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5 Skin Care Tricks I have Adopted Over the Years

June 20, 2018 Swati Leave a Comment

I love using skin care but I am not the 10-step skin care routine person. I prefer to keep my things simple and uncomplicated though with recent posts you would not feel so. Lately, I have slipped into the habit of layering my skin care in which I end up using around 5 products easily but I am finding it too cumbersome. Then, I decided to stick to my basic skin care tricks which will keep my skin and me both happy.

You should ideally have a toner / face mist, serum, facial oil, moisturizer, body oil / body lotion and sunscreen in your skin care stash. You do not have to use everything at one go but these are the basic things you need to start with and then you can add just one more thing – an antioxidant serum which goes on before sunscreen to boost its efficacy. This is specifically helpful for working people and new mommies who hardly have time for themselves.

5 Skin Care Tricks I have Adopted

Using body oil in shower

When you are slick wet from shower, slather on a body oil. It is the fastest and best way to keep your skin supple and hydrated all day long. You could follow up with a moisturizer or body butter on areas which need something extra. If not body oil, choose a body butter which spreads easily when wet. Do not use lotion as it will be too thin and will get washed off with the water.

Why Hair Oil is a Waste of Money?

June 18, 2018 Swati 3 Comments

When I got my cysteine treated and coloured last year, my hair stylist had almost convinced me that hair oil is not really necessary. In fact, he went so far as to claim it does nothing, nothing at all, for the hair and is best avoided as not applying means you can use milder shampoos.

As much as this was sounding right, I always had this skeptic at back of my head saying may be this needs a bit of investigation. I did go for four to six months without oil and I would not say that my hair was just the same or really missed oil. But, it did teach me what hair oil can and can not do.

So, lets see if I can really convince on some of the far fetched claims of hair oiling.

The oil may or may not get absorbed by your shaft making the protective layer disappear. Btw, if you follow this method, you would notice that your hair appears drier by the next day of the wash.

What does Hair Oil really Do?

Hair Oil Softens

Yes, it does. It smooths out the tangles provided you do use a comb later, makes the hair soft and creates a protective layer on it. This protective layer ensures that when you shampoo your hair, the ingredients do not end up harming the scalp or the hair structure.

Satliva Red Raspberry Face Cream

June 15, 2018 Swati 2 Comments

Finding the right moisturizer for your skin is downright the toughest task I have come across. It is easy to find a cleanser (not that easy, I admit, but then t gets washed off in a minute) or serum or even facial oil for that matter. But, not the moisturizer because it is supposed to stay at least 6-8 good hours. So, whenever I try a new moisturizer I am not usually optimistic and it was in same frame of mind I started using Satliva red raspberry face cream.

Over and above that this product has ~~shea~~ (sorry, it’s) mango butter which can be ~~extremely~~ moderately heavy and has hemp seed oil and raspberry oil. Especially given the weather and my combination skin, I thought I made the wrong choice when I was selecting the products for review. The only reason I picked this up was the presence of red raspberry oil which is known to be the best natural sun protector so if you can get your hands on the red raspberry oil, nothing better than that!!

Satliva Red Raspberry Face Cream Product Review

Price : Rs 750 for 40gms (definitely prohibitive!)

Availability : Online

Made with Hemp Seed Oil, Mango Butter, Red Raspberry oil, Geranium essential oil, Jojoba Oil, Carrot seed oil and Tea tree oil.

How Free Radicals and Antioxidants affect our Bodies?

June 13, 2018 Swati 2 Comments

Updated from 11th March, 2016. Free radicals are notorious for their aging effect on the skin. Topical application and ingestion of anti-oxidants is the only known way to combat their effects. However, bad lifestyle and other regular habits can also lead to the formation of free radicals in the body and if un-combated for long, they can result in serious diseases like cancer and auto-immune diseases.

How Free Radicals and Antioxidants affect our Bodies?

#DidYouKnow the very thing which we need to live ages us? The oxygen we breathe reacts with the skin cells to produce energy and build proteins. And, the by product of this reaction is reactive oxygen species. They can also result from environmental factors like excess sun exposure, smoking, drinking, pollution.

What are ROS?

This is from the post I had done on collagen formation and nutrition last year. In the post, I had barely touched on the effect of Oxidative Stress on our bodies. Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules which often attach themselves to the next available molecule. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are specific types of free radicals which include single oxygen.

Free radicals are a natural by-product of the chemical reactions going on in the body. These are neutralized by the antioxidant defences in the body.

How do Free Radicals affect the body negatively?

However under stressful conditions, the production of free radicals increase to a great extent and they do not get neutralized by the anti-oxidants. That is when they start harming the body.

These radicals have a tendency to attach themselves to DNA structures, protein chains and fatty acids and a few enzymes in the body thereby altering their chemical make-up, and in the long run, affecting the performance of the organs.

Health Problems due to Free Radicals

Not only do the effects of free radicals are visible in forms of wrinkles and aged skin, it reduces the functional capabilities of various organs. Most of the degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and chronic fatigue has been linked to the accumulation of free radicals in the body.

Though ROS and free radicals are used in defence against the pathogens, excess of them can result in autoimmune diseases like leukaemia, hepatitis, diabetes, alopecia areta among many.

Which Anti-Oxidants help prevent Free Radical buildup?

There is no proof that anti-oxidants sourced from the food help with scavenging free radicals in the body. But, there is not harm in trying to supplement them through the diet.

The body’s anti-oxidant defense system is made up of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxdiase.

#DidYouKnow free radicals are also associated with graying of hair. Low levels of catalase lead to bleaching of the hair internally through hydrogen peroxide.

SOD has three major families depending on the protein and metal in the chain.
- Copper and Zinc – Meat, eggs, Seafood, Dairy products, nuts like almonds and peanuts are all rich in Copper and Zinc.
- Iron and Manganese – Seafood, meat, nuts, seeds, spinach, beetroot, whole grains, brewed herbal teas are all rich in iron and manganese.
- Nickel – Chocolate, Cashews, Spinach, Kidney beans are all rich in nickel.

Catalse – Beef, Potatoes, Wheat sprouts, Carrots, Garlic, Onions, Leafy Greens like spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Collard, Turnip greens, apricots, cucumbers and radishes are all rich in catalase and can also reverse hair greying.

Glutathione Peroxidase – Whey protein, eggs, cumin, potatoes, peppers, carrots, onion, broccoli, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, apples, oranges, peaches, watermelon, banana and walnuts have high levels of glutathione. Glutathione levels decrease when the food is cooked and processed so it is best to eat them raw.

Next time you plan your menu, make sure to include all these rich sources of antioxidants. What do you do to counter the free radical generation in the body?

What are your 5 Must Haves for Salon Sessions?

June 11, 2018 Swati 4 Comments

must haves to salon — Image courtesy pexels.com

How often do you go to a parlor? Once a month, may be? Ever since I started going to the parlor, some of the practices I found were completely unhygienic even in the best of them. Then, they would also not carry the same moisturizers and sunscreens. So, I started developing a habit of carrying my own go-to-parlor kit. My go-to parlor kit has must haves for salon sessions. You could also carry your own manicure and pedicure kits just to be on the safer side but I am lazy enough to skip that!!

Going to parlor is relaxing but sometimes it becomes a little frustrating for me when I see some of them doing things which they should not. Yes, turning a blind eye is the only thing you can do in fact. For example, they use the same knife/spatula to dip into the wax and use it on countless people. I also wish they have ice cubes when skin needs to be calmed down or soothed a little, especially after threading or waxing and even after extraction.

What are my must-haves to salon?

Change of Clothes

I always always carry my own clothes which I don in there before getting the services done and change back. I do not like what they provide unless they are disposables and hardly salons invest in them! So, I prefer to wear mine.

Hair Oil

I love head massages and there is nothing wrong with using the regular coconut or almond oil but I prefer to carry my own hair oil. Sometimes because I am in the middle of reviewing a product and sometimes because I want to just use up the stuff at home. There is no particular reason but I like to invest in my hair oils and use them. I also make my own customized changes to the oils by adding in essential oils and I would like to take full advantage of them. So, for me, hair oil is another must have for salon sessions.

Nail Paint

Well, I am not really a fan of nail paint but I have one signature shade which I absolutely love – the valentine from Faces. I discovered this particular shade of red when I was getting married and I have been consistently in love with it. I always carry my own nail paint when I go for pedicures or manicures.

Towel / Wash Cloth

No matter how much the service lady cleans off the wax, I feel some of it is left behind. Or, after the facial or the detan pack, there is quite a bit left on the ears or behind the ears or on the back if the girl is not good at her job. I carry the wash cloth for such exigencies. And, also because I like to use my own stuff. Again one of the most important must haves for salon trip.

Toners / Moisturizers and Sunscreen

The parlors do use astringents after the waxing but I like to hydrate my skin so I use toners. I do not like moisturizing right away because it can cause pigmentation. You should let the skin rest a while after waxing and before applying anything, at least not until you have washed the area in cold water.

But, then, after facials or any face service, they have generic moisturizers which I do not like to use. So, I carry my own moisturizer or an all-purpose product like nivea crème. Also, I prefer to go to salons in the evenings but just in case I go in the morning time, I always carry sunscreen and a scarf to cover my head completely. If you go in the mornings or afternoons, sunscreen is a prominent product in your must haves for salon trip.

So, I do my best to be as hygienic as possible but of course, at home services can be best sometimes, though the spatula problem remains.

Now, it’s your turn . . .

These are the things which make up my go-to-parlor kit. Do you have a go-to-parlor kit? What is your list of must haves for salon sessions? I would love to know your thoughts about it.