Do online purchasers of contact lenses neglect healthy eye care practices?

You like to experiment with different eye colors by wearing colored contact lenses. It does something to your appearance and if you have chosen the color and tint which suits your eyes it will make you stand out from the crowd. So spending a few bucks on these lenses to enhance your looks is worth it. And if you do wear glasses to correct a defective vision, switching over to contact lenses might be a better idea if you intensely feel that spectacles mar your looks. Agreed that buying lenses online saves time and is a lot cheaper but at the same time you should be extremely wary while making purchases online and choose your sources wisely.

A recent study which researched the purchasing and eye care behaviors of contact lens wearers has found that even those who purchased online lenses, the right way by getting a prescription from an ophthalmologist were found to neglect healthy eye care practices, as recommended by their eye doctor. The study pointed out that around 86% of those who purchased their lenses, the regular way from an eye doctor received a yearly comprehensive eye exam, whereas around 76% individuals who purchased their lenses via the Internet saw an eye doctor on a routine basis. It is extremely important for contact lens wearers to constantly monitor their eye health and vision from time to time to detect and avoid complications. Eyesight can change rapidly and frequently; wearing contact lenses with an incorrect prescription can result in eye discomfort, fatigue, blurred vision and headaches. So, frequent eye examinations at the eye doctor’s and follow-ups after getting the lenses are a must. Online purchasers- do take note of this fact. Go for a follow-up to ensure a proper fit of your purchased lenses and do get your eyes examined on a timely basis to prevent vision problems and to guard your precious eyesight.

Pore shrinking mask recipes from home

A face with large open pores when seen from close quarters doesn’t look so good. While it’s quite common for oily skins to have a tendency towards open pores, an attack of pimples also leaves ugly scars and open pores behind. Even though the scars may fade away after some time, open pores appear to be more obstinate and hardly show any signs of shrinking. Age also takes its toll by giving an uneven/pigmented tone to the skin and making the open pores more prominent. Heredity could also be a contributing factor in determining your pore size.

It’s not easy to get rid of these pores or shrink them completely or permanently using serums, lotions or face packs. Even resorting to drastic chemical/surgical procedures at the dermatologist’s isn’t quite capable of giving satisfactory results. Nevertheless, you can try and minimize their appearance at least temporarily with clever make-up and a few natural skin care masks such as these:

* Cleanse your face with a mild face wash. Then splash ice cold water over your face or alternatively rub an ice cube wrapped in a towel over your face. Cold ice constricts the facial muscles for a while and this action can shrink the pores temporarily. Then pat dry. You can then apply fresh lemon juice over your face, that is, if you do not have an extremely sensitive skin which is allergic to lemons. Lemon juice acts as an astringent which helps to close the pores.

* Or after cleansing your face you can apply a spoonful of milk of magnesia. Keep it on for 15-20 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water and finish it off with a splash of cold water. This pack also helps with acne.

* Egg whites are not just skin-tighteners but also excellent pore-shrinkers. Beat an egg white. Add a tsp of lemon juice to it. Then apply it evenly over your face until it dries and tightens around the skin. You may skip using lemon juice if you wish and use only a well-beaten egg white on your face. Wash it off with tepid water and a splash of cold water.

* Soak a few almonds in water. Grind it to a paste with water. Add 2 tsp of lemon juice and apply it to your face. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then wash it off as usual. This also lightens your complexion.

* A combination of tomato juice and butter milk is not only good for treating suntan but its astringent action also works well to tighten the pores. You can even apply plain buttermilk with cotton wool on your pores; this helps with freckles too.

* Another recipe is to crush lettuce leaves and extract its juice, add a few tsp of lemon juice and apply it to your face to be washed off after 20 minutes.

* Blend apricot and tomato pulp to a paste and apply this mixture to your face.

* Papaya, peach, pineapple and orange juices also have astringent properties. So using these on your face may be a good idea. 

* A sugar scrub might also help with open pores. Combine a tsp each of olive oil, honey, lemon juice to a few sugar crystals and gently rub over your face. Immediately follow it up with any of the above packs and/or a splash of ice cold water.

Terrific soothers for your feet

Check out these terrific foot soothers for those days when you hobble rather than walk and your first desire on reaching home is to find a remote corner and make yourself as inconspicuous as you can in order to relax your tired feet.

* Heat adequate olive oil/coconut oil just enough to soak your feet. Massage in oil thoroughly on your feet including the ankles and soak your feet in it for around 4-5 minutes. Then wrap hot wet towel (wring out till just damp) around each foot. Leave in place for 10 minutes.

* Or you try to revive your tired feet with this soothing brew: Take a basin of sufficiently hot water and add all these to it: A handful of your favorite herbs (chamomile, rosemary are terrific) with a few drops of fragrant oils (like mint, musk, sandalwood, jasmine etc.). Place your feet in it for 7-10 minutes. Then rinse off with cool water.

* Or else try this natural foot rinse: Drop 1 ½ cups cider vinegar and ½ cup lemon juice into foot basin filled with tepid water. Submerge your feet and relax.

* You might also apply arnica lotion to soothe your tired feet which can be prepared thus – Take 100 ml surgical spirit and 1 tablespoon of tincture of arnica. Mix the two well and your lotion is ready. Whenever you need it put 2-3 drops of this lotion whenever you are soaking your feet in water. After drying your feet you can sprinkle suitable foot powder to get rid of any odor.

* Or you can do with this common, yet effective all-through-the-night foot masque and hard skin softener: Apply warm, runny Vaseline, heated using the double boiling method to your feet. Massage it thoroughly into the thick skin of your feet. Cover feet with thin, inexpensive socks, and don’t remove till morning.

Related Reading:

Pamper your feet
Put your best foot forward
Hot foot bath to relieve headache
Pic credits:fotosearch.com

4 temporary fixes for your problems

Here are quick, temporary solutions for 4 of your problems that tend to drive you mad when are in a hurry.

Camouflage unwanted hair

You’ve got an evening out program and no time to get your face bleached to camouflage that tiny hair growth on your face. Don’t worry! Cut a thin slice of lemon; rub it gently over the area where you have hair, i.e. upper lip, forehead, jaw line and sideburns. The lemon will lighten the hair color and make it less visible.

Tame unruly eyebrows

When you have no time to attend to your highly unmanageable, unruly eyebrows, spritz a little hairspray on a cotton ball. Then wipe on for maximum control.

Excessive sweating palms

You are to give a speech and your nervous system is already revved up. Your palms have already started sweating profusely in anticipation of confronting a crowd. You obviously want to conceal your panic and put on a brave front, especially, as you have to shake hands with too many people before the event. Not to worry. Try this solution. Apply an antiperspirant on your palms before any big moment which almost sucks the life out of you. The aluminium chloride in antiperspirant thickens the sweat pouring out of the sweat ducts and plugs them up with thousands of gooey corks; it’s a temporary fix, though.

Avoid dragon breath

You are savoring scrumptious and spicy dishes with plenty of garlic for lunch totally unmindful of the aftermath. You suddenly remember that you have to attend an important meeting within no time and here you are saddled with a vampire breath – all of your own doing. What to do? Just dip a lemon quarter in a pinch of salt and chew on it. The lemon oil and salt will help break down the odor causing compounds in garlic.