal our beauty problems. The gel is made up of 96% water, some organic and inorganic compounds. It also contains a type of protein with 18 types of amino acids, Vitamin A, B, C and E. Pheww… So much this little plant carries huun, I must say…!!!

Ok, now lets jump to the list…!!!! #wink

Beautiful Benefits of Aloe Vera Gel:

Eyes:

Puffy eyes??? Aloe vera for the rescue. Apply a thin layer of freshly cut aloe vera gel under eyes and leave for sometime. Bye bye puffy eyes…!!!
Most of us get cuts and red patches post getting our eyebrows threaded. Applying aloe vera gel on it will give you cooling and soothing effect.

Lips:

There are so many lip products in the market which has vitamin E as their main ingredient. Do you know this little plant is loaded with vitamin E??? Thus applying aloe vera gel on lips has proven to heal chapped lips, making it soft and pink.

Nails:

Brittle nails??? Have a habit of applying aloe vera gel on nails and massaging them gently. This will add moisture and boost the growth of stronger nails.

Skin:

As I said above, vitamin E is moisturizing content. Thus aloe vera is one of the best natural moisturisers you can find at your home.
Aloe vera gel is proven to provide cooling effect to skin. Applying it on burns should be helpful.
Oily skinned beauties – fed up with access oil production by your skin cells???? applying aloe vera gel on face has proven to reduce the oil production. Thus giving you a matte finished skin.
Acts a great moisturizing makeup remover.
Good to prevent aging signs like wrinkles and sagging skin.
It is also used to heal sun burns too.
Insect bites??? All you need to run to balcony, pluck aloe vera leaf and apply the gel.
Aloe vera gel has been said to cure various skin problems like pimples and scars.

Body:

Dry skinned beauties this one is for you. Mix aloe vera gel and sugar. Use it as scrub. Sugar granules will scrub off dry skin and aloe vera gel will add moisture to skin.
For pains and strains of joints, apply cold aloe vera gel. It gets absorbed into the skin and thus helps in soothing pain and strain.

Health:

This is also used in many ayurvedic recipes. Aloe vera juice when consumed, heals stomach disorders and allergies.
It also helps in curing diseases like piles, ulcers and jaundice, when consumed.
Plus, aloe vera juice consumption aids weight loss…!!!!
Also helps in improving digestion, regulates blood pressure, manages diabetes and prevents heart attacks.

Hair:

Applying aloe vera gel on to scalp for couple of hours before washing hair has proven to reduce hair fall and boost hair growth.

Oral Care:

Teeth and gum problems like – bleeding teeth or gums, inflammation, tooth ache and decay can be cured with aloe vera.

One important thing to take care:

Dear reader, even though aloe vera is a great herb, it might or might not work for you. If you apply the gel directly to your skin you might get itching or allergies. Because some people are allergic to this gel.

So, I would suggest to try a patch test before applying it to whole face directly. You can also dilute the gal by adding some quantity of water and then use it on skin.

Try out this home remedy to get most of the benefits with less or no cost.

How to Fix Broken Cosmetics

Hello,

The other day I bought a sparkling black kajal pencil from the brand Rimmel London online, from Nykaa… The cap of the kajal was so tight that I had to put all my energy to open it. What happened next broke my heart. I ended up breaking the tip of the kajal. #sad

You can feel that pain right??? Breaking your brand new cosmetic. Heart breaking moment gal…!!!

If you are a makeup enthusiast and love cosmetics, I am sure you have gone through this kind of heart breaks at least once. No??? Oh come on, you should have at least one dried nail paint or an eyeliner you have never used since long time. Yes even they come under ‘broken cosmetics’. haha. But the good news is there are ways to fix our broken yet precious cosmetics.

Yes. You don’t have to throw away only because it broke accidently, instead of wasting the money you have spent, try out these steps to fix them.

Excited to know how???

Read on..

Broken Kajal:

Let me start with the recent one I have tried and tested. If you open kajal like hulk(putting all your energy) and end up breaking it, try this.

Put the tip back and blend it which is a temporary fix. Just to make sure the kajal is back in place. Now put the kajal pencil inside freezer for couple of hours.
It did work. Kajal had hardened and it was usable again…!!!

Dried Kajal Pencils:

Yes this too happens. If you keep eye pencils unused for long, they do get dried out. Which makes their application uneasy.
So to soften the dried kajal, just heat the tip of it slightly. This melted kajal is easier to apply.

Dried Gel or Liquid Eyeliner:

This happens with all those gals like me, who buy all the types of kajals and eyeliners in the market and use only few of them. In order to take care of rest of the dried eye makeup product, all you need is any essential oil. I use coconut oil.

Put few drops of coconut oil in the gel or liquid liner container. Leave it for a while. The product and oil gets mixed up and it softens the product.
Now you can use your moisturising eyeliner…!!!!
But, make sure use add only few drops of oil. Because you don’t want to end up making it very thin in consistency. Which makes your liner runny.

Dried Mascara:

Using dried mascaras can make your eyelashes look like the branches of trees covered by snow flakes. But here the snow flakes are black in colour. Ewww…
To fix the dried mascara, put the mascara tube in warm water for a while. Then add few drops of coconut oil and shake the mascara tube vigorously. This should fix the problem.

Broken Lipstick:

Sometimes we end up breaking lipstick. What you need to do other than crying??? Umm… Take a lighter or lit a candle. Melt the liquid at the end where it has broken. Put the melted and softened lipstick back in the bullet. Keep the lipstick in freezer. After couple of hours – Tada…!!!! Lipstick is fit and fine… #wink

Dried or Broken Powder Compact and Blush:

All you need is a bit of alcohol to fix this heart break.

Take the injured compact powder or blush. Crush it into fine pieces. Ouch…!!!
Mix a bit of alcohol.
Blend it well to get a paste like consistency.
Now put this paste into the compact case.
Keep the case for drying.
Once it is completely dried, your compact looks like it never broke.

Dried Nail Paint:

This, we all know. Add nail paint remover to nail paint. This will soften the dried nail paint. After a while, you can use the nail paint to paint your nails beautifully.
If you do not have nail paint remover, try adding alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. They work similar to that of a remover.

Broken Eyeshadow:

Since eyeshadows are soft in consistency, this require a easy step.

Take tissue paper.
Put on the broken eyeshadow.
Press the eyeshadow with the help of finger.
This will put the eyeshadow back to it was before.

Unreachable Product:

In case you have spent a lot of money on some product and you want to use every bit of it. But some times it happens that, you can see the product at the bottom of the bottle/case but you cant take it out using your finger or by patting the bottle.
In this case, all you need is an earbud. Using a clean ear bud you can take out the product and use it.
I do this for my ‘almost over’ foundations.

So, now you know the magic to fix the broken cosmetics.

If you have kept those broken cosmetics just because you don’t want to throw it away, fix them and use them.

The next time when you break them accidently, do not cry. Take up the products you need to fix and give them another life.

It’s About Aroma Therapy

Aroma Therapy…!!!

Ah the name it self sounds so relaxing… Imagine a soothing, calming, aromatic long bath. With candles around and a soft music. Ahhh all the stress of the day will be out of your sight. Bliss…

Let us know some interesting things about this stress buster more… What’s say??? Read on…

What is Aroma Therapy???

As the name suggests it is a type of therapy, which is done to enhance psychological and physical well-being.

Aroma therapy is majorly about aroma massage or bath. Interestingly it is not restricted to only to a bath, massage or candles. The aroma therapy is used in cosmetic industries as well as in food industries. Yes. Some of the natural oils or the aromatic substance they use in order to give that good feeling when you apply cosmetic or open packet of food, yes that is also a part of this therapy. No wonder they lift our moods…. 😉

What are the ingredients used???

Natural oils are the major part of this therapy. The oils extracted from flowers, fruits, barks, stems, leaves etc. are used.

Why You Should Opt for This???

The aroma is said to stimulate brain function. Thus boosts memory power.

The aroma is so soothing, it lifts your mood up. Thus bye bye depression.
The oils used for bath get absorbed by skin. Thus they enter the blood streams and heal the whole body pain.
It also calms nerves and blood pressure.

If you are insomniac, aroma therapy is for you.
Cure for headache.
Helps in speeds up healing process.
Strengthens Immune system.
Improves digestion process.
Heals back pain.
PMS problems??? Book an appoint for an aroma therapy.

What are the things you should consider before getting an aroma therapy session???

The oils used are concentrated. It might not be good for those who are allergenic to it. Consultation is must while you choose the oils.

People with respiratory issues must be cautious. The aroma might worsen your health condition.

Pregnant woman should stay away from the therapy. As this therapy might result in uterine contraction.

Do not go with full stomach for the therapy.

If you have skin wounds or allergies you should not opt for this.

What are the things you should ask the therapist???

Make sure the therapist is well experienced,, as the choosing of oil for a particular patient requires some knowledge.

First and foremost, you should let the therapist know your medical history if any. Thus they will choose the right oil for you.

They blend different oils or they use aromatic cream. Ask about the ingredients. it will be useful for your next session. You can even try this at home if you get all your queries get resolved.

I hope this quick post will help you out to get a relaxing bath the next time you are exhausted with your daily stuffs… 😉

Dry Brushing – What??? Why???How???

Winter makes our skin dry and flaky. Isn’t it??? We do take a good care of our face by exfoliating it and by using different products. What about body??? Those dry arms and legs will never let you look good…!!! By taking a little more effort alternate day, we can achieve that perfect glowing skin. When the effort I’m talking about is so easy, I am sure you will include this in your beauty regime for sure.

So, today’s beauty treatment is for the removal of dry skin layer. How??? By exfoliation of course. But, this is a different from all other exfoliation methods. Dry Brushing.

As it sounds, we are going to use dry brush to brush away dry skin. It has multiple benefits apart from making skin soft. Wanna know in detail??? Read on…!!!

Let me start with right brush selection. After all we need a right weapon to win the war… Just kidding..!!!

Right Brush:

There are multiple types of brushes available in the market which are used for dry brushing. Frankly speaking, different brushes works differently on different individuals. So, what I would personally suggest you is to get the brush from a local drug store instead of purchasing it online. Because you don’t know how soft or hard the bristles are. Thus, you better check it before buying it. Also, most of the online sites do not provide return options on personal care products for obvious reasons.

One more point to check for while choosing a brush is the length of the handle. It should be long enough to reach your back comfortably.

I use this little one for dry brushing.

You can find something like this brush for dry brushing comfortably.

Once you are done with getting the required stuff, lets know how it is done.

How Dry Brushing is Done ???

It is simple. You got to do this treatment before taking shower or before getting wet. Thus the name ‘dry brushing’. Also make sure you are doing it inside bathroom because when you brush your body, the dry skin flakes do fall on the ground(for extremely dry skin). So, to keep the process clean, carry it in bathroom.

Brush your body with the help of brush gently.
Major point to consider is, you need to start brushing your feet first then legs and end it on your chest, towards heart. I will tell you the reason behind it.

What are the Uses of Dry Brushing ???

There are multiple uses of dry brushing your body. To list few :

It Stimulates Lymphatic System –

Lymphatic system is nothing but the system which is responsible for eliminating cellular wastes. Lymphatic tubules which are said to run just below the skin layer should function properly in order to keep our body away from toxic impurities. If they don’t, the accumulation of toxins may cause to some serious health issues. So, when you dry brush, the lymphatic tubules are stimulated. Thus increase their productivity. It is done bottom up manner because, the lymph systems drains in heart. Hence always brush towards chest area.

Exfoliation :

As I have mentioned, the dry flaky layer of skin gets brushed away. Thus leaving skin soft, supple. Glowing skin – Brushing helps in stimulating blood vessels. Thus increases the blood circulation which results in glowing skin.

Reduces Cellulite –

This is quite common among ladies. Cellulites are nothing but the cottage cheese like dimple on the skin. Usually thighs, stomach, back, around the hips, buttocks and breasts. It has been proved that the regular dry brushing do reduces the cellulite. #HappyDance

Energy Booster –

Many people claim that, dry brushing boost their energy level. You can use this as a stress buster too. Wow stress buster which leaves skin soft, double treat isn’t it???

Cleans the Pores –

If you use soft brush on your face, it is proved to clean the pores perfectly. BUT make sure the bristles are really REALLY SOFT. You do get FACIAL BRUSH in the market.

I use this one from body shop for serving the purpose.

Now, if you are considering this technique,

here are some of the things you need to take care about –

Be gentle. Do not brush the skin roughly, if you do so – you will end up doing more harm than good.
Post bath, don’t forget to apply good moisturizer to seal in the moisture.
Hygiene is important. Always clean the brush with warm water and soap to keep it germ free.
Mainly, do not over brush the skin. Because you don’t want to steal the natural oils of skin. Do you??? I would suggest you to do it on alternative days if your skin is extremely dry. If not, 2-3 times a week should also work for you.
Do not use body brush for exfoliating face. Facial skin is very delicate compared to body skin. As I have mentioned above, opt for a facial brush for dry brushing face.
Usually dry brushing is done in the morning. Since it has been proved that it increases the energy level, you might end up losing your sleep if you do this exfoliation in the evening.

Voila..!!! Now you know one more exfoliation method…!!!

Hope you find it useful…!!!

PS – You can now let me know what you would like to see in Mygirlypedia more… How??? Click on the link above – ‘Take A Poll’ and chose your favorite answer. I will make sure you will get those stuffs in the blog soon…!!!

Home Remedies to Keep Elbows and Knees White Naturally…!!!

Hey Beautiful,

What’s up??? Enjoying wintery mornings??? The cold breeze??? I am loving it. It’s my favorite season after all…!!! I am the happiest when winter is around.

I have been writing a lot about winter care and products we need in order to protect skin from cold breeze. Today I am going to write about skin concern which is not seasonal, which is almost same through out the year – dark knees and elbows.

Haven’t you seen pretty stylish girls with dark and very dry elbows and darker(as compared to their skin tone)knees. Elbows are still get unnoticed. But, when you wear short attire, dark knees are something which everyone notice. With Christmas and New Year around the corner, we gals are excited to shop and flaunt some western outfits. Hence, taking a good care of knees should be in our list to look perfect in this party season.

So, to ease this process I have some home remedies which will nourish and lighten your elbows and knees naturally. Shall we start???

Exfoliate:

As I mention in all most every dry skin care post, exfoliation is the key. By exfoliating dry skin, you can rub off the dry skin layer. This leaves skin soft and smooth.

For exfoliation, you can either opt for some good exfoliator from market, or you can find one in your kitchen. To name a few,

Sugar and coconut oil scrub.
Coffee, sugar and honey scrub.
You can even get a body brush and try dry brushing.

Bleaching Agents:

Applying below natural bleaching agents and washing them after fifteen to twenty minutes is proved to lighten knees and elbows.

Lemon juice
Potato juice
Honey
Aloe Vera gel
Yogurt
Curd
Baking Soda
Cucumber Juice
Fuller Earth(Multani Mitti)

Oils:

You can also try below oils on elbows and knees to achieve desired results.

Coconut Oil
Mustard Oil
Almond Oil

Moisturizer:

This is must in order to avoid skin from getting dry. Do not forget to add the moisture by applying a good body lotion twice a day to avoid dry or dark patches.

I hope you try these remedies at home and get the amazing results. 😉

I will share some outfit ideas for this Party season soon…!!!

Between, I have set a poll to listen to your valuable suggestions. Kindly click on the ‘Take A Poll’ link which is on top of this page and participate…!!!

Loads of Love,
Pallavi

Beauty Benefits of Glycerin

Hello,

My favorite month is here December. Love the cold weather and every thing Christmassy(F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Phoebe’s fans will get this…) Have you checked out the snow fall effect in Mygirlypedia pages??? If you are reading this in mobile, switch to desktop mode to feel the snow fall, right now in the page you are reading currently…!!!

Apart from reviewing the best and worst beauty products for this winter, I will also add some home remedies which are tested and proved to be the saviors in winters.

Today’s product is the colorless, odourless and well known product – Glycerin…!!!

You must have heard or read that the glycerin is the most moisturizing, good for skin etc. etc. I will tell you more detail of this magical product in this post. Read on..!!

Glycerin is a sugar and alcohol mixture. The pure product of this mixture is called as Glycerol and the impure commercial product is glycerin. This is composed of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. Glycerin is widely used in beauty, pharmacy, paper industries and food industries. All thanks to its great moisturizing and non toxic properties. Plus, its inexpensive. Available in all drugstores.

Lets see how can we get most out of this magical liquid..!!

You know CTM is the key to great skin. Cleansing, Toning and followed by Moisturizing should be your beauty Mantra. The good news is you don’t have to break your head to find the best moisturizing products for CTM routine for your dry skin. One tiny bottle of Glycerin can replace all the products required for CTM. Budget friendly..!!! Isn’t it???
Hands are something which people do notice when you greet them. To keep them soft is something necessary. Wanna know how to do it with the help of glycerin??? Find the whole post with loads of tips about hand care here.

Cracked heels..!! They can make your look from wow to ewww… In order to heal the chapped or cracked dry heels, follow the home remedies I have mentioned here which involve pocket friendly ingredients like glycerin.
Chapped lips..!!! Definitely doesn’t look good. Since glycerin is non toxic, apply a drop of glycerin on your dry lips to cure it and make it pinkish.
Skin tone can be improved by glycerin. Let me tell you how.. Glycerin is a moisturizing product. It also helps in cell maturation. Thus it leaves kin soft, supple and light toned.
Also, applying glycerin on face regularly has proven to reduce the signs of aging like wrinkles.

If you are tired of trying out different products to lighten skin scars or pimple marks, try out this inexpensive one. This will lighten the marks and scars effectively with regular use.
When we get a moisturizing product with no side effects, we should ,make 100% use of it. right??? Replace all your nail cream or nail oils with glycerin. Apply a thin layer of glycerin on your nails post removing nail paints. This will keep them protected from getting dried.
As I have mentioned before, it is used in soap industries, as a key ingredient. You can prepare bath soaps or bath salts at home too. You can find the steps to prepare your own customised glycerin bath salts here.
This is a good news for oily skinned beauties. Glycerin is said to have oil regulating properties. Hence it is ideal for oily skin.
If you add a bit of glycerin to your hair conditioner, your hair will thank you for sure for all the moisture.

Mouth ulcers..!!! They are tiny but terrible.. They are caused due to increase in body heat. Glycerin has cooling properties. Applying glycerin on ulcers has said to cure them.
Since it is a non toxic and natural product, you can use it on babies as well.

I have used glycerin long back. I am gonna buy one today..!!! What about you???

Health, Skin and Hair Benefits of Coconut Water

Coconut – The relationship with this one and us, the south Indians is everlasting one. We use it in food, skin and hair care routines. This fruit (Yes, it is not a nut. Strange huun??) has amazing properties which makes it so useful.

Between, have you ever wondered from where did this name ‘coconut’ came??? The one who reached India while his exploration, Vasco da Gama. Yes, he gave the name coco by seeing the eyes of coconut.( You know what I mean right???) So, when this coco reached England, Britishers added the suffix nut. Thus – Coconut.

I am a huge lover of coconut water and the pulp. They just taste delicious. The water, its so sweet and makes my soul happy. ( The pure South Indian girl inside me is talking…!!!)

If you drink it, you will get multiple health benefits like –

Physical Health –

Lowers the blood pressure
Increases digestion.
Bye bye to dehydration
Prevents Kidney stones
Cardiovascular system will be improved
Reduces Bloating
Treats Diarrhea
Aids weight loss
Has anti tumor properties
Boosts immunity

Mental Health –

I am explicitly writing down this section. Because I strongly believe that the mental health is much more important than your physical health. Because every thing depends on what is your mental status is. Trust me if you do not have a stale happy mental status, your society status will never be of any use.

So, if you feel you are having a bad day(I am not using the word depressed. It is a huge word and this remedy I am gonna say might or might not help.) get a coconut and drink the coconut water. It has proven that it does have properties to fight depression.

PS: One extra tip – while sipping the coconut water, kindly stay away from electronic gadgets. Try to connect with your close ones or with the world around you. You will enjoy the drink more. #smile

Skin Benefits:

It is nothing like you have to drink it get the most out of this. You can also apply coconut water to get below benefits.

It is a great moisturizer. ( I hope Dry skinned beauties are listening..!!)
If you wash your face using coconut water, it will cure

black and white heads
pimple scars
dryness
dullness
unevenness
Acne
Sun tan
Skin infections
Signs of aging

Hair Benefits :

When we are talking about skin benefits we do talk about hair care too..!!! Because we love our hair. Isn’t it??? Yes this magical fruit has benefits in hair care regime too. These are the ones, when you apply it on your hair/scalp:

Moisture scalp
Adds shine to hair
Bye bye hair loss
Stimulates hair growth
Dandruff control
Applying coconut water on unmanageable frizzy hair can make it smoother and manageable.

This is all about benefits of Coconut water.

If you want to know the health and beauty benefits of coconut oil, check this post of mine.

So, the next time when you are thirsty and wanna try some carbonated drink, opt for this healthy and tastier one. Your body will thank you.

Khadi Natural Fruit Herbal Face Mask Review

Hey,

Remember my quick haul with my friend where I had picked up a dud product…??? The product which I’m gonna review today is also been shopped that day…

I have a good collection of face packs. But when see something herbal written on it or something with good packing, I always endup picking it up. So this herbal fruit face mask is from the Indian brand, Khadi Natural.

I had a very bad breakout when I had used their face washes. It was horrifying for me. Those pimples. Phew…

Even though I have bad experience with Khadi products, I chose to give this mask a try. Read on to know about product and my experience in detail

Price : 145 INR

Shelf life:

36 months

What product Claims and the Ingredients:

Packing:

As you can see in the pictures, it comes in steel box. Which can be used further once you finish the mask.

Inside themail box, the mask or the powder is packed in thin plastic sheet. I have removed the cover so it’s not seen in picture.

The quantity as you can see is almost half of that of the container.

PS: I have used this mask couple of times now.

The lid is very tight thus it makes perfect travel friendly package. But take care of your nails while opening

Fragrance:

It has a very mild fruity fragrance. Which doesn’t irritates. It’s kind of soothing fragrance.

Texture:

It’s color and texture is just like fuller earth.

My experience:

As written on the pack, I mixed the powder with rose water. Made a thick paste and applied it on my face. It does give a little cooling effect. Dries off quickly.

I felt it’s fuller earth just with added fragrance. Because the after effect was just that of multani mitti. My skin was left clean and oiliness was totally gone. It didnt lighten the spots on my face though.

I liked the mask because :

Packing
Ingredients seem safe and chemical free
It did left my skin clean and absorbed oiliness.
Pocket friendly
As it claims, it gave glow, tightened pores and improved skin tone with just 2 uses.

What I didn’t like:

It didn’t lighten dark spots.
It didn’t hydrate skin.

Will I repurchase??

Honestly, I don’t really like smell of fuller earth. Since it does the same work as that of fuller earth, I will buy this.

Will I recommend??

If you have stock of fuller earth, you can miss this. This is not a must try product. If you are bored with fuller earth just like me, go for this fruit mask.

Mygirlypedia Rating: 3.5/5

Things Why You Should Include Basil Seeds In Your Diet

Hey,

What do you do when you get pimples or mouth ulcers due to increased body heat??? I usually opt for these tiny tear shaped seeds. Yes, I am talking about Sabja seeds(basil seeds/ falooda). These seeds are full of proteins, carbs, essential fats and fiber. Anddd no fat…!!! Consumption of these seeds helps in reducing body heat. Thus helping to cure pimples and ulcers.

Apart from keeping body cool, it has much more good deeds to do when consumed. Read on to know all the health and beauty benefits of Basil seeds.

Avoids bloating and constipation

The falooda seeds are proven to be the stomach cleansers. They cleans the body when consumed thus helping in smooth bowel movement.

Sweet news for Diabetic Patients

Basil seeds help in keeping blood sugar level in check. Thus it has been proved that these seeds are helpful for those who are suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Bye bye acidity

Sabja seeds help in reducing stomach burn. Thus helps in reducing acidity when consumed.

For beautiful skin and hair

Falooda seeds have collagen producing properties. Thus helps in new cell production. This will result in healthy skin. Also, seeds help in strengthening hair from roots.

Used as home remedy for skin infection

Crush dry basil seeds and mix coconut oil. I have heard that applying this mixture on infected skin helps in curing it.

Weight loss

Sabja seeds are rich source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is fat burner. Also the fibres in the seeds help to keep stomach full thus you can avoid those ’emotional eating or extra eating’. What else do we need… I mean you are eating to lose weight. #Dreamcometrue to most of us. Isn’t it???

How to include Sabja in daily diet???

I prefer drinking this with water.
You can sprinkle some sabja seeds on your food/ desert/ yogurt/ milk/ juice.

Special Note :

Avoid consuming Sabja if you are pregnant. It’s said that these seeds reduce the estrogen level. Which will cause complications.

If consumed daily or more than required, you might end up getting common cold. It happens with me most of the time. I drink the Sabja seed mixture so much that I end up with running nose, as it reduces body heat to a very good extent. So moderate quantity is recommended.

So you know next time what you need to do if you face any of the above health and beauty problems. 😉

Stay healthy…. Stay beautiful… 😘

Beauty Benefits of coconut oil

Hi,

There are perks of being a south Indian. One of them being this multipurpose oil. We use pure coconut oil in our beauty regime and even in cooking. Coconut is something magical. It can do wonders if its used rightly. I have many tips which I got to know from my granny and mommy. I am gonna share those tips today in this post which I am sure will help you with your beauty problems.

Read on to get tip for your beauty query.

Skin:

For that blemish free skin, applying coconut oil is one of the best natural remedies. Coconut oil helps in lightening the blemishes and adds moisture and glow to skin.
I don’t think any branded makeup remover can do the job as nicely and harmlessly as coconut oil. It can remove nastiest mascaras and also add moisture while removing makeup. #HappySkin
Who doesn’t like that glow makeup look. All you need to do is add few drops of coconut oil in your makeup/foundation. Apply it on face to get that natural glow look. But, if you are already an oily skinned beauty, you don’t have to do this step. Your skin already produces oil so you don’t have to add more oil to that.
Are you a dry skin beauty??? Looking for a great moisturizer??? Here you go – get a bottle of pure coconut oil and apply lightly on skin. This will nourish dry skin. But make sure you apply it in morning. Because if you go to bed with oil on your body, you are going to spoil the bedsheets.
Scrubbing is also a must for dry skin. Mix sugar and coconut oil to make a moisturizing scrub. While sugar granules wash away the dead skin, coconut oil adds moisture.

Eyes:

Apply a layer of coconut oil under eyes to say bye bye to the dark circles.

Lips:

Chapped lips??? Apply coconut oil to heal them.

Nails:

You don’t have to make a hole in your pocket to buy a cuticle oil for those dry nails. All you need is few drops of coconut oil and apply on dry cuticle. #JobDone

Hair:

Coconut is hair’s angel. Most of the south Indians, apply pure coconut oil on their hair before the wash. Post hair wash they do apply coconut oil again. They wash their hair once in two days but trust me this results in thick and strong hair. I know we don’t like that flat, oily hair. But this trick do works like a magic.
Dandruff are caused due to dry scalp. Applying coconut oil will add moisture and it has antibacterial properties which will help in scalp nourishment.
Can also be used as Deep conditioner. Apply the oil to your hair and leave it over night to provide that super moisture to your hair and scalp.
Before shaving body hair, we use soap lather or some chemical creams. Instead, use coconut oil. Apply layer of coconut oil which makes hair smoother and prepares skin. Thus making the shaving easier and it also leaves skin hydrated.

Teeth:

Gargle coconut oil for 5-10 minutes in the morning when you wake up. It pulls out all germs thus making you free from bad breath and leaves your teeth whiter and shinier.

Ear:

You must be wondering what it will do for ears. We have practice of pouring warm coconut oil in our ears once a month. Trust me it feels so good and fresh. It helps in reducing the hearing problems and it helps in cleaning ears.
I know doctors do not believe this technique. But I believe more in the power of Ayurveda than in modern medical science.

Baby Care:

Whats the best body oil for your little bundle of joy?? Coconut oil…!!! Pure coconut oil can add super moisture to your baby making his/her skin soft and blemish free(Blemish I mean some babies might have rashes or spots due to allergies. This oil can be used for the body massage.). Plus, the aroma. It won’t irritate those delicate tiny nose. Chemical free too. Hence super safe.
Expecting moms can apply coconut oil on their bellies to avoid rashes or spots. Even though it can not reduce the stretch marks, it can keep the skin clear from spots and rashes.

I hope your beauty query is solved. If not, do write me your query. Happy to help you.

How to Prepare Kajal or Kohl at Home

Hey,

I had a busy week… I shifted to new place… Busy decorating my home… I will share some home decorating ideas soon on mygirlypedia…

You know I’m passionate about cosmetics and makeup, ummm in short all girly stuff in the world… I at least apply a stroke of Kajal before stepping out of home. Reread at least…

So being an eye makeup lover,I love that smoky look. Most of us do… But I have also seen gals who are allergic to kajal which we get in market. Their eyes get irritated and they are left with teary eyes after applying kajal. So this post is especially for those delicate eyed beauties.

Today, I will share tips to prepare couple of kajal or kohl of your own at home. Sounds interesting… Right??? And guess what, it’s super safe and pocket friendly… Shall we start???

Castor oil Kohl:

Things you need:

Castor oil

Diya

Metal Plate

Two metal boxes

A tiny container to store kohl

How to prepare :

Place two metal boxes upside down. These will act as a support for the metal plate.
Place metal plate on these boxes as shown below.

Fill diya with Castor oil and light the diya and keep it below the plate.
As the diya burns, the ash layer gets formed in the plate.

Once the diya turns off, carefully take the hot plate.
Remove the ash layer and mix a spoon of ghee to form the paste.

This is a pure kohl. Store the kohl in a container and use whenever you want to… #wink

Almond khol

Things required :

Almond (of course)

Needle

Matchbox

Metal plate

Two metal boxes

Container to store the kohl.

How to prepare :

Like previously mentioned, place metal plate on two metal boxes for support.
Pin the needle in the almond.
Using matchbox, light the almond.
Almond has natural oils in it which helps in burning.
Keep in below the metal plate so that ash gets trapped in plate.

Once done, collect the ash from plate and mix ghee to prepare kohl.
Store it in container to use it whenever required.

Hope you found this useful.

Do prepare it and enjoy safe, irritation free, cooling effect kohl…!!!

💖

Benefits of This Cheapest Health and Beauty Product

Hey you,

You might have read a lot many times, let me repeat a looottt many times to drink more water. No matter what might be your beauty problem is, one common remedy is – drink more water, keep yourself hydrated…!!! Why???

I will tell you why. Why we need to drink more and more water. The benefits of it.

Read on to know the pros of cheapest beauty product you have around.

Water balance
Our body is composed of 60% of water. In order to keep body working, we need water. Be it circulation, respiration.. we need water. So drinking water is must to keep the body ‘up and running.’

Improves Skin complexion
Water keeps you hydrated. Thus it can make wonders which a good branded cream can’t do.

Wrinkles – Go away
Too avoid the early signs of aging like wrinkles, drink more water gal..!!! It helps in keeping skin’s elasticity thus wrinkles..??? Whats that… #wink

Weight loss
Every gal’s dream to lose weight without doing anything much…!!! Isn’t it??Mantra is simple. Drink more water. Are you wondering how??? Firstly the great news is water has zero fat in it. #LOL it removes fat, increases metabolism. If you drink water before meal, you are almost full so you will eat less. Tada you have already started with your weight loss journey…!!!

Cleanse body
The more you drink water, the more toxin gets eliminated from your body in the form of sweat and urine. It will also avoid the kidney stone formation.

Food for brain
Brain needs more water content to be active and thus you can concentrate more and be active.

Boosts immune system
The more you drink water, the more stronger the immune system. Studies have also proved that the person drinking more water falls less sick than the one who doesn’t.

Back and head ache- Bye bye
Usually the back and head aches are caused due to dehydration. Drink more water to say bye bye to those pains.

No cramps and sprains
Water helps to keep joints lubricated and maintain elasticity of muscles. Thus no sprains and cramps.

Money saver
Water is much much cheaper than any other drinks. Agreed??? You can save money there and spend it for some other shopping. #JustKidding

I hope this post is convincing enough for you to drink more water…!!

Last tip – “Drink more water’ !!!

Home Remedies for Cracked Heels

Hey,

One of the most ignored parts of our body is feet. Agreed??? Do observe heals of those well dressed ladies. At least 6 out 10 of them have cracked heels. It looks so odd.

If you don’t want to be one of those, read on.

Reasons for cracked heels:

Aging
Lack of moisture
Improper diet
Dehydration
Improper foot hygiene

If this is not treated, it might lead to blood loss and worsen foot condition.

Let’s start with cleaning the feet:

Dip feet in warm water. You can mix a bit of bath salt or vinegar to the water. This makes skin soft. Thus helps scrubbing easy.
You can also add hydrogen peroxide to the water. It removes dirt.

Scrub. All you need is a good foot brush with a scrubber. I use the one from the body shop. You can use pumice stone too, for scrubbing away those dead skin from feet.
Once you are done scrubbing, wash your feet with warm water and wipe it with clean towel.

Let’s see different foot creams to heal the cracks.

This one is tried and tested by my mom. Take half bucket of warm water, mix honey to it. Dip your feet inside this water and relax for next 10-15 minutes. After that, apply a good foot cream, post rubbing off your feet. Honey helps in healing the cracks.
We South Indians make most of coconut oil. For foot care, we prepare a cream out of bea’s wax and coconut oil. It’s simple. Melt the wax and mix oil to it. You can keep this mixture inside refrigerator. Apply the cream on cleaned feet, before hitting bed everyday.

You can apply coconut oil (or any moisturizing oil) and turmeric mixture on cracked heels. Turmeric has antiseptic properties and coconut oil is a healer.
Ghee- Apply ghee to say bye bye to cracked heels. Ghee helps in adding moisture.

P.S. You can wear socks after applying creams. This will seal the moisture. And protects from ruining the bed.

Apply lemon juice to heels. This helps in cleaning and helps in recovery. But, applying this on cracked heels do results in tingling or burning sensation.

Glycerin. One of the best moisturizer. Apply glycerin on heels. Glycerin is bit sticky. Hence wear socks.
Foot cream. If you want the healing much quicker, go for some good foot creams available in the market. Will review some of the foot creams o have used till date.
Foot pack: just like face pack, apply a good foot mask or pack to restore moisture. To start with, you can apply Avocado mask. Smash a Avocado and apply it on feet and heels. Wash it after 10-15 minutes.

Vaseline- Adding one more point in my previous post on multiple benefits of Petroleum Jelly. Applying it on heels helps the recovery fast.

Aloe Vera. How can we not talk about Aloe Vera when it comes to moisture. Apply Aloe Vera on cracked heels. It gives you cooling effect and adds the much needed moisture.

So, these are some of the tried and tested home Remedies.

Do try and share your experience with us… 😇

Have a happy feet…!!!

How to Get Thicker Eyelashes and Eyebrows

Hey,

In old mythological books to modern songs, eyes of a woman is something which has been admired beautifully. After all eyes are window to your soul. Right???

To make your eyes do the talking, lets get to know some more beauty tips today.

When it comes to defining your eyes, Eyelashes and Eyebrows have great role to play. In fact shape of your eyebrows can define or ruin the way you look.

Thick eyebrows are believed to be a sign of youth. Most of us like thin eyebrows (at least in my friends circle, most of them love thin eyebrows) but I love to keep my eyebrows as thick as possible. In order to achieve beautiful thick lashes and eyebrows, I have some quick tips for you.

Read on…

Castor oil

This oil is the super hero for hair. Applying a thin layer of castor oil on eyebrows and eyelashes every night will help them grow thick.

Petroleum Jelly

Applying petroleum jelly over eyebrows not only helps in keeping them in place all day, but also helps in their growth.

You can find more uses of Petroleum Jelly here.

Olive oil

One of the light and soothing oil. It boosts the growth of eyelashes and eyebrows.

Aloe vera gel

Apply a layer of Aloe vera gel on eyelashes and eyebrows every night to get that beautiful eyebrows and eyelashes.

Onion juice

It’s one of the best remedies for hair growth. But, I don’t prefer to apply and keep it over night as it stinks and makes pillow case stinky. You can apply this during day time when you are at home doing nothing.

So these are some of the tried and tested remedies for achieving that thick luscious eyebrows and eyelashes look.

Share this with the world

Like this:

How to Prepare Orange Oil at Home???

How does it smell???

Why You Should Use Orange Oil???

Share this with the world

Like this:

Share this with the world

Like this:

Sun exposure:

Melasma/Chloasma:

Due to skin breakage:

Weather:

Exfoliate daily:

Use concealers:

Try a moisturizing skin whitening cream:

Try out below home made packs:

Laser treatment:

Dermatologist:

Share this with the world

Like this:

Lemon:

Potato:

Multani Mitti:

Cucumber:

Exfoliation:

Baking Soda:

Orange peels:

Milk:

Coconut oil:

Saffron:

Things you need to avoid in order to avoid dark underarms:

Share this with the world

Like this:

Prevention is better than cure:

Scrub:

Foot Mask:

Foot Cream:

Share this with the world

Like this:

What is a blackhead???

How are blackheads formed???

What causes these blackheads???

Blackheads are formed on these body parts –

How do they look like???

Home remedies for blackheads –

How to prevent blackheads –

Share this with the world

Like this:

Cleansing –

Toning –

Moisturising –

Scrubbing –

Face Packs –

For body:

1. Cleansing –

2. Scrubbing –

3. Body Lotion –

Share this with the world

Like this:

Cleansing –

Toning –

Moisturising –

How to manage oily skin???

Face Packs:

Egg white:

Tomatoes:

Cucumber:

Apple cider vinegar:

Aloe Vera:

Fuller earth:

Share this with the world

Like this:

Causes:

Hydration:

Protect them:

Exfoliate:

Lip Masks:

Share this with the world

Like this: