Home Remedies to Cure Dandruff

Dandruff is a common complaint, especially in the winters.

Since most people wash their hair with warm water during the winter season, this often causes the scalp to become dry and flaky. A few home remedies you could try to get rid of dry as well as sticky dandruff:

-Soak two tablespoons of fenugreek (methi) seeds in water overnight. Grind into a fine paste in the morning, apply on the scalp and leave for half an hour. Wash off, preferably with a soap-nut (ritha) solution. Use the water in which the seeds were soaked as an after-shower hair tonic. Follow this regimen twice a week for the first two weeks and once a week for another two weeks.

-Squeeze a teaspoon of fresh lime juice into the last rinse while washing your hair.

-Make a paste of lemon juice and fuller's earth and apply this mixture to the scalp once a week.

-Keep curd in the open for three days and massage your hair with it for half an hour before washing.

-Mix cider vinegar with equal quantities of water and dab onto the scalp with cotton wool before washing.

Taking Care of Dry and Cracked Heels

Soak your feet in lemon juice for about 10 minutes once a week. 

Make sure you wash your feet every night before going to bed, dry them with a fresh towel and apply moisturiser. This will prevent your heels from cracking. 

Apply a mix of glycerin and rosewater on your feet. It soothes and cures cracked heels.

Eat healthy and avoid walking barefeet as much as possible.

Easy Remedies for Smooth, Silky Hair

What to eat to promote hair growth, the right way to hair oil, homemade hair packs and natural remedies to control hair loss...

It is a fact that hair becomes dry during the winter season. While we cannot escape the seasonal vagaries, we can do a lot to prevent our hair from becoming dry and brittle during the season. A few tips to keep you in good stead.

- It is best to avoid hair colouring and ironing during the season. However, if that is next to impossible, at least avoid shampooing during the season.

- Massage the scalp using hot oil. You can either use coconut oil or olive oil for best results

- Do not wash your hair in hot water as it can increase the dryness of the scalp, resulting in flaking and scaling of the skin of the scalp. Use lukewarm water instead and shampoo hair only once or twice a week.

- Use a shampoo and a separate hair conditioner. And leave the conditioner on the tip of the hair avoiding the roots for at least 10 to 15 minutes to moisturise the hair and prevent hair fall.

- The stench apart, beer is a great hair conditioner and so is coconut milk. For a protein packed conditioner, mix eggs and yogurt and rub it into your scalp. Leave on for five or 10 minutes, then wash it off completely.

- A haircut doesn't always have to lead to a new style. Trim off dead ends if your hair is too dry to rejuvenate your hair.

Getting Rid of Pimple Marks

Keep your skin clear of any make-up and wash your face with water as many times as possible to get rid of pimples.

And never pop the pimples as these would lead to scars. Pimple marks are the scars that result after an acne breakout. They are often difficult to remove and take time to fade. There are commercial and homemade treatment options available. Surface skin blemishes can often be removed by these methods. However, if the skin blemishes are deeper, cosmetic procedures may be needed. Some cosmetic procedures are micro-dermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser resurfacing.

One can try for homemade solutions to get rid of pimples mark. Sandalwood powder paste can be applied on your face to fade marks. Honey is also good for fading marks. Apply a small amount of honey on the marks daily. Rinse with water after about five minutes. A milk and oatmeal face mask can also be used to remove scars. Apply the mixture for about ten minutes and then rinse. An egg white face mask can also be used to fade marks. Apply only the egg white carefully onto your face. Allow the egg white to dry and rinse with water. Neem paste mixed with sandalwood powder is the best way to get rid of pimple scar mark.

Ayurveda in Everyday Life - 15 Simple Ways

Ayurveda is governed by the fact of what we eat, how we live, in which environment we live, and the state of our mental health. Ayurveda tells us of the framework in which we can modify our lifestyles to optimize our bodily functions. Ayurveda teaches us how to age with dignity and grace as Ayurveda emphasizes the role of mental health in maintaining physical health. 15 simple and easy Ayurveda principles which you can add in your daily routine to help you feel fitter, healthier and happier.

Tip #1 : Wake up early

To enjoy the benefits of Ayurveda make sure you rise up before dawn, around 4.30-5.00 am. This is the most fresh and pure time of the day. Grasp this freshness that is present in the air, so that you spend your rest of the day with positive vibes and energy.

Tip # 2 : Include Ayurveda Eating

If you want to stay ‘disease-free’ then have a close look at what you eat. Emphasize more on fresh, seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables. Stay away from oily-junk food, as far as possible. If you include ayurveda eating in your diet, then your body will start developing energy and help to clear toxics. 

Tip # 3 : Start your day with sweetness 

Start your day with “honey water” using a teaspoonful of good quality honey in half a pint of still water. This is the best step, to kill all toxics from your body. Besides, it also possesses various bacteria-killing properties.

Tip # 4: Restful sleep is important

Our body needs time to rejuvenate and to detoxify, and the best time for this process is sleeping. When we get good sleep, our inner cells work in harmony to strengthen our immune system and circulate vibrant energy throughout our body.

To get good sleep, try taking a warm bath before bed and use essential oils such as lavender or sandalwood to calm you down. Complement this with slow and deep breathing.

Tip # 5: Walk for better life

Go for a morning walk or just walk to take a break from a very stressful day at work. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise. It provides mental, physical and emotional peace without straining your body. 

Tip # 6: Make a schedule

Construct a schedule of all the things that you will be doing throughout the day and stick to it. Sticking to a planned schedule will help to avoid disturbance and will create a mental, physical and emotional balance in your body. 

Tip # 7: Eliminate your toxins

As soon as you get up, try to clear your bodily toxins in the form of urine or poop. If you delay your excretion process, then indirectly you will be poisoning yourself which can further create chronic problems later in life. So maintain a schedule to get rid of dirt from your body. 

Tip # 8: Healthy herbs is important

Start using healthy herbs and spices like fresh ginger, turmeric, garlic, cumin seeds and black pepper in your cooking as far as possible.  All these herbs have properties to reduce bad cholesterol, protect vital organs and trigger the body’s metabolism.

Tip # 9: Hydrate yourself well

Drink sufficient amount of water every day. Water is the best source to flush out toxins from the body and to ensure smooth running of the digestion system. 

Tip # 10: Oil massage

Try oil massage every morning to safeguard yourself from wrinkles and other aging damage. Oil massage in the morning will prevent drying out of the tissues and nurtures your mind and body. Besides, it also gives a healthy looking complexion to your skin.

Tip # 11: Exercise is essential

Include exercises like cycling, yoga or any other aerobic exercise in your daily regime. A good 30 minutes of exercise will help to keep disease away, maintain your weight and will enhance your body’s blood circulation. 

Tip # 12: Meditate

Just disconnect yourself from the outer world by taking a break. Just sit down and close your eyes for few minutes. This technique will help to give you inner peace and you will feel healed after the session.

Tip # 13: Milk therapy

If you frustrated because you are tirelessly shifting position because you are not getting sleep, in spite of a tiring day, then drink a glass of warm milk.  This technique will help you to fall asleep quickly.

Milk should be organic and free of additives, and boiled with a pinch of cardamom before it is drunk in order to make it easier to digest. 

Tip # 14: Make your own skin pack

Instead of using artificial skin products, opt in for totally naturally products on your skin. The best way to nourish your skin is by making your skin-packs by yourself. Make your skin-packs using those ingredients which are totally safe to eat like honey, rose water, cucumber, almonds, milk and yoghurt to moisturize your skin. 

Tip # 15: Bond with nature

When you have a break, instead of spending time with your gadget spend time with flowers and trees. If you give up your gadgets for a day and surrender yourself to the nature, then the sense of connection with Mother Nature will soothe you and make you forget all your worries, problems and stress. 

5 Natural tips to Prevent Hair Loss

It's better to use natural products to stop hair fall than to go in for expensive parlour treatments, that may not help the problem.

Try the following easy tips at home and see how effective they are in reducing hair loss.

1. Hot oil treatments: Take any natural oil - olive, coconut, canola - and heat it up so that it is warm, but not too hot. Massage it gently into your scalp. Put on a shower cap and leave it on for an hour, then shampoo your hair.

2. Natural juices: You can rub your scalp with either garlic juice, onion juice or ginger juice. Leave it on overnight and wash it thoroughly in the morning.

3. Get a head massage: Massaging your scalp for a few minutes daily will help stimulate circulation. Good circulation in the scalp keeps hair follicles active. Circulation may be improved through massage by using a few drops of lavender or bay essential oil in an almond or sesame oil base.

4. Antioxidants: Apply warm green tea (two bags brewed in one cup of water) on your scalp and leave this mixture on for an hour and then rinse. Green tea contains antioxidants which prevent hair loss and boost hair growth.

5. Practice meditation: Believe it or not, most of the times, the root cause for hair loss is stress and tension. Meditation can help in reducing that and restore hormonal balance.

Health Benefits of Pomegranate

Pomegranate - rubies in a shell or rubies for your health, there are several ways to describe this delectable fruit because of its health benefits.

Pomegranate's has many health benefits is the fact that it is available all year round.

#1 Free Radicals

Pomegranates are a rich source of antioxidants. Therefore, it helps to protect your body's cells from free radicals, which cause premature aging. Free radicals are formed due to exposure to the sun and harmful toxins from the environment.

#2 Natural Blood Thinners

There are two kinds of blood clots: The first kind speeds skin recovery from topical injuries like cuts and bruises. The blood clots immediately to avoid lose of blood. The second kind of blood clot is internal and dangerous; examples would include blood clots in the heart and arteries, also urinary retention. 

To smoothen out the blood you need pomegranate seeds, as the antioxidant properties help it act like a 'thinner for paints'. The seeds prevent your blood platelets from coagulating and forming clots.

#3 Prevention of Atherosclerosis

With age, and bad lifestyle habits, the artery walls harden with cholesterol and other substances, causing blockages. The antioxidant properties of a pomegranate prevent low-density lipo-protein or bad cholesterol from oxidizing. This essentially means that pomegranates prevent the hardening of the artery walls with excess fat, leaving your arteries fat free and pumping with antioxidants.

#4 Pomegranates act like an Oxygen Mask

Pomegranate juice pumps the level of oxygen in your blood. The antioxidants reduce cholesterol, fight free radicals and prevents blood clots. This eventually helps the blood to flow freely in your body in turn improving the oxygen levels in your blood.

#5 Arthritis Prevention

Pomegranate health benefits run bone deep; it can reduce the damage on the cartilage for those hit with arthritis. This fruit has the ability to lessen the inflammation and fights the enzymes that destroy the cartilage.

#6 Fight Erectile Dysfunction

Pomegranate can also cure this embarrassing problem. But mind you, it is not a wonder drug; pomegranate juice can improve erectile dysfunction only moderately. 

#7 Fights Prostrate Cancer and Heart Diseases

Pomegranate juice helps fight prostrate cancer. In one lab experiment, the juices "slowed the growth of the cultured cancer cells and promoted cell death". In the second experiment, pomegranate juice improved the condition of the blood, hence improving the health of individuals down with cardiovascular diseases.

A word of caution: 

Pomegranate juice may react to a heart patient's medication.

Other Healing Effects of Pomegranate Juice:

• Reduces diarrhea
• Controls weight
• Prevents cartilage deterioration
• Lowers blood pressure
• Slows down Alzheimer's disease