Top 10 Everyday Skin Care Hacks

You skin needs just a little care daily. There are some very simple ways in which we can provide that much needed affection and get back radiance and softness. And all this without any extra effort!

Try these everyday regimes for the glow.

1. Adopt Hydration - The first thing your skin needs to stay beautiful is adequate 'hydration,' or what they call in plain terms as plenty of water. So bottoms up to at least two liters of water daily.

2. Avoid Dehydration  - While you are busy hydrating your skin, remember to be careful and not dehydrate by staying out under the harsh sun for longer than 10-15 mins at a stretch. Ditch the caffeine habit (Soda, coffee, tea) as it dehydrates your body on the cellular level, inviting the onset of those dreaded wrinkles early than anticipated. 

3. Apply Lesser Layers - Your skin is your body's largest organ and it needs to breathe. So try and not swathe it under layers of heavy makeup and pore clogging chemical body butters on a regular basis.

4. Give It Fresh Air - To get your skin breathing truly fresh, put on your exercise gear and head outdoors to spend some quality time with Mother Nature at the nearest park or maybe you can take that long pending weekend trip out of the city!

5. Don’t Stress - Do not be stressed all the time unnecessarily. Learning how to manage stress effectively can take away years from your skin. 

6. Exercise - Run. Jump. Dance. Get moving, in short. The more your skin sweats, the better will it look and the elasticity would improve dramatically too. 

7. Get Nutrition - Get in the habit of starting the day with plenty of fruits and a healthy breakfast with the right amount of protein, carbs and essential fats. Fats are required by your skin to lubricate and moisturize from the inside. But make sure you stick to good fats found in olive oil, eggs, yogurt (the ones without any additives or artificial sugars), and whole grain breads etc.

8. Go Smoke-free - Just stop smoking and you would see a dramatic improvement in your skin tone within a few weeks (yes, it takes time to reverse that kind of damage) 

9. Wear Sunscreen - Slather on the sunscreen before you leave the house but make sure it's SPF index must be 30 and above for it to be effective under the harsh Indian sun.

10. Exfoliate & Detox - Scrub-rub-a dub every week. NOT every day though.. Make sure you use organic scrubs made with rice granules or sugar grains instead. Use a natural face mask such as Banana mash or a Tomato-Cucumber-Honey paste every alternate day to detoxify, cleanse and moisturize your face and body. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

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10 Only Skin Care Hacks You Will Ever Need

5 horrible things you do to your hair everyday

Hair today, gone tomorrow. That might be your condition if you are not taking care of your hair properly. There are a lot of things you do almost daily that are adversely impacting your hair health. You might not even be aware of the damage you are doing to your tresses by indulging these activities. Read on to find out about the 5 worst things you do to your hair on a daily basis.

1. Excessive hair brushing: Here’s why brushing your hair excessively is bad for your hair: it causes breakage and strips your hair of its natural nourishing oils. To avoid this, try limiting the use of your hair brush to about just two times in a day. Brushing right after you wake up is a good idea, as it helps in distributing the oils produced by your scalp down your hair shaft, which act as a natural conditioner for your hair.

2. Tying your hair in a ponytail everyday: If you tie your hair in a ponytail everyday then chances are you are applying consistent pressure to on the same hair shafts, resulting in brittle and weaker hair. In fact, doing so continuously can even retard hair growth. Try to leave it open as much as you can, but if you absolutely must tie a pony tail, then tie a loose one. Maybe even use booby pins to keep your hair in place instead of scrunchies. Alternating between high and low ponytails helps too.

3. Using a pre-used hairbrush: Your hairbrush contains a lot of germs, which can severely damage your hair. Using an unclean brush is one of the main reasons of damage hair, as these brushes contain dirt gathered from your hair which you’re giving back to your hair by using. It’s best to clean it once in a while to maintain proper hair health. The same holds true for other styling agents such as combs, curlers, rollers, straighteners etc.

4. Delaying a hair cut: Most of us are guilty of this crime. What with your jam-packed schedule and work overload, you often ignore that much needed trip to the salon. Prolonging a haircut is never a good idea as it can lead to a bad case of split ends, which can result in hair that tangles a lot and causes hair fall. Regular trimming sessions, once every 6 weeks, are a must.

5. Shampooing in excess: Some of you prefer your scalp to be squeaky clean every single day, believing that daily dust and pollution require you to indulge in this unhealthy habit. Well, it’s best to stop right now as you’re harming your hair by shampooing daily. Daily shampoos can completely strip your hair of its natural oils, causing your scalp to become dry, leaving your hair with a dry, messy and rough feel. However. Delaying hair wash is not good either. It is best to shampoo whenever your hair feels greasy and dirty.

Avoid doing these to your hair, and let your tresses breathe so that they look healthy and shine with a natural glow.



5 Worst Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Hair!

We grow up thinking of our nails as dead cells and pay attention to them only to trim them once a week. If you re a woman, this might extend to painting them in different hues. However, the shape, texture and natural colour of your nails along with the rate at which they grow says a lot about your overall health.

Homeopathy is an effective way of treating nail disorders as it addresses the root cause of the problem. This form of treatment has negligible side effects and hence, can be used over a long period of time. However, homeopathy should never be used to self medicate. This is because a homeopathic prescription depends on the symptoms presented and the personality of the patient.

Here are a few changes in your nails that could be signs of health disturbances.

Horizontal ridges: White horizontal ridges across your nails are developed when there is a pause in the growth of the nail. They could be an indication of an injury or a symptom of a serious illness. These are also known as Beau s lines or Mee s lines. Beau s lines are developed due to psoriasis, diabetes, circulatory disease or a severe deficiency of zinc. Mee s lines can be a result of arsenic poisoning, malaria, leprosy, Hodgkin s disease or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Vertical ridges: This is a common sign of aging and is usually nothing to worry about. However, in some cases, it could be a sign of vitamin B12 or magnesium deficiencies.
Spoon nails: If the edges of your nails curve upwards and take on a spoon-like look, it could be a sign of anemia, excessive iron absorption, heart disease or hypothyroidism.
Pitted Nails: Dents or pits in your nails are usually a sign of psoriasis. It could also be a symptom of tissue disorders such as Reiter s syndrome or autoimmune diseases like alopecia areata.
Dark nails: If you notice dark,discoloured patches on your nails, consult a doctor immediately. This could be due to melanoma which is the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Yellow Nails: Smoking and excessive use of acrylic nail polish are the two most common causes of yellow nails. However, if your nails are thinand crumbly along with being yellow, it could be a sign of a fungal infection. In rare cases, yellow nails could also be a sign of thyroid disorders, diabetes or psoriasis.
Clubbing: Nails that are enlarged and curved downwards are said to be clubbed. This is typically a sign of low levels of oxygen in the blood. It could also be symptom of lung disease, liver and kidney disorders, AIDS and inflammatory bowel disease.

Nails - Can They Indicate Any Illness?

Vitiligo is a skin disorder that is characterized by the development of white patches on the skin. The disorder is chronic in nature; it occurs when the melanocytes (melanin production and distribution agent) which are present in the skin, die.

The area of the skin affected by this condition tends to vary from person to person. It may affect the insides of your mouth, hair, eyes and cause permanent discoloration.

Vitiligo can be classified into two types

1. Segmented Vitiligo: This type of vitiligo tends to spread fast but is stable than the other type. It is asymmetrical and affects such portions of the skin which are linked to nerves that originate in the dorsal roots along the spinal cord.

2. Non- Segmental Vitiligo: This type of vitiligo occurs in equal proportions on both sides of the body. This disorder affects the areas of the skin that are exposed to sun frequently, such as the arms, neck and the face.

Causes

There is no known cause of vitiligo; however, the likely causes are found to be trauma from a stressful event, chemical exposure and genetics. It may also result from complications in the immune system.

Symptoms:

1. The primary symptom of vitiligo is the appearance of white patches on the skin.

2. The initial patches which occur on the skin are slightly pale in color; which becomes even paler in due course of time and eventually turn white, thus making them look distinct and prominent on the skin.

3. The edge of the patches may become inflamed and cause itching.

4. Direct exposure to the skin may cause the symptoms to aggravate.

Ayurvedic View
According to Ayurveda, Leucoderma is caused due to the aggravation of Pitta Dosha. Pitta is an Ayurvedic humor which symbolizes heat or fire, and is manifested in the skin. Aggravated Pitta leads to accumulation of ama (toxins) in deep layers of the skin, leading to the condition of Leucoderma.

Pitta is of five types; one of them is Bhrajak Pitta that gives coloration to skin. In the case of Leucoderma, Bhrajak Pitta is in an imbalanced state, and therefore, the skin starts losing its color and white patches appear. Along with Pitta Dosha, deeper body tissues like Rasa Dhatu (nutrient plasma), Rakta (blood), Mansa (muscles), Lasika (lymph) are also involved in the disease.

Treatment consists of pacifying imbalanced body energies, cleansing the blood and administrating herbs that restore skin color. Poor digestion is the root cause of this disease, as it causes the build-up of toxins in the tissues. An essential part of treatment, therefore, is restoring digestion. The patient will also be advised on the correct diet and lifestyle adjustments to prevent recurrence of the disorder.

Diet & Lifestyle Advice

Increase consumption of vegetables that are bitter in taste, like drumsticks and bitter gourd.
Stay away from difficult to digest foods, sour taste, excessive salt, curd, fish, jaggery and sesame seeds.
Avoid consumption of opposite foods, such as fish and milk together.
Have sound and adequate sleep daily.
Do not over-expose yourself to excessive cold or heat conditions.

Ayurvedic Treatments For Vitiligo 

Prevention of leprosy: Leprosy is caused by the bacterial infection of Mycobacterium leprae and it is classified into multiple types. Leprosy is communicable through contact with common objects or a person by infected droplets within their nose. It primarily affects mucous membranes and the skin and the nerves on the hands, feet, and in extreme cases may cause disfigurement as well. There are no specific ways to prevent leprosy as no specific correlation between transmission and development has been found so far. Leprosy can happen through one time contact or through contact over extended period of time within the same household. Thus preventive measures will primarily include the following:

Regular checkups by going to the doctor
Ensuring that surfaces are kept clean if you share a household with a leprosy patient
Skin biopsies at regular intervals just to check if you may have contracted the bacteria
If a rash has developed, then it is urgent that you visit the doctor. Earlier the leprosy is detected, quickly it can treated and resolved
Incidences of leprosy have reduced over the last few decades due to improvements in medicine and early detection. This has allowed people to nip the problem in the bud and does not allow it to spread within their bodies or to other people.

Treatment of leprosy: The primary weapon that modern medicine has against leprosy is known as MDT or multidrug therapy. Multidrug therapy is the combination of multiple drugs, which attack the various aspects of leprosy, such as skin problems, nerve damage, loss of sensation, deterioration of skin conditions etc. This is the proven way to not only reduce symptoms, but also cure the problems in the long run.

Some of the drugs in the MDT used are as follows:

Rifampicin and dapsone
Rifampicin and clofazimine and dapsone
Rifampicin, minocycline and ofloxacin
However, the combination will depend on the type of leprosy the person is affected with, such as paucibacillary leprosy or multibacillary leprosy and thus can only be prescribed by the doctor after the thorough and detailed examination.

Leprosy - Treatment And Prevention!

Yauvan pidika or acne vulgaris is an inflammatory skin disorder which is prevalent in both males and females. When the sebaceous glands present on skin produce excessive sebum, the hair follicles present on skin get clogged leading to the formation of acne. According to ayurveda, kapha, pitta &amp; rakta and meda or fat dhathu are responsible for producing acne.

Ayurvedic treatment aims to eliminate the problem from its root. Herbs like lodhra (symplocos racemosa), manjishtha (rubia cordifolia) and kushta (saussurea lappa) are known for their properties to reduce acne. Turmeric (curcuma longa) and chandana (santalum album) are also effective in treating acne. The application of jaiphal (myristica fragrans) and khas-khas (vetiveria zizanioides) is believed to provide satisfactory results. Neem (azadirachta indica), guduchi (tinospora cordifolia) are known for their blood purifying properties, which can lessen the occurrence of acne and pimple in the long run.

The following are some of the ayurvedic remedies for treating acne:

1. To reduce the growth of pimple, rub water on jamun (syzygium cumini) seed and apply it on the pimple.

2. The peel of orange has medicinal properties that can be used effectively in the treatment of pimple. Make a paste of orange peel powder and rose water; apply it on your face on a regular basis. It is an effective remedy that cures acne and improves the skin tone.

3. To achieve an immediate result, apply a paste of lodhra (symplocos crateigodies), vach (acorus calamus) and dhania (coriander). Improvement will be noticed within 7 days.

4. A paste of red chandan (red sandalwood) and jaiphal (nutmeg) are also effective in reducing the appearance of acne and pimples.

5. Apply a paste of masoor dal (red lentils) with milk, ghee and camphor on your face. It reduces the appearance of acne and clears the scars which are left behind.

6. Prepare a paste of lemon, kalaunji (seeds of fennel flower) and milk. Apply it on your face on a regular basis before going to bed. Wash your face with lukewarm water in the morning. This remedy ensures speedy disappearance of acne.

7. Make a mixture of nimbu (lemon), extracts of tulsi (basil) and black kasundi (coffee pods), dry it in sun and apply the mixture on face. It is a powerful remedy that is known to cure the problem of acne.
Besides these home remedies, a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle will also enable you to reduce the risk of recurrent acne.

Ayurvedic Treatment for Acne

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