7 Benefits of Turmeric for a Flawless Skin

Turmeric or 'haldi', is one of India’s most widely used spices. Not only it is used to add colour and taste to our food but also as a cosmetic. It has also become a part of our rituals. One of the most important ceremonies of Indian weddings is the 'haldi' ceremony where a paste made of turmeric is applied to the bride and the groom’s body as part of their marriage preparations.

Turmeric has been used as beauty product over the centuries. Here are some properties of turmeric that you can use to cure seven common problems and get a flawless skin.  

Signs of Ageing

Turmeric is an excellent exfoliating agent and can help you defeat the signs of ageing. Take besan (gram flour) and turmeric powder in equal proportions and prepare a paste by adding water. You may alternately prepare this paste in raw milk or even yoghurt. Apply it evenly on your body and leave it till it dries off. Wash it off with lukewarm water and scrub your face gently in circular motion. 

Wrinkles

You can use turmeric in combination with other ingredients to manage your wrinkle woes.

Add raw milk and tomato juice to rice powder and turmeric powder. Apply the paste and let it stay until it dries. Lactic acid present in milk will help peel off the dead skin cells.

You can add turmeric powder in buttermilk and sugarcane juice. This will work the best for dark circles and wrinkles.

Turmeric-honey paste can be applied on the face and neck to help exfoliate skin and keep a check on pores. 

Acne

Not only does turmeric take care of the scars and inflammation but also reduce oil secretion by sebaceous glands.

To prepare turmeric scrub, add a few drops of water and lemon juice to turmeric powder. Apply the paste on the acne affected area and leave it for about 15 minutes. Gently scrub it off your face with plain water.

You can also use turmeric and sandalwood mixture as an acne face pack and wash it off in approximately 10 minutes.

For acne scars, dab a mixture of turmeric and plain water and leave it on the marks for 15 minutes.

To control oil secretion, prepare a paste of sandalwood powder and ground turmeric with orange juice. Leave the paste on your face for 10 minutes and rinse it with lukewarm water. 

Stretch marks

Mixture of besan (gram flour) and turmeric in yoghurt/raw milk/water can help women lighten the stretch marks. 

Burns

In case you accidently burn your skin you can turn to turmeric for quick relief owing to its antiseptic properties. Prepare a mixture of turmeric and aloe vera gel. Apply it on the burn and notice how it heals the wound in no time. 

Facial hair

Chickpea flour (sattu) or gram flour added to kasturi turmeric can be used as a facial scrub to inhibit hair growth. Be sure to apply this paste for about a month to notice results. Home remedies usually show results over a period of time upon consistent use. 

Cracked heels

Apply a mixture of coconut oil/castor oil and turmeric powder on cracked heels preferably 15 minutes before you head to take a bath.

These were some of the many skin benefits of turmeric that can give you a flawless skin naturally.

Beauty splash – The ultra creamy shea butter

Indulge in the rich, creamy goodness of shea butter – the best way to pamper your skin.

What is shea butter?

Shea butter (pronounced ‘she’ or ‘shay’ butter) that probably makes up a good portion of the cosmetics on your dressing table today, comes from the ivory-coloured fat that oozes out from the nut of the African shea tree. Now days, this creamy substances is an ingredient in many of your moisturisers, body lotions, soaps and creams. In fact, many chocolate and food industries substitute shea butter for cocoa butter.

Uses of shea butter in the world of beauty

Silky smooth skin: With shea butter, you’re guaranteed to have silky, smooth skin. Due to its excellent hydrating properties, shea butter is a popular moisturiser that gets absorbed easily into the skin, leaving minimal greasy residue. That’s why it’s used in creams, lip balms and all sorts of moisturisers and lotions.

Effective as an anti-ageing product: Shea butter efficiently reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, making it an ideal anti-ageing formula. Loaded with beneficial vegetable fat, shea butter promotes cell regeneration beyond imaginable levels.

Banishes stretch marks: Even stretch marks lighten when you regularly apply shea butter on them.

Rich in vitamins: Furthermore, because it’s enriched with vitamin E and A, shea butter is a clear winner in the test for the best natural skin product.

Good for your hair: For a glossy mane, toss your old shampoo and pick one that has shea butter on its label. Shea butter is especially effective for dry and brittle hair.

As a skin ointment: Apart from establishing its fame in the cosmetic and beauty industry, shea butter is also used in the medicinal world as a base in many ointments and topical creams.

Effective against UV radiation: Also, it has a wonderful property of healing burns quickly and providing good protection against UV radiation, which is probably why you’ll come across it on your sun block label.

Grooming for men: Apply shea butter on your skin post shave and enjoy silky smooth, zit-free skin.

How to make a homemade shea butter moisturiser

A great way to include shea butter in your daily skincare regimen is to whip up this quick beauty must-have. Store it in an empty container in a cool and dry place, and it’s good to go for a couple of months. Here’s what you need:

• Shea butter
• A few drops of your favourite essential oil (lemon works best)
• A vitamin E capsule
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• A few drops of almond oil
• Distilled water (if required)
• Iced water

In a double boiler, heat the shea butter with a vitamin E capsule and the corn starch and both the oils for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and beat it with an electric egg beater with paddle attachment for 2 minutes as you would for your cake mixture. Once it’s whipped enough, place the bowl in  iced water and keep stirring. Store this in a clean, dry container and use it on the go for fresh radiant skin.

Beauty splash! Tan removal, the natural way

With global warming on the rise and the mercury levels dipping, the harsh UV rays of the sun  probably causes the most dreaded skin conditions for Indian skin-tanning and pigmentation.

Read on and find out more about how sunlight exposure leads to tanning and sunburn, and simple home remedies to lighten tan and remove sunburns.

Overexposure to sun is harmful to your skin, and it doesn’t need a brain surgeon to figure out why. Staying in the sun for prolonged periods is an open invitation to tanning, pigmentation, dark spots, sunburns and even skin cancer. Recent studies even show that people who spend considerable time outdoors are more at the risk of having a depressed immune system and an accelerated ageing process.

The science behind

The skin gets its color due to a pigment called ‘melanin’, which when present in excess, gives the skin a darker tone and vice versa. Staying out in the sun for a long time causes overexposure to UV rays. That’s when the melanin comes into play. It tries to protect the skin from damage by absorbing the harmful UV radiations. This may lead to DNA damage, to which the body responds by creating new melanin pigments, making the skin look darker. Sunburn is simply a more fierce form of a tan.

The ‘UV’ menace

UV rays are not just responsible for skin darkening; studies show that overexposure to sunlight may lead to skin cancer. Pigmentation and sunburns are other potentially harmful results of an overexposure to sun rays. It’s time to slather on the sunblock then. Make sure you apply your sunscreen at least 15 minutes before stepping out into the sunlight, and look for both an SPF 20 and UV protect on your sun block label.

Lighten up!

Tomatoes, lemons and curd are probably the most efficient home remedies that surprisingly lighten the skin and remove the tan, naturally. People with oily skin should add the juice of a tomato or lemon to a mixture of turmeric and gram flour for a fairer, glowing skin. Curd can be used for people with dry skin without the risk of over-drying the skin.

Anti-sunburn pack

Sun burns are best treated with aloe vera. Aloe vera gel has a soothing effect on the skin, and will help heal the skin faster. Also, increasing your liquid content will accelerate the peeling of your skin, which will finally expose your healthy skin underneath. Do expect a mild itching sensation

Basic skincare routine we should all be following

Does your skin have a mind of it’s own? Does it behave well one day and look dull on another? Maybe you’re not following the basics steps of skin care. Read on to learn what you should be doing.

Who doesn’t want healthy, glowing skin? While some people are blessed with flawless skin, most of us go to great lengths to try and get that natural glow. But before you go running to try some expensive new cream or revolutionary procedure, have you considered your basic skincare routine?

The most basic skincare routine

Ask any skincare expert and they’ll stress on first getting the basics right. So simple as it may sound, we thought we’d give you a step-by-step breakdown of what your basic skincare routine should be.

Cleansing 

The most basic of the basic skincare routine – cleansing! The biggest mistake most of us make in this step is that we either under-cleanse or over-cleanse. Experts suggest that for those with normal skin, cleansing your face twice a day is optimum – once in the morning and once at night, before going to bed. The latter is especially important, as you want to get rid of the day’s grime and any make up or lotions that you may have had on.

Remember to find a good soap-free cleanser for your skin and avoid very cold or very hot water to wash your face.

Exfoliating 

Exfoliation refers to the removal of dead skin cells from the top of the skin. While some skin experts believe that too much exfoliation is bad for the skin, as it can strip away essential oils, most believe that exfoliating once a week is a good practice.

Find a scrub that suits your skin and use just a little bit once a week to clear dead cells and hidden impurities. If you prefer to go natural, you could even try making some home made scrubs and gently exfoliate for natural, glowing skin.

Toning 

A toner is a liquid that helps to close the pores on your skin, to avoid attracting dirt and to give your skin a tighter, firmer look. Many women swear by this step and almost every major cosmetic brand makes a toner.

However, there are experts who believe that toners should be strictly optional. Try using a toner for a few days and decide for yourself if you want to add it to your skincare routine or not.

Moisturising

No ambiguity here – moisturising your skin is an absolutely essential step of your skincare regimen. Depending on your skin type – dry, normal or oily – find a moisturiser that works for you. Typically, people with very dry skin should go in for a creamy mosturiser and those with oily skin could get a water-based one. For your day needs, get a moisturiser with an SPF or Sun Protection Factor, as that can double up as a sunscreen as well.

Also remember to moisturise at night, after you’ve thoroughly cleansed your face. Skip the sunscreen at night though, and just allow your skin to breathe.

Raid Your Kitchen For Effective Beauty Secrets

Forget about making a run to the cosmetics shop. Your very own kitchen is full of great natural beauty products for the skin.

Your kitchen is full of alternatives to those expensive, chemical based and processed, over-the-counter cosmetics. And are more importantly a much healthier and skin-friendly formulation. So why not use them?

Here are some food swaps for your routine skin care products. The best part? You can find them all in your very own kitchen!

Natural cleansers

• Milk (lactic acid), sugar cane (glycolic acid), and grapes (tartaric acid) make wonderful facial cleansers.
• Olive oil or sesame oil can be used as make-up removers.
• Strawberries contain natural salicylic acid, which is a great cleanser for acne prone skin.

Natural scrubs/exfoliators

Rolled (coarsely grounded) oatmeal can be a great facial cleanser with gentle scrubbing properties for all skin types.

Dried and coarsely grounded orange/lemon peel, almonds, or brown sugar can also be used as gentle scrubs.

You could also make a great scrub out of walnut powder, honey and lemon juice, 1 teaspoon each.

Natural moisturisers

For dry skin: mashed ripe banana, avocado, papaya and egg yolks works wonders. Poppy seeds and peanuts both contain natural oils; their paste can be applied over the face to get a lasting sheen. Curd is also a well-suited potion for dull skin.

For oily skin, egg whites are very nourishing. Fenugreek and red gram paste can also be applied to control excess oil, while keeping your skin moisturised.

Natural astringents/toner

• Apple cider vinegar is an excellent toner.
• Cucumber, pineapple and lemon juices are naturally occurring astringents.

Must-try skin-care tips: 

 Before any at-home treatment, give yourself a “pre-mask prep” to prime your face by having a simple steam to open and cleanse your pores for easy and better absorption of nutrients.

For a smooth and silky feel of skin, rub some “baking soda” all over the body while in the shower. You can also do this on your face to remove black heads.

Vinegar works wonders for smelly armpits and feet. Mix vinegar and water in equal proportion and use in place of deodorant. If you suffer from athlete’s foot, a “vinegar foot bath” can even help you completely get rid of your condition.

Benefits of turmeric or haldi are well known. Apart from its antiseptic properties, it also helps in reducing under eye dark circles and puffiness, soothing cracked heels, minimizing pigmentation/wrinkles, and giving skin a radiant glow.

Olive oil can be used to sooth sunburned skin.

Dip your nails in lukewarm olive oil for healthier talons.

Some cool and easy skincare tips for all times:

Use natural skin toner like “rose water” after cleansing the face.

Boil green tea leaves in water, cool it down and use it as a sunscreen below your makeup.

To remove tan, apply a mixture of cucumber and lemon juice and wash off after 20 minutes. Alternatively, mix a pinch of turmeric in some yogurt and apply in a similar way.

Mint is an excellent refreshing agent for the skin, if you have been out in the sun.

Hello World

Welcome to My blog

f7bdc530e02545589d2e6361f9d88fdb

Myanmar election: Vote counting starts after landmark poll

Votes are being counted in Myanmar's first openly contested national election for 25 years.

Turnout is thought to have been 80% - seen as a further big step away from decades of military rule.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to win the most parliamentary seats, although she is barred from the presidency.
The military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has been in power since 2011.
Voting was generally smooth, observers say, with some isolated irregularities.
Crowds of excited supporters appeared outside NLD headquarters in Yangon as darkness fell, apparently expecting the hear results. Instead a party official read out a message urging them to calmly wait at home.
The first official results are expected to be issued from 09:00 local time (15:30 GMT) on Monday.

---

BBC reporters in Myanmar on Twitter:

---

As polls opened on Sunday, long queues formed at some polling booths, with reports of people waiting from before dawn.
Smiling voters emerged after casting their ballots, some displaying fingers stained with purple - the official sign that they had voted.
"When I cast my vote I was very excited and so worried that I might do something wrong that my hands were shaking," said Kay Khine Soe, in Ms Suu Kyi's Kawhmu constituency.
Voting in Yangon, Wuhan Datong said: "I am 57 years old. I never participated in the previous voting since I had doubts over it. But the election this time is fair. So I have come to vote."
About 30 million people were eligible to vote in the election in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
More than 6,000 candidates from over 90 parties vied to be elected to the 664-seat parliament in the first national elections since a nominally civilian government took power in 2011.
However, 25% of seats are reserved for unelected military representatives, who are expected to side with the USDP.