Honey – A natural lip healer

Well you all knew honey was meant to be had for such things as coughs, colds, sugar replacements, etc, but how many of you knew that it provides the perfect remedy to cracked lips (or even heels for that matter!)?

All you have to do is take a lip brush (I’ll write more on the various makeup brushes in another article) and apply a slather of natural honey on your smoochies. Get and use plain honey on your body. There are those with synthetic flavors and preservatives, but the best is to go a la natural.

Applying honey to your lips also gives them a natural sheen, just as a lip gloss would.

If you’re going to take a nap on the ground in a spot where you know there are bitsy bugs and/ or ants, I’d advise you to wait on the honey application. Otherwise though, it’s a healthy, foolproof way to care for your lips.

Some popular brands of honey are: Dabur, BeeMaid, Honeywell, Honey Gold, etc. Dabur Honey was ranked the ‘best buy’ by the CERS (Consumer Education and Research Society) after testing 17 different brands in its in-house laboratory. However, any honey sans the synthetic/ chemicals add-ons will work well.

Use it and love it. See how well it works. Watch those eyes stare at your glowing, healthy lips all day long. Smooooooooch!

Rose water - natural make-up remover

Not many people know this, but rose water is an excellent natural make-up remover for both men and women. Not only does rose water act as a perfect tonic for your skin, it is also a natural remedy for making your skin look clear, fresh and alive. Using rose water on your skin at least once a day, leaves your skin looking healthy and glowing.

All you need is a cotton ball and a few dabs of rose water. Gently dab - not rub - it onto your skin and let it work its magic. The best way to use it is right before bed. That way it has all night to sink into your skin and leave it looking fresh and pure again.

Rose water is also a great skin 'healer' from the everyday wear and tear of dust, pollution, heat, etc.

Eye care - guard against 'crow feet'

As much as this may sound like your mother giving you unsolicited advice.. ;) take care of the skin around your eyes. Treat it as gently as you can.

The skin around your eyes is the most delicate skin on your body and takes wear and tear less easily than other parts of your body. As it is less elastic than other areas of skin, it wrinkles easier and once wrinkled, only plastic surgery and extreme care can help it to look as untouched as it once was.

For you women, use cotton balls and lotion, toner or make-up remover to wipe away the cosmetic products used.

For you men, use cotton balls and facial toner to wipe away dirt, dust and any concealer or eye-liner you may be wearing.

Using cucumber helps to de-stress the eyes, but it is just a myth that it can help cure wrinkles.

Take care of your eyes and the gentle, smooth skin covering around them. They are the only pair you've got.

Stop hair fall now

Is your hair falling out? Were you one of those who used to wake up in the morning to brush your thick hair and now, thanks to your hair fall, you are reduced to waking up to seeing at least 50 strands of loose hair spread out over your pillow?

The time to stop your hair fall is now. It can be a thing of the past. Start by understanding the core root of the problem.

Why does your hair fall out?

o A common myth is that a severe case of dandruff makes your hair fall out by handfuls. This however, is a myth and not a fact. Dandruff is a condition of the scalp caused by dead skin cells being shed. This does not affect the hair to a point where it falls out in handfuls.
o An important thing to remember is that losing or ‘shedding’ upto 100 strands of hair in a day is normal. The body easily replaces the fallen hair and as such, is part of a natural process.
o It could be due to a poor intake of vitamins – namely, the vitamin B6 and folic acid which is essential for hair repair and healthy skin.
o Hair fall often occurs due a non-balanced diet.
o It can occur after a prolonged illness, constant stress or unhygienic living conditions.

Treat your hair loss the natural way

o Massage your hair daily to encourage good blood circulation below the scalp.
o Eat a vitamin rich diet.
o Eat carrots, spinach, cabbage, nuts, wheat germ, liver, etc.
o Rub lime juice on your scalp with a cotton ball and allow it to steep into your scalp at least one hour prior to washing your hair.
o Apply coconut milk on your scalp and massage at least one hour before washing your hair.
o Try changing your shampoo.
o Change your pillow case and sheet often so as to promote good hair and skin hygiene.
o Wash your hat and hair scrunchies often.
o Apply henna to your hair at least once a week.

Before not too long, with the proper hair care, you should have noticed a visible change in your hair health. Hair loss will cease, and you will be a happier, healthier person because of it.

What works for you? Do you have a secret hair care recipe that you’re willing to share with us all? We’d all love to hear it!

Soften your feet with cocoa butter

Especially in summer months and dry climates, it can be quite a feat (no puns intended) to keep your feet soft and pleasant-looking. For women who wear open shoes, and men who wear sandals, keeping your feet clean and neat can be difficult when all day the sun and dust are working against the best of your efforts.

I read an article that a friend of mine had written in which she said that she found an effective feet softener – easy to use, quick and result-friendly. She said that she applies cocoa butter to her feet at night and wears socks to keep the moisture cream from rubbing off while it works its magic. By morning, you can remove your socks and actually feel the difference in and on your feet.

I found my friend’s advice to be spot on. Needless to say, if you need this remedy for any other part on you, just make sure you remember to wear a covering that is not too loose so as not to rub off the cocoa butter moisturizing cream. If you need to cream up your legs, wear tights or stockings to help keep that moisture in place. If you need to soften your hands, wear gloves.

For those of you who have cracks on the heels of your feet that bleed or pus, you may want to try a medical path before you jump to this easy remedy right away. This works great for dry and calloused feet, but deep cracks and bleeding may require something more antiseptic till they heal up a bit more. Get your doctor’s advice.

Make-up for men - Gay? Or natural?

While searching for some tips on lip care, I came across a site called themenpen.com. My initial reaction was to laugh at the title and to write it off as not being for me, since well, I’m no he. I was about to exit the site when I read one of their taglines: “There’s nothing gay about covering up a zit when you go out!” I couldn’t have agreed more and hence my article here! 

Make-up has been largely thought of as for women. In modern times, the thought of using beauty-enhancement products on a man was seen as ‘gay’ or ‘faggish’. This largely helped to condition the international view of the fact that men should not (be allowed to) wear make-up as it is something only women do. However, I beg to disagree.

Cosmetics have been introduced for men as far as back as the early civilizations and perhaps even beyond that time. As a kid I can remember seeing Egyptian rulers in our textbooks and thinking that it was odd how they wore kajal. Reading further into that although, I found that eye makeup was probably the most characteristic of all the Egyptian cosmetic discoveries.

But why go that far away when Indian classical dancers and temple priests too, wear some type of cosmetic products to enhance their eyes, etc. 

The bottom line of it is that cosmetics for men are not unique, and are completely on par with the way things have been in the past, present, and will likely be in the future. 

So pop out those mindsets that wearing make-up is so gay, and pop into your closet a couple of simple beauty-enhancing products! A good everyday collection to have on hand is a cocoa butter chapstick (Body Shop makes a great one!), a man pen (a.k.a – concealer), and possibly a natural shade of eyeliner to add character and color to your eyes. You’ll probably only need eyeliner if you have naturally pale eyes, or faint and light eyelashes. 

I found a simple steps way for a man to wear make-up on wikihow.com. I’m adding the link here as it might be helpful for those of you using make-up for the first time. 

Here’s the link: http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Makeup-as-a-Man 

Remember that using make-up for men doesn’t make you a drag queen or a fag. It’s normal, it’s natural, and many people the world over use it. Have fun experimenting with what works for you and making yourself look as hot as you can! Cheers..