Best of the year 2007

Here are some of the best and the most popular posts of the year 2007. Enjoy!

Skin and body care

How to apply cream bleach
Bleaching tips.

The luxury called oil bath
An oil massage before a bath can rejuvenate the skin; especially recommended for ageing persons and during winter.

Toe-nail care
Caring for your toe nails.

Hair removal

Shaving hair
Shaving does not make your hair grow faster and thicker.

Health and beauty from your kitchen and garden

11 things you can do with olive oil
Olive oil is not just meant for Italian cuisine…

Honey for a smooth skin
Get the goodness of honey on your skin.

Sugar as beauty aid
Sugar for exfoliating dead skin, for waxing….

Sandalwood (Chandan) and Red sandalwood (Rakta Chandan) for health and beauty
The pastes from the bark of these rare, valuable trees soothe the skin.

Of Men, Cosmetic Surgery and Botox

If you had believed all along that women were the only ones negatively affected by idealized body images portrayed in the media, then you are highly mistaken. TV images of hunky male physiques affect a man’s body image as much as they do to a woman’s.

In a study, it was found that even a brief exposure to media images of muscular men affects a man's view of his body. Those who viewed more prime-time TV and music videos felt worse about their looks.

A recent study has revealed some very interesting facts - Most women, and large numbers of men, are interested in seeking recourse to cosmetic surgery to enhance their looks.

 David Frederick, a UCLA psychology graduate student and lead author of the study said, “The majority of women expressed some interest in cosmetic surgery, and more than one-third of men expressed some degree of interest, which I found really surprising. 

We know there is tremendous pressure for women to be thin and have a certain appearance and for men to be fit and muscular, but I would not have guessed that so many people would be interested in surgical body alteration.”

The DailyMail reports that more and more middle-aged men are turning to Botox to smooth away their wrinkles and that they are willing to shell out millions of bucks on the treatment in their quest to look younger. 

Injections of fillers - gels which iron out lines and plump up the lips - and permanent lip implants – all these seem to be quite popular with men who want to hold back the hands of time without going under the surgeon's knife, it adds. 

No doubt, men can be treated with Botox for cosmetic procedures in the same way as women, but, the fact is, they require higher doses of Botox in all treatment areas as they have a greater muscle mass than women.

Men losing the battle with bulging waistlines and sagging faces are also resorting to liposuction to have their stubborn fat sucked out of their bellies and eye bags cut away to make them look younger. 

Savina O'Neill, of London Plastic Surgery Associates says, “These anti-ageing measures are no longer just part of the woman's domain - most men nowadays appreciate a little external help when it's needed.”

Do you know your BMR?

You already know about BMI (Body mass index) and the fact that if you have a high BMI, you are obese. But how much do you know about BMR (Basal metabolic rate)? BMR is defined as the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain normal body functions. In other words, BMR shows the number of calories your body needs to operate when you are not engaged in any activity. It is sometimes called as the resting metabolic rate (RMR), the rate at which you use up energy when at rest.

As we all know, metabolism varies from person to person. BMR changes with age, weight, height, gender, diet and exercise habits. A person’s BMR is based on body functions such as respiration, digestion, heartbeat and brain function. BMR is much greater in childhood than in adulthood. Additionally, regardless of gender or other factors, some people naturally have slower metabolisms, and others have higher BMRs. As a very rough guide, the average person’s BMR is about half a calorie per pound of body weight, per hour. Complicated equations are used to calculate BMR. Get to know of your BMR from here.

What you need to know about BMR

* The higher your BMR, the easier it is to lose weight.

* Your BMR decreases if you reduce your food intake and go on a diet which has fewer calories than your normal diet.

* Your BMR increases in response to increased physical activity.

* Exercise is the only effective way to increase your BMR – Many diets claim to increase metabolic rate through special fat-burning exercise or fat-burning foods. The truth is that your metabolic rate falls if you start dieting and start to shed excess pounds.

* With age, the metabolic rate slows, and so older people have a different BMR ratio than younger people with identical weight and height.

Home remedies with lemon

Lemon/lime is a well-known, commonly used fruit in almost every cuisine. Though lime and lemon are spoken of in the same breath, they are actually a bit different from each other. Lime is smaller in size, has a thin smooth skin, sweet smell and contains less juice as compared to lemon. Both are excellent sources of free citrus acid, natural sugars, vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus.

Do-it-yourself conditioners for all hair types

Here are some easy do-it-yourself recipes to make your own hair conditioners. These are suitable for hair types and you can get equally superb results as you would by using well-known, expensive hair conditioners.

Sunflower oil hair conditioner

Ingredients:

Wheat germ oil 5 tbsp
Sunflower oil 5 tbsp

Procedure:

Mix the two oils and warm the mixture. Massage it on the head and wash off with lukewarm water to which 1 tbsp of lemon juice has been added.

Cider vinegar hair conditioner

Ingredients:

½ cup cider vinegar
2 pints of water

Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients together and leave on hair for 2 minutes. Rinse off. It gives your hair plenty of bounce and sparkle.

Avocado hair conditioner

Ingredients:

Avocado paste ½ cup
Olive oil - tbsp
Egg yolk- 1 egg

Procedure:

Beat the egg and mix avocado paste, add olive oil and blend well to get a smooth consistency. Apply this for 30 minutes on your hair and then wash off with lukewarm water. This paste performs the twin tasks of a rejuvenating hair pack as well as a conditioner.

You might also check these recipes for conditioners meant for dry hair.

To know more about conditioning and tips for conditioning read these posts:

Tips for conditioning your hair
Conditioning your hair

Common cold is so very common in winter

Most people strongly believe that cold winter air causes colds. But research has already ascertained that there is hardly any link between cold weather and catching colds. But, then why is winter referred to as the running nose season? And why are colds so common in winter? Could be, because, people are more likely to congregate indoors, making the spread of virus easier. Also, the cold virus thrives in low humidity.

Homemade facial scrubs for normal skin

Are you the lucky one with normal skin? Then here are some terrific scrubs to gently exfoliate and whisk off those dead cells from your face and make it appear fresh and glowing. They are neither too harsh, nor too mild. Just the right ones for your skin type. Use them once in a week or twice a month.

Oatmeal face scrub

Ingredients:

Oatmeal 1 tbsp
Almond oil 1 tsp

Method:

Mix these ingredients well and apply it to your face. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Before it dries up, gently start rubbing with your finger tips in gentle circular motions. Then wash off with lukewarm water, followed by a splash of cold water.

Orange peel face scrub

Ingredients:

Dried orange peel powder 2 tbsp
Oatmeal 2 tsp
Any cold cream 2 tbsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients to get a paste and apply it on your face. When it slightly dries up, gently start scrubbing your face without tugging at the skin. Wash off with lukewarm water and rinse off with cold water to close the pores.

Barley face scrub

Ingredients:

Barley powder 1½ tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Milk 1 tsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients to get a smooth paste. Apply this on the face, leave on for 15 minutes and then remove it off by scrubbing as mentioned above.

Related:

Fix your dull and tired skin with masks and complexion scrubs
Face packs for normal skin
Face packs for different skin types

Sleeping for long hours is not good for health

A good night’s sleep refreshes us mentally and physically. Insufficient sleep or long term sleep deprivation is detrimental to one’s health. Nothing new - almost everyone is aware of this fact. Insomnia is by far the most talked about and discussed sleep disorder. Tons of information is available on this topic and countless remedies are suggested by all and sundry to overcome this problem. Comparatively, excessive sleep and its effects on health rarely get so much attention and this issue hardly finds a place in the conversation of laymen.

Although the average amount of sleep for a person is 8 hours, individual needs may vary. It all depends on our inherited genetic need, the internal body clock, environment, one’s activities during the day, quality of sleep, bedtime habits and so on. We have to figure out our own optimum sleep hours. If we can carry out our daily chores without feeling too sleepy, cranky or fatigued then most certainly we are getting enough sleep. Anything more than that is bad.

Usually, more than 9 hours of sleep is considered to be long sleep. Persons who sleep for long hours are mostly victims to depression, mood swings, minor aches and anxiety. Long sleepers are also found to be pessimistic towards their contemporary social values, says. A survey conducted by Dr Ernest Hartman disclosed the fact that long sleepers are almost negative to their surroundings.

It has been found that long sleepers have a 50 percent greater risk of stroke, higher rates of cardiovascular disease and possibly an increased risk for diabetes than those who sleep for six to eight hours a night. A recent study reiterates that spending too many long hours in bed, than needed, is as bad as chronic sleep deprivation. According to this study, adults who routinely get too little or too much sleep may die sooner than those who get the standard 8 hours each night.

It is not clear whether long sleeping is an early symptom of ailments that will not become evident until much later or whether long sleeping itself increases one's risk for certain diseases. Reducing one's time in bed would be the safest proposition in such cases, says researcher Youngstedt - it doesn't require an expensive prescription, just a good alarm clock to wake a person at the right time.

Who is a free person?

This inspiring, thought-provoking piece of writing was forwarded to me by e-mail; I just couldn’t resist sharing it with you all.

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool;

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental;

To reach out for another is to risk involvement;

To express your feelings is to risk exposing your true self;

To love is to risk not being loved in return;

To live is to risk dying;

To believe is to risk despair;

To try is to risk failure;

But risk we all must, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing;

The people, who risk nothing, do nothing, have nothing;

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live;

Chained by their attitudes they are slaves; they have given away their freedom;

ONLY THE MAN WHO RISKS IS A FREE MAN

11 things you can do with olive oil

Besides lemon, milk, sugar, aloe, turmeric, sandalwood and honey, olive oil is another household item that has multifarious uses as a beauty aid. It is a mild, non-irritant, antibacterial oil that is rich in antioxidants; hence is ideal for the skin. Here are a few things that you could do with olive oil.

Do you grit and grind your teeth?

The effect of stress on our health is such that there is hardly any disease or condition (physiological or psychological) that is not directly or remotely connected to it. Teeth grinding or bruxism, is one such condition. We all use teeth to chew and grind food. But when one starts gritting and gnashing teeth for no particular reason, it is referred to as bruxism. It is often triggered by psychological and emotional stresses, over-anxiety and sleep disorders, apart from jaw discrepancies, an abnormal bite or teeth that are missing or crooked. Both children and adults can be affected by it.

Massaging your legs

Women’s legs have a naturally smoother and rounder appearance than men’s as they carry more subcutaneous fat. A pad of fat on the inside of the upper thigh is, for instance, a female characteristic. The length of legs, their shape, bone structure and several other subtle characteristics are, to a large extent is decided by the inherited genes. But often, lumps and bulges tend to accumulate to give the legs a flabby appearance. Though we cannot physically alter the shape and size of the legs that we are born with, surgical procedures notwithstanding, we can do our bit to enhance their appearance.

A proper massage, followed by exercise, together with judicious dieting, will help reduce fat and make the legs look lean, lithe and lovely. Regular massage, at bath times, with a rough mitt or oil will work wonders in decongesting and breaking down the fatty deposits. Take coconut oil or any suitable body lotion in your palms and massage your legs the way you knead dough by rhythmically lifting and squeezing the flesh.

Begin lightly and gently at first, and after a few minutes of stroking, build up pressure gradually, and knead more vigorously. Unlike the luxury massage, which the opulent indulge in ambient spas, this cellulated massage is not for pleasure, but for quick remarkable results. Your skin will also benefit from this massage. Massaging with Vitamin-E oil will in fact, help to minimize ugly stretch marks.

Start from your feet and massage both sides of the legs and go up to the trunk. Then massage the knee with a circular movement. Press the knee firmly but gently with your thumbs. Now, flex the leg and do the inside of the knee pressing into the soft fleshy depression. Since you are not an expert, let your strokes be gentle, lest it does more harm than good. Slower and more rhythmic strokes will make you feel relaxed and safe. The guideline for a good massage is: ‘The better you feel, the better you are doing it’.

Massage by itself, will do you no good if not followed by appropriate exercises, the massage will only loosen fatty areas to make you look even fatter than before. (Exercise and fitness regimen for lovely legs will be dealt in some other post shortly.) And, one more thing. All the exercise and massage in the world will of little use if you continue to eat unhealthy junk food that lacks fiber and other vital nutrients. Such food will only lead to extra fat formation on your legs, particularly if you are leading a sedentary lifestyle. So, eating the right kind of food is a must.

Related Reading:

Pamper your feet
Pedicure at home
Put your best foot forward
Pic credits: dreamstime.com

Buying colored contact lenses online?

Changing your eye color has become as easy as changing one’s clothes or jewelry these days – all thanks to modern-day ophthalmology. If you are bored of your natural eye color and want to experiment with your looks, all you have to do is wear colored contact lenses. 

It just takes a few seconds and you will be amazed at the results. This tiny pair of lenses in your eyes literally brings about a dramatic transformation in your looks. 

Common sense

We often make use of expressions “Why, I never thought of that! Why didn’t it occur to me?”, when a person having limited resources achieves something remarkable just by exercising his/her common sense. Common sense is the one attribute that will carry mankind through all complexities of life, more than anything else. Like a delicate plant, common sense needs to be nurtured well so that it bears fruits at all times.

To develop common sense the following qualifications are indispensable:

• Ability to grasp situation
• Ability to concentrate the mind.
• Keenness in perception
• Exercising of the reasoning power.
• Power of approximation
• Calmness
• Self control.

Developing these qualities will make a person see things as they are and do things as they should be done. In a layman’s language ‘common sense’ is all about “keeping the eyes and ears open.”

Many people gifted with common sense, but deprived of ordinary intelligence, have amassed a fortune. A person, however intelligent he/she may be – if he/she is not at all pragmatic and does not exercise common sense in day to day life, will not be successful. Even in things, which concern health, family, career, religion and in everyday life, it is common sense which has the upper hand over intelligence. Common sense is rightly called as the intelligence of the instinct.

Homemade hand lotions

Have you have been neglecting your hands lately? Don’t… By not pampering your hands, you might be adding your bit to hasten the natural ageing process. There is still time to make amends.  

Nourish and moisturize your hands as often as possible. If you don’t want to splurge on expensive hand creams and lotions, then try making one at home.

Here are some easy recipes for homemade hand lotions and creams for hands, obviously! Their usage is all the more necessary now as you have to protect your lovely hands from the merciless, moisture robbing winter air.

Does your pupil size matter when you are considering Lasik eye surgery?

You desperately want to get rid of those offending glasses and also do away with those bothersome contact lenses.

The desire to see the world with eyes, that are unaided by external crutches is so intense in you that even your phobia for any kind of surgery isn’t quite capable of holding you under its sway.

So you have seriously contemplated LASIK to get that perfect 20/20 vision. But is laser eye surgery or LASIK as effective as it is hyped? And what of the side-effects that might occur later on?

Are you sure that you will be able to cope up with dry eyes and poor night vision? You have to weigh all the pros and cons associated with laser eye surgery or LASIK and have realistic expectations of the aftermath before going in for it.

You may be having beautiful eyes and large pupils, which dilate attractively as you speak. And as some studies suggest, men are in fact, attracted to women having large pupils.

But, having large pupils, especially, can be a bane if you are considering LASIK or laser eye surgery to correct vision problems like myopia.

The size of your pupils has got everything to do if you are opting for LASIK.  

According to this source, if your pupils are too big, you may be a poor candidate for LASIK, because people with large pupils are more likely to suffer side effects after LASIK surgery than individuals with smaller pupils.

Most LASIK problems occur when physicians zap too small a section of the eye during laser surgery. At night, when pupils get bigger, they can expand past the portion of the eyes where vision was corrected, triggering halos, glare and other night-vision problems.

That’s why it’s highly necessary that you discuss pupil size with your ophthalmologist and ascertain from him/her whether you are a suitable candidate for LASIK.

According to Dr. Wilson, while there is no doubt that pupil size is relevant, it is not the “be all and end all” with regard to the ultimate outcome of the procedure. There are several other factors to consider as well.

Dr Maloney agrees: “While pupil size clearly has some importance in determining the risk of halo or glare after LASIK, it deserves much less credit than is normally given.” [Source]

But nevertheless, if you do have large pupils, it is vital for you to ask the doctor a lot of questions and seek second, third or even a fourth opinion. Do your own research; seek out for the opinion of your friends who have already undergone LASIK before you make your decision.

After all, when it comes to your precious eyesight, you just can’t afford to take risks.

Sitting for long hours is harmful for health. Standing more often will help.

Do you lead a sedentary lifestyle? Are you a couch potato and spend most of your time lazing cozily in your favorite armchair? If so, your risk factors of counteracting diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity are too high. The International Osteoporosis society reports that women who sit for more than 9 hours a day are 50% more likely to break a hip than those who sit less than 6 hours a day. Health concerns and occasional guilt pangs about your lifestyle might probably drive you to reserve a fixed period during the day for some kind of exercise. But is this enough to ward off the various risks involved with your inactive lifestyle?

New research shows that it is a misconception that actively exercising is the only way to make a healthy difference in an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. The researchers have found that physical inactivity throughout the day stimulated disease-promoting processes, and that exercising, even for an hour a day, was not sufficient to reverse the effect. What you do in your waking period during the day and when you are not actively exercising also counts. The solution that they recommend is that you should stand and move about frequently while doing your chores to maintain optimal metabolism throughout your waking period. They add that given the work of muscles necessary to hold the body’s weight upright, standing actually doubles the metabolic rate. So stand more, sit less and flex your muscles more often even while performing simple day-to-day tasks for good health. A fixed exercise-regimen alone cannot combat the ill-effects of prolonged sitting or an otherwise sedentary lifestyle.

Sandalwood to treat acne

Sandalwood (Chandan) is highly efficacious in the treatment of pimples. Its antiseptic and germicidal properties make it ideal for treating acne and stubborn blemishes and spots.

Sandalwood paste to treat adolescence acne

Very few adolescents can escape from some kind of acne or spots in their teenage years. So for teenagers here’s a mask which help to dry those pimples.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoonfuls of gram flour (Besan)
Rose water
Listerine -1/2 tsp
Water – 2 tsp
Sandalwood paste – 1 tsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients well. Apply on face with a swab stick. Let the mask dry on the face. Moisten it by splashing cold water on the face. Then, with eyes closed, remove it with a wet face towel and wash off thoroughly.

Another simple way to smear sandalwood paste mixed with a pinch of turmeric. Allow it to dry off and then wash it off. This will dry and heal pimples quickly.

Other masks and packs with sandalwood to treat acne

# Face pack 1

Ingredients:

Red sandalwood (rakta chandan) paste – 2tsp
Sandalwood paste – 2tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Honey – 2 tsp

Method:

Prepare pastes of red sandalwood and ordinary sandalwoods by rubbing them with pure water on a stone. To these paste mix turmeric and honey and let all the ingredients blend well. Apply it on your face until it dries. Turmeric is an antiseptic and honey heals the skin. The effects of these two ingredients combined with the cooling effects of red sandalwood and ordinary sandalwood pastes soothe the skin and help heal the pimples quickly.

# Face pack 2

Mix 1 oz of sandalwood oil with 2 oz of coconut oil and store it in a bottle. Rub this on the face before going to bed. If you don’t like keeping any muck on your face before going to bed, then you can apply it a few hours before, and when you are about to retire to bed, you can clean it off with a cotton swab moistened by warm water.

# Face pack 3

Rub sandalwood (chandan) and camphor (kapur) in a little water on a stone and apply this paste a few hours before bedtime. Wash it off before going to sleep.

See also: Sandalwood as beauty aid

Homemade hydrating masks for winter

Hydrating masks or water based masks are ideal for winter. As your skin gets too dry, flaky and itchy this season, you need to do away with all those hardening clay masks and instead switch over to water based ones which help retain the moisture from the skin and prevent further moisture loss. These homemade masks do just that. They contain ingredients such as natural fruit juices, plant extracts and glycerin which act as soothing balms on parched winter skins.

Papaya mask

Ingredients:
Papaya fruit pulp

Method:
Just mash the papaya pulp and spread it all over your face and neck. After 15 minutes wash it off with cold water and watch your face glow.

Aloevera gel mask

Ingredients:
Aloe pulp

Method:
Slit open a fresh juicy aloe leaf and extract the thick pulp. Mash it well. You might also mix a tsp of glycerin in this aloe gel for getting an extra lubricating mask. Apply it to your face and neck and leave on for 10-12 minutes. Some people are allergic to fresh aloe-gel, they might experience some itching and discomfort. If that is the case with you, then don’t use it.

Grapes mask

Ingredients:
A few grapes

Method:
Deseed a few grapes and mash them well to get a pulpy mixture. Spread over face and neck for 15 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.

Strawberry mask

Ingredients:
Strawberries-3
Rose water-1 tbsp

Method:
Mash strawberries and add rose water to the pulp. Apply this mask on the face and neck and let it stay for 15 minutes. Finally rinse off with cold water.

Honey face pack

Honey – 1-2 tbsp
Rosewater – 1 tsp

Method:
Mix the two ingredients and spread over your face and neck. You may even skip using rose water. Honey is a very good hydrant and humectant and is extremely good for dry, moisture depleted skin.

Malai (milk-cream) mask

Ingredients:
Malai (milk cream)

Method:
Apply milk cream over your face and neck; be careful not to get it into the eyes. Keep on for 10 minutes. Wash off with warm water followed by a splash of cold water.

Almond oil-milk face pack

Ingredients:

Almond oil – 1 tbsp
Unboiled milk – 2 tsp
A pinch of sugar.

Method:
Dissolve a pinch of sugar in unboiled milk and then add almond oil. Blend it well. Apply to on your face and neck and keep it on for 15 minutes. Wash off with tepid water and as then with cold water as the final rinse.

Carrot-honey mask

Ingredients
Carrot juice – 2 tsp
Honey – 5 tsp

Method:

Mix honey and carrot juice so that they blend well. Apply to the face and neck for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off. It makes the skin smooth as silk.

Coconut milk mask

Ingredients:
Coconut milk

Method:
Grate a fresh coconut and grind the scrapings with little water to extract thick coconut milk. Spread over face and neck for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with cold water.

Tomato yoghurt mask

Ingredients:

Tomato juice – 1 tsp
Yoghurt (curds) – 1 tbsp
Rosewater – 1/2 tsp

Method:
Mix all the ingredients, add water if necessary. Apply this paste over your face and neck for 10-12 minutes and wash off with slightly tepid water and finally rinse off with cold water.

Pic credits: fotosearch.com, acclaimimages.com