Treat oily hair at home the easy way

Oily tresses need a treatment that reduces excess sebum from the scalp. Ingredients with high protein content such as egg white and yoghurt, lemon etc are found to work wonders on oily hair. But as always, too much of anything is bad; so use these ingredients wisely.

* Warm hair oil (olive or coconut oil). Add the juice of half a lemon. Massage into the roots, comb out and wrap a hot towel around your head for 10 minutes, then wash off.

* Add a tablespoon of malt vinegar and a pinch of salt to a glass of water. Massage about two tablespoons of it on to your scalp. Leave on for an hour and then rinse thoroughly. For the last rinse use the remaining solution for extra shine.

* Use this hair pack once in a fortnight or once in a week during summers.

Ingredients:

Egg white – 4 tbsp
Yoghurt – 4 tbsp
Multani mitti (fuller’s earth) – 2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients well. Make sections in your hair and gently rub it in. Multani mitti absorbs excess oil and grease in the hair, while protein-rich egg white and yoghurt nourish each strands and lemon juice gives a shine. Leave this for ½ an hour. And do wash your hair thoroughly afterwards.

* You may prepare a homemade shampoo with these herbs. Soak some reetha (dry soap nuts) overnight. Boil this mixture in the morning and wait until it cools off. Mash and strain the soapy solution. Add a teaspoon of shikakai powder and use it to wash your hair.

Similar Reading:

• Oily hair care
• Do-it-yourself conditioners for all hair types
• Herbal after shampoo hair rinses
• A quick tip to make thin, lifeless hair look full-bodied

Interesting and unusual health trivia

This is a compilation of some strange, unusual, interesting but true facts. Most of these are related to human anatomy and health. Hope you enjoy reading them.

* The human body is comprised of 80 percent of water.

* The average lifespan of human eyelashes is about 3 months.

* There are about 500 hairs in an eyebrow.

* It takes more muscles (43) to frown than it does to smile (17). So smile more often.

* The average adult will stand around 0.5 inches taller in the morning than in the evening * due the slight cartilage compression that happens over the course of a day.

* Blondes have more hair than dark-haired people.

* Fingernails grow faster than toenails.

* The thumbnail grows the slowest while the middle finger nail grows the fastest.

* If you go blind in one eye, you only lose about one-fifth of your vision but all your sense of depth.

* On average a person will blink over 10,000 times a day.

* Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

* Most lipsticks contain fish scales.

* The average woman consumes 6 lbs of lipstick in her lifetime.

* It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

* When you sneeze, all your body functions stop.

* Honey is the only food that does not spoil. In fact honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs is still edible.

* Pearls melt in vinegar.

People wearing glasses are not necessarily nerds

One is always surrounded by myths which are imbibed into one from childhood and sometimes through various channels. One such myth that we have grown up with is that people who wear glasses are usually introverts or nerds or have particular personality characteristics. However, latest Australian research into myopia or shortsightedness has revealed that people who wear glasses are not stereotypical geeks or nerds; they are more likely to be agreeable and open, rather than closed and introverted.

Details:

For the first time in a study into personality and myopia, participants were analysed using a state-of-the-art measure of the five major personality factors (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism), administered by psychologists from the University of Melbourne. Results revealed that comparison of family members and twins showed no link between myopia and introversion; however there was a significant but small association with myopia and Agreeableness.

Feeling tired? – Then go and get some exercise

If you are feeling tired and fatigued all the time, it could be an indication that your body is craving for some exercise.

Many people wrongly associate tiredness only with strenuous work/exercise, while studies have increasingly shown that couch potatoes, procrastinators and stressed persons are also the ones that are always feeling fatigued.

However, it looks like moderate exercise is one of the best ways to combat that feeling of tiredness.

In fact, a team at the University of Georgia has found that regular, low-intensity workouts such as a leisurely stroll can boost energy levels by 20 percent and decrease fatigue by 65 percent.

Researchers said that people tend to believe that a quick workout can leave a person completely exhausted, especially when he/she is already feeling fatigued.

But this is not at all true. Regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy, particularly in sedentary individuals, they add.

However, fatigued individuals should only indulge in low-intensity exercises and not strenuous ones, as the study found  the low-intensity group reported better reduction in fatigue than those who worked out harder.

The study author O’Connor said that it looks like moderate-intensity exercise is too much for people who are already fatigued and that might contribute to them not getting as great an improvement as they would had they done the low-intensity exercise.

Similar reading: Home remedies for fatigue

Homemade Anti-wrinkle face masks

We often hear women saying that they can put up with blackheads on their nose, a few blemishes on the face or even some discoloration on their upper lips but wrinkles are something they dread as they believe that they are the harbinger of decline, signaling that “one is over the hill.” Sure, there are procedures like chemical peels, botox, face-lifts etc to wipe out those offending lines but they not only prove to be very expensive in the long run but have several side-effects associated with them. The efficacy of those over-the-counter anti-wrinkle creams is also doubtful. Even if you are not blessed with the best of genes, the oldest, clichéd and the most sure-fire ways of keeping wrinkles at bay is adequate sun-protection, nutritious diet, regular exercise, a stress-free lifestyle and proper sleep.

It’s a fact that you cannot get rid of wrinkles with homemade masks, nonetheless some of these face packs help rejuvenate, revitalize and give your skin a firmer texture.

Honey anti-wrinkle mask

Ingredients:

1 ½ tbsp honey
½ tsp carrot juice
A pinch of baking soda

Method:

Combine honey and juice of carrots. Apply on face. Leave on for 20 minutes. Remove using cotton wool dipped into warm water to which a pinch of baking soda has been added.

Egg and Cream mask

Ingredients:

1 white of an egg
1 tablespoon of milk-cream (malai)

Method:

Combine together to make a paste. Apply on face and neck for 20 minutes. Rinse off with tepid water. This mask tautens the facial skin quickly and your face will look rejuvenated almost immediately but this doesn’t last for longer. If you're want to make your skin look tighter and younger for the evening, this is a great mask to use.

Cornflour mask:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon corn flour (makki ka atta)
1 tablespoon of honey

Method:

Make a paste with the above ingredients without any lumps.

Application:
Apply on face and allow it to dry before rinsing off.

Apple facial mask

Ingredients:

Apple – 1

Method:

Mash apple and use as a facial mask to tighten your skin.

Application:

Use on face for 10 minutes and wash thoroughly with cold water.

Egg white-olive oil face mask

Ingredients:

Egg white – 1
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Beat egg white until smooth add the juice of lemon and olive oil. Apply to face and neck a few hours before retiring to bed and leave it on for 20 minutes. Wash off and follow with your moisturizer.

Egg white-lemon mask

Ingredients:
Eggwhite- 1
Juice of half a lemon
Salt- ½ tsp

Method:

Mix beaten egg white with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and salt. Apply for 15-20 min and wash off. Works wonders on wrinkled skin.

Banana mask

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon rose water

Method:

Mash banana and add in rose water.

Application:

Apply as often as you can. Wash with lukewarm water after 30 minutes. If used regularly it gives your skin a firm texture.

Mint-kaolin mask

Ingredients:

1 egg white
2 teaspoon kaolin
2 tablespoon mint (pudina) juice

Method:

Crush a handful of mint leaves and allow it to steep in water for half an hour. Strain the liquid. Alternatively, you may extract the juice of mint. Beat the egg white until stiff. Add to the mint extract. Stir in kaolin to make a paste.

Application:

Apply the mask all over face and wash it off after 15 minutes.

Eggwhite-cucumber-mint anti wrinkle face pack

Ingredients:

1 tsp cucumber juice
1 egg white
1 tbsp mint juice
½ tsp honey
1 tsp curd (yoghurt)

Method:

Beat egg white until stiff. Blend ingredients thoroughly.

Application:

Apply thickly on face. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse.

Green-gram flour anti-wrinkle face pack

Ingredients:

Green gram (moong) flour – 1 tbsp
Coconut oil – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and apply evenly all over the face and wash off with cold water after 20 minutes.

Papaya-cream face pack

Ingredients:

Mashed papaya – 2 tbsp
Milk cream – 1 tbsp

Method:

Mix the two ingredients well and apply on your face for 15-20 minutes to wash it off with cold water later. Do this at least thrice in a week.

Peach-lemon face pack

Ingredients:

Peaches – 2
Lemon juice – 1tsp

Method:

Mash the peaches and to this mixture add lemon juice. Apply on your face and neck for 15-20 min. Wash off and follow it up with a moisturizer.

Green seedless grape mask

Ingredients:

Green seedless grapes

Method:

Cut a green seedless grape in half, and gently rub it on your face concentrating on places which are more wrinkle-prone like crow’s feet, laughter lines etc. Leave the mask on your face for around fifteen to twenty minutes before washing it off with cold or warm water. Gently pat your face dry. You may then apply a moisturizer.

Similar reading:

• More Home-made face packs for wrinkles
• Facial exercises for a wrinkle-free look
• Avoid rubbing your skin to delay ageing

Motivational Quotes

Some inspirational quotes which are worth remembering:

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.

- James Oppenheim

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise.

- Cato

Preconcieved notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.

- Merry Browne

Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.

- Anonymous

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

- Albert Einstein

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

- Patanjali, the ancient Indian philosopher and Yogi

Cover your gray with touch-up sticks

I recently heard about hair touch-up sticks (color sticks) as a quick and easy way to cover gray hair. How do they work? You have to wet the color stick and then brush over the offending strands. Then wait for a few minutes to dry. The color allegedly stays on until your next shampoo. Just perfect for those people who want to cover their roots between coloring appointments. It’s not very expensive also, just costs around $6 and lasts for more than 6 months. It is available in colors ranging from light brown to black. Select a shade that closely matches your hair-color and camouflage your gray hair.

REVLON Roux Tween Time Instant Haircolor Touch Up Stick DARK BROWN 10g/0.33oz
Kiss Trucolor Instant Gray Hair Touch up Stick [ Medium Brown ]

Dabur Vatika Hair oil: Review

I have oily hair that becomes very sticky and highly unmanageable in summer. Nevertheless, I always oil my hair at least once in a week and leave it overnight to shampoo it off the next day. Coconut oil is my first choice for a scalp massage. But in summers I would rather use herbal oils such as amla oil, curry leaves oil, Aloe-oil or hibiscus oil which I prepare at home– all these oils, however, have coconut oil as the base. These oils are very cooling and applying these before going to bed gives me an undisturbed and peaceful slumber at night.

I haven’t tried using too many commercially available herbal hair oils partly because I don’t want to end up losing hair by experimenting with unknown products. But when my friend who has thick, luxurious hair told me how after using Dabur Vatika hair oil, her hair got a visible shine and helped her to deal with long term hair-fall and dandruff, I decided to give it a try. I’ve never had any dandruff problems but excessive hair-fall does bother me sometimes, and since I didn’t have the time to prepare a herbal oil at home, I purchased a bottle of Dabur Vatika. What especially drew me to this product was the fact that that it has the goodness of the hair-friendly herb Amla in it. 

A superbug infection associated with face lifts?

Face lift is a popular surgical procedure preferred by many people who and want to look younger and more beautiful in their advancing years. It lifts up the facial skin and tissues and/or the underlying muscle, to make the face tighter and smoother. Face lift addresses the problems of sagging skin, loose jowls and bags under the eyes and improves much of the damage done by ageing. But one should be wary of the risks and the side-effects as well.

Health Quotes

A collection of awesome health quotes. Enjoy!

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

- Mahatma Gandhi

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.

- Irish Proverb

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

- Mark Twain

Age does not depend upon years, but upon temperament and health. Some men are born old, and some never grow so.

- Tryon Edwards

Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings.

- Publilius Syrus

Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body.

- Cicero

Home Remedies for nose bleed

Nose bleed is also called as ‘epistaxis’. It occurs more often in summer and specially in young children as a result of spending long hours in the sun, constant nose-picking, nose polyp or any other infection.

Smoking cigarettes can also dry and crack the nose lining, and taking medications that thin the blood can cause severe nose bleeds. High blood pressure levels also precipitate an attack of epistaxis.

Activities such as sneezing can put undue strain on the nose and can aggravate bleeding, so try and avoid situations which can cause sneezing during a nose-bleed.

If the nose-bleed is due to any injury that you have sustained or if it occurs too frequently and for long intervals or if you suspect that it is due to high blood pressure/hypertension or due to any medication that you have taken then you need to seek medical help at the earliest.

Home remedies for nose bleed

* Lying down during a nose bleed should be avoided.

* Instead sit down and remain calm because the flow of blood might increase if you panic. Then gently pinch the soft portion of the nose between your thumb and finger to close your nostrils for about 5-10 minutes. Lean forward to avoid swallowing the blood and breathe through your mouth. Wait for at least 5 minutes before checking if the bleeding has stopped. Almost all nosebleeds can be controlled in this way if enough time is allowed for the bleeding to stop. You can also apply cold compresses or ice packs from outside the nose. Once your nose bleed stops, avoid any rubbing, sniffing, sneezing, picking, or any activity can easily get it bleeding again, even after a day or two and wait for it to heal completely. After you have had a nose bleed, often the inside of the nose will feel crusty, due to the formation of clots and scabs. Do not pick at your nose or try to remove these debris for at least 24 hours or you risk getting it bleeding again.

After the bleeding has subsided try these measures and home-remedies:

*. Wash the face with cold water and also pour a small cup of cold water on the head.

* Crush an onion and smell it a number of times.

* With the help of a dropper put a few drops of the juice of Durva (Dhub) grass inside the nostrils.

* Put 3-4 drops of freshly prepared Amla (Indian Gooseberry) juice into the nostrils.

* Inhale the juice of fresh pomegranate (Anar) flowers or leaves or use these as nasal drops.

* A small piece of camphor (Kapur), dissolved in the juice of green coriander leaves, and dropped into the nostrils also helps.

* Powder of alum mixed with ghee can also be used as nasal drops.

* Take equal parts of Red sandalwood (Rakta Chandan), liquorice (Yashtimadhu) and Naagakesara and make a fine powder out of them. Add 2-3 pinches of this powder in a glass of milk and take it.

* Intake of fresh amla juice or the water in which dried amla is soaked overnight also helps.

* Eat ripe figs with honey/jaggery or Amla churan.

* A tsp of Chaywanaprasa with milk 2 times a day may also provide relief.

Pic credits: fotosearch.com

Will you gain weight if you quit exercising?

Some people after making a resolution to shed weight embark upon a strict exercise regimen with great enthusiasm and euphoria, but after some time their interest wanes off and they stop exercising altogether citing some vague reasons.



But what they should know is that quitting exercising abruptly in fact, leads to weight gain.

A new study has determined that the weight gained during an exercise hiatus can be tough to shed when exercise is resumed at a later date.  

The study, conducted by Paul Williams of Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, found that the key to staying trim is to remain active year-round, year-after-year, and to avoid seasonal and irregular exercise patterns. This study should prompt people to think twice before taking a break from their exercise regimens, despite the pressures of family and work obligations, or waning motivation.

Dry eyes after Lasik surgery?

Many who undergo Lasik surgery to correct their vision experience dry eyes. The condition usually gets resolved within a couple of months, but for some these symptoms persist and even if they do not experience any vision loss, chronic dry eyes affect their quality of life.

They have to resort to artificial tears and other medications to get relief from these symptoms. Now the moot question is: Who is a likely to get dry eyes after Lasik surgery?

A recent research has found that people with a certain low level of tear production are more likely to develop a chronic dry eye syndrome after LASIK.  

"These findings should help ophthalmologists determine if pretreatment is necessary before surgery or if surgery is appropriate at all for an individual." says Dr. Darlene Dartt, director of the Military Vision Research Program at Schepens Eye Research Institute and the principal investigator of the study.

LASIK surgery uses small laser cuts to reshape the surface of the cornea, eliminating far-sightedness or near-sightedness, and the need for glasses or contacts.

Usually, LASIK causes some dry eye syndrome directly after surgery, but the condition resolves within a few months. In a small number of cases, however, the dry eye condition following LASIK can become chronic and impact functioning of both civilian and military individuals for as long as nine months following surgery.

Dartt and her team evaluated the eyes of 24 patients about to undergo LASIK at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

The team discovered that if a patient had a presurgical tear production value greater than 20 mm of wetting of the Schrimer strip in 5 minutes, they were not likely to develop chronic dry eye syndrome. Patients who produced less tears were more likely to develop long-term dry eye syndrome.

So before thinking of undergoing laser eye surgery or LASIK, it's better to evaluate whether you have a dry eye problem or whether your tear production is less than minimal to decide whether you are a suitable candidate for LASIK.

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

Alternative uses of lipgloss

Most of us do keep lipglosses / lipbalms handy … but an eyeliner in our purses – that’s not so common. Not to worry. Use your lipgloss as an eyeliner and let your eyes get that glow. Just apply it along your upper lashes. And unlike most liners, gloss is sheer and shimmery, giving eyes a natural-looking twinkle. You might have heard of the antibacterial properties of honey and how it treats and hastens healing in cases of cuts, wounds, minor infections and burns. But you cannot go around carrying a bottle of honey. The trick is to use your lipbalm, which is readily available at all times. For tiny nicks, and paper cuts or shaving cuts just a smudge of lip balm over the affected area can be very soothing.

By the way here’s a recipe for homemade cranberry lipgloss, that helps exfoliate dead skin from your lips.

Homemade Cranberry Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
10 fresh cranberries
One tablespoon of almond oil
One teaspoon of honey
Method:
* Take all ingredients in a bowl and place it in a microwave for two minutes.

* After this mash and stir the mixture.

* Let it cool; then use a fine sieve to strain it.

* Your lipgloss is ready to use; store it in a small airtight container.

* Apply on your lips as needed.

Kiss My Face Organic Cranberry Orange Lip Balm, SPF 15, .15-Ounce Sticks (Pack of 6)

Beauty Quotes

A collection of beauty quotes for you to ponder over.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

- John Keats

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.

- Sophia Loren

Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.

- Kahlil Gibran

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched - but are felt in the heart.

- Helen Keller

It sometimes happens that a woman is handsomer at twenty-nine than she was ten years before.

- Jane Austen

Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got.

- Sophia Loren

No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.

- Oscar Wilde

Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies, for instance.

- John Ruskin

Himalaya Gentle Face Wash Gel: Review

Few days ago I had written how Himalaya gentle face wash cream helped me to tackle winter skin dryness. But as my skin is naturally oily, I felt this wouldn’t suit my skin after winter. So I started using Himalaya Gentle Face Wash Gel meant for oily skin. I have been using it since last few days and the experience has been wonderful. It leaves my face clean and glowing, without any traces of oil and mind you it’s not too drying either.

It has two wonderful natural ingredients, citron, which is an astringent and honey that moisturizes and cleanses your skin. And when you squeeze the gel on your palm you can see that it is granular. Probably those granules in the gel are there to mildly exfoliate your skin and remove the excess oiliness/grease. So you can say that it performs the twin tasks of a face cleanser as well as a mild scrub.

If your face is prone to blackheads and whiteheads and is too greasy, then this face wash gel is just the right one for you.

Himalaya Herbal Gentle Face Wash Gel

Our face reflects our health

Our face is our fortune and the mirror of our soul. It reflects our moods, thoughts and general health. We knew about this all along and it’s so true. This interesting article from DailyMail elaborates just on that and is worth a read.

Excerpts:

* Your skin produces extra oil during daytime to protect it from temperature changes, dirt and micro-organisms, as well as oxidation caused by UV light and pollutants; while at night your skin 'breathes' to rid itself of waste as well as repair any damage.

Your face also reveals the state of the internal organs.

* A red, bulbous, greasy nose, possibly with prominent veins, may indicate high blood pressure, heart and liver disorders or excess alcohol consumption.

* Yellow skin can indicate disorders of the liver, spleen,

* A pale face may mean weak glands, congested and inactive liver and/or anaemia.

* Cracks at the corner of the mouth can show Vitamin B2 deficiency and digestive disorders.

Related Reading:

What does your finger-length reveal about your health and personality?

Short women may have long life

Tall people, irrespective of their gender do have an edge over their shorter counterparts when it comes to making a lucrative career. And it is also true that some statistics show that a good height ensures success in various other aspects of life as well. But all is not lost - there is some good news for short people too. Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that a gene linked to living a very long life -- to 90 and beyond -- is also associated with short stature in women. So it’s likely that short women may have a longer lifespan.

Excerpts:
A gene linked to living a very long life -- to 90 and beyond -- is also associated with short stature in women, according to new research. Animal research had shown that mutations to genes involved in the IGF-I signaling pathway cause two effects: Affected animals have impaired growth but also longer life spans. Newly discovered gene mutations somehow play a role in extending the human life span as well that of many other organisms. Remarkably, the female children of centenarians had IGF-I plasma levels that were 35 percent higher than female controls.

Vicks VapoRub for nail fungus

Vicks VapoRub might give you relief during a spell of common cold. But did you know that it could also help fight nail fungus that makes the nails to turn yellow?

Application:

You have to file the nail and rub in the balm. It gives a slight stinging feeling. Slowly the nail will turn from yellow to brown and begin to grow off. You have to do this twice a day. Always file the nail as far as you can each time before the application of this ointment. Someone I know had tried this and the results were pretty fast.

ZetaClear Nail Fungus Relief, a natural product designed to treat nails disfigured by nail fungus might also help.

Related Reading: Fungal infections around your toes

Why flu and colds are common in winters

If it had always puzzled you as to why flu and common colds are so common in winter, then scientists think they have solved this mystery.

According to new research, it has been found that the flu/influenza virus coats itself in a protective fatty shield that is tough enough to withstand cold temperatures. The butter-like material only melts when it hits the respiratory tract, leaving the virus free to infect cells - a process scientists say is like an M&M melting in the mouth. However, in warmer outdoor temperatures, the protective coating melts before it reaches a person or an animal, killing the germs before they can infect someone. Researcher Duane Alexander adds: 'Now that we understand how the flu virus protects itself so that it can spread from person to person, we can work on ways to interfere with that protective mechanism.' …

EverYuth Orange Peel-Off Skin Vitaliser:Review

Though I love to concoct my own beauty potions and would rather use fresh natural ingredients on my skin, sometimes when I don’t have the time or inclination to prepare one at home, I use a natural skin care product such as this EverYuth 
Orange Peel-Off Skin Vitaliser. Also if I’m in a hurry, a homemade facial scrub/mask is not so viable. During such times, this peel-off version comes in handy. It’s good in the sense that it is a multitasking product – it cleanses the pores and gets rid of the deep-seated dirt, grime and oil; its’ peel-off action gently exfoliates, the orange extracts, AHA and vitamins in it moisturize and nourish the facial skin. I use it whenever my face becomes too oily/greasy and specially in the summer months. Soon after using it my face feels cleansed, rejuvenated and tight.

Dustmites and cockroaches can worsen eczema

Those tiny, pesky creatures called dust mites all the while hiding under quilts, pillows or blankets quietly feast on our dead cells. These microscopic bugs along with troublesome household pests like cockroaches can cause a host of allergies and skin problems. People suffering from skin diseases like eczema have to be particularly careful. A South Korea study has found that dust mites and cockroach allergens can weaken defense mechanisms of the human skin, making it more permeable and vulnerable. As the skin barrier function is already damaged in eczema patients, it has to try and repair itself. But allergens like dust mite and cockroach allergens delay this repair process. So it’s imperative that people with eczema should protect themselves from such bugs, insects and filth.