Apple Cider Vinegar Health Benefits {Health}

Some days back, I posted on how drinking Apple Cider Vinegar helps with breakouts. In the post, I had mentioned very briefly that even people who do not suffer from breakouts can drink it. Why?? Because of the various health benefits it poses.

What is Apple Cider Vinegar???

As the name says, it is made from apples. It is actually made from apple skin and apple cores but not the meat and then it is actually double fermented using yeasts or bacteria. So, it is especially rich in nutrients and minerals due to the presence of apple and the enzymes created during the fermentation process. It is golden brown in color and has really high levels of acidity so it is used only in garnishing instead of intaking it raw.

Apple cider vinegar contains valuable minerals such as Phosphorus, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, and Chlorine. It also contains Sulfur, Copper, Silicon, Fluorine, Provitamin beta-carotene, Pectin and malic acid. (Source: Wikipedia)

Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

• Weight Loss - It suppresses the fat accumulation in the body especially around the tummy
• Skin - It prevents against breakouts and acts as an anti-inflammatory
• Improves immune system
• Controls the cholesterol levels
• Increases the stamina
• Increases metabolism
• Improves digestion
• Prevents stone formations in the body

These are just a subset of the health benefits which can be acquired from drinking Apple Cider Vinegar regularly. You will get plethora of results when you google it so I have just summarized a few here.

Risks of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

• Acetic Acid (present in any vinegar; ACV has high concentration of acetic acid) can lower potassium levels in the body and reduces the bone density making the bones weaker in the process
• Since ACV has high acidity, it shouldn't be taken raw

How to drink Apple Cider Vinegar??
The above mentioned risks are associated with intaking of ACV  on a regular basis for a very long time. Thus, keeping this in mind, I had advised to intake ACV during breakouts and dilute only a tablespoon of ACV per day in a liter of water.

To reap the benefits of ACV, drink ACV only once in three days (when not facing breakouts; during breakouts make it once a day) diluting only a tablespoon of ACV in a liter of water. This is safe and would give the amazing benefits of ACV.

P.S.1: Happy April Fools Day!!! Sorry for the belated wish. In fact, I had totally forgotten  about it. So, how many of you got fooled today???? Do share your amusing experiences :)
P.S.2: Finally, the world cup is here. So, lets hope India wins!!! All the best guys :)

Do not pick on your skin!!

Ohk, so yes, I have been MIA for a very long time now and you have been seeing quite a few sporadic posts from me. The reason is I'm just being plain lazy. Give me a laptop and I will read all 24 hours but when it comes to writing for my own blog, it takes lot of diligence and patience. I do like to particular about my posts and make it as easy to read as possible so if I am not in mood, it kinda becomes difficult. So, yeah, life is not so good at the moment but then there is always a beacon of light shining at the end of the tunnel. I am just waiting to reach the end. And, before I run away with my philosophical perspicacity on my circumstances, I shall come to the topic of the day. If you remember, I had started a series of bad habits which we are not aware of consciously but are extremely harmful for our skin in December. So, continuing in that vein, today's bad habit to be eradicated is - Picking or Poking or unnecessarily irritating your skin.

Yes, I suffer from this very very bad habit and I have my college to blame for it. In my college, I has 1 or 2 stray hairs on my chin which my friends made fun of :( and I got into the habit of plucking them out with my nails. Very very Harmful habit as I have come to realize. It has many implications which I'll discuss with you in a short while. I have also seen a few other people who are addicted to this habit. 

Effects on Skin

So, what happens to skin if you pick or pluck on it?? Well, for one, your skin sags at those areas. Yes, it will make you look old. Secondly, blemishes and dark spots are a direct consequence because of the blood clots under your skin and it really takes a long while to heal. Thirdly, when you pick at your skin using your nails, you are harming the nails in the process. They get brittle, drier and unattractive. So, another incentive to stay away from this  habit.

Worst of all the consequences is bad breakouts. Oh Yes, it has happened with me and I am currently dealing with the situation :( It is not pretty at all, trust me. When you pick at your skin for whatever reason, the cells under the skin get irritated and if you are really insensitive with your skin, it can trigger and inflammation. This can easily happen when you are dealing with facial hairs or eyebrows and popping pimples. This inflammation can result in the worst form of acne - the bubbles filled with pus which you can't treat using anything (trust me, I have been there and done that !!). So, stop this habit right now. Your skin will thank you. Either learn to live with your skin as it is or do something else but do not pick at your skin. Just stop touching your skin with your fingers coz its equally bad as we know that bacteria from the fingers get settled on the face.

Now, I would not discuss in detail how to get rid of this habit coz I have been trying since quite a long time but have not yet been able to. But, strict self-control seems to be the light of the day. Habits die hard but it is said that if you can carry a habit for 21 days to be precise, it becomes a habit. So, control yourself for 21 days and you will live!!  

Why are clay masks so important in skin care?

A few days back I had hosted a poll about what do you do when you get Breakouts. The choices were: Sit at home, hide with Make up, rely on home remedies or make a change in diet. Not many people voted. But, among those who did, most of them chose home remedies and the other popular option was hiding with make up. So, today, I would be talking about one home remedy which can be used to overcome the breakouts phase and that is using Clay Masks. They are also very useful for reducing the pimples.

Clay is a naturally occurring material which is formed over long periods of time by gradual weathering of the  rocks and they are rich in minerals especially silica. They have the property of hardening as they dry. They absorb all the toxins from the skin as they dry up. And, clean up the pores. They are more suited for oily skins. But, when we have breakouts, the basic reason is change in the skin texture. The skin is not able to eliminate the toxins from the body by its usual process of using the pores. Thus, the breakouts are a way of eliminating the toxins. So, using clay masks absorbs all these toxins and clean up our skin internally. And, the breakout phase gets over. But, for the people with dry skin, they should always moisturize properly after using a clay mask as the natural oils are also absorbed by the mask.

So, next time your skin breaks out, you know what to reach for.

A note: I am hosting polls to interact more with you all. So, it is my genuine request that please vote. It would give me an idea what should I write about next time. And, it would take just a second of your time. 

Oil Cleansing Method {DIY}

A few days ago I had talked about OIL CLEANSING. Well, let me introduce to you something which I stumbled across a few days ago. I tried it and trust me, its amazing. I do not know how well it removes make up but it makes your skin squeaky clean without drying it. Rather, it leaves your skin smooth and supple. And, your skin glows the next day. You would love yourself.

Procedure:

• Start by keeping everything close to you. You would need a dry wash cloth (not too harsh for your skin), a bottle containing castor oil and olive oil mixed in a proportion suitable to your skin* and running hot water.
• Apply oil generously to your skin and massage the oil into your skin well using firm hands for around 5-10 minutes. It feels relaxing and is soothing for your face muscles. Exercise your cheek bone, jaw bone, nose, chin, forehead and eyes (use ring finger for eyes). The finger movements should be outwards and upwards towards the ear from the chin, cheeks, nose and upper lip area.
• After massaging to your heart's content, soak the wash cloth in hot running water and apply it on to your face. Keep the warmth of wash cloth to the point you can bear. Keep it on until it cools down and then wipe your face nicely with the same wash cloth. 
• Wash and soak the same wash cloth under hot running water for sometime to clean it and saturate it. Again apply it your face, keep till it cools and then, wipe away your face. Repeat this cycle till you feel your skin is clean. 3-4 times should be enough. 
• You can apply moisturizer according to the need of your skin. In place of moisturizer, you can apply a drop of the same oil used to cleanse your face. If it does not feel dry and tight, do not apply anything on to your face. Your face needs to breathe. Go and have a nice sleep.

Next morning, you need not cleanse your face. A wipe with a wash cloth is enough to clean it. Your skin would be glowing. Oil cleansing not only removes grime, dirt and make up from your face, but also, the blackheads and blemishes. This procedure should not be done too frequently. I think 2-3 times is fine in a week. Care should be taken not to scratch the skin.

Go and check it out for yourself. Have a happy cleansing.

* Remember, castor oil is quite thick and can be drying for the skin if used in large quantities. It has cleansing properties but is too strong on skin if used alone. That is why you need another light oil to dilute it. You can also use jojoba oil. For the mixture of oil, you can use 75-25 castor-olive oil combination for normal skin. You can experiment with different proportions till you find the one suiting your face.  The proportion of mixture should be such that for dry skin people, castor oil should be less in proportion like 50-50 or 60-50 and people with oily skin can have 80-20 as the proportion. But, since every skin is different in its needs, you should find out the right one for yourself. It would take trial and error but remember one rule, do not use too much of castor oil. It will dry your skin irrespective of its type.