SKIN CARE ROUTINE

Senin, 02 Maret 2015

Why Hair Tangles - Reasons and How to Avoid? {Hair Care}

Tags : Home >> Hair Care >> Dry Hair

Once upon a time I used to face this problem. That was the good time of my hair but then my hair was dry and rough and extremely curly so they used to get tangled!! Climate had a lot to do with, though. But, the hair care regime could have solved the issue, had I known it then. Though I do not have the hair I used to, any more, hopefully these tips will help you. So, lets us see what all could be the reason for hair tangles.

Climate and Clothes!

As I mentioned it above, this is the first reason why your hair might be tangled. The weather, especially when it is winters, can be extremely drying for hair. Also, the woollen clothes create a lot of static in the hair which ultimately leads to tangled hair and rough ends.

#Solution - Cover your hair in silk or satin scarf so that it does not get exposed to the cold and does not get tangled or dry!

Dry Rough Hair

So, as I said dry and rough hair are most prone to tangles, no matter the length of the hair. Dry Hair suffers from lack of protein and nourishment. And, because of that it appears lifeless and has no shine!! Dry Hair can be genetic or even happen due to lack of care.

#Solution - Find out a good shampoo for Dry Hair, apply loads of Conditioner every time you shampoo and weekly Deep Conditioning treatments go a long way towards restoring healthy hair.

Curly Hair

Well, curly hair and dry hair go hand in hand but even then this had to be a separate point. The follicle decides whether and how much your hair would be curly. Compared to straight hair, curly hair ranges from fine to thick and coarse textures and is more prone to dryness. Also, because of the curls, the hair gets tangled easily.

#Solution - Using the conditioning products and leave-in products to create well-defined curls which do not rub against each other causing friction and entangle with each other.

Using Harsh Products

Now, why does your hair dry up? First is diet but the second most often reason is using the wrong products!! We all make those mistakes. So, it is good to start with finding out which products might suit you.

While I say this often that SLS/SLES products should be ditched, I would like to mention that this might not necessarily be the correct approach. Sometimes over the counter products suit us very well in which case it is always good to stick with the same product. Unnecessary experimentation of different products can also harm the hair.

#Solution - Next time you are getting a hair product, try to use a trial version to make sure it is suiting you. Also, get the products according to your hair type as curly hair or damaged hair need more conditioning where as colored hair shampoos are gentler on hair.

And, not following Good Hair Care Rules

Simplest answer to tangled hair can be not handling your hair properly. Too much flipping the hair, too much of combing or brushing or not combing at all, leaving the hair open all time, leaving hair open during bike rides or travelling, not covering hair in pollution, trying out intricate or unfriendly hair styles, using cheap and unfriendly hair accessories, all of them can lead to tangled hair.

#Solution - So, next time you fiddle with your hair, do remember that it can be bad for your hair and avoid it. Also, using a silk or sating pillow cover can do a lot in avoiding your hair to get rough or tangled or frizzy in the morning so follow healthy hair tips and get beautiful hair! Also, condition a lot.

So, now it is your turn. Do you have a hair prone to tangles? If so, what is your reason for it? Is your hair dry or curly or you use the wrong hair products? Or, may be you just fiddle around a lot with your hair? Do you think there are other reasons why your hair is getting tangled? If so, do share in the comment below. And, yes, do not forget to join me on fb for the Weekly chat on 6th Jan at 12:00 noon to discuss on "Fitness Resolutions and Health Routines".

Do you warm up the oil before applying?

Skin Allergy Snapshot: Psoriasis

The third instalment of my Skin Allergy Snapshot series will focus on one of the more frustrating skin conditions: psoriasis.

2% of men and women in the UK are diagnosed with psoriasis. As a chronic auto-immune disease, it is impossible to prevent and can remain or recur throughout a sufferer’s lifetime.

As with all skin allergies, the effects of psoriasis vary from person to person. While acute cases may only cause minor irritation, severe psoriasis can have a serious impact on quality of life.

What is psoriasis and what does it look like?

Psoriasis appears as red, flaky, crusty patches of skin that are covered in silver scales.
It usually appears in small patches on the knees, elbows and scalp, but can occur anywhere on the body.

Psoriasis is caused by the acceleration of skin cell turnover. New cells are formed at the deepest level of our skin and move up to the most outer layer as they mature.

This process usually takes 21-28 days, but in psoriasis it takes just two to six days, and so excess cells build up and bunch on the skin’s surface.

Despite its aggressive appearance, psoriasis is not contagious.

Causes and Triggers

It is not known exactly why this acceleration occurs, but it seems to be a result of the immune system cell T lymphocyte attacking healthy skin cells.

Psoriasis and the tendency to contract it runs in the family, but can often skip generations.
Research also suggests that it is linked to wider health conditions, so if you do suddenly develop psoriasis it is advisable to see your doctor.

Psoriasis has no known cause; however there are a number of things that are thought to trigger flares, including:

Chest and throat infections
Skin damage or injury
Certain medicines

Extreme stress is often another major trigger. It seems that the psoriasis gene lies dormant in prone individuals until incidents of trauma or grief cause it to erupt.

Treatments

Though there is no cure for psoriasis, lots can be done to improve its appearance and ease aggravation.

Regular moisturising reduces dryness and scaling of the skin, and may be sufficient treatment in mild cases of psoriasis.

Pai’s Comfrey & Calendula Calming Body Cream will intensely hydrate these sore patches as well as relieve any itching or irritation.

Sufferers of more severe psoriasis have reported good results from bathing in The Dead Sea. Natural sunlight is a good psoriasis healer, and at the Dead Sea the thicker atmosphere absorbs some of the dangerous UV rays and allows you to lie out for longer before burning.

This combined with the uniquely high concentrations of salt in the sea water seems to drastically improve the appearance of psoriasis and reduce the frequency of flare-ups, albeit temporarily.

For those of you looking for something a little closer to home, floatation tank sessions are a good alternative.

Though it is of course easier said than done, avoiding stress can also ease psoriasis and reduce its recurrence. For advice on how to maintain emotional balance, see last month’s blog – Happy Mind, Happy Skin.

Skin Allergy Snapshots: Urticaria

Part One

Over 70% of Pai customers suffer from some kind of skin allergy or sensitivity.

As well as being uncomfortable and distracting, skin allergies can also seriously dent our confidence.

With this is mind, I thought I’d start a blog series that deals with common skin complaints. I’ll discuss their symptoms and causes as well as natural ways to control them, so they don’t control you.

Part one in the series will focus on an allergy very close to home: urticaria.

In terms of advice available, urticaria lives in the shadow of better known conditions like acne and eczema, and as a result sufferers are often left in the dark.

What is urticaria and what does it look like?

Urticaria, also known as hives, is an allergic rash consisting of raised bumpy red weals.

Like all allergies, the manifestations of urticaria vary from person to person, but I find it most often appears accross my upper back and shoulder blades.

Although it never breaks the skin, the rash is extremely itchy and hot to the touch, making urticaria an unsightly and uncomfortable condition to live with.

Though everyone's urticaria experience is different, there are thought to be three main types:

Acute urticaria. Flares fairly quickly after contact with an allergen and can last anything from a few hours to six weeks. Heat or exercise can be a trigger but food allergies tend to be the most common cause.

Chronic urticaria. Less likely to be caused by an allergy or physical stimulus and lasts for over six weeks. This type is termed ‘idiopathic’ (of unknown cause), which can make it difficult to diagnose.

Physical urticaria. Triggered by a physical stimulus (anything from heat to water) and only lasts for a couple of hours.

Most common triggers

Food

Food allergies tend to be the most common trigger of acute urticaria but can be a problem across the board. Eggs, shellfish, tomatoes and nuts tend to be the worst culprits. Alcohol can also be a trigger (especially wine in me!)

It is often recommended that you keep a food diary for a month so that you can identify your personal intolerances.

Salicylates

Salicylates are another major cause and is a subject I’ve written fairly extensively about in the past. Salicylates can be found in a number of foods but also in things like aspirin and paracetamol, which is why doctors always recommend avoiding these types of analgesics.

Stress

Urticaria often relapses when we’re stressed or tired, when our natural defences are down. As I blogged last month, the mind and body are interconnected, so maintaining a steady emotional balance can help reduce flares.

Physical Abrasion

The most obvious trigger for me is physical abrasion. Sufferers of urticaria tend to have such hyper-sensitive skin, that rubbing or scratching it causes the tell-tale red lines to appear. This reaction is known as dermatographism.

Chemicals in our Environment

As is common for a lot of people, the onset of urticaria made my skin generally hyper-sensitive. After a lot of research and testing, I identified a few common ingredients in my beauty products that my skin really didn’t respond well too – the worst offenders tended to be synthetic preservatives (Phenoxyethanol) and fragrances (Parfum) in cosmetics. Pai was born from my search for an alternative!

Treatment

Doctor’s often prescribe anti-histamines as a treatment – in severe cases they’ll even prescribe two, one to take in the day and another for at night.

Anti-histamines provide only temporary relief and long-term are believed to thin the skin and make us more susceptible to flare-ups.

Quercitin is nature’s anti-histamine and is considered a more effective alternative, as it blocks the release of histamines rather than just masking their effects. To find out exactly how it works, read my earlier blog.

Other natural remedies are available. ‘Urtica’ translates from Latin as ‘nettle’, and it is thought that nettle teas and other nettle-related homeopathic treatments can also be beneficial.

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Minggu, 01 Maret 2015

Books 2014 Vol. 3 - On the List : "The Body Book" by Cameron Diaz

Did you hear the latest news? Cameron Diaz has released a book to help with the figure-conscious women. I so wanna read it. Check out some of the interesting articles on the book here and here.

Two things on the top of the list in her book are Drinking Loads of Water and Exercising for all the Right Reasons. Have you started doing that?

Books 2014 Vol. 1 - "A Treacherous Likeness" by Lynn Shephard

An Announcement - Weekly Chats with Me!

Well, I have been feeling quite alone so I thought it is time to take the blog to another notch. I have lately been feeling like a professor.

Why professor? He brainstorms the topic, researches about it, prepares the notes, comes to the class, delivers a lecture and goes away. If he is lucky, he will get a few questions from the students which he will answer. Well, that is a boring professor, right?

So, I decided I would hold weekly chat sessions on a particular topic every week and get to interact with you all and know your problems more closely. So, this week, the topic is "Fitness Resolutions and Health Routines"!

Weight control and healthy lifestyle might figure as the top most on everyone's new year resolutions list but they are notorious on being the least kept resolutions. So, why not start with it before we lose the enthusiasm?

So, I hope to see you all on the Perfect Skin Care for you fb page on 6th January, Tuesday, at 12:00 PM for an hour long chat session. Hope you like the idea :) Do let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

How often do you change your bedsheets or pillow covers? {Your Opinion}

My answer to the question is preferably once in a week at least. But, my mom changes the entire bed linen every three days diligently!! I make it a weekly excuse saying I live alone but I do pass on for a month or two sometimes as well.

This ensures hygiene for one. If you have oily and acne prone skin, using same pillow everyday might result in breakouts so changing the pillow covers once in two days might help with controlling the breakouts. And, also, for hair, clean bed covers help to control dandruff and keep oily hair clean.

Also, if you might have noticed, the day you spread freshly washed bed linen, you get a good night's sleep. You feel fresh when you get into the bed. Also, the room looks dirty and unclean if the linen has not been changed for long.

Oh and if you are down, you have to for sure change them after you are UP :D So, its a good practice to get the bed clothes washed at least twice a week. That's on my next to-do list :)

So, how often do you change the covers?