Aloevera for Skin and Banana Hair Pack {Reader's Tips}

"If you have drink aloevera juice everyday in the morning, your skin really glows."

"Banana Hair pack really does wonders to your hair. You can add coconut milk and honey along with banana and mix it in a blender. Keep the pack for about an hour and just wash with warm water without applying shampoo. Your hair will really shine."

Read more of your favourite reader's tips here and you can submit one too (here).

Image Courtesy:alibaba.com,thechalkboardmag.com

Aloevera Scrub {Reader's Tip}

Aloe vera Moisturizer
Aloevera is a great moisturizer which moisturizes your skin instantly. I often use aloe gel to moisturize my skin in winter. Dry skin is the sign of dullness, so moisturize your skin and keep it soft always :). Take a leaf and remove the green skin to get soft and fresh aloevera gel :)

Editor's Comments: I love aloevera moisturizer. Do check my review on the Aloevera gel.

Aloe vera Scrub (To remove dead skin cells and improve the complexion)
Ingredients :
Oats powder - 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Aloevera gel - 2 teaspoons

Here's how..
Mix all these ingredients well and apply over your clean face and neck. Leave for 20 minutes. Then wet your finger and tap your face, give a circular massage gently with fingertips. Wash off completely with clean and cold water.

Results

Instantly softens and brightens skin :) :)
With regular use It whitens your skin and keeps it clean and clear all time

BEST USAGE : Twice in a week

Source (My blog)
http://makeupandbeautytips-home.blogspot.com/

Image Courtesy:infobarrel.com

Home Remedies for skin dryness {DIY}

I received a comment from Khushboo asking me how to deal with skin dryness and bring a glow to the face and how to make the skin look fresh. Its a huge complicated thing and probably I can write many many posts on that. So, I thought I would start with home remedies for skin dryness.

Banana
Rub a slice of banana on your face and neck. It helps with anti-aging, tightening the skin and also moisturises your skin simultaneously.

More DIY's with Banana
Get a glow you deserve
A recipe for faster hair growth and beautiful looking skin
Your hands tell your age 
Keep your skin moisturized this winter with Banana
Get rid of the blemishes and dark spots on your body

Honey
Apply a thin or thick mask of honey on your face and let it stay for 15-3 minutes or more if you can manage. Wash off. Amazing for dry skin and not messy at all.

More DIY's with Honey
Honey as face cleanser
Sugar Body Scrub with a twist
A simple tip for a glowing face
Get rid of those Large Pores
Orange Sugar Body Scrub

Aloevera Gel
Natural aloevera gel is extremely beneficial for dry skin as it improves the hydration power of the skin from inside. Yes, it is drying for the skin so apply it first and follow with a moisturiser if you feel your skin has become stretched. It also is a great after-sun treatment and acts best when used as a night moisturiser.

More DIY's with Aloevera Gel
Aloevera: A Miracle Plant 
Natural Moisturizers for Oily Skin
Skin dryness and burning?
Aloevera for soft skin
How to treat Sunburns?

Products Recommended
Rustic Art Aloevera Gel
24 Letter Mantra Honey
Image Courtesy:iblue.hubpages.com,strangehistory.net,hansaaloevera.com

Aloevera Scalp Gel for Hair Growth {DIY}

This is my first DIY which includes essential oils and are the heart and soul of this DIY after the perfume oil DIY.

Ingredients

• Aloevera Gel
• Rosemary EO
• Lavender EO
• Cinnamon Bark EO
• Ginger EO

Method

I used the Rustic Art aloevera gel for this recipe. I would not recommend fresh aloevera gel because of two reasons - first, preservation issues and second, you are not sure of how much quantity you have and how many drops of EO should be added. Thus, its better to use the commercially available aloevera gel. Take 100gms of the product and remember my guidelines to using EO's. 

In skin or hair care, you should use only 1-2% concentration of EO's and do not exceed as it can actually be allergic and harmful. So, for 100gms of aloevera gel, we can add 2 gms of EO and we use the equivalence of 1ml = 1gm though that's strictly not true. So, according to the 2% concentration, we can add 2ml of EO's. 1ml has 20 drops so 40 drops of EO per 100ml/gm of any product.

Add 10 drops of each essential oil to the aloevera gel. Mix it and leave in a dark place for 24 hours. Rosemary takes care of dandruff, Cinnamon and Ginger stimulate hair follicles and increase blood circulation and Lavender is conditioning for the hair besides helping in hair growth. Do not use more than 3-4 EO's per DIY as too many EO's might interact negatively with each other and can make the product extremely potent as well.

Results

Apply this gel on your scalp right after you finish with your entire hair wash and shower. Do not apply it when you hair is dripping. Wait the hair to get dry a bit and then apply to the scalp so that it doesn't cause breakage. There are two advantages - your scalp is clean so the product gets absorbed quickly and without any fear of trapping dust and since the base of the product is aloevera, it moisturizes the scalp nicely and prevents itching, flaky scalp and other scalp problems.

I made this DIY before I left for Delhi and have used it just once. Now that I am on a hair treatment, I am not using anything except the products prescribed. That's mainly to test the efficacy and worth of those products. But, I can vouch for one thing that this scalp gel does help in hair growth. Why? Remember the ginger tonic I mentioned? 

We are using ginger essential oil in this recipe and when I had applied this gel, it had tingled my scalp and gave me the feeling of warmth more than that ginger tonic does. Don't worry regarding the tingling. Its just coz of ginger. Even if you apply ginger juice or onion juice, the scalp tingles a bit and also makes the scalp warm meaning the blood circulation has increased. And, the gel doesn't make the hair heavy or greasy or anything. In fact, it keeps the scalp moisturised and the hair around the roots soft. It can be applied daily as well.

And, I am really hoping that you will give it a try :)

Can aloevera be used as sunscreen? {Sunscreen}

[Source:infobarrel.com]

I was checking out my analytics page and saw this in the query section. And, then, I remembered many people had asked me this particular question earlier. So, I thought I would make a post of this.

Aloevera and Sun Protection

Aloevera, in itself, doesn't provide any sun protection of its own. It, in fact, cures the damages caused by sun's rays.So, you can call it more a after-sun treatment than calling it a sunscreen. Aloevera is a very versatile plant which can treat sunburns as easily as it can slow down the aging of the skin. The gel has healing properties instead of protection properties. 

Sunscreen

There is a reason for the existence of wide variety of sunscreens in the market. And, I have time and again asserted their importance in skin care. As a personal opinion, I would always assert that it is better to rely on products available in the market for such a product than trying out your own remedies without proper research.

My personal favourites are Zinc Oxide sunscreens but a stable chemical sunscreen also does a good job. Choose one according to your budget and be regular and diligent in its application, specially, in the summers.

Rustic Art Aloevera Gel

Price: Rs 150ml for 100gms

Ingredients

Aloevera Gel, Lemon Extracts (lemon extract acts as a preservative)

Pros

- perfect for oily or combination skin or even normal skin, especially in summers

- firms up the skin

- gives a glow

- increases the skin's hydration levels

- dries up and gets absorbed very quickly into the skin

- products lasts really long

- can be used as a night treatment

Cons

- doesn't do anything for pores size but then it doesn't really claim that!!!

- its not organic :(

- don't know if it really removes tanning

My Experience

The gel is colorless and comes in a sturdy plastic jar from which you can scoop out the gel. It smells of nothing, just a faint aloe vera smell. The texture is just like a dehydrated aloe gel. It goes a little (very little) sticky in the end just like the actual aloe gel does which can be simply washed off. The product will last you two-three months which is pretty good.

I really like it. The gel feels cool on the skin but that doesn't last more than 10 seconds. It gets dried up and absorbed very very quickly so you have to apply it as quickly as possible otherwise it will dry up on your palm. The pros really say everything about what I experienced after using the product for the past one month. And, I have already recommended it to many people!!!

Dry skin people should also use it and since I was facing dry skin in the past month, I used to follow this with oil. And, gradually, I noticed that my dryness reduced and my skin became more supple and hydrated even though I was taking less of water. And, there is a glow on my skin which I completely love. I can also see that it has firmed up my skin really well, not that my skin was loose but I can see the difference.

Ok, so, the product is not organic which had disappointed me and I would love it if they get an organic variant too. And, I don't think that it did anything for my tanning but I am not really sure on this point. If I do see a difference in the future, I will definitely report back. I also tried using it as a leave-in conditioner in my hair but it didn't really work out. I shall try that again, though!!

Availability

Online - NaturalMantra.com

PS: Product provided by brand. Images taken from Rustic Art Picasa Web Albums.

Other Rustic Art products:

Rustic Art Spa and Lotus Organic Bathing Soaps

Skin dryness and burning? {Skin Care}

I recently, or it has probably been sometime, received a query from a reader which went like this:

"She has oily skin and prone to pimples. But, this winter, her skin is excessively dry. The lady applies an oinment "Acnicin Gel" to dry out acne. She asked if this gel was the reason of her skin drying out? Her skin even burns while applying moisturizer. She has already tried using vaseline and olive oil but to no effects."

Frankly, I am entirely clueless regarding her  problem. It tried racking my brains too to find out if I had ever faced such a situation or anything. So, this is my explanation which might be wrong. I do hope you all will surely contribute remedies to this problem.

[Source: Google Images]

Hormonal Imbalances
The first reason I can attribute her dryness is to hormonal changes. The reason I am saying is that as the various phases of life pass by, our hormones change and that affects the entire health. This winter and even now, even I am experiencing extreme dryness. And, I do moisturize regularly, I am eating healthily but to be honest my routine was not as good till a month back so probably this is a butterfly effect of that health negligence routine.

Ointment
Since she asked that if the dryness is due to the ointment, I would say it is unlikely if you have been using it since years together as I am assuming you have. Otherwise, may be. That can easily be made out looking at the past history with the ointment.

How to take care of the skin burning?
Aloevera should be a good alternative to relieve the burning of the skin.

How to treat dry skin?
Now, using aloe causes skin to dry out even more so dryness becomes an issue again but guess what, aloe also improves the moisture levels of the skin. And, using a good moisturizer after a soothing application of aloevera should do the trick.

I really hope you try these remedies out and do let me know how it works out for you :)

Aloevera for soft skin {Skin Care}

Ok, so this is something really simple. I used the Papaya Peeling Gel I reviewed a little while back and then, I wanted to use something as a face pack and didn't want to go for the market face masks. So, I used the Patanajali aloe vera gel and I applied a thick layer of the gel on my face and left it for half hour. I think it is because of the ingredients of the product that my face wasn't all dried up and stayed well-moisturized otherwise aloe vera is notorious for drying up the skin. But, I am not entirely sure so I leave on to you to tell me how it goes if you use the aloe gel from the plant.

What to do?

Apply a thick layer of aloe gel on your face and leave it for half hour. It might tingle in the starting and even sting a little if you have inflamed skin but it subsides in a few minutes. You should apply it around the eyes and the lips too. Just be sure you don't eat it :D

Results

An extremely soft skin with a really silky feel that you want to touch your skin again and again!!! I am really amazed at the results. And, aloe is good at removing tan and blemishes so it does help in that matter too. And, the main benefit is that you can use it everyday for a little perking up the skin. It hydrates the skin and soothes it after a long day in the dust, pollution and sun.And, also, it reduces the size of the pores. So, those who have such problems should definitely try this remedy. My pores are looking way smaller.

Caution

Ok, so this information I have from a very credible source - one of my readers. And, this is what she said: 

"Though I agree with the silky softness acquired post application, I'd noticed an alarming increase in those 'keel' of 'keel-muhaase' around my jawline. A room-mate experienced tiny boils erupting. We both discontinued use after a week."

Now, my opinion of this problem is that the culprit is not the aloevera gel but the Patanjali product. I checked the ingredients of the product.

Ingredients: 90% aloe gel and rest are permitted colors, Vitamin E, preservatives and fragrance.

So, either the preservatives or the colors or fragrance might have initiated the breakout reaction. Though, well, they might even be allergic to aloe gel but that's some what less likely. So, check out if the product suits you before you try this out. 

Aloe vera Hibiscus Hair Pack {DIY}

This is a simple DIY hair pack which is extremely awesome. In many of my previous posts, I have repeatedly talked about aloe vera being so good for hair and also about hibiscus leaves and flowers. So, this hair pack has only these two ingredients.

Ingredients (enough for shoulder length hair):

• 1 whole aloe vera leaf (preferably thick and fresh)
• a handful of hibiscus leaves 
• 5-10 hibiscus flowers (optional)

Method: Extract the aloe pulp from the leaf and grind all the ingredients together. It will form a green gooey paste of a thick consistency. Do not dilute it. Partition hair into sections and apply the paste properly to the scalp first and then the body of your hair. Leave the pack on your hair for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Cover with a shower cap for better results. Wash off with water. It is good to follow with reetha-shikakai instead of using a shampoo, if possible.   

Big disadvantage with the pack is that it is really sticky and difficult to wash off so it needs patience with that. Otherwise, you will find green bits in your hair afterward while combing. They do come out then but it is better to wash them off properly. 

Results: I kept the paste on my hair for an hour or so and washed my hair with reetha. My hair was really soft. In fact it is soft even after two washes after applying the pack and the hair was noticeably shiny. 

The pack is also supposed to help with hair loss and promotes hair growth but I can't vouch for it coz I have used it only once. But, the ingredients are good for all the claims. But, the immediate results are amazing so give this one a try. A great break from the regular smelly hair packs having egg or curd. 

Wear a scarf - Summer Hair Care

The summer sun is brilliantly hot and dehydrating for the hair as well as the skin. So, while you hydrate your skin by drinking water and eating hydrating foods, wear a scarf around your head whenever you step out to avoid the sun's rays and pollution. As the sun's rays can dehydrate and parch the skin, they can do the same to the hair leaving them rough and straw like. So, if you are already suffering from a rough and parched hair, try tomato on hair. And, don't forget to get a scarf for the next time you go out.

Now, generally, silk scarves or satin scarves are recommended for hair as they prevent static and keeps the hair hydrated as opposed to cotton which sucks the moisture out of the hair. As much as this is true, I beg to differ from this at least for summers. Using cotton scarves help with the air circulation in the hair which is extremely important otherwise the sweat clogs the hair follicles. Also, for people who like to tie the scarf completely on their faces, cotton scarves are much easier to handle and allow the skin to breathe through it where as silk or satin scarves simply choke and suffocate the nose. Of course, we all know that cotton allows breathing and air ventilation thats why it is preferred in summers. Also, if you use silk scarves, it can result in blocked pores and cause breakouts. So, wear cotton scarves. And, don't forget to moisturize your hair everyday with a hydrating serum or simply use aloevera gel straight from the plant.

Get rid of Stretch Marks

What are Stretch Marks?

Stretch Marks not only appear due to pregnancy but are very common among teenagers too. They can be red, purple or white in color, distorted in shape, long or short, wide lines and instantly recognizable. And, they can be present anywhere on the body but specially concentrated where you might accumulate a lot of fat like shoulders or upper arms, breasts, belly area, fat on the back just above and including the buttock region and thighs front or back. They can occur on anyone at any time.

Why do Stretch Marks appear?

During teenage, there are a lot of physical changes in the human body. One of the changes is sudden growth hence consequent stretching of the skin. Thus, these sudden stretches can tear the collagen and make the skin thinner in certain areas. The places where the collagen has torn and has become thinner are prone to appearance of stretch marks.

Stretch Marks can appear due to sudden height increase, sudden weight gain and weight loss, muscle growths, excessive exercising using improper equipments and also due to hormonal changes in the body.

How to prevent Stretch Marks?

A proper balanced diet is always best. A balanced diet ensures proper collagen production and maintainence, hence reducing the chances of collagen tear. Crash Diets and weight loss programs should be avoided. I have already discussed the ways to increase skin elasticity which is one of the ways to prevent stretch marks.

How to treat Stretch Marks?

• Coconut oil repairs the inner lying tissue structure of the skin
• Almond oil is rich in vitamin E oil so helps with regeneration of collagen
• Lavender oil (if you can get hold of original and pure lavender oil) is good for healing stretch marks or lavender flower masks are also good for the purpose though you can not find lavender in India
• Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter (if you get hold of unrefined cocoa or shea, mostly found in African stores) have lot of important nutrients for the skin
• Aloevera gel is again great for stretch marks, mix the aloevera gel with almond or coconut oil and it is great as a moisturizer for dry skin too
  

Aloevera: A Miracle Plant {Ingredient}

Egyptians called Aloevera a 'miracle plant'. It has been an integral part of the history from Greeks to Indians and has been used for various purposes by many people. Aloevera has anti-bacterial properties, is a natural humectant, has regeneration and anti-aging properties which makes it lucrative for cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry.

If Aloevera juice is taken on a daily basis, it can cure stomach disorders, improve skin condition, stimulate hair growth, strengthens the immune system of the body and slows down the aging process. Aloevera juice is also helpful for diabetics. Following home remedies are concocted using Aloevera:

• can be used as a leave-in hair conditioner
• can be used as a night time moisturizer 
• while making homemade soaps, aloevera can be mixed with the soap base before pouring into the molds
• can be used as a ingredient while concocting homemade moisturizers for skin
  
• can be used as one of the ingredient for face masks, hair masks or body scrubs
• can be used to heal sunburn or any cuts and scars
• can heal acne

Aloevera for Hair: a quickfix {DIY}

A quick fix to make your hair beautiful and style it in a short time is to apply Aloevera gel. Take a little of Aloevera according to your hair length in the palms and apply it to the hair. Massage some of it into the scalp and apply the rest on the hair. Pay special attention to the ends. Aloevera makes the hair sticky till it gets absorbed into the hair so you can style your hair in the mean time. It takes around 5-15 minutes for aloevera to get absorbed into the hair and does not weigh your hair down. After getting absorbed, Aloevera makes your hair shiny and bouncy.

Aloevera conditions your hair, makes hair smooth and soft and protects it from sun. It also stimulates hair growth if used on a regular basis. Aloevera can be used to moisturize hair. It is a natural humectant like honey and retains moisture. It can also be used on a daily basis. The gel from the plant can be applied directly on the hair. If bought from store, ensure that aloevera is pure and does not contain artificial additives.