Tips to Healthy, Shiny and Strong Nails

Healthy, strong and shiny nails can beautify your hands and give a statement about your personality. It can be quite difficult to maintain nails with a heavy work schedule. Especially if you are a housewife then detergents and household chemicals can leave your nails dry and brittle. Brittle and weak nails can be caused by lack of care, exposure to chemicals, nail biting, menopause, aging, lack of oxygen or estrogen reaching the nails, under active thyroid or nail diseases.


I believe in making life easy so that I get enough time for other activities rather than spending long hours in personal grooming. So here are a few tips for strong, clean, shiny and healthy nails which will work for everyone:

For stronger nails

Dip your nails in lemon juice everyday for 10 minutes. It removes any dirt accumulated in nails. Dirt splits nails and weakens them. Lemon juice is an excellent nail-strengthening agent.

Boil lemon grass in a cup of water and drink this water 2-3 times a day. This strengthens nails if you keep drinking it for a month.

Mix 4 drops of olive oil, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of powdered tealeaves. Rub this dry, paste like mixture onto nails for a few minutes and then clean it with tissue.

Apply Vaseline as frequently as you can everyday rubbing it into cuticles and nails. This strengthens nails as it blocks moisture from escaping the nails.

Another excellent nail strengthening natural treatment is to apply olive oil on each individual nail every night. Within a month you will notice your nails have become stronger and shiny.

For shiny nails

Avoid using acetone based nail polish removers as far as you can. They dry the nails depriving them of moisture causing them to lose their shine. Use nail polish removers that are acetone free.

After using nail polish remover, rinse your hands and moisturize your hands and nails with a heavy cream. This helps to retain the natural shine.

Rub a clove of garlic on your nails if you don’t have any immediate outdoor activities. Keep rubbing it until your nails feel sticky. Leave this on for half an hour and then wash it out with hand wash.

For clean nails

Take an old toothbrush and dip it in lemon juice. Rub the inner side of each nail and cuticle with this toothbrush. Dip it every time you do a new nail. This removes nail discoloration and any unwanted dirt from the most unreachable areas of nails. It also adds to nail shine and enhances their beauty making them appear clean and maintained.

Drink ample water all day long. Sufficient water intake re-hydrates your skin, hair and nails equally.

Eat vegetables and foods rich in vitamin B as this leads to strong, healthy and shiny nails.

Eating protein rich foods will give you strong and healthy nails. Proteins develop cells and construct tissues.

Have a teaspoon of fish oil every 3rd day in winters. This improves the health of hair, skin and nails.

Incase you have a chronicle nail disease then please see a doctor.

Burn Body Fat and Lose Weight

Body fat can be really difficult to reduce. Motivation and consistency is the key to reducing body fat. It depends on how over weight you are. Your life style and habits determine how difficult the challenge of reducing your body fat will be.

In certain cases without exercise it is almost impossible to reduce body fat. But when you have a control over your food cravings, then the weight loss challenge may not be as difficult for you as it may seem. You just need a little bit of guidance and motivation to burn that body fat and lose the weight which makes you feel miserable.

Stay Active

If you really want to keep your hands off that roast turkey and double cheese burger on the kitchen counter then the best way is to keep your self so busy that you hardly get the time to think about food or even look at it.

Natural remedies to reduce body fat

• Drink a cup of hot water mixed with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice every day in the morning before you have your breakfast. This burns body fat and cellulite while your stomach is not busy digesting.
  
• Having a cup of green tea with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice twice a day works wonders to reduce body fat and trim down your curves.
  
• Grapefruit diet is based on having grapefruit juice with or before every meal. This diet is extremely effective and reduces body fat within a month.
  
• Soak 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in ¾ glass of water over night. Sieve it the next morning and drink this water empty stomach. This reduces body fat significantly, balances the menstrual cycle, reduces facial hair and smooths down the complexion.
  
• Soak ¼ teaspoon of carom seeds (bishop’s weed) in ¾ glass of water over night. Drink this water early morning with an empty stomach. This cuts down body fat and improves the digestive system speeding up the metabolism so that extra fat does not accumulate.
  
• Increase the use of fresh lemon in your diet to burn more calories and reduce body fat.

• After 1 hour of every meal it is ideal to have a cup of hot water. This stops fat from depositing in the form of cellulite.

• Reduce the intake of salt with food and water. When you have salt and drink liquids with it like when having chips and drinking water with them, it directly leads to water retention. This means you appear to be more fat and fat deposits in the form of cellulite.
  
• Use brown sugar whenever you need to sweeten foods. It has fewer calories.
  
• Eat foods rich in fiber such as fruits instead of fruit juices and uncooked green vegetables without dressings. High fiber foods burn calories when the body digests them.

• The more you drink water the more you urinate. This flushes out calories from your body and helps to reduce fat. Always prefer water to beverages when you are thirsty. But remember that you should never drink water during meals.
  
• The more Vitamin C you take the better it is for reducing body fat. Citrus fruits like lemon, oranges, grapefruit and tangerines are rich sources of vitamin C and help to cut down body fat significantly.
  
• Pectin is a natural chemical found in apples and berries, which reduces the fat absorption capacity within cells. If you eat more apples and berries, it will cut down fat deposits tremendously.
  
• Increasing the use of garlic and garlic oil reduces fat deposits and burns calories down.
  Its an ideal practice to ensure a gap of at least 3 hours between a meal and going to bed at night.
  

I reduced 30 Kg off my body within a year after I had my baby without even noticing that I was putting extra effort in it. I just followed these tips and lost all the excessive weight and never felt that I was burdening or depriving myself of my cravings. It can be simple and easy depending on how consistent you are in following fat reduction remedies.

Treat Your Wrinkles With Natural Anti-aging Remedies

Aging process has always been the horror of our lives. We women spend more than half our lives beginning right from our teens till the time we die to find a magical potion to stop our aging process. Wrinkles can be worse than any amount of black heads, pimples, hair or blemishes that you may have on your face because they are permanent.

Unless you go through cosmetic surgery, face-lifts or some other expensive treatment, you can not really get rid of prominent wrinkles. The best you can do is to

• Slow down the aging process
• Reduce wrinkles to some extent
• Revitalize your skin

This is what anti wrinkle creams and most cosmetic products or treatments do that are somewhat affordable for most people. The worst thing about these affordable skin products is that you can never be sure which ones suit your skin type and which ones really work to reduce wrinkles. But what could be better than using natural remedies and have your wrinkled skin revitalized while hardly spending any extra money? Yes, now you can have the same results by using every day supplies that you can find in your refrigerator or kitchen cabinets and have a younger looking skin!

Excellent anti-wrinkle treatment

Mix ½ teaspoon of carrot juice with 1 ½ tablespoon of honey. Apply this liquid on your face (especially where the wrinkles are most prominent) with light fingers and let it stay on for 15 minutes. Now mix a pinch of baking soda in a small amount of water. Dip cotton wool into this water and wipe your face clean with it. Apply this mask every time before going to bed.

Instant revitalizing face mask

Mix 1 egg white with a tablespoon of malai (milk cream) and apply this paste on the neck and all over your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then rinse it off. This mask revitalizes the skin almost instantly and is excellent for special occasions. It tightens the skin and makes it look younger and glowing.

For fresher, spotless and younger looking skin

Mix a tablespoon of honey with one tablespoon of corn flour. Make sure to mix it thoroughly so that no lumps are left. Apply it on your face and leave it till it dries up. Wash your face with cold water. This mask helps reduce wrinkles by making your skin appear fresh and spotless.

Tighten your wrinkles with potatoes

Grate a small potato and mix 1-teaspoon milk and 1-teaspoon of honey in it. Rub this coarse mixture on your face where the wrinkles appear more but use light fingers to rub it on. Leave the left over liquid on your face to dry. Then rinse it off with tap water. This mask clears and evens out skin tone, tightens the wrinkles and makes your face appear fresh.

Bananas as anti-wrinkle agents

Bananas are excellent anti-wrinkle agents. Applying mashed bananas on your face is a famous anti wrinkle remedy for women who love natural treatments. As these are easy to apply and available almost always, its recommended that you use this face mask as often as you can manage to get a firm skin. It moisturizes the skin and re-hydrates the texture.

Cucumbers work wonders to reduce wrinkles!

Beat 1 tablespoon of mint, 1 teaspoon of cucumber juice, ½ teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of yogurt altogether. Apply this paste on your face and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse it off with tap water. This mask reduces blemishes, tightens the skin and increases oxygen absorption that reduces the aging process.

Papaya is a natural anti wrinkle agent

Oh how could I forget papaya! Papaya is used in most of the anti-wrinkle masks and creams to revitalize skin and give a firm look. It tightens the skin and increases blood circulation that in turn reduces the aging process. It is simple and has excellent wrinkle reduction results. You can mash it and apply it directly or mix it with milk cream. It works wonders both ways.

You must remember that a healthy body will always have a healthy skin. The first step you take to reduce your aging process and reduce wrinkles should be to sleep well, eat healthy, reduce stress and exercise regularly.

Best Cure for Pimples and Zits

Oh my god...all these years searching for creams and ointments to cure pimples and zits....what a waste of time..I wish I had met this girl before!

Chatting online with one of my colleagues I told her that I was going to write my next blog on pimples and zits. She said she was the expert and I should hire her for her advice and secret cure. I was like yeah right..."why don't you patent your secret remedy"...ha ha. Any way, by the end of the chat session she ended the conversation by letting out the secret.. "turmeric " is what she said...

For a second I thought she was kidding. But then she told me how to use it to cure a growing pimple or zit and also to cure scars left over by zits. No wonder she had such a spotless and charming skin!

I decided to first practically implement it and then write about it in case it was effective. I used it on my sister who always complains that she has an excessively oily skin and has pimples most of the times on her cheeks and chin. Guess what ? It worked ! It stopped a growing pimple right there and even cured it!

Wait till you hear what I found out about turmeric from a real expert. After some research from my grandmother who is the real expert and know-it-all about natural home remedies and herbs, I found out that drinking 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric added to a glass of warm milk everyday helps:

• cure all stomach ulcers
• reduces acne
• reduces pimples and zits
• relieves body aches
• cures arthritis
• slows down the process of osteoporosis
• reduces the risk of cancer
• relaxes the body
• heals internal injuries
• improves the digestive system
• improves eye sight
• cures insomnia

Rubbing 1 table spoon of turmeric mixed in 1/2 cup of yogurt or gram flour (add some water to make a paste) on your body or face :

• lightens blemishes
• improves skin tone
• smooths down the complexion
• softens the skin
• reduces facial and body hair
• removes black and white heads
• cures pimples and zits
  

Wash your hands, wet your pimple with water and apply a thin coat of turmeric on it and leave it on for a few hours. Repeat this process until the pimple/zit disappears. This will stop the pimple from growing and leaving a scar.

Applying 1 teaspoon of turmeric mixed in 1 tablespoon of mustard oil on a bruise, open wound, sprain or fracture:

• cures the wound remarkably
• reduces scarring unbelievably
• soothes down the sprain
• heals a fracture faster than any medication
• removes scars

So the orange colored powder lying around your kitchen cabinets can be used to serve better purposes than just cooking. Using turmeric on daily basis has excellent health benefits and can be used as an ointment almost for any kind of injury, skin problem and best of all...pimples and zits. If my colleague and my grandmother had told me all about it earlier then probably it would have been my first blog post !

Get Rid of Dark Circles Forver!

Dark circles can ruin your confidence and make you appear stressed, aged and gloomy. No matter how much make up you apply, dark circles some how manage to escape the heavy layers of concealers every time. They may be genetic or they may be due to a certain life style. In every case, they ruin the personality and are stubborn to get rid off.

Though under eye dark patches are not a serious medical condition but for those who have dark circles, these ugly under eye patches hold a lot of significance and are hard to live with. There may be several reasons behind under eye patches such as nasal congestion, eyelid swelling, atopic eczema, or lack of sleep.

Can Vitamins do the trick?

Taking vitamins and supplements may not always be the permanent treatment for under eye circles. They may give a temporary solution but in the long run, they never seem to work unless you keep taking them and change your lifestyle to a more healthier one. At times due to certain medical reasons, it may not be possible to take supplements and vitamins. However they should not be disregarded.

Some natural remedies that have amazing results:

Natural remedies based on oils, vegetables and fruits can work wonders and have amazing long lasting effects in curing health problems. Some very effective remedies for treating dark circles are :

• A mixture of milk and ground almonds should be applied on the dark circles. This lightens the dark circles and makes eyes appear fresh.
• Make a mask by mixing curd and night jasmine flowers into a thick paste. Spread this paste with fingertips on your dark circles and eye lids and let it stay for 10 minutes. Rinse it off with cold water.
• Placing slices of raw potato on your under eye dark circles is an excellent remedy for fresh eyes free of dark eye patches.
• You can use raw potatoes in the form of slices or you can grate it and spread it over your eyelids and entire eye area. It also reduces skin blemishes and can be used on the face as a mask.
• Grind mint leaves with a little bit of curd and apply this past under your eyes and on your eyelids. Keep it on for 15 minutes and repeat every day. This helps to remove any traces of dark circles.
• Practicing yoga such as Sarvangasana meant to clear nasal congestion helps reduce dark circles under the eye. Jal Neti is another yoga practice that removes nasal mucus.
• Mix yogurt with cornflour, taking each in equal quanitities. Make a paste and apply on your dark circles.
• Drinking a lot of fresh juices and eat lots of green vegetables. Increasing your yogurt intake and drinking a lot of water also works wonders to get rid of dark circles.
• Using light strokes with your fingertips apply a few drops of castor oil on your dark circles before going to bed.

But remember adequate sleep and nutritional balance needs to be maintained for these remedies to show their best results.

Natural Remedies for Dandruff Problems

Dandruff is another common problem people face and it must be cured through natural remedies. Most people experience increased dandruff problems during winters, while others have it all year round. Using chemical products like selenium sulphide should be avoided as far as possible. Dandruff shampoos most of the times give temporary solutions. People rarely consider their dandruff problem as a leading cause to hair fall.

Dandruff is a skin problem. It must be treated keeping the skin sensitivity of your scalp in mind . Therefore natural remedies are the right choice in this case which have no side effects.

• Mix 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice in water and rinse your hair with it after you shampoo them. This gives added hair shine and eliminates dandruff problems. Repeat this process for a month at least twice a week.
• Grind 2 table spoons of fenugreek seeds and soak them in water overnight. Apply the paste in the scalp and leave it to absorb for half an hour.Use soap-nut(Retha) to wash your hair instead of shampoo.This helps to eliminate dandruff completely and reduces hair loss.
• Snake guard juice also prevents dandruff from coming back. Apply it with finger tips into the scalp before a bath for half an hour.
• Yogurt based hair masks help to reduce dandruff and enhance hair shine.Take 3 tablespoons of yogurt mixed with 2 drops of fresh lemon. Apply this mixture to your hair once a week. This hair masks is not recommended for winters.

It is also important that you keep your comb and hair brush separate. Using hair brushes that don't belong to you may increase or bring back your dandruff problem.

Best Remedies for Strong And Shiny Hair

The best remedies for strong and shiny hair are mostly based on herbs, natural oils and therapies. Thinning and falling of hair is a common problem in every age group. Over stressed routines, inadequate nutrition, damaging hair products and bad sleeping habits can be one of the few causes that lead to hair loss, thinning of hair and reduced hair shine.

Before jumping to conclusions about the best remedy to use for hair loss, it is more important to analyze the root cause. So the remedies have been suggested according to the root causes that you may associate with your hair loss condition.

If you have dandruff:

Dandruff is one of the leading culprits in causing hair loss and thinning hair. If you have dandruff then it is important that you use your own brush to stop it from coming back. Using brushes that already have dandruff scales on them that don’t belong to you can very easily transfer this problem to you.

Dandruff loves hot water or even warm water. To get rid of it, make sure you always rinse your hair with water at room temperature or cold water.

You can cure your dandruff problem by applying a hair mask that is very easy to make at home. Yes it may sound a bit yucky but honestly…it works wonders:

4 tablespoon yogurt
2 table spoon oil
2 drops of lemon
1 table spoon rose water

Before you shampoo your hair, mix the above ingredients and apply into the scalp of your hair. Wear a shower cap to wrap up your hair and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Rinse it out with water and then wash your hair with shampoo to get the yogurt out. Avoid combing hair while they are still wet.

If you are stressed:

When you are in stress or work pressures are at their peak your hair tend to fall more. Do you feel every inch of your body aching or tired when you are stressed? Especially your neck, head and shoulders may feel stiff after a hard day’s work and you crave for a body massage to soothe them. Well, the same goes for your hair.

Incase you cant do much to alter your routine, its recommended to give your hair a once in a week oil massage. Using a mixture of coconut oil, Amla oil (gooseberry oil) and almond oil taken in equal proportions gives shine, strength and elasticity that hair need to grow well. Crispy dry hair looks much richer and hydrated if you make oil massages a habit before every wash. It reduces hair fall as it stimulates blood circulation in the scalp, thickens hair and enhances hair shine.

Drinking plenty of water each day (minimum 6-8 glasses) gives moisture to hair that is necessary for a healthy and shiny look.

Keeping them away from dust, heat and sunlight is proven to reduce the process of hair fall. Dust and heat dehydrate hair from their natural moisture and reduce hair shine. Just as you would protect your face and skin from dust and heat, your hair need equal protection. Wearing a scarf or a hat outdoors may do the trick and then keeping them hydrated through ample water and juice intake along with oil massages can work wonders.

The best oil massage you can give your hair:

2 tablespoons of Gooseberry oil,
1 tablespoon of almond oil
1 teaspoon of coconut oil

Mix the three oils and warm them a little. Apply the oil mixture while it is still warm into your scalp and give your hair a gentle massage with your fingertips for 5-7 minutes. Tie up your hair and let the oil stay for 1 or two hours. Wash with shampoo.

Inadequate nutrition:

Nutrition plays a very important role in almost every aspect of life. No matter what products you use and remedies you follow, unless you balance your diet and eat healthy making sure you get all your vitamins, you can never cure your hair loss permanently.

Vitamin B6 and folic acid generate hair growth, reduce the thinning process and increase the elasticity of hair making them less prone to breaking away easily.

Eating vegetables and fruits rich in iron and vitamin C stimulate healthy hair growth. Drinking pure and natural fruit juices from freshly squeezed citrus fruits is excellent for hair shine as well as your skin and reduces hair loss significantly.

Don’t forget to count the hours of your beauty sleep. Sleeping for 7-8 hours a day is important for proper blood circulation and body growth. And this means it will give you a good body, good health and good energy levels. So with just a little bit of care, your hair can change your entire personality giving you the grace and confidence you’ve always wanted!