Sunday, September 21, 2008

Nutrition during summer


Add juicy and colourful vegetables to your diet this summer.
  • Fruits and vegetables help prevent against sun damage and are rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
  • Fruits like watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe and orange are light and rich in vitamins also giving you the feel of coolness after eating.
  • Vegetables rich in antioxidants like broccoli, beetroot and carrot help preventing against sun damage.
  • One must also drink plenty of fluids, like water, lime juice, lassi, iced tea and watermelon juice as they cool the body. They keep flush toxins and keeps the body cool.
  • Eating foods rich in protien like fish and yoghurt lentils also help against the damage caused by the sun.
  • Reduce foods that are heaty and cause heat boils like fried food.
  • Caffeine also dehydrates the system and should be consumed in moderation.
  • Lunch can always be a light salad with a sandwich.

Eye care


The eyes really come under stress during summer. They feel dry and irritated, and sometimes have a burning sensation. To safeguard them from the traumatic heat and sun wear, good quality glasses with a SPF guard is essential.
  • Make sure the glasses are large enough to cover the whole eye area.
  • Cool your eyes by placing cotton soaked in iced mint tea.
  • Choose rap-around styles so that sun rays cannot enter from sides.
  • Contact lense don't provide complete UV protection.
  • The sun rays can still be harsh on cloudy and hazy days.
  • UV light can be more intense at higher altitudes.
  • Never look directly at the sun.
  • Try to keep yourself out of sun between 10 a.m and 2 a.m, when the sun's UV rays are the strongest.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Hair Care


Taking care of your hair this summer is essential. The harmful effects of heat make it imperative fpr you to do so. Make sure you use a good conditioner that will prevent your hair from looking dry and brittle.
  • Wash your hair regularly to prevent it from looking oily. Using a shampoo that brings your hair to its normal PH balance is a good idea.
  • If you go swimming, make sure you wear a cap to avoid the hair from getting damaged by chlorine.
  • Leaving some conditioner on the lenghts of the hair before putting the cap is a great idea and will help protect against damage.
  • A good investment is going deep conditioning treatments at salons. This will make sure your hair looks luscious throughout the summer months.
  • Put the shine back into your hair by rinsing with a mug of cool water mixed with one teaspoon of cider vinegar.

Summer skin care


Washing your face regularly with a face wash that suits your skin is essential to prevent it from looking oily. The following home made recipes will keep your skin looking fresh, clean and glowing.


  • TONER - A mixture of rose water and cucumber juice is a great refreshing toner that can be applied to de-oil the face regularly. Refridgerate the toner to avoid it from getting spoiled. Carry a bottle with the above toner. Or, spray your face regularly with cold water during the summer heat.

  • A mixture of neem, sandalwood and rose water with a bit of mint is a great cooling face pack and helps against acne and blemishes.

  • Oats, yoghurt and abit of fresh strawberry juice is a great conbination for dry skin.

  • Investing a broad sunblock with SP 50 is essential and should be applied about 20 minutes before leaving your house in the morning.

  • Exfoliation is great for the skin during summer because it keeps the skin looking fresh as it gets rid of all the excess oil.

  • Exfoliate your body to get rid of excess oil and dirt. It makes the skin look healthy and glowy. Mix sugar, salt, oats and almond oil, and use this to exfoilate the skin about twice a week.
  • To remove a tan, yoghurt mixed with lime juice is a great home remedy. These ingredients can also be added to the sugar and salt body exfoliation recipe.
  • Adding chamomile tea to your bath water helps to soothe the hair and skin.