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My Hair Diary – May 2019

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It has been more than two years I have done a post in this series. Keeping a hair diary was fun for me! This last month I have experimented a bit with a different way to deep condition my hair which I shall talk about in the post. So, let’s start.

Honestly, till date, if I have to look back, the products which helped my hair maximum were the cysteine treatment, defabulous shampoo and conditioner duo and kama neelibrigandi hair oil. The transformed my hair in a completely different and great way and I would recommend them to you anytime.

Overnight Deep Conditioning

So, you would have read my review on the Sephora overnight hair mask. Well, I used the same concept with a different hair product once I ran out of the conditioner in the pack – parachute coconut creme oil. Well, honestly, the overnight treatment with this one was not really great.

But, I am sure I can get the same results with some other deep conditioning product. I did try another overnight treatment with olaplex no. 3 but again it was not very successful. But, to be honest, olaplex is not a deep conditioning treatment but a bond builder so you can not expect the same results from it.

Wash Hair when Needed

This is something I often fail at. You have to and must wash your hair as soon as you find your scalp getting greasy, products being too heavy for your hair or even when it is too exposed to environmental factors like sun and pollution.

I do not do it and I do find my hair falling a lot more consequently. Where as, if I am regularly washing it, the hair fall is considerably less and even non-existent. Also, use shampoo and conditioner mentioned for your hair type. Improper usage also leads to greasy scalp and stringy looking hair.

Products Used

Shampoo – Conditioner : OGX Morroccan

Hair Oil / Deep Conditioning : Parachute Coconut Creme Oil + Sephora overnight hair mask

I am also trying to grow out my hair. I am due for a hair cut for a very long time so I am gonna go for it this week. And, I am also traveling the entire month so I have to carry my shampoo and conditioner along. So, let’s see how the month goes for my hair. Will update in the next hair diary.

Till then, Swathy.

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Sephora Hand Mask Gloves – Aloevera

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sephora aloevera hand mask, sephora hand gloves, moisturizing gloves

Last week has been real crazy with my brother’s wedding, hence the missing posts! So, while shopping for the wedding, I visited Sephora for first time in Hyderabad. Their overnight hair mask was the one which interested me and I picked these sephora hand mask gloves along. You might have heard me cribbing about my extremely cracked and damaged skin on the fingers. I thought may be some moisturizing gloves might be helpful.

Sephora Hand Mask Gloves infused with Aloevera Product Review

Price : Rs 450 for one pair

Availability : Sephora shops and Sephora online

My Review

Well, the first thing I thought about this product was “damn! it’s really expensive”. Who wants to buy a one time use mask for 400 bucks? Anyways, I got the sephora hand mask gloves and the overnight hair mask, though in retrospect buying another pair of gloves would have been a better use for my money.

The pouch contains a pair of sephora hand mask gloves and there is no serum in the pouch as you would find in a face mask. The serum is present inside the gloves. You just have to put them on your hands and sit. The product specifies 20 minutes but I would recommend as long as possible though it does get tiring!

When you put on the sephora hand mask gloves, you would feel nothing actually but then about 2-4 minutes later, you can feel the serum around your fingers. I initially thought the quantity of the serum was very less but I do not think that is strictly true! The serum probably melts with your body heat or something like that.

I kept on the hand mask gloves for probably 30 minutes and there was still a lot of serum left inside so I passed on the gloves to my husband. He kept it on for probably 10 minutes and still there was a little bit of the serum left. I decided to store the gloves for another use, just in case. After removing the gloves, I massaged in whatever serum was on my hand.

sephora hand mask, sephora hand gloves, aloevera hand mask, moisturizing gloves

My hands were really moisturized, my cuticles looked amazing, the cracks on the skin had softened to touch and they looked brighter. Actually, my hands look a lot dull and dark, probably from the lack of hydration rather than moisturization. And, the sephora hand mask gloves really brightened them. Same goes for my husband who does not use anything at all on his skin.

And, just today, I put the gloves on just for 5 minutes to see if there was any serum left. It is almost over, might last for one more use of 5 minutes. My hands looked instantly brighter, cuticles were moisturized and nails were shinier. Boy, they are amazing for a quick pickup. In fact, instead of keeping them for 15 minutes at one go, you can get multiple uses of 5 minutes each.

Overall, I think sephora hand mask gloves are an amazing product if you do not get regular manicures and your hands just never look pretty. Yes, it is expensive but if I am planning to use it once a week for 5 minutes, I guess it will last me almost one and a half month which is a little less expensive, let’s say! But, yes, you should definitely try it out.

Have you used any hand mask gloves?

They have them in different variants. Have you tried out any? Avocado sounds interesting since it is heavy on nourishment. I shall definitely try them out when I am in a mood to splurge. In the mean time, you could ask someone to get them from US at 5$ a piece. Which variant is your favorite?

Till then, Swathy.

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What You Should Know to Organize Your Closet?

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Image Courtesy : Photo by Craig Adderley from Pexels

Home organization bug bit me last month suddenly. First thing to start was how to organize my close I remember having come across Konmari methods of organization way back in 2015-16 but I did not pay any heed to it. Suddenly, one day a youtube video on closet organization popped out of the blue which started me on this project of revamping my entire wardrobe to save space and clutter.

I am a cleanliness fanatic on my usual days and a lazy couch potato on my bad days. I like clean and organized spaces. Too much of clutter or decor makes my mind chaotic. If I am not able to find some utility out of anything, it goes out of my house immediately. Even after being so diligent, I realized my space utilization skills are not that great!

Did you know we use 20% of our clothes and things 80% of the times.

What You Should Know to Organize Your Closet?

Lately, my clothes wardrobe had become completely unorganized. Most of my stuff was lying in un-ironed heaps. All the dressy clothes were randomly folded and stuffed in the closet. In short, everything was an organized mess. But, a mess nevertheless. So, I decided to start my home organization from my wardrobe closets.

closet organization, how to keep your closet organized, how to fold clothes, housekeeping, home organization tips
Image Courtesy : Photo by Francesco Paggiaro from Pexels

Did you know you should have a working board to fold your clothes? Yes, a working board makes it easy to fold any size of clothes. I used my dining table as the working board which made it easier to handle everything from a small handkerchief to the complex lehengas. So, let’s see what things you should know this time before you start to organize your closet space.

Did you know how to fold your clothes properly?

Basic organizational skills involve clothes folding techniques. There are various ways in which you can fold your shirt, t-shirt or jeans. Try out different methods and see what works best for you. The Konmari method is really simple and takes very less space. The best advantage of proper folding method is that your clothes do not get wrinkled.

You would be interested to know that these folding tips and methods do not work that well for Indian wears. So, we follow the basic principle with a few tweaks to suit our purposes.

Lay down the cloth to be folded on the working board, smooth it out completely from start to end, fold it and stack it. You can use the three fold Konmari method to practically fold everything. The aim is to create a rectangle from the cloth. The three fold method also does not allow it to get bulky while folding and saves a lot of space while you organize your closet. The video below helped me a lot with ethnic wear specifically.

Did you know how to store the clothes and linens to save space?

We all use horizontal spaces very well but how well are we using the vertical spaces is the key. Stacking a leaning tower of 10-20 shirts one upon another forever in the danger of crashing down is not an efficient usage of vertical space. When we learn how to fold things properly, stacking them horizontally or vertically becomes easier.

The reorganization saved me a ton of space and this is when I do not have separate organizers or extra hangers.

Basic principle to organize your closet is that a look from above should give you an idea of what all you have and what would you like to wear. Likes must be kept with likes in separate baskets to make it easy to find and store. Mix and match also becomes easier. You can also get few organizers which help maximize the vertical space or stack boxes or organizers on each other depending on frequency of usage.

Did you know how to keep your dresser organized?

Earlier, my dresser would always be a mess. Though, I would segregate every product according to its category, there were no dividers so everything would end up getting jumbled. Finally, I used a few cartons to use a dividers and segregated everything again and now it is looking clean and I can find anything without losing patience or time!

Did you know you could buy extra organizers for extra space?

No, I am not talking about the extra boxes but specific implements which you can fix and use. Like, a lazy susan for dining table and kitchen counter is a great way to keep the regularly used condiments at hand. Similarly, a scarf hanger is great to keep all scarves at the same place without occupying too much space.

You also get sliding boxes which can be fixed in your fridge or under your cupboards and you can store things in it again maximizing vertical space. Similarly, you get vertical storage hangers which can handle light weight clothes. You can also hang your expensive clothes in covered hangers to protect them and save space at the same time. The video above gives a lot of such tips.

Did you know you can work with any space?

More the space, more stuff you have. Always purge unnecessary items from your house. Keep things simple and utilitarian.

It is not that you have a lot of junk just because your home is huge. But, our tendency is usually to keep buying stuff without thinking whether we have enough space to store it properly. Always make sure you discard your older stuff before buying the new. Keep your things less messy and enjoy de-cluttering. And, follow these principles while you organize your closet space the next time.

The more organized you are, more are the chances your home, your space and your life overall is organized and going in the right direction. Well, believe it or not, there is a metaphysical correlation between your life and how organized you are. So, if you really think something is going wrong, start with organizing your space around you and I am sure you will notice changes soon enough.

Till then, Swathy.

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Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

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Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

If you have followed the blog for long, you would already be aware that I love to hoard essential oils and hair products and when both of them come into one as aroma magic stimulate hair oil especially at the price tag of what it is, how could I even resist it. I have been using it on and off since March. Aroma magic has been long known for inexpensive but effective products!

I have used only their mineral scrub and seaweed face mask. I did not really enjoy the scrub but the mask was good for hydration and instant pickups. Not really the stalwart products the reviews had led me to believe but somehow I did not lose hope in the brand. The oil are tempting, especially the aroma magic stimulate hair oil with its blend of essential oils.

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil Product Review

Price : Rs 375 for 20ml

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil – My Review

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

The stimulate oil comes in a pretty blue bottle with a stopper which helps dispense the oil drop by drop. The oil is light, not greasy at all and disappears into the skin or scalp. It has a lavender fragrance which smells soothing and is not strong at all. It claims to stimulate the hair roots and increase circulation to improve hair growth and reduce hair fall.

Contrary to the fact that it says hair oil, aroma magic stimulate is actually a scalp treatment which helps fight any bacterial and fungal infections, moisturizes the scalp, increases blood circulation and helps reduce hair fall. Now, the brand advises you to dilute a few drops of the oil with a table spoon of water and then apply it to the scalp. However, I do not dilute the oil.

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil
It’s completely transparent and colorless!

I take one drop of the oil on each on my finger and massage my entire scalp with it. I have been using this scalp treatment almost since March and I have used the product everyday on the scalp till three weeks back. Once I stopped using it, I realized how much it is really useful to control the hair fall. In fact, it helped with the hair growth as well but is more effective to control the hair fall.

I massage my scalp with aroma magic stimulate oil in the evenings so it gets plenty of time to get absorbed into the scalp. It is not greasy at all and does not make my hair or scalp look greasy even with daily use. For people with oily scalp, you can use this right after your hair wash instead of using it everyday. It also helps control the oil production on the scalp.

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

It has been a while since I got this aroma magic stimulate hair oil and I have thrown away the outer pack so I do not have its ingredients list. But, it contains rosemary essential oil which is really good for hair growth. The other benefits are that it treats dry scalp, will help treat dandruff, controls itchy scalp, keeps the scalp healthy and helps control hair fall.

Overall, I loved aroma magic stimulate oil and would definitely recommend to all for everyday use. It is also a value for money product. After using it for over a month daily, I still have more than half of the product left. It would easily last for daily use of four to six months since you only have to massage your scalp with it. So, go ahead and try it for sure.

Have you used Aroma magic stimulate oil?

Or, are you a fan of some other scalp treatment? How do you like to treat your scalp? Do you only depend on hot oil treatments? Or, use any scalp cream? I also have one from Kaya but that has expired so I can not review it. Share your secrets with me in the comments section.

Till then, Swathy.

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Mirabelle Facial Sheet Masks – Berries and Rose

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Mirabelle Facial Sheet Masks - Berries and Rose

I have never been a great fan of sheet masks earlier. Even though they are less messy, I find them inconvenient to use and I do not like the fact that they do not treat the neck and decolletage. Also, they are pretty expensive for just a one time usage. And, then, I came across these mirabelle facial sheet masks on my trip to NewU recently. There was a buy 2 get 1 offer going on so I picked a few.

For now, I have used only berries and rose. Coconut is still lying in my fridge. I like to store my sheet masks in the fridge during summers so they feel pleasantly cool when put on the face. And, I absolutely love these sheet masks. I find them better than other sheet masks I have used previously including the uber popular SKII facial treatment masks.

Also Read : Do you like Sheet Masks?

Mirabelle Facial Sheet Masks – Berries and Rose – Product Review

Price : Rs 129 for one mask

My Review

Let me start with the mirabelle facial sheet mask rose. It smells amazingly of real roses and is extremely soothing on skin. The berries variant is also nice but it has no particular smell attached to it. There is one sheet mask per packet and it has extra serum which you can use the next day for an intense overnight mask effect.

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Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask – Rose

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Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask - Rose, hair cap, sephora hair cap, cloth hair cap

My friend is on her trip to US and I was browsing through Sephora to order a few things which my friend would bring back from her trip. That was when I came across the sephora hair sleeping mask range. Anything which promises to condition my hair, grow my hair or make it beautiful is always on top of my list.

In US, it is available at 5$ a piece but before ordering it in bulk, I thought I would give it a try. That was when I made the trip to Sephora Hyderabad for the first time. I picked up the sephora hair sleeping mask and their hand mask gloves. That was around 15 days back. And, now, I am back with a review for it. Was it worth it?

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask – Rose

Price : Rs 450 per piece

Availability : Sephora Online or Stores

My Review

I got the rose variant but I think I should have tried the coconut. It is far more moisturizing though I though rose would be a treat to the senses. I am happy to say the fragrance does not even bother or linger beyond a few seconds. Sephora hair sleeping mask is not a product which will make your headache right when you open the packet.

The sephora hair sleeping mask comes in a single pouch divided into conditioner and hair cap. Well, I love the hair cap. It is cute, made of cloth so very soft and washable and very light weight. You do not feel that you have put on anything on your head while sleeping which is extremely important for a good sleep.

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask - Rose, hair cap, sephora hair cap, cloth hair cap

Coming to the conditioner, the quantity is very less. No, for me, it lasted two uses but my hair length and volume are extremely low. If you have a good volume of mid waist length, sephora hair sleeping mask would probably cover the lower half of your hair. So, yes, for the price, the quantity is extremely insufficient. You might as well buy a hair mask and a cloth hair cap separately.

Anyways, getting back to the review, after combing my hair, I smoothened the conditioner on the lengths of my hair and I applied scalp treatment by Kaya. After securing the hair on top of my head so it does not get in the way of sleep, I put on the hair cap. As I mentioned earlier, it is extremely light weight and you would not feel it is there.

The problem with the hair cap is that it is small in size. For those with a good volume, the cap would cover only the bun of your hair and not the entire scalp defeating the purpose of letting the body heat allow for deeper hair conditioning overnight. It also does not stay at one place so I used a scarf to make sure no conditioner gets on my pillow.

Another disadvantage with the hair cap is the elastic, even though it is very soft, will dig into your hair line or forehead eventually by next morning which makes it inconvenient to use. The good thing about sephora hair sleeping mask is that its conditioner dries off in about 30 minutes so it does not really stick to the skin or clothes. But, I would definitely suggest a scarf over it.

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask - Rose, hair cap, sephora hair cap, cloth hair cap, how my hair looked
My hair is glossy and extremely soft to touch. Though it has turned greasy now after two days, the softness is just the same. The frizz was definitely less and volume at the crown was awesome! That lasted a day.

The next morning, you can shampoo and condition your hair as you do. My hair was bouncy and voluminous with defined curls. The ends were not looking that nourished but then I need a hair cut badly. My hair was shiny and glossy. The results were consistent for both uses and lasted for two days before they got greasy.

Now, please note that my hair is very fine even though it is dry so any deep conditioning would weigh it down eventually. And, it is very hot here so the scalp also gets greasy sooner. But, with regular use of the hair sleeping mask, I think hair would get more manageable and shinier in the long run. It is almost like getting a hair spa.

So, was the sephora hair sleeping mask worth it? Well, the idea is to allow those people who do not have much time to keep the conditioner on their hair for as long as possible. But, did you know that any product stops working on your hair after 2-3 hours? Same goes for this product as well.

Hair Sleeping Mask DIY

In fact, this is a good idea to nourish your hair once a week. Apply any of your favorite hair mask, not conditioner, on slightly damp hair or dry hair and let it dry for 30 minutes. Cover with the hair cap or a scarf whichever you prefer and go to sleep. Wash and style as usual the next day. It saves time, gets your hair spa-ready and the results are mind blowing.

Have you used any hair sleeping mask?

Have you heard about skin sleeping masks? My favorite is Laniege. Similar to the idea, I think hair sleeping masks are a great way to give yourself a hair spa and nourish your hair. The trick is to find the right hair mask. What do you think?

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Why and How to Segregate Waste at Home?

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Image Courtesy : Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

For the past few months, I have developed this habit of segregating trash at home. It has not yet become a common habit in India yet but do you know how much you can help the waste pickers and the environment by doing this simple task at home itself? So, let me talk about why and how to segregate waste at home?

Eco-conscious is the new buzz word. Sadly, we are living in India where we need to run campaigns like ‘Swacch Bharat’ which is touted to be wildly successful. And, yet we are not used to segregating our trash even after so much awareness and education earning high salaries and living in cosmopolitans and metropolitan cities.

Why should we segregate waste at home?

Our trash has lot of things from the wet green waste to the unhygienic sanitary and medical waste. Sometimes, we irresponsibly throw in the e-waste and batteries as well. When we do not segregate our waste, the task falls upon the waste pickers.

Did you know that the waste pickers are exposed to an abundance of health hazards because we are not used to segregate waste at home?

Exposure to the sanitary waste exposes them to loads of bacteria and other insects which get attracted to them. When we dispose of even small batteries, the chemicals leak out of them. When waste pickers segregate the waste, they get exposed to these chemicals like cadmium, chromium, mercury, et cetera. These toxic chemicals are also released into the environment causing environmental hazard.

Separating plastic, on the other hand, is a tedious task. Going through the land mines of waste and picking up every small piece of plastic is nearly inhumane. And, finally, at least a little percentage of the plastic ends up getting burned and releasing toxic fumes into the environment.

Helping the waste pickers and environment on the other hand will reduce our personal carbon footprint and help pass down the habit to the future generations. You can also earn money by selling off all the recyclable waste segregated at home.

How to segregate waste at home?

It is common knowledge that we have three categories of waste – biodegradable or greens, recyclable which includes cartons, plastic and glass and rejected waste which includes sanitary and medical waste. Electronic waste (e-waste) comes under recyclable waste.

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