All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Turmeric & Lemon

Turmeric and Lemon

Turmeric:

1) Take turmeric powder (haldi) and add a few drops of water and lemon juice to it. Apply it on the acne and leave it for 15 minutes before washing it off with cold water.

2) Take turmeric powder and add little cream (from the freshly boiled milk), mix well and apply on the affected area.

3) Mix turmeric powder and lemon juice – apply on the acne. This helps to clear the acne fast.

4) Turmeric as curcumin a compound that helps the body in many ways. Turmeric powder can be mixed in any kind of homemade facial pack but it works best when mixed with honey, lemon, curd, milk and oatmeal. A paste of turmeric and coriander juice has also proven to be impressive in curing acne.

Lemon:

1) Blackheads respond well to lemon juice, a substance with wonderful astringent properties. Rub lemon juice over blemished skin before going to bed and rinse with cool water in the morning. After a couple of days, you should see definite results.

2) Mix lemon juice and turmeric powder – apply on the acne. This helps to clear the acne.

Image credits;

Turmeric: Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay  (Free for commercial use)

Lemong: Image by Pexels from Pixabay  (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: March 8, 2021
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Aloe Vera, Cucumber & Carrot

Aloe Vera, Cucumber & Carrot

Aloe vera :

Rubbing Aloe vera juice on cysts may help speed up the healing process. Take your Aloe Vera plant and choose a thicker stem with less white spots. Cut the leaf at the base of the plant with a knife. Wash the leaf under running water. Squeeze out as much juice as possible into a bowl. Place the leaf on a chopping board and remove the cactus-like edges using a knife. Slice through the center of the aloe between the skin to separate it into two parts. Use a spoon to scrape out the aloe gel from each piece and put it in the bowl. Mash the Aloe Vera gel with two to three drops of lemon juice. Apply the Aloe Vera mask on the face and neck and massage lightly, avoiding the eyes. Let it sit on your skin for 15-20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Pat your skin dry with a towel and apply moisturizer. Store rest of the mask in refrigerator.  Apply this mask 3 times a week to get clear face.

Cucumber & Carrot:

Cucumber:  You will find cucumber toners in most expensive lines of skin care products. Cucumber extract soothes skin and helps dry out acne. Juice a cucumber and apply it to your blemishes with a cotton ball. After 15 minutes, rinse your face with cool water.

Carrot: Carrot mask is helpful in lessening the pigmentation and in brightening the skin complexion. Carotenoid content makes it effective skin nutrient. Paste of carrot pulp can be prepared by adding lemon juice and pure honey. Apply this paste over affected area and slightly massage for few seconds. Leave it to dry and wash the affected area after about 30 minutes with water. Repeat this for a week to get beautiful and glowing acne free skin.

Image credit:

Aloe:Image by Дмитрий Дмитрий from Pixabay

Carrot/cucumber: Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Mustard and Garlic

Mustard and Garlic

Mustard:

Mustard contains natural salicylic acid which does wonders for pimples and acne. Nevertheless, mustard also has plenty of vitamin C, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and zinc, all of which are great for the skin.

Add about 1/8 of a tsp mustard powder to 1 tsp unfiltered honey and stir well. Use this as a tiny little pimple mask. Wash it off after about 15 minutes. Repeat this for few days till you feel better.

Garlic:

This miracle food has many benefits.  Even though it is stinky, it is packed with antimicrobial and healing properties.  Cut garlic, take that little amount of juice (sticky), apply on your pimple, and leave it for half an hour to one hour. Wash the face thoroughly using warm water and apply facial soap to get rid of the stinky odor. You can see the results within few weeks.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_Mustard_Seed_(Close).jpg

Dsaikia2015, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Image by Matthias Böckel from Pixabay  (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Vinegar & Fuller's Earth (Multani Mitti)

Vinegar and Fuller’s Earth (Multani Mitti)

Vinegar:

Vinegar is a mild acne home remedy; it has a mild acid that cleans the affected area, reducing bacterial levels. Apply apple cider vinegar with cotton swab and allow to stand for 10 minutes before removing with a mild soap.

Put in a jar a sprig of rosemary and cover with vinegar, when vinegar becomes green as a tonic, apply on the affected area – do not leave this on your face too long.

Fuller’s earth (multani mitti):

Soil or mitti is another great ingredient to get rid of pimples and oil from the face. Mix some rose water in multani mitti and apply it evenly on the face. Allow it to dry and then wash it off and pat dry your face.

Image credit:

Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay (Vinegar-Free for commercial use)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multani_Mitti.jpg

Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Take care of your face

Taking care of face that has acne

1. Cleanliness: Cleaning your face by washing it in warm salty water will leave it oil-free without aggravating the acne. Use good facial soap – ask your doctor.

2. Diet: A healthy diet acts as a natural acne home remedy. Include fresh fruits and vegetables, at least five servings a day, in your diet. Drink detoxifying juice that helps to get rid of the toxins from the body. This helps the skin to recover.

3. Drinks: Drinking lots of water generally prevents most skin problems. Water is a universal drink that is needed by every cell. Replace the fatty food with good amount of water every day.

4. Exercise: Regular exercise, which may include some form of aerobics, generally helps bring oxygen to your cells and gives you a healthy skin. Try yoga that removes the stress from your mind and body. Stress often causes allergic pimples.

5. Ice: Icing down acne lessens the swelling noticeably. Apply ice on the big pimple area before it develops the head. This will slowly reduce swelling and reduces the size of the pimples.

Remember: Resist the temptation to squeeze an acne cyst, as you will only increase your chances of suffering a deeper infection and painful inflammation. Additionally, the scars left behind are oftentimes irreversible.

Image credit:

Face wash: https://www.flickr.com/photos/31403417@N00/ (CC by 3.0)

Drinking water: https://pixy.org/87802/ (CC by 0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Healthier women

7 Tips to be A Healthier Woman

On this Women’s Day we all must take some time to think about how to take care of ourselves. Because while caring for others, we often neglect our health. This is the only body that we have, and we must protect it. If not, we will be failing to do justice to our own body and end up sick at old age.

How to be healthy and fit at any age?

  1. Be on regular on your health checkup: Understand what health check ups need to be done for woman. Talk to your physician. Make appointment and understand how your body is performing and it is good to know how your health is.
  2. Look at your diet: Eating right is one way to achieve good health. Eating right means -Limit foods that are high in salt and sugar. Keep an eye on your calorie intake and carbohydrate consumption. Consume fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods. Avoid trans-fats, limit alcohol consumption. Stop smoking to keep lungs active.
  3. Physical activity is a must: Don’t sit and be a lazy person! Expert advice, to maintain overall health in good condition, everyday one should be active for minimum 3 hrs. Daily exercise should be part of your routine. You can spread the activity over a day. Attending to housework, going for walk, gym – these are all considered physical activities.
  4. Sleep should be your priority: You must know how much your body need rest. Sleep deprivation causes severe illness. Follow a regular pattern with sleep cycle. Avoid bright screen, TV watching at late night. Most women need seven to nine hours sleep everyday.
  5. Focus on your overall wellness: Stress can cause more harm for the body. A healthy mind is essential to support healthy body. When you are stressed count your blessings and positive aspects of your life. Practice guided breathing, meditation, and yoga. All these three are excellent choices for healthy mind.
  6. Learn to say no, I can’t: We all have limitations. If someone wants something from you and if you are unable to fulfill or attend to others needs, say No. You don’t need to please all the people that are in your life. Being able to attend to your priorities is essential for your happiness and peace of mind.
  7. Take up a hobby, escape from monotony: Keep yourself engaged in some activity. Do something that you love. You may have hidden talents. If you don’t have one, try to develop hobbies. Hobbies are best way to express your creativity. This will give you a sense of achievement and joy.

Women are nurturers and caregivers.  If we don’t take care of ourselves, we cannot attend to others. In addition, as we age, we our immunity changes and body slow down. If we think we are going to live longer and be independent, then we must give attention to our health and being healthy should be our top priority.

Image credit: Image by Melissa Angela Flor from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Teenage Acne Problems: Try Grandma's Remedies

Acne Problem? Try Grandma’s Remedies

Majority of humans go through this during teenage life – Acne! More than 80% of teenagers face this problem. We try hard to get rid of pimples/ acne. Some effort s may help or may not. Sometimes knowingly, unknowingly we try to squeeze and remove pimples. It can leave permanent mark on the face. Acne or pimple is a common issue and can happen to anybody, sometimes adults also face this problem. There is no need to feel shy or awkward about it. This should not stop us from going with day-to-day life.

Acne is an infection of the skin, caused by changes in the sebaceous glands. As mentioned, this annoying condition of the adolescent years can follow you into the middle age and beyond. While the most common form of acne is called acne vulgaris, which means common acne, there are also other types of acne and acne-related skin diseases like: Acne fulminous, Acne medicamentosa, Chloracne, Rosacea

The most common places for acne to happen are: face, back, chest and shoulders. Acne has a variety of symptoms – pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. However, their cause remains common, that is, clogging of the skin pores that result in the eruption of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions. There can be many reasons for getting this condition, the main one being heredity.

Next few slides give good remedies and care for the acne problem in teenagers:

Image credit: Image by Ernesto Eslava from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Taking care of face that has acne: Click to read more

Take care of your face

Red sandalwood & Besan powder: Click to read more

Red Sandalwood & Besan Powder

Turmeric and Lemon: Click to read more

Turmeric & Lemon

Aloe Vera, Cucumber & Carrot: Click to read more

Aloe Vera, Cucumber & Carrot

Mustard and Garlic: Click to read more

Mustard and Garlic

Vinegar and Fuller’s Earth (Multani Mitti): Click to read more

Vinegar & Fuller's Earth (Multani Mitti)

References:

  1. http://www.grandmashomeremedies.com/
  2. http://www.natural-homeremedies.com/homeremedies_acne.htm
  3. http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/gourmet/recipe/grandma-s-tips_281.htm
Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Half moon pose

Improve Balance and Coordination by practicing Half moon pose

Half moon pose is a balancing intermediate pose for yogis. It is known as Ardha Chandrasana Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) (are-dah chan-DRAHS-ana)  ardha = half chandra = Moon

Benefits of Half moon pose are several as it involves entire body as well as mind focusing.  

•Strengthens the abdomen, ankles, thighs, buttocks, and elongates the spine

•Stretches hamstrings and calves

•Opens the shoulders and chest

•Helps to relieve stress and anxiety

•By toning lumbar and sacral part it helps relieves backache

•Relieves fatigue, indigestion, menstrual pain and improves digestion.

•Improves blood circulation in the body

•Improves coordination & balance

Contraindications:

•Chronic fatigue syndrome or tiredness, strain on eyes

• For those who suffer from hypertension- should not look at raised hand. Instead focus front or look straight ahead.

•Aligning neck with back is important or else it can result in strain on neck.

How to perform Half moon pose? One can use block to help in balancing the body.

1. Start the pose with traiangle or trikonasana pose.

2. If you are using block, then bring block forward on the floor, placing the inner edge about 12 inches in front of the pinky-toe.

3. Focus straight and exhale, Straighten the standing leg as you raise the back leg to hip level. Inhale, lengthen the heart forward as you open and stack the hips one on top of the other. Don’t lock the standing knee. Have slight bent in the standing knee.

4. Open the chest to side wall. If you need more challenge, extend the top arm to celling and slowly turn gaze towards extended hand.

5. Imagine energy flow from the arch of standing foot that moves along the standing leg, groin, abdomen, chest and inner eye. Lengthen from top of the crown to back extended heel.

6. After 3 to 5 breahts, exhale and lower the legs. To acquire normal position (thadasana), come out of the half moon shape and slowly bring the legs to normal position.

Modifications: Using prop in yoga is for achieving balance as well as to get familiar with new poses. Use block if you are new to Half-moon pose or yoga poses. Use a wall and slowly strengthen and stretch the leg parallel to the floor. Using wall is a good idea for yogis who have hard time to get into balancing poses. Pressure of the raised heel against wall with help to maintain balance.  If you are looking for some more challenge, then raise the lower hand away from floor and rest it on the thigh.

Image credit: Photo by Alexy Almond from Pexels (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: March 5, 2021
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