Simple Home Remedies for Healthy Hair

Your hair is actually an extension of your skin, and like your skin, is a direct reflection of your internal health. While topical treat­ments such as conditioners can smooth the surface of your hair and make it appear softer, true hair health begins deep beneath the sur­face in the hair follicles. A nutrient-rich diet is essential for creating strong, healthy hair. Stringent dieting and food plans that overly restrict fat and protein intake can cause dull, dry, and thinning hair. Make sure to eat enough protein (at least two three-ounce servings every day) and plenty of essential fatty acids (one table­spoon of flax oil and 240 milligrams of GLA supplements daily). Essential fatty acids are crucial for keeping your hair strong, pliable, and shiny. But even if you are eating a healthful diet, poor diges­tion and assimilation can wreak havoc with your hair, skin, and nails.

Women who experience thinning hair at midlife and beyond often have hormonal imbalances associated with the adrenal glands, thyroid, and reproductive organs. The Chinese herb Ho shou wu is also an excel­lent tonic to take if you are experiencing hair loss. It strengthens thyroid function, is a gentle energy-building herb, and enhances hair growth.

Good circulation is essential for healthy hair. Daily aerobic exercise stimulates circulation throughout the body, and inverted yoga postures such as the shoulder stand are especially helpful for increasing circulation to the scalp. In addition, yoga relieves emo­tional stress, which plays a role in hormonal imbalances and con­sequent hair loss.

Natural Treatments for Beautiful Skin

Your skin naturally sheds dead cells every day, which helps to keep it smooth and fresh looking. But after the age of 35, the dead cells that make up the outer layer of your skin are not shed as rapidly as when you were younger. As dead cells accumulate, they make your skin look dull and dry and you lose the healthy, radiant look that characterizes youthful skin. You can greatly improve the appearance of your skin by regularly removing the top layer of dead skin cells, a process called exfoliation. Exfoliation is accomplished by using grainy scrubs that physically remove dead cells through gentle abra­sion, or fruit-enzyme skin peels or alpha-hydroxy acid skin peels, which dissolve the top layer of dead skin cells.


Natural scrubs are made from finely ground fibrous plant mate­rial such as oatmeal, corn meal, almonds, and apricot kernels. Be cautious when using grainy scrubs, because many are too harsh to use on the delicate skin of your face. For a gentle scrub that will not irritate your skin. Although many grainy scrubs are too abrasive to use on your face, they are perfect to use as an allover exfoliator for your body. Your body builds up dead skin cells just as your face does and benefits from a weekly exfoli­ating treatment.


Fruit-enzyme peels are made from fruit or vegetable enzymes that exfoliate the skin in approximately 20 minutes without scrub­bing. Many contain green papaya, which contains the protein­ digesting enzyme papain. Dead skin cells are composed primarily of protein, and enzyme peels digest the dead skin cells on the sur­face of the skin without harming new cell growth. Enzyme peels are gentle exfoliators and leave skin noticeably smoother and softer after only one treatment. They can be used as part of a weekly or monthly facial treatment and can even be used daily as part of a program to rejuvenate aging skin.

Alpha-hydroxy acids are natural exfoliators derived from foods such as citrus fruits (citric acid), sour milk (lactic acid), grapes (tar­taric acid), sugar cane (glycolic acid), and apples (malic acid). These gentle, natural acids work by loosening the "glue" that binds the outermost layer of surface cells together, which increases the shed­ding of dead skin cells and encourages the formation of new skin cells. The idea of using the natural acids found in foods to renew the skin is not new-Cleopatra bathed in buttermilk, and red wine has been used for centuries as a skin wash. Alpha-hydroxy acids improve skin texture and color, reduce fine lines and age spots, and make pores appear smaller. Although you will usually notice smoother skin after the first treatment, you'll need to use alpha­hydroxy acids on a regular basis for two months or longer to see a significant improvement in skin texture and diminishment of fine lines. There are a variety of natural products available, and most contain between 5 and 15 percent alpha-hydroxy acids. Products that contain higher percentages of alpha-hydroxy acids will create faster results, but often cause stinging or tingling sensations when applied to the skin. These reactions are not usually a cause for con­cern, but severe stinging or redness indicates an undue sensitivity or allergic reaction and you should try a different product with a lower concentration of alpha-hydroxy acids.

Easy Home Remedy for Moisture Control of Skin

Many women find that their skin becomes drier after the age of 35.This may be a welcome change for those who suffered from oily skin earlier in life, but women with normal or dry skin may find that their skin appears flaky, tight, and lacks the lustrous appearance that moisture imparts. Skin dryness is caused not only by moisture loss from the skin's outer layer, but also from a lack of moisture moving upward from the underlying layers of the skin. Applying a moistur­izer softens and moisturizes the top layer of skin, but the effects are only temporary.

To have soft, pliable, moist skin, you need to lubricate your skin from the inside. Drink at least six glasses of pure water daily and eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits to keep your body tis­sues well-hydrated. Don't wait to drink until you are thirsty because by then you are already dehydrated. Instead, keep a container of water handy for sipping throughout the day. If you find plain water boring, try making unsweetened or lightly sweetened herbal teas such as linden flower, chamomile, or mint.

A moist external environment also provides moisture for your skin and helps to keep cells plump. Use a humidifier during the winter months to counteract the drying effects of indoor heating and also during the summer if you use air conditioning or if you live in a dry climate. Misting your skin frequently with pure mineral water or a facial mist containing floral waters and aromatherapy essential oils provides an immediate and refreshing boost of moisture for your skin throughout the day. Soaking in a warm bath is an effec­tive way of hydrating the skin of your entire body. Avoid exces­sively hot water, because it can remove protective oils from your skin. After a 15-minute soak, massage your body with an aro­matherapy oil while you are still wet from the bath, and then gently pat your skin dry with a towel. The thin layer of aromatherapy oil acts as a protective barrier that pre­vents the evaporation of moisture that your skin has absorbed from the bath.

Secrets of Youthful Skin

Like your other body organs, your skin begins to slow down its functions as you age. As levels of estrogen and progesterone decline, skin becomes drier, thinner, and secretes less oil. Circula­tion decreases, and wrinkles appear when collagen and elastin, pro­teins in the skin that provide elasticity, break down. The rate of cell production and turnover decreases, and cells grow thicker and more tightly packed together. Common signs of aging skin include unevenness of skin texture and pigmentation, wrinkles, and "age spots," the brown patches caused by accumulated sun damage that appear on the face, chest, and the backs of the hands.

However, most of the skin changes that are blamed on aging are primarily the result of long-term exposure to the sun's ultravio­let rays. Compare the skin on the underside of your arm (which rarely is bared to the sun) to the skin on your face. If your facial skin had never been exposed to the sun, it would probably not look much different at age 50 than it did at when you were 20. Sun dam­ages not only the top layer of skin, but the underlying supportive layer of collagen and elastin as well, which causes wrinkling and sagging.

Fortunately, it's never too late to begin improving the condi­tion of your skin because skin cells have the ability to repair at least some of the damage caused by the sun's ultraviolet rays. Studies show that women who use a sunscreen daily experience significant improvement in the condition of their skin after only six months. Obviously, the degree of improvement is related to how much sun damage you have incurred, but the important point is that avoiding further sun exposure will help you have better-looking skin. Use a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher every day, even during the winter and on cloudy days, and make sure that the sunscreen you are using blocks out both UVA and UVB rays. While using an SPF 15 sunscreen allows you to stay out in the sun 15 times longer than you normally would be able to without burn­ing, the best way to prevent sun damage is to avoid direct sun expo­sure when the sun's rays are the strongest, which is usually between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. If you are outdoors during those hours, make an effort to stay in the shade as much as possible, and use physical barriers such as tightly woven long-sleeved clothing, sunglasses, and a broad-brimmed hat.

Tips for Greasy Hair

Greasy hair quickly looks lank and limp. No matter what you do, your flip' flops, your waves wilt, your long hair turns to frizz!!! Your hair probably looks good the day you wash it. But the next morning you have the greasies. Your hair sticks together in unattractive strands.

I suggest:
Frequent washing - even every day if you have to. The old myth of harming hair by frequent shampooing is hog wash. Instead, specialists have now proved that it can be harmful to your skin if you leave greasy, oily hair unwashed.

Choose a lemon-based shampoo. It helps make your hair squeaky clean.

A simple easy-to-set hair style is most practical. Think of how many hours you'll have to spend on your hair if you have an elaborate head of curls! Go to the best hair-cutter your money can afford, and get yourself a good no-nonsense cut. Also invest in a good hair-dryer - it can be a tremendous time-saver.

Banish fatty and fried foods from your diet. Concentrate instead on green vegetables, liver, fish, and cheese.

* To a pinch of borax add one dessertspoon of ammonia and two quarts of warm water. Use this mixture as a final rinse after shampooing.

* Beat the whites of two raw eggs till they are stiff. Apply to scalp with a toothbrush. You might wrinkle up your nose in disgust, but this is definitely worth a try. Let dry, then brush your hair thoroughly.

Do avoid over-brushing of hair. You can't afford further to stimulate your sebaceous glands.

Make sure you keep your brush and comb absolutely clean.

Ideally you must wash them each time you shampoo your hair. The best method of cleaning them is to swish them in a mug of tepid water to which a little ammonia has been added. You can, however, use bicarbonate of soda or powdered borax instead of ammonia.

Special Indian Beauty Recipes for Dry Hair

Mix a little hair oil with Fuller's earth (Multani mitti). Massage this paste into the scalp. Leave on for an hour.

Then shampoo well.

Tips for Dry Hair

Dry hair is usually fine. It splits or breaks easily, and soon gets a fly-away look.

You must brush your hair well to stimulate the flow of natural oil from the sebaceous glands.

An oil pack is one way of helping too-dry hair. Instead of olive oil suggested by old-fashioned recipes, try a poly unsaturated oil (e.g.: corn oil). This permeates into the hair shaft more effectively than olive oil.

It helps if you warm the oil to body temperature and. then massage into your hair.

Shampoo off after a couple of hours. You may need two or three lathe rings to remove all traces of oil. Remember, according to today's concept of beauty, nothing can be as unattractive as sticky strands of oiled hair.

Don't forget to use your conditioner.

This treatment should initially be taken twice a week. Later, reduce to once in every two weeks.

If you are averse to keeping oil on for a couple of hours ­perhaps you just do not have the time - steam your oiled head by pressing hot towels on it. You can now shampoo an hour after your oil message.

Make sure you use a mild shampoo. Avoid hot water. Try not to, expose your hair to extremes of temperature.

Remember that hair spray aggravates dryness. Avoid frequent use of it. Also avoid perming and backcombing.

Try a dry scalp-massage. Using your finger-tips, massage firmly but gently, moving the scalp, not your fingers. Repeat process at different parts of your scalp.

Shampoo your hair at least once a week. Don't forget to use a conditioner. Rinse off thoroughly to avoid stickiness.

You must be very careful about your diet. Your protein intake should be high.

Homemade Flat Beer Hair Setting Lotion

Flat because the chemicals in it have dissipated. Put some in a mist-spray bottle and spray lightly on damp hair. This gives excellent body to the hair. The smell of the beer will soon disappear.

For a Genera! Over-all Tone-up of Hair

Whip two eggs with three-fourth Ounce of rum. Apply to scalp. Rinse well with lukewarm water.

Make this Excellent Scalp Tonic at Home (Homemade Scalp Tonic)

To a bottle of cheap red wine, add one egg and one teaspoon of soda bicarbonate. Mix well.

Massage into scalp; keep it on for about half an hour, and then shampoo off.
To make hair soft and manageable, especially after tinting or dyeing, Use vinegar as a final rinse after shampooing well.

Eggs, used in shampoo, give body and sheen to the hair.

Henna As a Conditioner of Hair

Soak enough henna powder in water to make a thick paste. Leave paste overnight. Next morning, or just a couple of hours later, apply, giving specific importance to the ends of your hair. Wash off after three to four hours. Henna is one of the oldest hair colors and can give some remarkably beautiful lights even to black hair. On hair that is almost black, black henna gives deep ripe-black plum lights. It also gives a 'fire-down-below' gleam like polished rosewood, to drab brown hair.

A Simple Hair Care Remedy Using Lemon

The lemon has flourished as a beau­tifier for a thousand years. A few lemony drops added to your shampoo will make hair shine more! To lighten hair 'NATURALLY', squeeze a few drops of lemon on damp hair before going out in the sun.

General Hair Tone-Up Tips - To brush or not to brush?

Some experts today Say careless brushing can do more harm that good. However, you cannot go wrong by bending over so your hair flops over your face, and , gently brushing the back of your hair down its entire length. Brushing activates the sebaceous glands which produce natural oil which, in turn, makes your hair shine. The proverbial hundred strokes should do.

Hair Shampooing and Conditioning Tips

Shampooing is the only treatment your hair cannot absolutely do without. Remember - shampoo is one of your most important cosmetics. Make sure you choose it with as much care as you would choose your facial cosmetics. Harsh shampoos strip the natural oil from the hair and spoil its condition.

While shampooing use the smallest amount of shampoo that you can, to do the job. If you shampoo your hair very frequently, make sure you use a mild shampoo.

Before shampooing rinse your hair well. It helps to get rid of surface dirt.

Instead of pouring shampoo directly on your hair, pour it on your wet palms. Rub your palms together to work up a lather before applying to the hair. This ensures better coverage. Shampoo in the shower, to make plenty of rinsing in lots of running water, easy. It is an absolute must to get all the shampoo out of your hair. Any trace of it left on will make your hair lifeless and dull; also hair will not hold a set well.

If you wash your hair very often -every day or so- one lather should do. Hair washed once or twice a week should be lathered again.

A conditioner offers your hair a buffer against external damage; and also makes it more manageable. After rinsing out your final lather, do use it.
Remember, however, that it's your hair that need conditioning, not your scalp.

Make sure to remove excess water from your hair before application of conditioner, or else it will be diluted and rendered less effective Carefully follow the instructions which accompany your conditioner jar.

Finally rinse well.

Sun-Tan Removers - Recipes for Sun-Tan

All sunburn aids - vinegar, milk, potato juice and cucumber juice- are good for removing sun-tan.

Basically, these sun-tan removers have a drying effect on the skin. If you have a dry skin, make sure that you use a moisturizer after these treatments.

Grape juice also has the same bleaching qualities that lemon juice has. It is, however, a milder bleach than lemon juice.

After washing a small bunch of grapes thoroughly, sprinkle it small quantity of table salt and powdered alum on it. Wrap either in aluminium foil or brown paper. Bake in the oven at a low temperature for about 10-15 minutes. Squeeze out the juice and apply to face. Leave onto dry for about 15-20 minutes. Then wash off with cool water.

Sunburn-Soothers

* Cod-liver oil, often used for baby's skin irritation, helps when applied to painful areas. Or try a mixture of half a pint of milk and a mashed cucumber.

* Vinegar patted on sun burnt areas is very soothing.

* Pat sun burnt areas immediately with half a cup of milk to which a pinch of borax has been added.

* Grate one fresh raw potato. Extract juice by squeezing in a cheese-cloth. Apply to painful areas. This treatment also provides immediate relief.

* Calamine lotion (available at most chemists) applied liberally on affected areas and left on to dry is also a great sunburn soother.

* To one raw egg white add one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of hazel. Apply on affected areas, leave on for 5-10 minutes. Wash off with tepid water.

Natural Home Remedies for Large Pores – Tips for Large Pores

* Buttermilk has superb astringent qualities. It he1ps to reduce oversized pores. Pat it on your face with cotton wool and leave on for 7-10 minutes.
Wash off with cool water.

* The juice of lettuce leaves is also a good astringent which can be used in the same way.

* Slices of raw fresh tomatoes left on the skin for 10 to 15 minutes also have an astringent effect on the skin. Also, the amino acid in the tomatoes helps clear the skin.

* The white of an egg applied on the face (not around the eye area), however, and left on for 15 minutes has a tightening effect on large pores. Wash off egg white from the face with cool water.

* Make a soft paste by mixing powdered alum with a raw egg white and rose water. Pat on face avoiding eye areas. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then wash off with cool water.

* Application of equal parts of vinegar and water mixed well on the face acts as an. astringent as well as skin tonic.

* Make a paste of equal amounts of cornmeal and oatmeal in hot water. While the paste is still hot, pat it on the face, avoiding eye area. Leave it on for about 20-30 minutes before washing off with cold water. Then pat on an astringent. This helps to make the skin fine as well as to tighten pores.

Natural Home Remedies for Blackheads – Tips for Blackheads

It is most important to keep face and skin scrupulously clean.

• 
  
  Use an oatmeal Or almond meal mask thoroughly to cleanse your face. Mix either oatmeal or almond meal with just enough water to make a soft paste that spreads easily on the skin. Rub it on your skin with your finger-tips, paying special attention to the problem areas. Leave to dry for about 10-.l 5 minutes and then rinse off with cool water.


• 
  
  
  Apply undiluted lemon juice, two to three times a day, on the affected areas.


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  Make a solution with about 36 grams of soda bicarbonate dissolved in about 8 ounces of distilled or boiled water. Rub on affected areas.


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  Make a paste with about four ounces of grated almonds, two ounces of a glycerin soap one ounce Fuller's earth and a little distilled or boiled water. Apply on trouble spots. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse off with cool water.


• 
  Steam your face for about 5-7 minutes. With the help of facial tissue or sterilized cotton wool, squeeze out black­ heads gently. Rinse your face with cool water and then pat on an astringent.
  


• Warm a little honey and apply on trouble spots. Wash off after 10-15 minutes.
  


• 
  
  Treatment with the rays of an ultra-violet lamp two to three times a week is also good for a skin troubled with blackheads.

Natural Home Remedies for Acne – Tips for Acne

• 
  
  As the first step towards an acne-free skin should be purification of blood, take homoeopathic sulphur (in the 30th potency) for three or four weeks. The dose is five pellets, morning and night.


• 
  
  
  Mix equal parts of mutton tallow, glycerin and castor oil. Melt over slow heat. Let cool, and store the solution in a glass jar. Apply to pimples till they heal.


• 
  
  
  Spirit of camphor patted on pimples, three to four times a day, makes them dry-up and disappear. If pimples have heads, apply a hot cloth on them till they burst. Then pat on camphor.


• 
  
  
  This prevents further infection and makes the blemishes .heal rapidly.


• 
  
  
  Mix 36 grams of soda bicarbonate and 1 ounce of Spermacetti ointment to form a smooth paste.Apply to affected areas. After 15 minutes, wipe off excess, leaving a slight film over the face.


• 
  
  
  Peel and cut 2-3 onions. Cook with lard on slow heat until transparent. When cool, put it in a piece of muslin or cheese cloth and apply to pimples and do this twice a day.
  

Your diet should be one that includes plenty of fresh fruit, salads and raw-vegetable juices.

Fried foods, cakes, pastries, pies, etc., should be avoided. Whole wheat bread and wheat germ bread should replace white bread.

Substitute honey or molasses for sugar, jams and marma­lades. Avoid salted foods and increase the intake of curd. Remember finally, that exercise does wonders for your skin as it starts the healing process moving more quickly.

Special Skin Care Tips for Oily Skin

If your skin is badly blemished, use a medicated soap, avoid harsh soaps as they only dry off the top layer of the skin, leaving your real problem untouched.

Wearing make-up on a blemished skin not only gives you greater confidence, it also helps cover your skin-flaws. What is more important is that it actually acts as a protection for your skin. So as long as you cleanse your face thoroughly and regularly, make-up will not make your blemishes worse.

• Steam your face regularly, at least once a week. This cleanses the skin and helps open clogged pores, which in turn prevents the .skin from breaking out into pimples.
• 
  Lime juice and vinegar (both diluted) are good after­ cleansing and toning lotions.
• 
  Fuller's earth, oatmeal and almond paste are excellent cleansers for an oily skin.
• 
  Beat the white of an egg and apply to your face avoiding eve-area. Leave on for ten minutes, then wash off with cool water. This egg white mask has a marvelous tightening and pore-closing effect on the skin.
• 
  Avoid rich, fried foods. These only contribute to oiliness. Substitute such foods with green vegetables, tomatoes, curd and lemon.

Special Skin Care Tips for Dry Skin

Avoid over-exposure to the sun. This further tends to dry your skin.

Once a week apply the juice of a melon (of course, only when it is melon season) to your face. Rinse off with cold water after 10-15 minutes. In addition to softening your skin, this treatment also works wonders for your complexion.

Astringents are definitely out for dry skin.

In the winter when skin tends to get very dry, avoid using soap.

Try this home-recipe facial once a week.

Mix the yolk of an egg with two tablespoons of milk, and half a tablespoon of honey.
Apply to face avoiding eye-area.

Leave on for fifteen minutes. Rinse off with tepid water. Make sure you include eggs, apples, peaches, cream, melons, milk and honey in your diet.

Skin Care Routine for Combination Skin

A combination skin is one of the commonest types of skin. It can prove tricky to handle because it is a combination of areas that are dry and areas that are oilly.

The nose and chin usually tend to be the oily areas, while the cheeks, temples and forehead tend to be dry. The eye area also tends to be dryish.

A combination skin needs to be tackled with two totally different skin care routines.

Skin Care routine for Combination Skin:

While cleansing, specific attention must be paid to the greasy areas.

An astringent must follow the cleanser. It must, however, be limited only to the greasy spots.

The rest of the face should be patted with cotton wool soaked in a toner.

While moisturizing, specific attention must be given to the dry areas.

Use an under eye cream every other night.

A face pack must be applied on the greasy areas and left on for 15 minutes.

Skin Care Routine for Oily Skin

Oily skin is very shiny. It is also prone to blackheads and large pores. It is inclined towards a sallow color. Make-up doesn't stay on for long.

Skin Care routine for Oily Skin:

Cleanse three times a day, as it is important to control the oily secretions from the sebaceous glands.

Pay special attention to either side of your nose and to your chin where the oiliness is usually worse.

Use an astringent, paying special attention to your grease-spots. This discourages greasy excretions from building up too rapidly under your make-up.
Apply a light moisturizer and blot off the excess immediately with a soft towel or face tissue.

Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin

This is a fine type of skin and it is either inclined towards sensitivity or is rather tough.

Dry skin feels tight and dry after washing. Fine-textured, it lines easily. A young dry skin looks flaky and lined; a more mature skin may look faded and dull. Spots and blemishes, however, rarely appear.

Skin Care routine for Dry Skin:-

Wash with a mild soap or cleanse with warm water at least twice a day. Rinse well.

For removing eye make-up use an oily remover. Try Johnson's baby oil. It is one of the best and most effective eye make-up removers.

As a skin toner use rose water diluted with mineral water. In addition to refreshing your skin, this toner helps remove the last traces of your soap or cleanser.

Apply moisturizer to damp skin, from bosom to hairline. Pay special attention to under-eye area.

Once a week Use an almond meal or oatmeal cleansing pack. Apply this to damp skin avoiding eye area. Wipe off gently or just wash off.

This removes all dry dead cells that your skin sheds during the week.

Skin Care Routine for Normal Skin

You are one of the lucky few, because normal skin is rare. Normal skin should be treated with the respect it deserves. You have no shiny panel centre, blackheads or enlarged pores. There may be an occasional "pimple, but acne is definitely not your problem.

Skin Care Routine for Normal Skin:-

Cleanse your face at least twice a day, once when you get up in the morning and once before you retire for the night. Whether you use a cleansing lotion or a mild soap, make sure you remove all traces of it from your skin as you rinse.

Tone your skin with a light skin tonic. This has a marvelous refreshing effect and it also closes pores after cleansing. Moisturize your skin, but remember that heavy creams are unnecessary for you.

Four Important Rules of Skin Care

The four important rules for skin care are Cleansing, Toning, Nourishing and Moisturizing.

Cleansing:
A skin that is not cleaned thoroughly and regularly can never be a healthy skin. When you clean your face you clean pores in the skin from excess oil, dust and waste matter. For this reason, the importance of a thorough cleaning cannot be over-emphasized.

Toning:
A skin-toner or skin freshener, as it is sometimes called stimulates blood circulation in the skin, giving it life and color. It also contracts the pores in the skin, keeping it taut, and helps firm skin tissues to remain firm.

Nourishing:
Nourishment given to the skin helps it to maintain and restore its natural oils. It also helps to rejuvenate the skin, keeping it smooth and firm. For this reason, it is important to use a nourishing lotion or cream. A vitamin skin cream helps to give skin vitality and strengthen facial muscles.

Moisturizing:
Every living thing needs moisture for replenishment, nourish­ment and survival.

Keeping skin smooth and supple means keeping it moist. Skin is moisturized by sealing in water. Moisturizing is vital for the skin. Nothing else you do will count for much if you omit this. Also a good make-up needs moisture for a full bloom.

A moisturizer does not really penetrate the skin. It acts as a cling-­film, preventing moisture from seeping out from inside and, anything else from seeping in from outside. This is why moisturizing is necessary even for a good skin.

Also remember that as you get older, your skin needs more moisturizing. The best time to use a moisturizing lotion or cream is right after a bath or shower when your skin has taken in water.

Always use the tiniest blob of your moisturizing lotion or cream. Spread it over damp skin. Do not neglect your neck, bosom and ears.

Use less moisturizer in summer than in winter, but moisturize more often as you will probably be bathing more frequently and also perspiring more.

How to Have a Super Skin?

You skin renews itself every three weeks. New cells from the subcutaneous layer work their way up to the epidermis. New skin is exposed when the old dead cells are sloughed off.

Paying close attention to your diet and skin from the first of the month will mean that you start reaping benefit by the first of the next month!

Good Skin and Diet

A healthy growing skin needs the right feeding. Skin, hair, nails - in fact, all of you - will benefit from what you feed yourself inside arid out.

Whether you live on a diet of sweets or health treats, your body's definitely going to show it.

The Acid-Mantle and Your Skin Type

Oil from the sebaceous glands, and the acid from the sweat glands blend to form a protective film on the skin surface. This protective film is called the 'acid-mantle'.

For a normal healthy skin, a perfect balance of the 'acid-mantle' must be maintained. If the sebaceous glands are over-active, an oily skin results.

If, however, the sweat glands are over-active and too much acid is left on the skin, a dry skin results.

How to Find Alkaline Soap and Acid Soap?

All soaps and cosmetics used on the body should be of an acid nature. Alkaline soaps and cosmetics rob the skin of the 'acid-mantle' leaving it vulnerable to surface infections and out­ breaks.

As soaps and cosmetics are not generally labelled 'acid' or 'alkaline', a simple test given below will help you determine their nature.

To a dampened bar of soap or cosmetic, apply Nitrazine paper. If the article under test is alkaline, the paper will turn deep blue. An acid preparation does not change the color of the paper. Nitrazine paper should be available at good chemists.

However, whether or not you use an acid or an alkaline soap, it is of the utmost importance to rinse off completely, leaving absolutely no trace of it on the skin.

What You Should Know About Your Skin

Your skin is a protective wrapper. It helps your body to discard water, fetch supplies, it nourishes growing hair, sustains the nails on toes and fingers. It also reports your total health by its texture, color and tone.

With a good healthy skin and a radiant complexion, any woman is well on her way to beauty. Very few of us have perfect skins; with the right care, however, we can do a great deal to improve the general condition of our skin.

Your skin makes up about one-tenth of your body's weight. It consists of three main layers - the epidermis, the cutis and the sub-cutis.
The epidermis, or the topmost skin layer, is itself divided into five cell layers. These are: the horny layer, the glossy layer, the granular-cell layer, the prickle-cell layer and the basal-cell layer.

Cells harden here, thicken and then flake off.

The horny layer is constantly renewed.

The cutis or the lower skin layer contains the sebaceous and sweat glands. The sebaceous -or 'oil' glands lubricate the skin and keep it soft, moist and supple.

These glands can occasionally become over-active due to some emotional disturbance or the presence of male hormones. From this over-activity, acne can result.

The sweat glands pump up perspiration to the surface of the skin. Exposure of sweat to the atmosphere helps to keep the temperature of the body at the correct level through evaporation.

General Making-Up Tips

In the summers, condition your hair more frequently as you probably wash it more frequently. Use of cold water retards oiliness of hair and scalp.

Stretch your cosmetics - Dot lipstick on the cheeks as blusher.

Never use your nails for dialing numbers on the telephone. Always keep a pencil with you. This prevent chipping of nail polish and rough edges.

Special Making-Up Tips for Colors

Make-up that looks just fine in the sunshine can look faded and washed-out under artificial lighting. Use warmer and deeper colors for the evenings.

If you try to match eye shadow color to eye color and lip color to nail color, you are dating yourself.

Use only those colors that look best on each individual part of you and stop matching browns with browns or reds with reds.

If your skin color is a little sallow or pale, use clear pink blushers to neutralize the yellow. Avoid using brownish and golden melony tints.

Before you decide on your make-up, decide on your clothes. Especially if you're going to be wearing a difficult color.

If your complexion is too sallow, don't be tempted by a clear beige or very pink foundation. Avoid yellow or green colors whether in clothes or make-up. Yellow and green colors bring out the sallow color of your skin. Go in for warm beige foundation and clear blue eye shadows. Lip­sticks are best in medium tones - pink or coral.

If your complexion is too pale, don't use a pink foundation. Choose a clear beige foundation for a natural look. Avoid very dark eye shadows and lipsticks. They make you look too intense and tired. Go in for dull blue eye shadow. Use a blusher on cheeks, chin and forehead.

Special Making-Up Tips for Your Skin

To get rid of the lines on the forehead: Lie with your head hanging over the edge of the bed. Raise your eyebrows as high as you can. Relax after a moment-Repeat 15-20 times. Wear a heavier moisturizer in the winter.

Does your face look terribly oily halfway through the day? Don't despair. Your complexion can look and stay natural and soft all day if you try this trick:
Take an old blusher brush. Clean it in cool water and dry it. Then sprinkle some baby powder into the open bristles. Dust this powder over your face before applying your foundation.


Powder blushers give you color without shine - oily skins should avoid creams.

Remove blackheads which don't respond to cleaning by squeezing gently through tissues. Close pores afterwards with astringent.

The most economical way to use skin food is to smooth it on while you lie in the bath. (Warmth helps the cream to penetrate. )

In the summer keep skin fresheners, colognes and astrin­gents in the refrigerators. This makes them doubly refreshing.

Dilute your toner and astringent a little; most are best this way. Always use damp cotton wool when patting on.

Do remember to smooth on your face-mask where it really matters, that is, on the sides of the nose, in the crease of the chin.

Special Making-Up Tips for Your Eyes

Before tweezing your eyebrows use lots of moisturizer on them. Rub it in well and leave it there for 10-15 minutes before tweezing.

When you shampoo your hair, wash your eyebrows too. Don't neglect them.

Use a blusher across your earlobes, your elbows, cleavage and heels for an exciting evening. Just a touch of color that is well-blended makes them sexy, rosy and young.

Never spend a day in the sun without sunglasses. Unprotected eyes can lose 50% of their night vision after one day out in the sun. Good sunglasses have got to be really dark,

In winter use pearly-grey and shell-beige eye shadows. Avoid white highlighters as they're too harsh.

If you wear false eyelashes, make them look natural by brushing both the false and real lashes with a little mascara after putting them on.

Using a heavy eyeliner dates you. Today, the more natural and subtle look is in. Instead of using a liner, draw the thinnest possible line at the roots of the eyelashes with a soft dark brown eye shadow.