skin care

Sometimes it may seem like your skin is impossible to manage, especially when you wake up and find a huge zit on your nose or a cold sore at the corner of your mouth. The good news is that there are ways to prevent and treat common skin problems — read on for some tips.

Acne

A pimple starts when the pores in the skin become clogged with a type of oil called sebum, which normally lubricates the skin and hair. Acne is common during puberty when hormones go into overdrive, causing the skin to overproduce sebum. Because many oil-producing glands are on the forehead, nose, and chin, this area — the T-zone — is where a person is most prone to pimples.
Here are some tips to help prevent breakouts and clear them up as fast as possible:

• Wash your face twice a day (no more) with warm water and a mild soap made for people with acne. Gently massage your face with circular motions. Don't scrub. Overwashing and scrubbing can cause skin to become irritated. After cleansing, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends applying an over-the-counter (no prescription needed) lotion containing benzoyl peroxide. This will decrease oil and bacteria.
• Don't pop pimples. It's tempting, but here's why you shouldn't: Popping pimples can push infected material further into the skin, leading to more swelling and redness, and even scarring. If you notice a pimple coming before a big event, like the prom, a dermatologist can often treat it for you with less risk of scarring or infection.
• Avoid touching your face with your fingers or leaning your face on objects that collect sebum and skin residue like your phone. Touching your face can spread the bacteria that cause pores to become inflamed and irritated. To keep bacteria at bay, wash your hands before applying anything to your face, such as treatment creams or makeup.
• If you wear glasses or sunglasses, make sure you clean them frequently to keep oil from clogging the pores around your eyes and nose.
• If you get acne on your body, try not to wear tight clothes. They don't allow skin to breathe and may cause irritation. Scarves, headbands, and caps can collect dirt and oil, too.

• Remove your makeup before you go to sleep. When buying makeup, make sure you choose brands that say "noncomedogenic" or "nonacnegenic" on the label. Throw away old makeup that smells or looks different from when you first bought it.
• Keep hair clean and out of your face to prevent additional dirt and oil from clogging your pores.
• Protect your skin from the sun. It may seem like a tan masks acne, but it's only temporary. A tan may worsen your acne, not improve it. Tanning also causes damage to skin that will eventually lead to wrinkles and increase your risk of skin cancer.

If you're concerned about acne, talk to a dermatologist. Dermatologists offer a range of treatments that help to prevent and acne scars. A dermatologist can help you find the treatment method that's best for you and can also give you lots of useful tips for dealing with acne and caring for your skin type. Some salons and spas have trained skin specialists, called estheticians, who can offer advice and skin care treatments.

Sun and Skin

We all know we need to protect our skin from the sun's harmful rays. Of course, it's impossible to avoid the sun — who wants to hide indoors when it feels so great to get outside? And the sun's not all bad, anyway: Sunlight helps our bodies create vitamin D. So follow these tips when you're outdoors to help manage sun exposure:

• Wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, even if it's cloudy or you don't plan on spending a lot of time outdoors. If you sweat a lot or go swimming, reapply sunscreen every 1½ to 2 hours (even if the bottle says the sunscreen is waterproof).
• Choose a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Look for the words "broad spectrum protection" or UVA protection in addition to the SPF of 15 or greater. Select a sunscreen that says "nonacnegenic" or "noncomedogenic" on the label to help keep pores clear.
• The sun's rays are strongest between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, so reapply sunscreen frequently and take breaks indoors if you can. If your shadow is longer than you are tall, then it's a safer time to be in the sun (you should still wear sunscreen, though).
• Apply more sunscreen (with higher SPF) when you're around reflective surfaces like water, snow, or ice.

• We all know that the sun can damage skin, but did you know it can contribute to eye problems, too? Protect your face and eyes with a hat and sunglasses that provide 100% UV protection.
• Some medications, such as prescription acne medications, can increase your sensitivity to the sun (and to tanning beds). So if you're taking medication, increase your sun protection.
• If you want the glow of a tan, try faking it with self-tanners. Avoid tanning beds. They still contain some of the same harmful UV rays as the sun.

Cold Sores

Cold sores usually show up as tender blisters on the lips. They are caused by a type of herpes virus (HSV-1, which most often is not sexually transmitted) so they are contagious from person to person. Once you get this virus it stays in your body, meaning you'll probably get cold sores every now and then throughout your life.
Here are ways you can help prevent cold sores from making an appearance (or reappearance if you've had them in the past):

• Avoid getting cold sores in the first place by not sharing stuff like lip balm, toothbrushes, or drinks with other people who might have cold sores. The virus that causes cold sores is transmitted through the nose (in mucus) and the mouth (in saliva).
• People who have the virus know that cold sores can flare up from things like too much sun, stress, or being sick. Just one more reason to lather on that suntan lotion, eat well, exercise, and get plenty of sleep!

If you do have a cold sore, here are some tips for keeping yourself comfortable:

• Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen if the cold sores are painful.
• Suck on ice pops or cubes to ease pain and keep cold sores cool.
• Stay away from acidic foods (like oranges, tomatoes, and lemonade) and salty, spicy foods, which can cause irritation.
• Don't pick at cold sores while you're waiting for them to go away. They may bleed or become infected with bacteria or you could spread the virus.

Usually, cold sores go away on their own after a week or two. But if you get them frequently or they're a problem, talk to your doctor or dermatologist, who may be able to prescribe medication to alleviate symptoms and shorten the amount of time cold sores last.

Eczema

Eczema is a condition that causes skin to become red, itchy, and dry. If you have eczema, you might notice that you are prone to getting itchy rashes — especially in places like where your elbows and knees bend or on your neck and face. The symptoms of eczema can vary from person to person.
Though you can't cure eczema forever, you can take steps to prevent it from flaring:

• Stay away from things like harsh detergents, perfumed soaps, and heavily fragranced lotions that tend to irritate the skin and trigger eczema.
• Because hot water dries by quick evaporation and over-washing with soap may dry skin, take short, warm showers and baths. If you're going to have your hands in water for a long time (like when you're washing dishes or your car), try wearing gloves. Detergent can dry and irritate skin.
• Soothe your skin with regular applications of a fragrance-free moisturizer to prevent itching and dryness. Creams generally moisturize a bit better and last longer than lotions for most people. Creams work best if applied when the skin is slightly wet, like just after bathing.
• Be careful which fabrics you wear. Cotton is good because it's breathable and soft. (But if you are exercising, some of the newer synthetic materials actually keep you drier and are better for you than cotton.) Try to stay away from materials like wool or spandex that may cause irritation or allergic reactions.
• Keep stress in check. Because stress can lead to eczema flares, try activities like yoga or walking after a long day to keep your stress levels low.
• If you wear makeup, look for brands that are free of dyes and fragrances that can aggravate eczema.

If you're having trouble managing your eczema, talk to a dermatologist, who can suggest ways to better control it.

Other Skin Conditions

Warts are tiny skin infections caused by viruses of the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. There's no way to prevent warts from occurring (other than avoiding contact with people who have them). But if you do get them, don't rub, pick, or scratch them because you can spread the virus and get new warts.
Some over-the-counter medications containing special acids can help get rid of warts, but it's always a good idea to see your doctor before trying one. If you find warts in your genital area, you should see your doctor, who can recommend the best treatment method for that sensitive area.
Another type of wart-like viral infection is molluscum contagiosum. (It's not as scary as its name sounds!) Like warts, it can be transmitted through scratching and sexual contact.
Fine white or purplish lines on the skin called stretch marks are pretty common in most teens. Stretch marks are formed when the tissue under your skin is pulled by rapid growth or stretching, like during puberty. Stretch marks usually fade on their own over time. Talk to a dermatologist if you're concerned about them.
Because our skin is the most visible reflection of what's going on in our bodies, people equate healthy skin with beauty. But healthy skin is about more than just good looks; it's essential to our survival. So keep your skin glowing with the right skin care techniques and by eating well and getting lots of exercise

Beauty Tips for Face

The first thing a person notices about you is your face. Your face is the mirror to your personality. With plethora of beauty products available in the market, ‘staying beautiful forever’ might have become possible, but these chemical laden products snatch away your skin’s natural radiance and glow. Like everyone else, if you strive for flawless and glowing facial skin, you would be more than happy to find natural beauty tips here.

Beauty Tips 1: The rule of thumb for flawless facial skin still remains a regular cleansing, toning and moisturising routine. Pollution and dust leads to clogged pores that further cause blackheads and pimples on the face. Cleansing your face twice in a day will prevent breakout of pimples. Toning and moisturising will bring back skin’s freshness and glow.

 Beauty Tips 1: The rule of thumb for flawless facial skin still remains a regular cleansing, toning and moisturising routine. Pollution and dust leads to clogged pores that further cause blackheads and pimples on the face. Cleansing your face twice in a day will prevent breakout of pimples. Toning and moisturising will bring back skin’s freshness and glow.

Beauty Tips 2:  You may scrub your face using half a lime peel (juice extracted from it). This will remove dead cells from face giving a radiant glow. Lime peel also aids in fading scars and pimple marks from face.

Beauty Tip 3: To treat sunburns, you may apply a mixture of one spoon of besan (Gram Flour) and two tbsp. of curd on your face. Let it dry for ½ hr and rinse off with plain water.

Beauty Tip 4: You may improve your complexion by applying a paste of cucumber mixed with raw milk once in three days.

Beauty Tip 5: Tomatoes are great anti-oxidants. For wrinkle-free skin, you may apply tomato paste on your face. To make paste, use one day old curd and mix with a tomato. Apply this face pack daily in the morning.

Beauty Tip 6: To get rid of excess oil from your face, evenly apply tomato pulp on your face. Let it dry for 15 minutes and wash your face with warm water.

  Beauty Tip 7: To naturally remove blackheads and have a fairer skin, prepare a paste with equal amounts of cucumber juice and lemon juice. Apply this paste on your face and neck before taking bath. Let your skin absorb it for ten minutes. With regular use you will notice lesser blackheads and a fairer skin tone.

Beauty Tip 8:  If you have dry and rough facial skin, prepare a paste of equal amount of mashed muskmelon, pumpkin, cucumber and watermelon. Blend the mixture with milk cream and apply it on your face. Leave the paste to dry for one hour and rinse it using plain water for soft and glowing skin.

Beauty Tip 9: Make a paste of tulsi(besil) leaves. Grind the leaves to extract the juice and add lime juice to it. Regularly massage your face and neck area with this paste for 10 minutes for 15 days. Your skin tone will improve soon.

Beauty Tip 10: Water and good sleep are natural facial beauty enhancers. 10-12 glasses of water per day and six to eight hours of sleep every day is essential for your skin to revitalize and repair damaged tissue.

Restricting your consumption of oily and fatty food besides taking help of above mentioned beauty tips would further ensure naturally gorgeous complexion and spotless facial skin.

Weight Loss

The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it's also the place that can make or break you on the weight loss front. If you're on a quest to slim down, do these nine things in your kitchen.

Make fruits as accessible as a bag of 

1. chips: Wash, cut up, and store fruits such as grapes, melon, kiwi, pineapple, and apples in reusable containers in the fridge so they're easy to grab. Make sure they're right up front at eye level so they're the first thing you see when you open the fridge door
2.  
3. Prepare a big container of salad: Having a salad before dinner is a great way to fill you up so you eat less of the main course, but preparing a salad every night takes so much time that it's tempting to skip out. Ensure you get a bowl of greens every night by making an enormous bowl of salad at the beginning of the week. You're sure to eat a salad with dinner if it's already made — just scoop out a bowl, top with vinaigrette, and enjoy.
4. Have measuring cups and spoons on the counter: Measuring your food will keep portions in check since overestimating serving sizes is a huge reason people don't lose weight. Seeing measuring spoons and cups on your kitchen counter will be a visual reminder not to forget to use them.

4. Pre-make snack packs: You know what happens when you eat chips or crackers out of the box — you practically end up polishing off the entire package! Take your favorite healthy snacks such as mixed nuts, popcorn, cheese, and fresh fruit, grab some Ziploc baggies, and make some 100-calorie or 150-calorie snack packs you can keep in your cupboard or fridge.

4. Ditch the unhealthy foods: Your hubby and kids might be fans of an occasional can of soda, bowl of cookie dough ice cream, or Hershey's Kiss, but if those foods are within your reach, you're bound to crave them. Throw out or give away the junk because if it's not in your kitchen, you can't be tempted to eat it.

4. Use smaller-sized plates: When we prepare a plate of food, we feel the need to fill it up completely. If you start out with a smaller-sized salad plate, there's only so much you can pile on, so you'll end up consuming fewer calories. 

4. Freeze fruits and veggies: Buy larger bags of fruits and veggies at the store and wash, cut, and store them in baggies in the freezer. You'll not only save money when you buy in bulk, but you'll also have them on hand to add to your smoothies, yogurt, pasta dishes, soups, and omelets. 

4. Double or even triple the recipe: Whether you're making soup, roasted veggies, quinoa salad, or something else for dinner, don't just make enough for one meal. Package the leftovers in containers you can easily grab for the next few days' meals. If your lunch or dinner is already prepared, you won't have to resort to unhealthy takeout.

4. Put food away before you sit down to eat: After you've cooked up an amazing vegan mac and cheese, serve yourself an appropriate serving size and then wrap it up and put it in the fridge. If you leave it out, you're more likely to go back for unnecessary seconds or thirds. Out of sight means off your hips.

Weight loss tips

With fad diets and fitness routines round every corner, it is quite difficult to keep a tab on which tips really do work and which don't. Should you join that bhangra aerobics class, adopt that no-carb diet, or eat dinner at 6pm? Never mind all that loophole-ridden weight loss jargon, step over to the healthy side. Here are 10 tips for guaranteed weight loss that will set your weight straight, and help you adopt some really healthy, weight-friendly habits for life.

Weight loss tip 1: Decide how much weight you need to lose - Most people start their weight loss journey by claiming to be xyz kilos overweight. This isn't a healthy way to project or aim for weight loss. Calculate your desired weight against your height by using reliable methods like the BMI, and set a healthy weight loss target. This is often half the battle won.

Weight loss tip 2: Time management - This is quite often overlooked. Decide which part of your day will be dedicated to exercise, when in the week you will stock up on groceries, and when you will do the cooking - all within your current work and home life routine. If you don't do this now, your days will be rushed and unplanned, and you won't be able to sustain your weight loss efforts.

Weight loss tip 3: Stock your kitchen - Keep your house well-stocked with fruits, vegetables, healthy meats, grains, cereals, spices, and flavourers. Follow our tricks to healthy cooking, cooking vegetables for the week, and low-fat cooking posts to understand how best you can stock your kitchen with healthy and delicious ingredients. All of this will go into helping the next step - cooking healthy meals at home.

Weight loss tip 4: Eat healthy homecooked meals - Whether it's you who's cooking, a family member, or house help, ensure that every one practises healthy cooking methods, and ingredients. Ask any person who's lost weight the healthy way, and you will always hear about how healthy homecooked meals were a big reason behind it. Use less oil, low salt, fresh produce, and you'll start seeing results in no time.

Weight loss tip 5 : Start a cardio + weights workout - A healthy weight loss programme is incomplete without a good exercise routine, and weight training mixed with cardio is the best way to lose weight. Of course, variations and forms exist, but any workout that stresses on muscle tone and increased heart rate will always help you lose weight and keep it off. You can either start a home workout today, or rely on gyms for fitness training.

Weight loss tip 6: Alter your snacking habits - At Health Me Up, we have several healthy snacking ideas for you. Set those French fries aside, skip that aerated drink, and ban those unhealthy deep fried samosas. Explore the healthy snack world and you will find several appetisers, party snacks, movie snacks and meal accompaniments that'll satisfy every craving of yours.

Weight loss tip 7: Have at least one active hobby - It isn't sufficient to rely on just 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Moving from bed to office chair, and back to bed, isn't a healthy way to live. Buy a motion sensor gaming console that lets you enjoy social games with friends and family, plan weekend trips, clean your house once a week, dance, play sports, the list is endless. Get out of the coffee shop and dining table rut, and you'll have fun along with the healthy weight loss.

Weight loss tip 8: Find a solution to combat stress - As we pointed out in our post about stress and weight loss, stress is always detrimental to healthy weight loss in the long run. Find ways to combat stress and you'll soon realise that your diet and exercise aren't sabotaged anymore, and that you truly do see results. Look at yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simple hobbies like reading to fight stress.

Weight loss tip 9: Drink plenty of water - You've known that your body relies heavily on water for all important bodily functions, and yet you skimp on drinking adequate quantities of water every day. Well, it's time to stop that. Check out some exciting ways to make water interesting and you'll be packing it away in no time. Do not forget to carry a water bottle to your workout, and take a few sips after every 2-3 minutes of exercise.

Weight loss tip 10: Plan healthy vacations - Why go all the way with healthy weight loss, when one tiny vacation will just come along and topple it all? Healthy vacations aren't impossible. Take a look at how you can eat smart on a holiday, and then at bodyweight workouts that you can carry with you wherever you go, to understand how to holiday right. Above all, remember that these are lifelong habits that'll help you stay fit forever and not short term weight loss quickfixes.

crazy Beauty Tips

Beauty Tips for Face

Beauty Tips for Face. The first thing a person notices about you is your face. Your face is the mirror to your personality. With plethora of beauty products available in the market, ‘staying beautiful forever’ might have become possible, but these chemical laden products snatch away your skin’s natural radiance and glow. Like everyone else, if you strive for flawless and glowing facial skin, you would be more than happy to find natural beauty tips here.
Beauty Tips 1: The rule of thumb for flawless facial skin still remains a regular cleansing, toning and moisturising routine. Pollution and dust leads to clogged pores that further cause blackheads and pimples on the face. Cleansing your face twice in a day will prevent breakout of pimples. Toning and moisturising will bring back skin’s freshness and glow.

Beauty Tips 2: You may scrub your face using half a lime peel (juice extracted from it). This will remove dead cells from face giving a radiant glow. Lime peel also aids in fading scars and pimple marks from face.
Beauty Tips 3: To treat sunburns, you may apply a mixture of one spoon of besan (Gram Flour) and two tbsp. of curd on your face. Let it dry for ½ hr and rinse off with plain water.

Beauty Tips 4: You may improve your complexion by applying a paste of cucumber mixed with raw milk once in three days.

Beauty Tips 5: Tomatoes are great anti-oxidants. For wrinkle-free skin, you may apply tomato paste on your face. To make paste, use one day old curd and mix with a tomato. Apply this face pack daily in the morning.

Beauty Tips 6: To get rid of excess oil from your face, evenly apply tomato pulp on your face. Let it dry for 15 minutes and wash your face with warm water.

Beauty Tips  7: To naturally remove blackheads and have a fairer skin, prepare a paste with equal amounts of cucumber juice and lemon juice. Apply this paste on your face and neck before taking bath. Let your skin absorb it for ten minutes. With regular use you will notice lesser blackheads and a fairer skin tone.

Beauty Tips 8: If you have dry and rough facial skin, prepare a paste of equal amount of mashed muskmelon, pumpkin, cucumber and watermelon. Blend the mixture with milk cream and apply it on your face. Leave the paste to dry for one hour and rinse it using plain water for soft and glowing skin.

Beauty Tips 9: Make a paste of tulsi(besil) leaves. Grind the leaves to extract the juice and add lime juice to it. Regularly massage your face and neck area with this paste for 10 minutes for 15 days. Your skin tone will improve soon.

Beauty Tips 10: Water and good sleep are natural facial beauty enhancers. 10-12 glasses of water per day and six to eight hours of sleep every day is essential for your skin to revitalize and repair damaged tissue.

Restricting your consumption of oily and fatty food besides taking help of above mentioned beauty tips would further ensure naturally gorgeous complexion and spotless facial skin.

The journey of Indian ladies has been the most revolutionary one till today.

The journey of Indian ladies has been the most revolutionary one till today. India is a country where ladies have been taken very lightly and treated as second class citizens. Indian women are a point of concern even in modern India. Various parts of India have presented live examples of discrimination of a girl child that starts from her home and continues for entire life. Indian epics describe women as a religious spirit but the situation is drastically different. Men believe that Indian ladies are just to support them in whatever they do. They are made by nature to satisfy men and fulfill all their needs without any complains. All these beliefs and customs made for an Indian lady give rise to situations of sorrow. Though Indian women have come a long way where she enjoys the right of equality and freedom, still there are certain issues prevalent in our society that leads to their discrimination.

While talking of ancient Indian ladies, most of the resources conclude that they enjoyed the right of equal status in the society. There was a proper education system, during the Vedic period, where Indian girls were taught. Ladies in ancient India were free to choose their life partners. There were no early marriages and other problems. However, the status of Indian women started degrading during the Mughal, and other Christian communities rule. The freedom and rights of an Indian lady started declining and some bad customs such as child marriage were introduced. Girl`s education has arrived at stake and completely banned in some parts of the society.

With the start of the medieval period, the situation of Indian women has become pathetic. Medieval period brings many ill customs and evil practices with itself. Purdah system was introduced during this period and other ill practices of sati, child marriage, and female infanticide were at peak. Though this period also welcomed some women rulers such as Razia Sultana (ruler of Delhi), Chand Bibi, Durgavati, and Nur Jahan, the Indian women were still fighting for their existence.

Modern India brings in developments for Indian women status and rights. Today Indian ladies are doing well in almost all fields and marked their presence with some great achievements. These changes are a result of some great reforms conducted by humanists such as Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar, Jotiba Phule, etc. These reformers did a great work to uplift the status of Indian women. Modern ladies enjoy the right of equality, right to education, and right to work.

Indian ladies are now considered equivalent to males in every respect, whether it is related to property, education, expression, etc. Indian women are more powerful as she is educated, independent, and moves freely in the society. Still there are some issues that make the life of women miserable, specially in case of poor and middle class families. Middle class women need to do a lot of efforts to achieve her rights. They are often mistreated by their husband`s and other males of the society. Middle class women suffer from malnutrition, maternal mortality, lack of education, female infanticide, sex selective abortions, health, and domestic violence. Dowry is another ill effect prevalent in our society. It is the major cause suicides being committed by Indian women each year. If these bad practices are removed from our society then certainly the life on an Indian girl becomes better. She will be able to breathe freely without any fear.

There are many examples of successful women in modern India that makes us proud. What more can we say about the potential of Indian girls when our own president is a lady. Indian ladies are giving their best in every field whether its IT, journalism, medical, and many other. There is an increased number of Indian girls joining defense services that show that they are no less in endurance if compared to males. Irrespective of achieving so much, Indian women are generally misbehaved.