Vitamin C for Iron {Health}

Sorry for the ambiguous heading. Yesterday, I said that iron deficiency can lead to dark to uneven skin tone naturally so increase in iron intake is important. So, today, I wanted to talk about iron absorption in the body. Vitamin C is required for absorbing iron properly so increase your Vitamin C intake too. Drink amla juice or orange juice or prepare lemon water at home without sugar every day. Vitamin C is also helpful in detoxification of the skin and body from the inside so the major side benefits of Vitamin C is collagen production in the skin which helps maintain its elasticity and suppleness so as to reverse the aging of the skin. So, increase your Vitamin C intake and keep your skin young :)

Remedy for Sunburn {Reader's Tip}

So, Tanveer posted this remedy as a response to my post yesterday on "How to treat Sunburns?".

"I find applying either a 10% vitamin c soln or a zinc oxide cream brings down the redness inflammation quite rapidly"

You can read this post on how to make a 10% Vitamin C solution on Tanveer's blog and for a Zinc Oxide cream, she uses Rashfree by Pfizer which was recommended by a dermatologist so if you are suffering from any skin problems or are already on medication or something, you should consult a dermatologist before starting with any cream of drug grade.

Btw, just sharing what I know. Zinc Oxide is found in Boroline cream too but the quantity is only 3% so I am not really sure how much it helps with sunburns. Or, it is also found in Lactocalamine. Ok, not that these will help with sunburns but the two easily available products with zinc oxide in them. And, I have tried to get the powdered zinc oxide from the medical stores but it wasn't so easy. So, in case you might just ask them for a cosmetic graded zinc oxide.

Tomato for Vitamin C {Tip of the Day}

Tomato is a versatile vegetable which can be used in any cuisine or for any beauty routine too whether as a hair pack or for brightening the face. Another great advantage of tomato is that it is extremely rich in Vitamin A and C. For daily need of Vitamin C, consume two medium-sized tomatoes. 

Orange Sugar Body Scrub {DIY}

It has been so long since I have done some DIY and I have been lately indulging in some things so I shall share some experiments which were successful. So, today, I am sharing a simple body scrub you can make from oranges.

Ingredients

• 1 complete orange mashed along with the pulp
• 2 tablespoon honey
• sugar (in my case I used raw sugar called 'khandsari' in Hindi)
• 2 tea spoons salt (I used rock salt or sendha namak)
• apricot powder (optional)

Method

Mash a complete orange removing its seeds. Add the honey. Now, the mixture would be extremely watery so add enough amount of sugar to create a scrubby texture. Sidewise, add the salt. The mixture would be still very watery so I used apricot powder to give some stiffness to it.

Now, scrub your body with the mixture. Keep it on the body for 5-10 minutes. Of course, do not forget your face or the feet. This scrub would be useful on all parts of your body. Make this scrub just before your bath because vitamin C in oranges breaks down soon after being exposed to air and becomes useless. So, the fresher your scrub and sooner it is used, the better the results you will get. And, let me add, the pulp in the orange will fall all over in the bathroom so make sure that you finish your shower before your maid cleans the bathroom or do this at night (which is my advise because vitamin C makes the skin photosensitive and also because I found my skin was looking much brighter and softer the next morning).

Tips

• Use Jaggery powder or cane sugar in place of regular sugar.
• You can also add cocoa powder, besan, multani mitti or anything else which you can think of. Even oats are a good choice.

Kiwi for your face

Its the season of Kiwis. They are rich, highly rich, in anti-oxidants and they taste really yummy. I love Kiwis also for their unique green color with black seeds in the middle (they are good for snapping around if you are a photographer). The riper the kiwi, more are the anti-oxidants in the fruit. So, while having kiwis in a day, take a slice and rub it all over your face and neck. Let it dry and wash off with lukewarm water and follow with room temperature water (avoid cold water). You will feel refreshed in a minute. Vitamin C in kiwis brightens the face in an instant and makes your skin clean, soft and supple. It also helps in removing blemishes and dark spots and helps lighten the tanning on your skin. You can use kiwis on the elbows and knees too.