Cellulite Creams that Actually Work

From Chanel to L'Oreal, which creams firmed thighs and which failed

Let's face it: Cellulite is a part of life most of us need to accept. Experts generally agree that while you can't completely get rid of it, you can minimize its appearance with the right products. But what are those? We had a panel test a variety of at-home approaches. Find out which products worked best for them -- and which were a waste of time and money. See products

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Swerve razor giveaway-- Ends May 31st

Just a quick reminder. If you haven’t, please enter this Awesome Giveaway. One lucky winner stands to win a triple pack and a single pack of 'The Swerve neck razor'. Just 3 days (May 31st) left to enter the contest, so hurry up! For more details, head to this post. And oh, this contest is open to all readers from any part of the world!

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What Kind of Makeup Fashionista Are You?

Find the best makeup for your personal style with this quiz

Are you obsessed with the new neon trend or are you more of a stick-to-what-works kinda gal? Take this quiz to find out what kind of makeup fashionista you are and in turn you'll get customized makeup tips and product recommendations that'll help keep your beauty needs satisfied. Take the quiz

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Rubbing nails cures hair loss?

Most Acupressure Therapists swear by this. They say that rubbing the nails of both the hands can reduce hair fall and give you dense, thick and strong hair. Moreover, it can also prevent graying of hair, they add.

The method:

You have to briskly rub the fingernails of one hand against the fingernails of the other hand, excluding the thumb for 5 minutes thrice a day. Though not compulsory, it’s better if you visualize and concentrate on what you want to accomplish (whether it is a full head of hair or a head devoid of gray hair). You have to be patient and do this for one full month to notice any difference and you will reap the full benefits of practicing this technique in about 6 months.

How it works:

Acupressure is all about manipulating certain pressure points on the body called as acupoints to heal the diseased part. Usually this is done by applying physical pressure by the hand, elbow, or with various devices. Acupoints used in treatment may or may not be in the same area of the body as the targeted symptom. The selection of such points and their effectiveness is that they work by stimulating the meridian system to bring about relief by rebalancing yin, yang and qi. Reflexology (zone therapy) is more or less similar to acupressure and involves the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health. Reflexologists posit that the blockage of an energy field, invisible life force, or Qi, can prevent healing. So manipulating these pressure points in a way releases this blockage to promote healing. Now coming back to the topic of ‘rubbing nails’, the nerve in the nail bed are believed to be connected to the scalp. The rubbing procedure allegedly stimulates blood flow to the scalp, thereby reducing hair-loss and improving overall hair-health. If you want to know more about Reflexology or Acupressure read these books: Reflexology and Acupressure: Pressure Points for Healing Reflexology and Acupressure: Pressure Points … by Janet Wright and Healing with Pressure Point Therapy: Simple, Effective Techniques for Massaging Away More Than 100 Common Ailments by Jack Forem

What leading dermatologists/trichologists say:

Leading dermatologists, however, are of the opinion that this is nothing but a myth. They say that Reflexology's claim to manipulate energy (Qi) is controversial, as there is no scientific evidence for the existence of life energy (Qi), 'crystalline structures,' or 'pathways' in the body. And as such ‘rubbing nails’ cannot stimulate hair-growth or prevent gray hair. Furthermore they candidly assert the following facts: Hair follicles, the tiny sacs under the skin where hair is formed contains a pigment. This pigment gives hair its colour. When the body stops producing melanin, the hair becomes colourless. In fact new studies have divulged a still more interesting fact. It says that hair turns gray as a result of a chemical chain reaction due to a dip in levels of an enzyme called catalase that causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out. The reasons could be genetic or external, caused by certain medications, improper diet, malnutrition, hormonal imbalance, stress or exposure to chemicals. Hair growth or thickness too is dependent on similar factors. A healthy lifestyle will reflect in your appearance, but if you are genetically predisposed to thinning hair or if there are a lot of people with premature gray hair in your family, then you’re likely to follow in their footsteps. Nonetheless, they hasten to add that a well balanced diet coupled with aerobic exercises will greatly reduce the chances of hair loss.

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Tea tree face wash from Ayur

I’ve used Everyuth’s granular face wash which has the goodness of tea tree oil and neem in it and am pleased with the results. I just happened to spot this Ayur’s product ‘Tea tree face wash for oily and acne-prone skin’ the other day; liked the look of it and purchased it immediately The chief ingredient in this face cleanser is Tea-tree oil which is believed to work wonders on acne prone skin. It is supposed to remove excess sebum(oil) from the skin and fight acne-causing bacteria.

Ayur Tea Tree face wash

More details about the product: It’s a soap-free cleanser, which is mild enough for use twice a day and its pH balance minimizes stress on skin and has added benefit of herbal extracts to help soothe inflamed skin and reduce redness.

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Dettol antibacterial soap :Review

I don’t like use an anti-bacterial soap as a regular bathing soap, mainly because I belong to the school of thought that does not advocate the regular usage of anti-bacterial/ antimicrobial soaps on a perfectly healthy skin as it tends to interfere with the normal skin flora and disturbs the ecology and health of the skin. Besides television ads have also impressed upon me that anti-bacterial soaps are mostly meant for athletes, wrestlers and those who do rigorous and strenuous work/exercise. However, anti-bacterial soaps may prove advantageous to those people whose skins are prone to bacterial infections as also to those who live in insect/bug /mosquito infested localities and folks who suffer from excessive perspiration and body odor.

But why then am I thinking of using an anti-bacterial soap? Firstly, the terrible heat of May has left my skin reeking of sweat -- dust and grime gets accumulated over it more quickly than ever and also I don’t want prickly heat bumps on my body. Secondly, the excessive heat and humidity has taken its toll on my facial skin and nowadays my face perspire profusely, that too, within 5-10 minutes after washing. Another thing is, my skin being too oily and acne-prone, the fear of another acne outbreak is something which I am not looking forward to. By the way, I do wash my face with a deep pore cleansing and exfoliating face wash, but I have also begun using an anti-bacterial soap in my bath and my choice is Dettol Soap, which claims to be 10 times better at fighting germs. I’m planning to use it only for a few weeks, till the weather becomes a little cool.

Dettol Soap

Why Dettol, you might ask? Dettol is a household name associated with cleaning and disinfecting and the very name Dettol has become synonymous with antibacterial protection. And the cleanliness freak, that I am, I have always used ‘Dettol Original Soap’ to keep my hands clean and germ-free. And this soap does not leave the skin on my hands feeling dry like a lot of strong anti-bacterial soap bars. But, personally I prefer using Dettol liquid handwash over Dettol soap for washing my hands as it gives me that thoroughly cleansed feeling. (You can buy Dettol Liquid Soap 250 ml liquid soap from Amazon.)

But be aware of the fact that excessive usage of antibacterial soaps and liquid handwashes is not deemed healthy. Factually, the normal skin flora is made up of the bacteria that normally live on the skin when the skin is healthy. These bacteria, which are harmless, actually prevent other harmful bacteria and fungus from growing on the skin. These normal bacteria are disturbed with over-washing with antibacterial soaps and the use of antibiotics. This in turn leads to increased growth of transient and pathogenic micro-organisms which jeopardizes the very intention of skin hygiene. In fact a research has found that the high rate of hand problems associated with the hand hygiene of medical professions is due to excessive handwashing and the usage of anti-bacterial and/or foaming liquid cleansers. Rather than fighting micro-organisms at the expense of the skin's health, the skin and its own defences should be considered a collaborator in combating infectious diseases, the study concludes.

However this does not mean that you shouldn’t wash your hands at all. In these days of swine-flu pandemic, it’s highly imperative that you pay utmost attention to hand-hygiene. In fact, most of the germs are transferred through your fingers and dirty fingernails. According to Dr. Kenneth Seaton, germs aren't just hurtled at us by coughs and sneezes. They're handed to us during routine-and intimate -physical contact and because human hands-especially under the nails-are a cornucopia of germs. Simply washing your hands and keeping your nails short and clean can prevent a host of infectious diseases, he adds. A Pubmed study has also concluded that people who washed their hands with soap vis-à-vis those who didn’t have a 50% reduced risk of intestinal infections and diarrhea.

Dettol Original soap

Now let’s turn our attention to ‘Dettol soap’. It has that typical ‘dettol’ (clinical smell), which is a bit of downside. But as a bathing soap in summers, Dettol Original soap is quite good. It cleans very well and removes quite a lot of oil and grime from the skin; so if you have oily skin like me it would be perfect for you. But if you have a dry skin, you may have to moisturize your skin well after bath. By the way there are other variants of Dettol soap that are not only bacterial but also have moisturizing and cooling proeprties. While Dettol Skincare Soap is formulated with moisturisers to help nourish your soft skin, Dettol Cool Soap has the coolness of menthol and Dettol Fresh Soap with a pleasant fresh fragrance not only protects you from germs but also keeps you fresh for long.. These soaps therefore not only protect your skin from infections but also leave it extremely fresh, clean, cool and moisturized. And if you have been on a swimming spree these days, Dettol soap is particularly useful for you as it not only rids your body of chlorine smell but also protects your skin from nasty infections that you may have contracted through pool waters or in the changing rooms. One of my friends even claims that shampooing with Dettol helped her to get over with the mild dandruff problem that she had.

 

    Dettol skincare soap             Dettol cool soap                Dettol Fresh soap

On another note, if you are a contact lens user, it is extremely important to keep your hands scrupulously clean and germ-free while handling lenses and therefore you should and must use a good quality antiseptic, anti-bacterial soap like Dettol soap while cleaning your hands. (Read Tips for contact lens users-part 1 and part 2.) It is highly recommended that you use a soap and not a liquid cleanser as some liquid cleansers are found to contain substances that may adhere to the lens surface and also irritate your eyes.

Dettol soap is pretty cheap, a 75g bar costs just Rs.18. You could also purchase it from Amazon.

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Nutrition quotes

Kareena Kapoor's 'size-zero look'
achieved through a proper nutrition plan?

If you are impressed by the so-called ‘size-zero look’ which actor Kareena Kapoor is sporting since last year, then you should know that this was achieved by a combination of proper nutrition, Yoga and exercise. Indeed, nutrition plays an important role in our health and well-being and according to Kareena’s nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar food is the core of our existence. She says “I use food and the act of eating as a way of getting in touch with our digestive system and our real self.” “Eating doesn’t make us fat. In fact I eat (proper nutritious food) all the time and I give my client ‘eating plans’, not ‘diet plans”, she rightly adds.

And if this new fad has taken over you and you are pouring over all that mind-boggling literature on proper nutrition and diet in a bid to achieve that perfect look, it’s time to take a break and cast a glance at these gems of wisdom. As a matter of fact, these ‘quotes on nutrition’ will most certainly make you ‘see’ food and nutrition in a new light.

From food are produced all creatures which dwell on earth. Then they live by food, and in the end they return to food. For food is the oldest of all beings, and therefore it is called panacea.

— Taittiriya Upanishad

The first wealth is health.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.
— Hippocrates

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.
—La Rochefoucauld

Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork.
— English Proverb

I saw a few die of hunger, of eating, a hundred thousand.

—Benjamin Franklin

We never repent of having eaten too little.

—Thomas Jefferson

Never eat more than you can lift.

—Miss Piggy

Simple diet is best; for many dishes bring many diseases: and rich sauces are worse than even heaping several meats upon each other.
- Pliny

Foods are threefold for mankind as are sacrifices, austerity and charity. Sattvic (pure) food is that one which increases longevity, purity, strength, health, happiness and taste and which is fresh, well-seasoned, juicy, durable in nature, cordial and comforting to the senses and liked by sattvic people. Rajasic (hot) food is that one which is bitter, sour, salty, hot and spicy, burning, craved by people with too strong appetite and which gives unrest, unhappiness, sorrow and disease. And lastly Tamasic (intoxicating) food is that one which is stored, savorless and devoid of any juices, dried, putrid, , filthy, foul smelling, decomposed, left over and indigestible; preferred by the foul minded and those given to excessive sloth and slumber. (Read more about this in yogic diet)

— Bhagavad Gita

Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food.
— Hippocrates

When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.
When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.
—Ayurvedic Proverb

He that takes medicine and neglects diet wastes the skills of the physician.

—Chinese Proverb

Let nothing which can be treated by diet be treated by other means.
— Maimonides

Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise.

—Mike Adams

The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.
— Thomas A Edison

Most people don't have a problem going on a diet. Their problem is being consistent on their diet.
— Karen Sessions

Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.

—Edward Stanley

We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking.
—Steve Elbert

Without proper nutrition it is going to lead to more and more problems with behaviour and how people act and think in the future so we need to improve things now.
— Billy Higgins

I found out that doctors typically aren't given much training in nutrition and that some so-called nutrition experts are not well qualified in that field. A large sample of physicians were asked how much training they got in nutrition in medical school. The average was less than three hours, with many having only one hour or less. That's out of nearly 3,500 hours of medical training. The truth is that doctors may get their nutrition information from the same newspapers and TV programs we do, and unless they have taken extra training in nutrition, they may not know much more about nutrition than the rest of us.
—Neal Pinckney, M.D.

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