FRIZZY HAIR

Frizz is as common as humidity in August. But with these tips, it doesn't have to be.

1. STAY HYDRATED. Frizz occurs when dry hair absorbs water from the air, but cream-based moisturizing shampoo and conditioner can prevent it—just be sure to rinse well so hair doesn't look d

ull or greasy. A

nd lather up only a few times a week: "The natural oils that accumulate in the meantime are good frizz-fighters,"

says hairstylist Nat

haniel Hawkins.

2. DRY THE RIGHT WAY. To keep waves smooth, apply styling lotion to damp hair, then let it air-dry—and resist the urge to tousle. "The more you put your hands through it, the more likely you are to create frizz," says hairstylist Garren. To make straight hair sleek, point the dryer toward the ends— "going against the grain, even a little, can cause frizz," he says. And keep blow-drying until every bit of dampness is gone.

3. COAT WITH CAUTION. Use silicone drops or spray to combat frizz, but don't overdose. Apply a drop or spritz to your palms first, then rub them together and pat them over frizz, starting at the ends and working toward the crown (you can always add more later).

4. OIL WELL. To further ward off frizz, give your hair a twice-weekly oil treatment (pros like jojoba oil). Work about a tablespoon through dry hair, first with your hands, then with a synthetic-bristle paddle brush (boar bristles would just soak up the oil). Leave it on for as long as possible before shampooing as usual; even five to ten minutes helps.

5. CUT AND COLOR CORRECTLY. Avoid overlayering, which makes short pieces stick out and get fuzzy. If you have coarse or curly hair, stay away from razor cuts, as they rough up the cuticle and exacerbate frizz. By contrast, nearly blunt cuts can help weigh down frizz. As for color, steer clear of a full head of highlights or a solid blonde: "Bleaching deteriorates the outer layer of the hair, making it coarser and frizzier," says Hawkins.

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Dark Circle

It is always said that the easiest way to tell how old a woman is or how she generally takes care of herself is to look at her eyes. The eyelids and the skin under the eyes are among the most delicate areas of the skin. The skin on that area is so thin, it wrinkles easily and is susceptible to puffiness and darkening. Puffy and dark circles under the eyes can make us look tired and appear older beyond our years. Women approaching their thirties and older generally address this area first when they try to rejuvenate themselves, because puffy and dark circles under the eyes are one of the more obvious indicators of aging. What causes us to form dark circles under our eyes, also known as eye bags? We have to recognize and accept it with ourselves that having dark circles under the eyes is part of the natural aging process. Also, we could be genetically pre-disposed to develop them earlier. Dark circles under the eyes can also develop from factors from our own environment, such as pollutants and allergens in the air. In addition, crying our eyes out is a sure-fire ticket to having dark circles under the eyes. Not a few women think that undergoing cosmetic surgery or using expensive creams are the only ways of dealing with dark circles under the eyes. This is not so. While it is not possible to be able to remove them completely all the time, there are ways that we can take to combat them, or at least to make sure that they do not get worse over time. One of these ways of fighting dark under eye circles is to keep our bodies hydrated by drinking plenty of water and fruit juices every day. Eight glasses or two liters of water is the recommended amount. Water flushes out the toxins in our body and acts as a natural moisturizer for the skin. Another way of doing it is to get plenty of sleep every night. We should get around seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Sufficient sleep allows the body to repair and rejuvenate itself. When the body is able to repair itself properly every day, the skin appears younger and healthier, including the skin around the eyes. If you are a smoker, you would do well to stop smoking. Smoking robs the body of nutrients and dries out the water in our cells. It is not just our skin that suffers from smoking; the entire body suffers from the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. Dark under eye circles home remedies: * Resting your eyes for thirty minutes or so with a slice of cucumber over each eyelid. * Putting on an eye pack that spent time inside the refrigerator before going to sleep. * Chilling a couple of used teabags with most of the water squeezed out of them and then taking a nap for fifteen minutes with the teabags on your eyelids. Getting dark circles under the eyes is a part of the aging process, but you do not have to go under the knife just to be able to get rid of them.

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eyelash loss

causes of eyelash loss
Eyelash loss may not be the most common form of hair loss, but it can still be a pretty stressful problem. Eyelashes are defiantly considered a sign of beauty in most cultures, enough so that cosmetic companies have entire lines of eyelash products. Lashes are, as has been proven, big business. The thinning or loss of lashes can come as a result of many factors, including improper care, allergic reaction and illness. If the loss is minor, you may be able to discover the problem yourself. If the eyelash loss is severe or sudden, it may be best to contact your doctor. * Age can easily cause slight eyelash loss. As you age hair all over your body looses width, strength and color. This natural process can happen to your eyelashes exactly the same way it happens to the hair on your head. * Allergies can sometimes cause eyelash loss. If your eyes are irritated as well as experiencing eyelash loss, it’s time to stop using any beauty products on your eyes. This means forgoing mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner or any other cosmetic that may rub onto your eyelashes until the problem has been identified. * Alopcia areata is a medical condition where your body’s immune system starts attacking your hair follicles, causing hair loss. This problem will affect hair on your entire body, not just your eyelashes. * Blepharitis is a particular type of repeating infection that can cause eyelash loss. It causes swelling and itching on the eyelid due to excessive bacteria growth in tiny oil glands. This will not cause general hair loss, but it will cause loss of eyelashes, especially if it goes untreated. * Demodex folliculorum is a type of mite than exists naturally in skin pores and hair follicles. An excess collection of these mites in a single follicle can cause the hair to fall out, particularly delicate hair, such as eyelashes. * General infection can swell the eyelid, sometimes forcing the eyelash to fall out. An infection in the eyelid can be caused by a variety of reasons, so it’s best to consult a doctor if you suspect any type of eye infection. * Hypothyroidism can mean an overactive or underactive thyroid. Either way, it can cause areas of hair to thin or fall out, including your eyelashes. * Improper care can cause your eyelashes to be plain unhealthy. Unhealthy means dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Using harsh cosmetics or forgetting to remove your eye makeup before bed can cause your eyelashes to simply become extremely damaged, and thus they break or fall out. * Poor diet is always a possible cause for general hair thinning or hair loss. Eyelash loss can be due to just a mildly poor diet that weakens the hair to something as serious as bulimia, which wreaks havoc on the entire body. * Trauma to the eyelid can result is loss of eyelashes. Trauma includes something as silly as accidently ripping the eyelashes out to something as serious as burning the eyelashes off. Usually, though, eyelash trauma means the eye was being repeatedly rubbed and scratched until the eyelash was inadvertently pulled loose.

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Eyes Makeup

Inappropriate tools, cheap cosmetics and wrong application procedures can cause irritation, allergy and sensitivity. So ensure that your eye makeup should not only enhance your beauty, but your health too. After all it’s all about your eyes. Here are some basics of eye makeup you need to know:

The Basics You Need to Know about Eye Makeup

* Use professional tools for best application.
* Always use high quality eye makeup products that are safe for your skin, stay for long time and make you look great.
* Know and learn correctly the application and use of eye make up products.
* Go through reviews and collect information on new eye makeup styles.
* Know special eye makeup styles for different occasions, parties, functions, and times of the day.
* Use eye makeup products matching your skin tone.
* Apply a light makeup in day time for a beautiful and formal look
* Apply a heavy makeup for evening and night parties to create crazy and sexy look.
* Use a concealer especially designed to hide your under eye dark circles.
* Avoid touching or rubbing around your eyes after the makeup.

Know the Five Basic Steps of Eye Makeup Application:

* Begin with clean eyes i.e. wash your eyes before starting eye make up.
* Work with your eyebrows and get them proper.
* Select the right eyeshadow shades, style and get the look.
* Work with your lashes
* Apply mascara in the correct way

Whatever may be the occasion or your daily routine makeup, the first step of applying eye makeup is to start with eye shadows. Given below are some styles of eyeshadow makeup. To know and learn about how to get the effect, follow the link…

Different Styles of Eyeshadow Makeup:

* The celebrity look-Check and get the information how celebrities do hot eye make ups for different occasions.
* The Smokey Effect-Try the Smokey looks if you have deep under eye circles.
* The Three Shades Look-Get that professional look by learning this style.
* Bigger Eyes- Make your eyes look bigger, if you have small eyes by this style.
* Bold Eyes-If you want to pop your eyes for a great dramatic look, try this style.
* Wider Eyes-If you have close set eyes and want to give the impression of wide set eyes, go for this style.
* Closer Eyes-If your eyes are set a bit apart and you want to give the impression of close set eyes, go for this style.

Tips for Applying Eye Liner:

You can easily achieve the type of style and eye shape you want using eye liners. Here are the tips for using eyeliners.

* If you want to give the impression of wide set eyes, apply the liner thickly on the outer corners of your eyes.
* If you have larger eyes, just border your upper and lower lashes for the correct look.
* If you want to give the impression of close set eyes, apply the liner thickly on the inner corners of your eyes.
* For oval eyes, little thicker application on the crease of eyes looks best.

Tips for Applying Mascara:

Select a best quality mascara to avoid flaking and clumping on your eyes.

* For a natural look, just brush the mascara on the outer tips of your eyelashes or take very less amount and lightly brush on the entire lashes. This application suits for a formal and official look.
* For a bold look, brush mascara on the entire lashes and curl your lashes. This application suits for parties and functions.

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Dandruff

Dandruff

Just the thought of a snowfall on a black jacket brings to the mind an image of the dreaded dandruff menace. It is a skin disorder that results in overproduction of shiny, silvery scales that separate from the scalp and collect amidst the hair. When the infection spreads to the skin, the condition can become even more troublesome.
Causes and Symptoms of Dandruff

An itchy scalp with scales from it falling onto the forehead, shoulders when you shake your head or comb/brush your hair or when the scalp is scratched indicate dandruff. Severe cases may complain of dandruff scales appearing like lumps or crusts on the scalp. Dandruff is linked to impaired general well being and health, improper diet, constipation and low immune system functioning due to development of toxic conditions or infectious diseases.

Other probable causes of dandruff include emotional tension, harsh shampoos, general exhaustion and over-exposure to cold and heat conditions.
Dandruff Prevention:

Health care experts advice persons suffering from frequent episodes of dandruff and related skin problems to restrict intake of strong tea/coffee, pickles, refined and processed foods and meats, white flour-products and sugar as well. Instead, persons with dandruff problems should raise intake of plain water, green leafy vegetables and fruit to keep the body hydrated and dry, scaly scalp and ‘out of season snowfall’ at bay.

* Keeping hair and scalp clean is one way to avoid accumulation of dead cells and is considered the best dandruff prevention tip.
* Brush hair daily to improve circulation and remove any surface flakiness. The right way to do this would be to bend forward from the waist with the head down towards the ground and brush in upward strokes, from the nape of the neck towards the top of the head.
* Massaging of scalp regularly before brushing the hair helps the hair follicles breathe as it stimulates the circulation, dislodges dirt and dandruff and encourages hair growth.
* Avoid unnecessary exposure of the head to the rays of the sun as the heat can play havoc with the scalp and result in overproduction of oil that can block pores, cause dead cells to accumulate and result in dandruff.

Home Remedies for Dandruff

* Scalp-Friendly Fenugreek Seeds- is the way to go if you want to rid yourself of dandruff. Two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds soaked overnight in water and ground into a fine paste in the morning can be applied all over the scalp and left for half an hour. This should be followed by a thorough head wash with soap-nut (ritha) solution or shikakai to wash that dandruff straight out of your hair.
* Lime and lemony treat for dandruff menace- the juice of one fresh lime in the final rinse when washing your hair leaves the hair glossy and free of oiliness while reducing the dandruff flakes.
* Cider vinegar diluted with an equal amount of water and dabbed onto the scalp and hair with cotton wool does the trick to beat dandruff blues too!

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Winter Skin Care

how to get smooth skin


With the temperature dropping and welcoming Christmas with fresh snowfalls, warm fires and crisp air, there are other aspects that need to be attended. Change in temperature and lower humidity affects skin and hair. Winter takes toll on skin, a much-deserved break and reconstruction is needed for skin. Skin care in winter is greatly demanding, as skin needs to be shielded against winter miseries. Moisture gets sucked out of skin leaving it dry, itchy. Fine lines gets entrenched and skin texture gets rough and flaky. Here are some valuable tips for expelling winter woes: -

* Use humidifier- With AC’s on and closed outdoors the air becomes humid making the skin dry and itchy. A humidifier brings in back the desired moisture. This prevents the skin from cracking and peeling. Invest in a branded humidifier and place wherever needed.
* Hydrate– Water has the capacity to flush toxins out and to re-hydrate. Replenish your body with at least eight glasses of water and limit intake of caffeine and alcohol. Warm water with a dash of lemon and honey is magical. Herbal tea is good way to energize body.
* Moisturize frequently- Oil base moisturizer effective against moisture loss. The ointment form should have 80:20 ratio of oil and water. This emulsion forms a layer and creates a barrier. Slather body with cocoa butter cream and body oil after a shower. Apply generously to the area that dries out. Moisturizers with sun protection and SPF for 8 to 15 are suggested.
* Exfoliate- To get rid of dead skin cells a gentle exfoliater is recommended. Gentle body scrub and facial exfoliater can be used twice a week.
* Supplement from within- Flaxseed oil is a useful supplement to moisturize body from within. It has all the benefits, as it is rich in fatty acids.
* Oil infused baths- Soak yourself in warm bath infused with sweet almond or jojoba oil to sooth and nourish skin. Aromatic oils as lavender and ylang ylang revitalizes mind, body and soul.
* Eliminate blow dry- For styling hair, choose alternative styles for winter season. Avoid blowing instead opt for tousled, curly or a simple bun. Excessive blowing can cause flare and will blow off the moisture from skin surface.
* Clothing- Woolen clothes and synthetic fabrics are irritating to dry skin. Soft cotton clothes are best option to wear underneath. Loose fitting cotton fabrics and clothing in layers is good to prevent overheating. Wet shoes and clothes should be immediately removed to avoid flare and irritation.
* Lip care- Application of lip balm is recommended for dry chapped lips. Never lick lips when felt dry, as it will aggravate the problem and make them more chapped.
* Simple sleep- A good night sleep is advised for rapid cell renewal and sufficient oxygenation. Ideal eight hours sleep works wonders and is considered a natural way to pamper skin.

With change in temperature and arrival of new season, care for skin and hair has to be taken accordingly. By giving away few habits and leading a disciplined life will not only leave the skin radiating but will bring back your confidence.

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Bridal Makeup

Looking great and feeling good is what all brides want on their Wedding Day-and with the most perfectly applied bridal makeup, any bride can be princess for a day! Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that bridal makeup is distinctly different from everyday makeup and makes the bride stand out in the crowd in the most flattering way possible. Good bridal makeup actually begins from a pre-bridal phase with facial care and necessary skin and hair treatments followed to set the stage for D-Day.
Essentials of Bridal Makeup

Bridal makeup is important to the bride and her family since it must be such that highlights her beauty and charm and also be ‘photo-friendly’ so that the family can have memorable pictures of the occasion. The correct use of colors and expert highlighting, contouring and shading can help a bride look stunning and dazzle the guests and groom alike. Cosmetics chosen for bridal makeup therefore, needs be long lasting, easy to blend in and allow for use along with a touch of shimmer and gloss to make the bride truly outshine the others!
Choosing Bridal Makeup Products

* For those brides that are not accustomed to makeup on a regular basis, a departure from the norm may be a bit of a hassle; however, a light application of makeup can help them look naturally beautiful and warmly appealing.
* Luminescent cosmetics are quite the rage currently and a great bridal makeup enhancer, used as they are to add to the natural glow of the lady in question.
* Application of concealer and foundation should be slow and practiced as these are the base for good photographic quality on the wedding day. Flawed skin and hastily applied foundation can show up in close-up shots and ruin what could have been a great photographic memory.
* Summer brides would do well to spray the face with sealer after application of foundation, blush, eye and lip makeup as this will help it last longer.
* A great lip-tip to make lip color last longer is to first apply foundation over the lips, use lip liner to define them and then apply the lip color. Wait a minute or two to dab extra color off with one touch of a clean tissue and reapply it, touching up with a sealer and possibly a dot of shimmer at the center of the lips!

· The color of the eyebrows must match with the bride’s hair color. Gray ash blondes can use ash brown shade to cover their eyebrows while redheads can use reddish brown shades or orange or gold tones depending upon the undertone of their hair.
* Loose or pressed powder is a great touch-up and stabilizing factor for bridal makeup if it is in the same skin tone as the foundation/concealer
* If mascara is to be applied, ensure it is the waterproof kind.
* For a sun-kissed look, apply a touch of blush to the forehead, sides and top of the nose, finishing off with a curving stroke.

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