Who doesn’t want a clean and glowing skin? Every woman wants radiant, wrinkle-free skin and that’s where vitamin A comes in. Though it’s the most commonly deficient vitamin in the world today, your skin still  get its share.

Vitamin A regulates the hydration and colour of your skin. When you use vitamin A cream regularly, pigmentation granule  become more evenly distributed,  so the colour looks more uniform, even lighter. It also thickens your skin but makes it smoother, so it feels finer. And what  about  the  quality every woman desires for her skin – radiance ? Yes, it does that too.  

The Essentials of Vitamin A  
Source: Carrots, pumpkin and sweet peppers: animal products such as egg yolk, butter, cheese and fish or bovine liver oils.  
Carrots, pumpkin and sweet peppers: animal products such as egg yolk, butter, cheese and fish or bovine liver oils.  
Functions: A great regulator. Treats acne and unclogs pores. Restores blood vessels beneath the epidermis that have become frazzled by the sun. Makes the skin smoother and finer. Above all makes it look radiant and healthy. It is  said, a healthy skin has a healthy body and mind.

Skin Care this summer  

Beat the heat, this summer,”You must use a sunscreen with 20 to 30 SPF content. Most sunscreens in the market do not have the required content. Try Lotus or Lakme (Rs 50 for 60 ml), which are good”.
For those looking for medicated sunscreens there is  Melascreen (Rs 65 for 50 ml), which gives its content break-up).
Dr. Raj Parikh of Vichy Laboratories recommends a good sunscreen as the first requirement for summer care. He says, “Vichy has a product called Thermal Spa Water to handle sun allergies, burns etc. It detoxifies your skin and soothes it.”

Facewash

Facewashes help you deal with summer easily. Wash your face regularly to keep your skin fresh. There are many soap-free cleansers and face-washes.
Available in the market. Ponds (Rs 20 for 50 gms), Pears (Rs 27 for 60 gms) and Synergie (Rs 30 for 50 ml) are a few brands you could try. Among soaps Dove (Rs 43) is especially good as it cleans as well as moisturizes.
For those who like herbal soaps, Biotique offers the orange peel exfoliator soap, slmond soap for sensitive skin, Himalayan plum, basil and parsely soap (Rs 70 each).
Biotique has an Aloe Vera protective lotion for both men and women (Rs 180 for 210 ml). Shahnaz offers Shadew (Rs 270 for 40 gms) body treatment cream.
The Puretethermale range of Vichy offers a cleanser along with a toner for oily skin, a skin cleansing gel for normal  skin and cleansing milk for dry skin (Rs 470 for over 100 ml each).

Cleansers, scrubs and packs

Oily skin attracts dust. During the summer the more you clean and wash the prettier you will look. Packs, scrubs, peels and cleansers available in the market ensure that you don’t have to spend hours grinding vegetables peels or making scrubs.
Try the Ever Yuth facial peels, scrubs and packs. The orange peel (Rs 80 for 90 gms) suits all skin types. The Walnut Apricot Scrub (Rs 50 for 50 gms) cleans and exfoliates. And its cucumber, neem, mint and lemon masks (Rs 50 for 50 gms each) are ideal for dry skin.
There are local beauty parlours that specialize in aroma oil treatments and offer facewash, scrubs and cleansing milk (Rs 70 for 60 ml each). It also has an excellent sandalwood pack ( Rs 80for 60 gms), which lasts you through the summer. Its Veg Peel (Rs 100) exfoliates and removes dead skin.

Deos and talcs

Deos and anti-perspirants are an important part of bodycare during summer. There ae many prickly heat talcs in the market.
Aviance has a deo-active perfumed talc Rs 61), which is available in two variants-Triumph and Verve
Nivea has also introduced a  summer talc which is easily available. Essunsual from Modi Care (Rs 140 for 200 gms) is a good product, available at select stores.

Home remedies

Take one leaf of Aloe Vera, rub a thin layer of oil on it and wrap it in a mulmul cloth before placing it in the cooker. After one whistle, remove from gas, cool and use on your face.
Take some honey and mix a small pinch of haldi in it. Massage on your face.
Use a tomato pulp pack for normal and dry skin and cucumber pack for oily skin.
Use one part of the multani mitti and two parts of sandalwood. It’s a great home pack.

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 Hair Care

The most embarrassing of hair problems is probably dandruff or scurf because it is visible all over your shoulders if you wear a dark garment. People suffer from it for years and it is believed that nearly 75% suffer from dandruff. A survey reveals that people working in public relations (as in radio and TV) are the most sufferers. More men than women have dandruff and it strikes between the ages of 15-45 years. Yet dandruff is a scalp condition and not a skin disease.

The scientific word for dandruff is Pityriasis Simplex (Pityriasis Capitis) and it is scattered over the shoulders by scratching, brushing or combing of the hair. Dandruff is caused due to the imbalance in cell regeneration and shedding. Too many cells are formed in the uppermost layer of the scalp, which is shed onto the surface of the skin.

It is not known what causes this imbalance but there are 4 possibilities.
1. Small micro-organism.
2. High level of liquid secretion.
3. An over production of horny cells.
4. An allergic response to normal scales and may be an allergy to cosmetics, poor nutrition or stress.

There are 3 stages of dandruff.
1. It could be a minor irritation that could last a life time.
2. It could turn into a patchy scaling where the scalp reacts to the presence of scurf by secreting a fluid which causes the scales to stick to the scalp and have a yellow waxy and crusted appearance. 
3. The condition could spread to the front of the head, chest and back.

Dandruff responds well to shampoos like Head & Shoulders which can even be used daily. The dandruff treatment removes the excess scales from the scalp and hair, destroys the micro-organisms and slows down the rapid reproduction of epidermal cells in the scalp, but it should not penetrate into or harm the healthy part of the epidermis.

Dandruff treatment with a medicated shampoo should not be very frequent or it will worsen the problem and dry out the hair. Shining dandruff-free hair has its advantages-: you can wear black all the time if you wish.

You can even treat dandruff by using a mixture of coconut oil and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

Hair Care Tips

# Dry hair tends to be thin and rough. It is susceptible to tangles, damage, breakage and split ends. The primary aim is to replenish the oil and the moisture in the hair. For dry hair, scalp massaging with oil is recommended.

# Hibiscus provides herbal nourishment and refreshes every strand with rich, even colours that give long lasting results. Aloe Vera extracts protect hair while colouring.

# Using too much conditioner makes hair greasy. For oily hair, apply a light conditioner at the ends of the hair.

# Use a shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair type. Choose products that are gentle, preferably without any harsh detergent like the sulphates. For daily washes, use a shampoo that is mild, gentle and moisturising.

# The principal of care for oily hair and scalp condition is the same as used for oily skin condition. The routine aims at removing the excess oil and to exfoliate skin cells which clogs up and suffocate the hair follicles in our scalp. The emphasis is laid on cleansing and toning routines. Since the hair has to be washed as frequently as it gets dirty and oily, a natural shampoo on a formulation of herbs such as amla, shikakai, trijla is ideal. Massaging hair and scalp is important for the well being as well as good growth of the hair. For oily hair massaging with toning lotion is suitable.

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FRUITY RECEIPE FOR FAIR COMPLEXION

Fruits are a rich source of vitamin C, E and A. Vitamin A rich fruits in particular are musk melon, apple and apricots. When mashed and applied on the skin, they help to maintain a clear, bright and youthful complexion.  

Fruits rich in vitamin C like gooseberries, raspberry, strawberry, orange, guava and grapes are found in anti-ageing creams.  

Fruits face pack improve circulation. They also cleanse and tighten the skin. They allow skin to breathe more and gentler than other cosmetic face packs.  

The juice of fresh fruits and vegetables provide enzymes that help balance and cleanse the skin. Extract a fruit pulp and add it to vegetables, then add fruit pectin, agar, clay or oat flour to firm the mixture so it does not slide off the face.

Fruit face packs are also known to help erase the fine lines, stimulate the production of elasticity in the skin, which is essential for a healthy complexion.  

* A face pack of raspberries, curd and cucumber in equal quantities will give you a brighter and healthier skin.

* Apply a pack of oatmeal and strawberry, massage on the skin and leave for 15 minutes. This will give you a healthy complexion.

A pack made of four-five strawberries, one tablespoon curd and one teaspoon honey will have a bleaching effect on the skin.

Orange juice clears dark pigmentation and scars. The juice or pulp applied on the skin opens clogged pores and allows the skin to breathe. Try it as a quick remedy to freshen up your face.

Grapes brighten the complexion and exfoliate dead cells. Mash grapes and massage it on the face for 15 minutes. Wash with cold water. This remedy is also useful in removing pimples and blemishes

However, you could also try the following combination of fruits and vegetables for different types of skin.

For normal skin: Use avocado, banana, cantaloupe, grape, peach, nectarine.

For dry skin: Try apple, avocado, banana, carrot, pear, melon or nectarine.

For oily skin: Use cabbage, cucumber, lemon, pear, strawberry or tomato

For aged skin: Try apple, avocado, grape or lemon.

For blemished skin: Try apple, cabbage, grape or tomato.

Beauty Tips

# For curing acne and pimples and to give a fresh look to your skin, wash it with fresh buttermilk.

# To remove tan, mix rice flour with yoghurt and massage in on the affected area. Wash after five minutes.

# To relieve back pain, have one spoon of ajwain and gur.

# Hair Loss --- Apply a paste of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of cinnamon powder before bath for 15 mins.

# Pimples --- Apply a paste of 3 tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of cinnamon powder paste before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water.

# Upset Stomach -- Can cause a lot of skin and other problems. Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also eases stomach ulcers.

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 +Kiss-proof lipstick first hit the shelves in 1950.

+Add some diced coconut in your food. It helps avoid premature graying and hairfall.

+Weight-lifting benefits women too. Its a myth that women who lift weights will get bulky muscles.