Skin Care in Winters

Making the right choices when it comes to skincare can help you preserve the freshness and attractiveness of your complexion

Winter comes, and with it the period when your skin probably needs the most attention.

Why is this so? It is quite simple. The cold, the wind, the sun, added up together, cause an unwanted effect on your skin.

The cold makes your skin glands to work a lot less, especially those on your face, and therefore your skin becomes dryer than in any other season of the year.

The wind and the sun, together, take off what is left of the moisture in your skin, making tiny wrinkles all over your face, and before you know it, all the radiance and beauty of your face are gone.

But making the right choices when it comes to skincare during wintertime can prevent all of this from happening. It will help you preserve the freshness and attractiveness of your complexion.

The first thing to do is to get rid of the soap. Stop using it. It only makes your skin dryer. Instead, use a lotion, body milk or your favorite tonic to clean your face. Occasional peeling would also do you good.

Washing your face only with hot water will benefit your skin with a little extra moisture in the morning or before going to bed.

A hot bath will open up the pores all over your body, otherwise closed because of the cold, and that way you will be able to clean all the dead skin cells that are lying in there and make your skin look old.

If you have the time, every now and then, you should use it to apply a facial mask or a facial massage. A homemade cucumber mask will hydrate your skin and it will make it a lot softer.

A facial massage or a whole body one, will help you moisturize your skin and will ease up all the tension that you might be feeling. Try using coconut or olive oil for it. Do this routine 15 minutes before you take your hot bath and you will have a glowing, soft skin.

Don’t forget to put on a smile when you are going out. A fresh complexion and a smile will make you look very appealing. Match your make up with your skin tone. Choosing the right colors for your outfit will help you pass the winter looking like it is spring time for you.

Beauty & Skin Care Recipes

The main ingredients and their benefits of different beauty recipes are given below.

1. Aloe gel: remedy for burns.
2. Avocado: good source of vitamin E and natural oils, natural moisturizer.
3. Coconut Milk: for smooth skin.
4. Cucumber: for dark circles under eyes and wrinkles, under-eye puffiness.
5. Egg: skin conditioner, egg white for normal and oily skin, yolks for dry skin
6. Fenugreek seeds (dana methi): for skin scrub, if taken internally purifies blood.
7. Honey: for wrinkles, skin pores and lose skin, a natural astringent, natural moisturizer.
8. Milk: for skin nourishment.
9. Nuts: used in scrubs for wrinkles, skin pores and blackheads.
10. Oatmeal: for smooth skin, improves complexion
11. Olive oil: good for dry skin.
12. Oranges, Lemons, Pineapple: natural astringents, improves complexion, soften the skin, skin bleach.
13. Tomato: opening the skin pores.
14. Vinegar: for blemishes, itchy skin, and sunburn, softens skin
15. Yogurt: softens and hydrates the skin, skin cleanser, skin bleach.
16. Witch Hazel: body eodorant, for eye puffiness.

Some Herbal and Natural Skin Treatments

Some Herbal and Natural Skin Treatments

1) Apply aloe vera juice on the affected area twice a day, as it helps buff up the skin.
2) Take some raw (unboiled) milk and add some nutmeg into it to form a paste. This is an excellent herbal skin treatment, and no scars are left after pimples disappear.
3) Take three tablespoons of honey and mix with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder to make a paste. Before going to sleep, apply this paste on the pimples and wash it with warm water the next morning. Follow this routine for fifteen days and your pimples will disappear.
4)Take a pinch of turmeric powder and mix it with a teaspoon of coriander juice. This is an extremely effective treatment to deal with pimples and blackheads. Before applying this mixture, wash your face properly.
5) You can take mint juice, if coriander juice is not available.
6) You can use the juice of raw papaya to apply it over the affected skin. It helps in quick acne cure.
7) Take one tablespoon of lemon juice and mix it with one tablespoon of groundnut oil. Apply this mixture on your pimples to prevent the formation of blackheads and pimples.
8) A paste of sandalwood powder mixed with black gram dal is a good herbal skin treatment.
9) Apply it on your face and keep it for the whole night. Wash your face with cold water the next morning. Follow this routine, and you will see the difference in a few days. Before you use these remedies, it’s important for you to consult the dermatologist, particularly if you are taking any medical treatment.

Wedding Tips

For Every Bride: Skin Care Tips and Makeup Techniques
All cosmetics and creams are not created equal. Brides should be especially wary of products with ingredients that can aggravate the skin, like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which can clog pores and irritate acne. For a list of irritants to look out for,
Sunscreen is an important part of any bride's daily routine.
Mineral-based make-ups can be a great alternative for women with acne prone skin.
Changes in seasons and hormones can alter the appearance of your skin. In the summer, your skin may be oily; in the winter it may be dry. Use products to help stabilize your current skin type versus relying on tried and true cleansers and lotions that are no longer appropriate.
Leading up to and on your big day, keep your pucker from being parched by applying a moisturizing balm with Hydraulic Acid and Shea Butter to soften lips and give them a soft, kissable look.
For ultimate wedding skin, consider a series of monthly facials to unclog pores, reduce fine lines, treat acne and even out skin tone up to six months in advance of your big day. Even if you are on a tight budget, one or two monthly or bi-weekly facials can do wonders and help reduce stress.
Do not experiment with new products and facials for the two weeks before your wedding--avoid potential irritation that could occur from new treatments or changes in your skin's reaction to them
Whether you hire a professional makeup artist to do your makeup or you do it yourself, there are a few products every bride should have in her bag

5 Makeup Essentials For Your Wedding Day

Powder to keep your makeup looking finished and to take the shine off in your photos
Lipliner to act as a primer and keep your lipstick on longer
Lipstick to freshen up your pout after the kiss
Eyeliner Pencil to take your wedding look to reception in no time

Waterproof Mascara need we even discuss this
And of-course don't forget some tissue and a small vial of your favorite perfume

The Luscious, Delicious Watermelon for Skin - (2)

It proves to be a good for skin care, due to its moisturizing properties. The non-greasy oil helps to smooth your skin by refurbishing the elasticity of the skin. It is widely used as massage oil, baby oil, facials, face creams, salt scrubs, shower bath as well as hair oil.

Some Beautifying Recipes

Watermelon Toner

You would require 1 cup watermelon pieces, 2 tbsp. witch hazel (a shrub), and 2 tbsp. water.

Preparation: Blend the watermelon pieces in a blender. Strain the liquid. Add witch hazel and water in the blended juice. Dab this juice on your face using a cotton ball. This mixture is rich in sugar and vitamins like A and B. The strong astringent properties and water content gets you a fresh and clean face.

Works as a Exfoliate

Mash a cup of watermelon chunks and then apply this paste on your face. Find a place to relax for 10 minutes. Rinse it later. It is a process of natural facelift helping in cleansing and tightening the skin.

For Dry Skin

Mash a cup of watermelon chunks mixed with a banana. Banana acts like a binding agent enhancing the effect of the watermelon.

For Oily Skin

Yogurt and watermelon are a great combination for oily skin. By applying this mixture on your face, it assists in the process of exfoliation. The lactic acid in the yogurt does wonders on your skin.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions while following instructions on the recipes from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

The Luscious, Delicious Watermelon for Skin

Gorgeous, luscious and delicious – the watermelon holds a unique place in the hearts of people around the world. As summer approaches and the mercury begins a steady rise, one finds mounds of plump watermelons on roadsides and fruit stalls. There is not much that gives you more satisfaction on a hot, dusty summer afternoon than a crisp, juicy slice of pink watermelon.

Health benefits: This wonder fruit does great things for your body. In the first place it is rich in electrolytes (sodium and potassium) that we lose through sweat. Also the fruit is very filling, has less calorie content and above all is very nourishing.

The watermelon consists of 93% water. A two- cup serving of watermelon contains many important vitamins and minerals. It is a multi-vitamin fruit and contains vitamins A, B6 and C to potassium and iron, which will surely boost your health. Dieticians advise that we should begin the morning with diced melon as they cleanse the body. A bowl of watermelon every morning starts a summer day off with close to no- fat, high fiber goodness. Taken with breakfast, it helps to protect you from the heat. Watermelon is also recommended to be taken in the evenings which are filled with physical activity.

Watermelons are great antioxidants that help you fight free radicals.

Watermelon contains lycopene which is a carotenoid and pigment that gives fruits and vegetables their red color. Preliminary research shows that consuming foods containing lycopene are associated with a decreased risk of prostrate and cervical cancer. Watermelon contains higher concentrations of lycopene (15-20 mg per two-cup serving) than any other fresh fruit or vegetable.

s a beauty aid: This versatile fruit is also a well-known beauty aid. It is widely used in beauty products like lipsticks, lip-gloss and shower gels. Watermelon essence is added to bath and body fragrances.

Watermelon juice protects the skin from the sun. It also clears the skin leaving it free from blemishes, fresh and lovely. Grate a watermelon, squeeze out the juice and apply on the face for 15 minutes. Wash with hot water and then splash on cold water. Your face will feel fresh and clean.

The fiber content in watermelon ensures toxins are scrubbed out of your system leaving your skin healthy and glowing. Mixed with a pinch of gram flour the pulp makes for an excellent scrub.

Watermelon pulp also makes for an excellent 10 minute pack, re-hydrating and exfoliating the skin, leaving it toned and glowing.

To close gaping pores, try rubbing watermelon juice frozen into ice cubes with crushed mint leaves, over the face.

Simple Tips For Beautiful skin

The modern lifestyle consumes a lot of body energy, and the natural body processes are unable to produce enough energy to keep us going. Factors like eating too much of fast food, not eating enough natural foods, over-indulgence, using too many medicines, drugs, lack of proper exercise, excess anxiety and pollution etc. further weaken our energy. Thus the vital power of the body which maintains the beauty, luster and glow, will be affected and reduced in the body. This has to be prevented and supplemented in a natural way, wherever possible.

Ayurveda describes many simple natural ways to maintain a healthy and glowing skin. Using these natural ways, one can stay young and beautiful for a longer period without having to suffer the side effects of the chemicals.

Below are some simple 'techniques' to achieve a naturally beautiful skin.

Grate raw coconut and squeeze milk out of it. Apply this milk over your lips and face. It adds grace and glow to your skin. For normal skin mix 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a cup of yogurt, to make a paste. Apply it on face as a mask and keep it on for 15 minutes. Then clean it off with a wet tissue. This mask enhances the complexion and glow of face. Exfoliate twice a week to rid your skin of dead cells. A protein mask -- Soak a teaspoon of urad dal and 5-6 almonds overnight. Grind this to a fine paste applies this protein mask on face and washes it off after half an hour. This mask nourishes the facial skin and also enhances the complexion. Application of pure castor oil prevents wrinkles and softens the skin. This slows down the aging process also. Home made conditioner : mix one tablespoon of honey and 2-table spoon of cream. Apply this mixture on face and wash it off after few minutes. Rubbing a raw potato on face removes marks and pigments. Prepare a homogenious mixture of cucumber juice, glycerin and rose water. Apply this mixture on face. This mixture can be refrigerated. Mix equal quantities of cucumber juice, rose water and lime juice. Wash the face and apply it overnight. Rinse off in the morning. This clears the complexion and keeps it healthy. Take 50 ml. of raw (not boiled) milk and mix a pinch of salt and two teaspoonful of lime juice in it. Use it as a cleansing lotion. It helps to clean the deep pores of skin. Mix equal quantities of lime juice, glycerin and rose water. This lotion if applied to the face regularly at bed time is very useful in removing pimples, blackheads and other stains of the skin. It makes the skin soft, and can also be applied to other parts of the body. Take 50 ml. of tomato juice and mix with one teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply this mixture to the face. It helps to make the skin soft and glowing. Take equal quantities of turmeric powder and wheat flour and make a paste with sesame oil. Apply it to the face to remove unwanted hair.