Archive for June, 2009

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Dark Lips due to Smoking – How to Lighten Dark Lips

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Home Remedies to Reduce the Darkening of Lips

Smoking is one of the major causes of darkening of lips. The most obvious way of dealing with the problem is of course to quit smoking. It takes time for lips darkened due to smoking to regain their natural complexion. You may, however, try the following home remedies to reduce the darkening of lips and prevent further damage:

i)    Every night before going to bed, smear the lips with a mixture of glycerin, lemon juice and honey.

ii)    Applying a thin coat of clarified butter on the lips at bedtime and leaving it on overnight is also helpful in restoring to the lips their original color.

iii)    You should apply a fine paste made by mixing a ripe banana, some sour cream and a little honey on your lips every day. Leave this mixture on for 10 minutes before washing it away with water.

iv)    Another effective remedy for lightening dark lips is to massage almond oil into the lips every day. You could also substitute the oil with a paste of almonds soaked in a little milk cream overnight and ground well the next morning.

v)    You could also crush a few fresh rose petals in a little honey and apply this paste on your lips every day.

vi)    Massaging your lips with some yoghurt every morning and evening is also known to be of help.

vii)    Another remedy is to crush some pomegranate seeds and apply their juice on the lips.

viii)    The juice of beetroot is also known to lighten the color of lips because of its natural bleaching properties.

ix)    Apple cider vinegar may also be used to dab the lips twice a day in order to lighten the color gradually.

x)    A pinch of turmeric powder mixed with either the juice of a fresh lime or some milk cream is a useful remedy for dark lips. Alternatively, you could also mix equal portions of turmeric powder and gram powder and make a thick lip balm by adding a little water to this mixture. Leave it on till it dries and then gently wash it off with water to get soft, pink lips.

xi)    You should also drink plenty of water and fruit juices every day to counter the harmful effects of smoking on the lips.

xii)    Also, restrict your intake of tea and coffee, as these contribute to the darkening of lips as much as smoke does.

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Chapped Lips Causes – How to Prevent Dry Chapped Lips

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Causes of Chapped Lips

Chapped lips can be an embarrassing, uncomfortable and even painful problem. The chief cause for chapped lips is dehydration. Lack of essential nutrients in the diet also causes the thin and delicate skin of the lips to crack. The most common symptoms of this condition are dry flaky skin that sometimes causes thin fissures to appear on the lips and cause bleeding. The problem becomes especially acute in cold and dry weather.

Chapped Lips Remedies

One of the most important aspects of taking care of your lips is to keep them well moisturized all the time. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water every day in order to prevent dehydration of the skin. You should also keep your immediate surroundings well hydrated. Using a humidifier is a simple and effective solution for keeping the skin of the lips moist in dry environments. A very popular remedy for chapped lips is petroleum jelly. Mix a little honey with some petroleum jelly and massage this gently on the lips. Leave it on for 15 minutes. While the petroleum jelly heals bruised skin, honey acts as a natural disinfectant and destroys any germs that might be present in the open sores on the lips. The paste should be wiped away gently with warm water. Repeat this process thrice every day to get rid of chapped lips within a week.

Another remedy for chapped lips is to apply the pulp or the juice of a cucumber on the lips. Cucumber is a rich natural source of moisture that hydrates the lips as well as soothes the sore skin on chapped lips. You could also rub the lips very gently with the inner surface of the rind of a ripe watermelon, as this fruit has the highest concentration of moisture in it. Also, apply the juice of aloe vera or aloe vera gel on the lips twice every day. This is an effective means of trapping moisture in the skin cells and healing them naturally.

Applying the extract of margosa leaves on the lips may also prove beneficial. Applying a little coconut oil on the lips at bedtime every night is also known to be of help in treating chapped lips. Besides these, you should also adopt a few dietary measures to treat chapped lips. Include natural sources of vitamin A and B, iron and zinc in your diet, such as raw, green and leafy vegetables like spinach, whole grains and legumes, milk and eggs.

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Discolored Skin – Home Remedies for Brown Skin Discoloration

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Discolored Skin

The skin derives its natural complexion from a chemical substance called melanin. Abnormalities in the production of melanin are the chief cause of skin discoloration. Nutritional deficiencies, exposure to direct sunlight and fungal infections such as tinea versicolor may also cause discolored or brown patches to appear on the skin. Excessively sweaty and oily skin is often very prone to discoloration. Hormonal changes also sometimes cause discolored patches to appear on the skin. These patches become especially prominent with seasonal changes.

Home Remedies for Discolored Skin

There are a few simple home remedies to treat discolored skin. You should never step out into the sun without applying a good sunscreen lotion that suits your skin type. This protects your skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. A very popular remedy for discolored skin is to dab the affected area with sour milk and then washing it away with cold water after 10 minutes. The lactic acid present in sour milk naturally bleaches the skin and peels of dead skin cells without drying up or irritating the skin.

Another remedy is to apply the juice of a fresh lemon on your skin every day. This acts as a natural bleaching agent and evens out irregularities in your complexion. For another remedy, mix some powdered walnut seeds with a little coconut oil and apply it on the discolored patches. Following this remedy regularly exfoliates the skin and gradually restores to it its original complexion. In addition, you can make a face pack by mixing some homemade curd and a little vinegar together and apply this on the discolored patches every alternate day and wash it away with tepid water after 15 minutes. This cures skin discoloration within a few weeks.

Besides these particular remedies, you should also follow a few general rules prevent and treat discoloration of skin. Drink plenty of water, raw fruits and vegetables and juices in order to maintain a glowing complexion, as these keep the skin well moisturized as well as supply essential nutrients to the skin that help keep it in good health. Include natural sources of lactic acid in your diet, such as fermented foods like yoghurt, as this helps restrict discoloration of skin caused by fungal infections. Avoid consuming excessive amounts of sugar and white flour. It is also useful to chew a few cloves of raw ginger every day in order to destroy the microbes that are often responsible for discolored patches on the skin.

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How to Shrink Enlarged Pores on Face Naturally

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

The surface of the skin naturally has pores that help the sebaceous glands under the skin release the oily substance skin, which gives the skin its natural texture. However, sometimes due to lack of proper personal hygiene, or due to heightened hormonal activity during adolescence or pregnancy, the sebaceous glands start producing excessive sebum, which rises to the epidermis and often enlarges and clogs the pores. Frequently, dirt and dead skin cells also get accumulated in these pores, making them look larger and more prominent. This gives the skin an oily, uneven texture.

Home Remedies for Enlarged Pores

There are a few simple home remedies that can easily and effectively treat this condition. One of the most popular ways of clearing away skin pores is to boil some water in a small tub till the point it starts boiling. Now bend your face over it, covering your head and the tub with a soft towel, so that the steam is not able to escape. The heat induces sweating, which then flushes away the dirt and oil accumulated in the pores. Thee steam also unclogs the pores when it turns into water again on coming into contact with the skin. After about 15 minutes wipe the sweat and the water from your face with the towel and apply the fresh juice of lemons on your face. The acidic juices of lemon have natural bleaching and tightening properties that give the skin a firmer, smoother look. Follow this procedure daily for two weeks to find a marked improvement in the texture of your skin.

Another popular remedy is to massage your face with ice cubes for 5-10 minutes every day. This helps shrink large prominent pores naturally. You could also apply the juice or the pulp of a cucumber on your face and leave it on for at least 15 minutes. Wash your face with cold water after the juice dries up. Alternatively, you could also mash a raw potato or slice it into thin pieces and apply this as a poultice on your face. Both cucumber and potato are natural bleaching agents that give the skin an even tone and shrink surface pores by cleansing them naturally. You could also use the pulp or the juice of a pineapple, papaya or peaches for similar results. A mixture of equal portions of limejuice and tomato juice also serves as a natural skin-tightening remedy. For another remedy, mix a little salt into some buttermilk and massage your face with this solution. Rinse your face with warm water after some time.

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How to Treat Psoriasis Naturally

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

What is Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a serious skin disorder, which is marked by the appearance of rough patches on different parts of the skin. This happens because the new skin cells generally surface to replace the old dead ones in roughly 30 days, rise up to the epidermis in just 3 or 4 days and then die naturally, creating an excess of dead skin cells, which appear as flaky patches. These patches are covered with thick scales that are reddish or pale in color and may sometimes be inflamed. Other symptoms include eruption of pustules on the skin, red lesions in the folds of the skin, itching and pain in the affected areas. It mostly affects young people in the age group of 15-30 years and infects both men and women. The root cause of this disease is a weak immune system. The immediate cause could be abnormal metabolism of proteins and amino acids, changes in the weather, infection and injury to the skin. Hereditary factors may also predispose one to psoriasis. Psoriasis does not spread by touch.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis

It is advisable to consult a dermatologist if you have psoriasis, a few simple home remedies might prove beneficial in such cases. One of the easiest and most effective ways of removing the dead skin cells and getting rid of itchiness is to soak in a tub of tepid water for at least half an hour twice every day. Make sure that the water is just warm enough and not too hot, so that the dirt and germs accumulated in the dead skin cells are washed away without any damage to the skin. Sunbathing is also believed to be very useful in treating this condition as the rays of the sun naturally prevent microbial growth in the lesions and consequent infections. You should also always keep your skin well moisturized, since dry skin is more prone to becoming flaky and susceptible to infections.

Use an oil-based moisturizer after bathing and throughout the day at regular intervals in order to trap the moisture in your skin cells. Before going to bed at night, apply a moisturizing disinfectant moisturizer on the affected areas and cover them up with a plastic wrap. Wash the skin gently with water the next morning. Regular application of body oil at bedtime also helps. You should also try and keep your immediate surroundings well hydrated to prevent your skin from becoming too dry. Using a humidifier at your home and office is a good idea.

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How to Treat Scabies Naturally.Suggest some Remedies for Scabies

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

How to Get Rid of Scabies

Scabies is an intense itch or skin infection caused by a mite known as sarcoptes scabiei. Scabies is a very contagious infection that can be transmitted from one person to another simply by extensive skin to skin contact. However, simple actions like shaking hands would be a lot harder, if not impossible, to be infected by the mite. Actions like hugging, sharing unwashed clothes, or even sexual intercourse gives the mite an ample amount of time to move from one “host” or person to another. While on one person, the mite will dig a tunnel under the skin and cause a type of allergic reaction. The female mites will also lay eggs in these burrows and when the eggs hatch and the little mites grow into adults, they will also start to cause the host to experience severe itching in the infected regions. As a result of this continuous cycle, some people remain infected by the scabies mite for a long period of time, which has also given rise to its name “the seven year itch”. Symptoms of the infection are very hard to detect if one has never experienced scabies previously and it may take them as long as four to six weeks from the initial infestation to find out that they are infected. A common misconception is that scabies can be acquired from household pets as well. However, the mite that lives on pet dogs or cats are very different to the ones that affect humans and are unable to live on a human host for over a few days.

Scabies Home Remedies

Due to the highly contagious nature of scabies, almost everyone in close and constant contact with the infected person needs to be treated. For example, if one person in a family is diagnosed with scabies, it is likely that a larger portion of the family is also infected with the mite and would need to be treated. It is important to wash the infected persons bedding and clothes using hot water as this will help kill any insects or parasites living in them.  While some people will swear by the application of tea tree oil being successful in their fight against a scabies infection, it has shown to be quite ineffective in others. You could try using it to see what kind of reaction you get. There are no real guaranteed home remedies that will help control and effectively eliminate a scabies infestation on your skin, therefore you would be best advised to visit a licensed doctor to prescribe some medication that will prove more effective.

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How to Get Rid of Moles.Suggest some Remedies for Removing Moles

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

How to Remove Moles

A person can either be born with moles on their body, or it can develop over time. Most babies are born with at least a couple of moles located on different positions on their body. Moles would generally resemble small, dark spots on the skin. Mole can form between two layers of the skin, the dermis and epidermis or could possibly form only on the dermis. Depending largely on where they form, they could appear very different from each other. Some moles appear to be flat while others will appear to be raised and can also form in different colors ranging from light brown to dark blue. The color of the mole will depend on the density or concentration of pigment in it. Like any other part of the skin, the pigmentation of the mole is dependant on melanocytes which are the cells that produce the coloring pigmentation or Melanin. While moles can form at any age, most are either formed at birth or will develop during the early years of childhood. While moles are most often of no medical consequence, they are often removed for cosmetic or other reasons because they are permanent. Excessive exposure to the sun has been known to cause mole formation and birth control pills have also been known to darken the color of the mole.

Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Moles

While here are a number of skin care products available in the cosmetics market that promise to help in removal of moles, most will tend to simply aggravate the condition rather than being of any help. As a result, home remedies are some of the most effective and trusted methods of dealing with mole removal. A few of them are:

•    Using a few sour apples, extract the juice and apply it over the mole three times a day. Keep applying this solution regularly for three weeks and you will see that the mole has thinned and begun to fade away.
•    Prepare some cauliflower juice using a blender and rub the juice on your moles daily until the skin peels off naturally.

•    Using a few drumstick pods, grind them into a fine, smooth paste and add some fresh lemon extract to the paste. Now, apply this to the mole regularly and you will see the mole fade off in a few days.

•    Moisten a pinch of baking soda with a few drops of castor oil and dab this paste onto the mole. Leave the paste on the mole during the course of the night and wash it off in the morning. After a few days of following this routine, you will see the mole start to fade away.

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Pimples Causes & Whats the Difference between Acne and Pimples

Friday, June 19th, 2009

What Causes Pimple

The difference between pimples and acne are very subtle. Pimples are said to be the initial stages of the developments of whiteheads. To get a clear picture, one needs to understand the entire process of how an acne develops on a person’s skin. The focal points are the pores on the skin that allow any Sebum, the natural oil produced by the sebaceous glands located under the layers of skin, to flow onto the skin. At times, a person’s sebaceous glands may produce too much sebum, which will cause these pores to get blocked as a result of the excess sebum. The sebum will then start to accumulate behind the blockage and may either seemingly pop out of the skin, in which case they will be called blackheads, or they will be unable to pop out of the skin in which case they will be called whiteheads. At this point, the individual has already suffered an acne infection. Pimples are the stage of this whitehead development where the sebum starts to clog the pores and is often referred to as mild acne. Pimples, and later on Acne, can be caused by a number of factors like eating habits – especially the consumption of spicy foods, hormonal disturbances – especially noticed during the development phases of puberty and microscopically small particles of dust in today’s polluted atmosphere which will cause the initial blockage of the pores.

Home Remedies for Acne and Pimples

When it comes to home remedies, those applicable for pimples will also help with a condition of acne. Here are few that you can try with ingredients readily available in your home or nearby stores:
•    Mix a tablespoon of groundnut oil with 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice. This will help prevent the onset of pimples and blackheads.

•    For the treatment of pimples, apply the juice of a raw papaya over the lesion.

•    The use of orange peel has been known to have a considerable effect on reducing pimples and acne in people. Create the orange peel by pounding some orange peel with some water on a stone to create a paste and apply this to the acne infected area or pimple.

•    Create a paste by mixing 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and apply this paste to the pimples before sleeping and washing it off the next morning with some warm water. Follow this routine for about 2 weeks and the pimples should disappear.

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Teenage Acne Treatment - How to Treat Teen Acne

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Causes of Teenage Acne

Acne is a common problem amongst a majority of teenagers today. No matter how much you try to prevent the onset of acne. While a number of people will tell you that a high intake of junk food and chocolates are a major factor in causing acne, this is not very accurate. The fact is that acne can strike any one at any time and most of the reasons are out of an individual’s control. The most common factor during the onset of acne is the pollution in the air. Today’s air is full of microscopically small particles of dust. These miniscule particles may enter one of the pores that allow your skin to breathe and cause a blockage. The pores located on your skin also play an important roles in guiding natural oils, secreted by the sebaceous glands located under the layers of skin, to the upper layers of the skin. When there is a blockage in these pores, a constant build up of the natural oils, or Sebum, takes place behind the blockade and will manifest itself on a persons face in the form of pimple or whiteheads. At times, the sebum will react with bacteria located on the skin, which at most times is relatively inactive, and cause an infection within the pimple or whitehead. A person’s natural reaction to a pimple that is just starting out or a whitehead is to burst the pimple. However, this should be strictly avoided as the infection may spread to a larger area of the skin. Additionally, bursting a pimple or whitehead will cause it to leave a permanent scar or blemish on the skin.

Remedies for Teenage Acne

Some home remedies that could help with a condition of acne are: applying toothpaste on the pimple before going to bed as this helps reduce any swelling during the course of the night. However, one should make sure that the paste is not gel. You could also try applying an equal amount if lemon juice and rose water using a ball of cotton to the infected areas. Leave the solution on for about half an hour before washing it off. Try repeating this for about 15 to 20 days. Washing the face with avocado paste mixed with water is known to be a highly effective and trusted home remedy. Increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables should be incorporated into your daily diet as a healthy diet is an important cog in any home remedy for acne.

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How to Get Rid of Whiteheads on Face in Natural Way

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Whiteheads on Face

The way a person looks seems to become more and more important each day. How a person carries themselves and what care they take of their overall beauty can open more doors than ever before. Hence, it is perfectly natural for people to try and make sure they look their best at all times. Moreover, the amount of hair care and skin care products available in the market are reaching an all time peak and the amount of money that goes into research for even better products is unprecedented. Looking good is definitely a priority for many and people are able to notice the tiniest faults in a person. Issues like whiteheads that used to be considered trivial when compared to a pimple are also starting to share the limelight and become more noticed. Whiteheads and their formation aren’t really all that different. The clogging of pores by excess Sebum, which is the natural oils that helps in keeping the skin protected and are secreted by the sebaceous glands located under the layers of the skin. Even a speck of dust can cause the sebum to build up behind the blockage causing a little bump to rise on the skin. The bump will have a noticeable white speck at the top. Natural human reaction will cause a person to burst the whitehead. However, this could be the last action you would want to take as if it is infected, the infection could spread over a larger area of the skin as well, this could possibly leave a permanent scar in the area.

Home Remedies for Removing Whiteheads

Through the years, a number of home remedies have been researched and perfected in the quest to get rid of whiteheads. Here are a few that may prove useful to you:
•    Soak almonds over the course of the night and grind them to a paste in the morning. Add some honey to it and apply it to the face for about 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.

•    Exfoliate your skin by using some mild scrubbers or cleansers on your skin at least three times every week. Before using the scrubbers, try to mild steam your face as this helps remove the whiteheads easily and also helps soften the skin in the process.

•    In order to reduce the risk of getting whiteheads, drink plenty of water to make sure that your skin is detoxified. These harmful toxins increase your likelihood of whiteheads.

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