Skincare | All About Exfoliating | DIY Scrubs

Who doesn’t want smooth and radiant skin?! No concealer, no foundation can give you the same perfect finish if the facial skin is not healthy. But somehow the natural glow of skin gets shadowed by the top or outer rough layer. The roughness is the result of day to day dirt deposits, dead skin & improper care which in turn makes the skin flaky. Beneath that dead skin layer lies the beautiful & shiny skin. Exfoliating is the key to clear this dead skin out enabling skin cells to grow. There are obviously high end options of Chemical Peel or microdermabrasion treatment. But investing a couple of minutes daily into skincare can go a long way in giving you back the same radiance and glow.

Exfoliating not only gives back the natural glow but also helps to get rid of nasty white and black heads. Blood circulation seems to also improve with that gentle massage we do while exfoliating. So, let’s see what all we can do about it J

There are so many good scrubs available in markets. Here are my 3 best face scrub picks from the low, medium and high price range which do quite an impressive job.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub: Clean & Clear being the most affordable and go-to brand have some great products in their basket. Their gentle scrub is quite good in removing dirt and clogged pores.

http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Clear-Action-Exfoliating-Scrub/dp/B0013UZFLA

Neutrogena Spot and Stress Control Scrub: Among the numerous scrub range Neutrogena has, this one is my favorite. The beads are not that rough but do an amazing job. I have used this every alternate day and this was not at all harsh on the skin.

http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Visibly-Clear-Stress-Control/dp/B00694YRYG/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1458651979&sr=1-1&keywords=neutrogena+spot+and+stress+control+scrub

Dermatologica Daily Microfoliant: This is bit on the higher end but is so good if you want something for daily use. As this contains micro exfoliating particles, it instantly clears the skin and removes any pigmentation.

http://www.amazon.com/Dermalogica-102254-Daily-Microfoliant-2-6-Ounce/dp/B000980PGM/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1458652007&sr=1-1&keywords=dermalogica

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Other than all these, we have exfoliating gloves & face exfoliators which can take your skin care to another level. For body, we have different loofas and brushes. Not to forget our very natural loofa which is called “Bhol-Choba” in Bengali. Not sure what it is called in English, I will just link the picture here. This is “the best” to be used with any body wash, trust me! We can also find this in many Beauty stores in the form of pads made out of it like Health & Glow, The Body Shop etc. The Body Shop also has an amazing Body Scrub in their Argan Oil range. Small particles in a gel like texture-superb product, love that!

Now that we know all the benefits of exfoliating and the different ways, let me share with you a very easy home-made scrub which can be used on face and body. Affordable & natural!

We need:

• Coconut Oil
• Sugar
• Some essential oil (optional)
• Organic Color (optional)

Take half a cup of Sugar. Add 5-6 heaped table spoon of coconut oil. The coconut oil quantity should be enough to hold the sugar well & not make a runny consistency. Increase or decrease to get the texture you want. Add 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil to it and any organic color. The color is purely optional, it will just give your scrub a more luxurious feel. That’s it, mix this & we are done. You can store it in an airtight container. Can be used to scrub your face or in shower as a body scrub. The fragrance of the essential oil will surely help you relax as you get the benefits of scrub. Lemon grass is my pick J

Take sugar which has bit small particles. This will ensure that the scrub is not harsh to your skin. And who can deny the benefits of coconut oil, probably one of the best things you can apply to your skin to lock the moisture back and condition it. I can probably write a separate blog post just on its benefits & the multiple ways coconut oil can be used. But in case you don’t like coconut oil, replace with Olive Oil or Sunflower Oil.

So this was my version of a homemade scrub. Another homemade scrub which I have learned from my mother is made with just milk & ground orange lentils (Musoor Daal). Coarse grind some Orange lentils or Musoor Daal and store in a jar. Whenever you want to use, just add some milk or curd to make a paste.

Don’t forget to moisturize every time after you scrub. This is mandatory!! If your skin is too sensitive, exfoliate once a week. If not do it 2-3 times a week. Be gentle as you massage. So, this was it- Go ahead & cleanse, tone, moisturize & scrub!

Be beautiful!

Add Green To Your Home | A Simple DIY

I had probably drafted this post one month back but never got a chance to actually edit and put this up on blog. At certain point, days are so hectic and motivation-less that we hardly can think anything beyond just office and home. We tend to ignore ourselves during the whole process and gets piled up with stress and anxiety. The easiest thing is to just give up and nothing can be worse than that. So here I am - all charged up again! The new post being "Green" themed is an apt one to go up on Saint Patrick's Day :)

Bangalore Memoirs!

It’s weird but I tend to stay away from people who do not like plants or flowers. I somehow find it difficult to believe that anyone can even dislike flowers or plants. I mean they are so very natural & beautiful, simple but never fail to cheer me up. For me, the idea of a perfect home lies in well ventilation which ensures enough natural light & lot of greens here & there. They are not only beautiful but add freshness and hint of nature inside your home. There is nothing like relaxing in a well maintained green balcony or a veranda, isn’t it? And when we don’t have that luxury of space & need to manage in small flats, indoor plants are a good option. Keeping plants inside home always changes the décor of the room, instantly style it up in a more natural way. I love small plants as well which can be put on a study or work table or can be used to brighten up any side table. And how can we forget about creepers, they are my favorite!

Something lovely about my Dusseldorf home.

To glam up small balcony

To top it up, plant holders are one of the easiest way to create a definite style at your home. Be it just to color coordinate the room or incorporate a blend of designs or just to pop up any corner. And we are spoiled with varieties of plant holders/pots nowadays & can be DIY’ed or recycled as well.

As I was staying in a one hall kitchen flat in Bangalore, I did not have the option of a balcony nor was I able to keep indoor plants. The space being too small and lack of ventilation always spoil the plants. We have to be more careful when we choose plants for such small space to make sure they are not harmful in anyway.

I then opted for the very versatile bamboo shoots which doesn’t need much care and can survive in almost any condition.  They are beautiful, easily available and can be decorated in n number of ways.

So, to tackle this I had made these holders which seemed to be liked by many. Hence sharing this very easy DIY.

What you need:

Some transparent cups/beakers

Shells/Colorful stones

Tough Rope/Coconut Rope

Bamboo shoots/any creepers

Process:

      Step 1:Take the rope and cut it into two halves. Make a wide knot with one half so as to fit the beaker inside.
Don’t tighten up now. As we will place the beaker inside the knot and then secure it to ensure that the rope can hold the beaker or cup.

Step 2:Now just at the opposite side of the first knot, tie the other half rope to support the beaker. The idea is to hold or hang the beaker with the ropes. You can do it any possible way, I find this way useful to keep the balance proper and ensure that the beakers do not toggle as we hang them up.

Step 3:Repeat the same steps for the other beakers keeping some distance. Make sure the knots are tight and strong enough to manage the weight of the beakers.     

                

     Step 4:Decorate them by arranging some shells or small stones at the bottom & then add water in each beaker.

      

     Step 5:Place bamboo shoots/creepers inside them. Hang them near windows or any corner. And you are done!Refill with water whenever you feel like its drying. 

Tip: These arrangement is so versatile that you can go creative and organize your other stuffs as well. For example, hang them by the side of your dressing table to hold your combs, make up brushes, liner pencils etc. or you can use them to beautifully arrange your artificial flowers.

This was one of the easiest DIY. There are so many other ways to recycle your unused stuffs and make beautiful plant holders. Stay tuned for such more ideas.