Skincare Mistakes You Should Avoid!!

Over exfoliating

Winter coincidentally falls at the same time as the wedding season. And wedding season implies a lot of makeup and consequently, way too many harsh cleansers and exfoliators to get all the goop off your skin. But remember, while you do need a thorough cleansing, you can’t treat your skin the same way you do during any other season. Winter leaves your skin in a super sensitive state, making it flaky and dry. To complicate matters, if you aren’t hydrating your skin with ample moisturiser and drinking lots of water, your skin is going to start looking terrible.

Saving the SPF for the summer

So many women (including us) give sunscreen a slip if it’s not summer; probably one of the biggest mistakes according to most dermatologists. Unfortunately, the sun’s rays don’t rely on the seasons to cause skin damage. Irrespective of whether it’s January or July, you’ve got to employ a broad spectrum sunscreen in your beauty routine. In addition, a tiny detail you should pay attention to is ensuring that the lip balm you’re using has SPF to ensure that lips too are sun protected.

Taking hot showers

While stepping into a hot shower might be the one of the best ways to deal with the drop in temperature, it isn’t advisable. Since your skin is already quite sensitive in the winter, hot showers can suck the moisture and dry it out further, causing it to itch and flake. So take warm showers lasting not more than five to 10 minutes and replace your regular body washes with a milder one for the winter months. Once you’re done, wipe your body and while you’re still in the bathroom, slather on some winter protect moisturiser or oil to hydrate your skin (the moisture in the bath helps your skin better absorb emollients).

Skincare Tips for Winter

1. Try not to bathe in very hot water as very hot water dries up the skin.

2. Use a face scrub and also exfoliate your body at least once a week.

You can make your own scrub by mixing fine granulated sugar or coarse sea salt with some olive oil or coconut oil and massaging that into your body before your shower.

3. Moisturise whilst the skin is still damp.

Don't use whitening lotions in the winter. Aim for ones that can moisturise deeply and if required, add some cold pressed almond oil or coconut oil into your lotion for an added boost.

Try to moisturise in the bathroom itself where the steam from the shower will keep your skin damp.

4. Make it a point to exfoliate your lips every day and use lip balms (preferably made of beeswax) regularly—especially at night.

Just moisten your towel and rub it in circles on your lips after your shower when your skin in still damp. OR take an old soft bristle toothbrush and rub it gently on your lips after brushing your teeth. (It’s best if done first thing in the morning as soon as you brush.)

5. Use foot creams and hand lotions to reduce dryness and chapped feet.

Of course, you can use your regular body lotion for this, but food and hand creams come with a little extra moisture boost. Rub foot cream and massage your feet before going to sleep and it will soon show you the results. Moisturise your hands after washing them every time. It will help save your hands from ageing too soon.

Face pack

To give your skin a surge of moisture, make a face pack with 2 tablespoons oat flour, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon yogurt (or a bit more, as per requirement, to make a paste and easily apply), and apply on face and neck area. Wash off with warm water after 15-20 minutes.

Here’s wishing you all great skin this winter!

Essential Foods to Give Your Diet a Protein Punch

Most people clock in their dietary requirements when it comes to fats and carbs, but always lag behind when it comes to the protein bit.  Necessary to build muscle in the body, protein is an often ignored food group, especially for those who work out. Here are five easy ways to give your meals a protein packed punch…

Broccoli

Earlier considered a rather Western vegetarian choice, broccoli is now easily available at most vendors. Apart from the fact that it’s a powerhouse of iron, it’s also rich in natural protein with a cup carrying 5 gms of protein. Since there are so many ways to prepare it – from a simple sauté to a bake – there are no excuses to not add this to your diet.

Eggs

One of the richest sources of protein, it’s no wonder that most vegetarians make an exception for eggs. Each egg has approximately 6 gms of protein and even though it’s got a bad rap thus far for increasing cholesterol levels, recent research suggest that it might be good for you after all. Its rich Vitamin D content also makes it excellent for bone health.

Almonds

Apart from the multiple benefits of almonds that we have already talked about, these nuts also a super-rich source of protein. Just a quarter of a cup of almonds can give you more protein than an egg, making them an excellent snack between meals and post a workout.

Dal

It’s a good thing that dals are central to our diet because just half a cup of lentils can give you about 10 gms of protein. They’re also abundant in dietary fibre as well as iron and when combined with roti or rice, make for what is essentially a complete meal.

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Does Drinking Hot Water Help You Lose Weight?

Read on to know how hot water can aid you in weight loss!

1. A Natural Hydrating Agent

One of the most natural ways to keep your body hydrated is to consume sufficient water in any form, cold or hot. Each cell in our body needs water to absorb nutrients and eject waste products. One must drink at least eight glasses of water in a day to keep them hydrated. Hydration helps the kidneys expel waste products and toxins from the body and provides an appropriate platform to carry out all the biochemical and metabolic processes within our bodies.

2. A Natural Cleanser and Purifier

Drinking hot water helps in cleansing the body effectively. One can easily treat the problem of poor digestion by having a glass of hot water twice a day. Drinking a glass of hot water early in the morning helps in flushing out toxins from the body and cleanses the system. Drinking a glass of hot water every morning on an empty stomach aids proper bowel movements and cures constipation. Hot or warm water eases in breaking down food particles and passes them out quickly through the intestines.

3. A Natural Way to Lose Weight:

Hot water breaks down fat deposits from the body and helps in weight loss. A well-hydrated body helps in the rapid working of the muscles and organs. This enhances the metabolic activity, thus letting the calories burn faster. A normal human being, on a regular basis, must consume hot water 15 minutes before any meal to help curb appetite. Thus, one can avoid overeating and the calorie intake also reduces by almost 13%. Experts believe that consuming warm water just before breakfast furthers our chances of eating few calories per day. Drinking warm water in the morning also curtails cravings, hydrates our body and leaves our stomach feeling full as compared to cold water. If you drink hot water before meals, you will feel full sooner and therefore end up eating less.

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The Benefits of Peppers!!

A recent study has revealed that piperine helps in reducing the levels of fat in the blood stream. It has some other beneficial health rewards too.

• It has got a lot of antioxidant properties.
• Black pepper has been used since time immemorial in medicines for combating gastrointestinal problems, inflammation and other such problems. It has been found that piperine interferes with the functioning of the genes that basically form fats.
• Athletes, like body builders, very often have to manage with bland foods in their pre-contest diet. By adding a little bit of black pepper they get a lot of benefits other than just a delicious taste. Body builders aren’t the only ones who benefit from black pepper. For that matter, any athlete can benefit from black pepper as it enhances metabolism. Loss of fat always helps in improving quickness and endurance.
• Black pepper also has Vitamin C. This vitamin helps in curbing free radicals in the body, as it is a potent antioxidant. It also helps in reducing the fat accumulated in the belly region.
• It is a natural anti-depressant which stimulates the nervous system. Thus, it is helpful for the memory also.

3 Ways To Curl Your Hair With No Heat!!

Every girl who knows her naturally straight (and limp) mane’s worth has secretly envied those lustrous curls and voluminous waves. However, while curly hair looks great on almost all hair types, the damage caused by the frequent use of tong rods and hot rollers can eventually lead to dull, lifeless hair. But the good news is that you can recreate wavy to curly hair that actually lasts with no heat! Yes, you heard that right.

Braid all the way!

Possibly the easiest way to no-heat waves and curls is as simple as braiding your hair into a regular three-stand braid. Tie your damp hair into two pigtail braids, secured with a band and open the braids after a couple of hours for natural looking wavy hair. For tighter curls, you could take several smaller sections and braid them tight before hitting the bed to wake up to foxy curls!

Pin-Curls

A little more arduous than the braiding method, pin-curls are a great way to create texture and well-defined curls. Apply a generous dose of curl booster on your hair and begin by dividing the hair into small sections. Twist the hair in every section until your roots and secure the same with the help of pins and leave your hair for a couple of hours before opening the pins to reveal big curly locks. The trick here is to take smaller sections for tighter curls and bigger sections for the beachy waves look.

Sock Bun

Yes, you can use your regular socks to create no-heat curls! Simply cut the toe area off your old socks and roll it up to form a donut. Now tie your hair into a neat high ponytail and spray it with water to dampen it adequately. Run the sock donut through the ponytail till you reach the base and tuck all your hair (whilst covering the donut entirely to form a bun) under the donut. Open the bun after a couple of hours for effortless beach waves!

Must-Try Sugar Scrubs to Battle Winter Skin!!

With December finally here and everyone battling dry, itchy, winter skin we know that spa visits are going to be at an all-time high. While there is nothing better than a day spent pampering yourself, we’re suggesting that you bring the spa home and try some of these sweet sugar scrubs. They take less than five minutes to make and we’re sure they’ll help you get through this nippy weather without worrying about scaly skin.

Coffee and sugar scrub

You will need

¼ cup ground coffee

¼  cup ground sugar

2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil

4 capsules of Vitamin E

Mix all the ingredients together, use the scrub all over your body and rinse off during your shower.

Benefits

Ground coffee is known to battle cellulite and reduce stretch marks (over time.) Sugar makes for an excellent exfoliant to get rid of dead skin cells while the olive oil and vitamin E capsules nourish and repair the skin tissues and keep them taut and young.

Green tea, ginger and sugar scrub

You will need

1 cup of green tea

2 cups of granulated sugar

3 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger

Mix all the ingredients together, use the scrub all over your body and rinse off during your shower.

Green tea is a powerhouse of antioxidants, which work against free radicals to repair damaged skin and slow down the clock on premature ageing. Ginger, on the other hand, helps rid the skin of accumulated toxins and increases the blood circulation, giving your skin a natural flush. The sugar acts as a binding agent as well as helps to exfoliate the skin.