All posts by Sumana Rao

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Natural Remedies for Sinus Problems

Natural Home Remedies for Cold, Congestion and Sinus Problems

The fall, winter and cold seasons are in front of us. Change in weather acts on our body various ways.  People generally suffer from cold, cough, congestion and eventually sinus infections because of the exposure of body to cold conditions. How to reduce these conditions natural way – Let us see…

When your nasal passages become infected, that is a sinus infection. In addition, they’re harder to get rid of. Viruses, bacteria, or even allergies can lead to sinus infections. There are two types of sinus infections: acute and chronic.  Acute sinusitis can last for up to four weeks while chronic sinusitis can last for more than three months, and even persist for years. The most common triggers for sinus infection are the common cold, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), nasal polyps, dust and pollen allergies. Typical signs and symptoms of sinusitis include; facial pressure and pain, nasal discharge and/or stuffiness, cough, headache, and loss of taste and smell. Many herbs and spices are worthy natural remedies for sinus infection and cold.  Some sinus, cold and congestion natural remedies are listed below:

Turmeric: Turmeric contains a potent anti-inflammatory substance called curcumin. Curcumin does not just reduce the swelling and symptoms of your sinusitis quite quickly, it also gives your immune system a powerful and welcome boost. You can make turmeric smoothie or mix turmeric powder in warm milk -boil and drink with little sugar.

Turmeric Milk: Add Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp , Pepper powder – 1/8 tsp, Honey -1 tsp or palm jaggery to water and boil.  When it starts to boil, stir in a cup of milk and boil it. Remove from heat, add a tsp of honey and drink it a little hot. It can be had 2 times a day until you get relief.

Garlic: Garlic is still one of nature’s best antibiotics and as a home remedy for sinus infection, it works a real treat. Garlic contains allicin, a substance that is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal in nature. Therefore, whatever infections you have going on in  nasal cavities, garlic will clear them up quickly. Just make sure you eat fresh garlic (2-3 bulbs) by either cutting them up and taking with water or crushing them up and adding to your smoothie. Use garlic in soups and daily in the cooking as much as you can.

Soak 3-4 garlic cloves in water for 20 minutes and make paste by crushing the cloves. Inhale the vapors from the garlic paste to get relief from sinuses.

Camphor, garlic, eucalyptus oil: Add crushed garlic cloves to one-ounce eucalyptus oil and add one camphor. Leave it for half an hour and filter the oil to clean bottle. Take a drop of this oil in hand and inhale the oil. This helps to clear the sinuses.

Oregano oil:  Even though little expensive oregano oil is excellent to get rid of sinuses condition. It works better than any other treatments.

There are two ways to use this oil.  Place a drop or two of the oil under the tongue; do not worry about the taste. Do this 2-3 times daily. The second way is to use it as a vapor relief. Put few drops of oregano oil to  steaming water pot. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the pot, breathing in the vapors through your nose and repeat this few times to get relief.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon has been in use for many conditions from centuries and particularly to treat respiratory problems such as nasal congestion and sore throat. Cinnamon is also terrific for breaking up and removing mucous from the sinuses. Mix ½-1 teaspoon of cinnamon with 1 teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm water or add it to your smoothie.

Onions and Horseradish: Both of these are very good home remedies for sinus infection. They are both high in sulphur and contain strong antibiotic, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties. Be sure to use them in your cooking, especially soups, as much as you can. Also try chopping up a couple of small slices of onion and gently place them up your nostrils. Start breathing deeply and your nose will be clear in a few minutes.

Ginger: Another great folk home remedy for colds and flu and sinus problems. Ginger is anti-mucous and anti-inflammatory in nature and boosts the immune system quite powerfully. Use it in your cooking and make yourself a nice hot lemon and ginger tea for extra benefit and relief from your sinusitis.

Steam the room: Add a vaporizer in the room. It helps to add the required moisture to the nasal tract  which reduces the breathing difficulty associated with chest congestion. 

Khashayam: Take whole black pepper – 1 tsp,  cumin seeds – 1 tsp and Holy basil leaves (tulsi)- 4-5. Dry roast cumin and pepper on medium heat until it splutters. Add a cup of water and tulsi leaves. Let it boil on medium heat until it reduces to half. Drink it hot 2 times a day until symptom subsides.

Rasam: Prepare hot rasam. Have like soup or with hot rice. It helps to reduce cold nd congestion. Best is Garlic rasam or lemon rasam . To little ghee or oil add 1tsp crushed pepper, 1 tsp.cumin seeds, 1 inch grated ginger, asafoetida and few mustard seeds. Add crushed 4-5 garlic cloves. Allow it to cool and to this slowly add water followed by turmeric and salt. Boil and turn off the heat. Add lemon juice and drink.

References:

Image courtesy: Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: November 14, 2017
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Namaste or Anjali Mudraa

Namaste and Anjali Mudra

Namaste is a sacred gesture often used by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and other religions. It is a day-to-day greeting gesture of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and many other countries. Namaste is also revered within meditation and yoga classes, and it is being embraced far beyond its South Asian origins.

Unfortunately, this posture of prayer is often done without conscious thought or mind-fullness. People often use this gesture without knowing the meaning of it.

Namaste or Namaskara means:
• The divine light in me acknowledges the divine light in you.
• I bow to the God in you while respecting my God.
• I honor the spirit in you and the spirit in me.
• The divine wisdom in me recognizes and acknowledges the divine wisdom in you.

Namaskar is translated from ‘namoh’ and ‘sanskar’ translating loosely into English as “I bow to godly/good qualities within you,’ .

Both Namaste and Anjali mudra are performed by pressing the palms of the hands. When we say Namaste or Namaskara -it is usually performed during greeting the other person or during pranam by pressing palms on heart chakra and bowing head. Namaste honors the light, goodness, or divine of the other person. Namaste is not the same as saying “hello”. This gesture is used in India and Nepal for both greetings and farewells while carrying a deeper and more significance than a simple hello or goodbye. The joining of the two palms can also be taken as the coming together of the right and left hemispheres of the brain representing the unification.

Mudra means seal or sign. The translation or the meaning of the phrase “Anjali Mudra” is “salutation seal” or a “greeting seal”. The word Anjali means a gesture of reverence, benediction, and salutation.

Anjali mudra honors the Sat (sa-The) Guru which would be the inner teacher – that light or divine within. Anjali Mudra most openly translates for the uninitiated into a simple symbol for reverence, benediction or celebration. However, it is secretly a request or declaration for the opening of the seal of self or heart. Anjali mudra is performed by pressing the palms of the hands together. The fingers are together with fingertips pointing up. The hands are pressed together firmly and evenly. In the most common form of anjali mudra, the hands are held at the heart chakra with thumbs resting lightly against the sternum. Anjali mudra is also known as Namaste mudra or Prayer mudra.

Krishnamacharya defines Anjali mudra as: This gesture signifies the potential for an intention to progress to greatest spiritual awakening. When done properly the palms are not flat against each other; the knuckles at the base of the fingers are bent a little, creating space between the palms and fingers of the two hands resembling a flower yet to open, symbolizing the opening of our hearts.

The benefit of practicing Anjali Mudra: It is an excellent way to induce a meditative state of awareness. Use Anjali mudra to start your meditation. One can use Anjali mudra in different way during other yoga postures to connect body and soul during yoga practice. Not only during the opening and closing of the class but it can also be applied to some other postures. Some of the yoga postures where one can use this mudra are: anjaneyasana (lunge) – with arms overhead, hanumanasana (monkey pose), malasana (garland pose), matsyasana (fish pose), prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward bend) -, tadasana/samasthiti (mountain pose) , Urdhva Hastasana (upward salute/extended mountain pose), virabhadrasana I (warrior I), vrksasana (tree pose).

In fact, Hindu God Hanuman’s statues are mostly exhibits God in Anjali mudra. Lord Hanuman himself is a devotee of Lord Sri Ram. One can see in Hindu temples Hanuman’s statues with palms together, closed eyes in a prayer pose with humbleness, dedication and bhakti. By doing namaskara we respect not only others but ourselves too.

Namaste:

  • With all the power of my arms,
  • With all the intelligence of my mind,
  • With all the love of my heart,
  • I honor and respect
  • The soul, spirit, beauty, light, power – within me.
  • Namaste

Image courtesy: http://itsallabouti.info/

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: November 13, 2017
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Do you wear hair bands

Are you wearing hair bands?

Sometimes we see hair entangling in hair bands and hair loss. This is because women put a lot of stress on their hair. Stress of tying the hair using hair bands or similar such accessories causes  strain and eventually damages the hair. Ponytails, parting hair or updos all cause some sort of stress to hair root and results in hair loss over time.

Here are some suggestions how to take care of hair when one use hair bands.

  • Never pull your hair too tightly back from your face: Over time this will put a strain on the finer hair around the front hairline and make it go thinner and become weak.
  • When you use a hair band/elastic, don’t wrap it around the hair so tightly: A good hair band will keep your hair in place without pulling.
  • Pulling hair band out of hair: The wrong band will snag hair and pull any damaged strands out with it. Choose a hair band that has no metal fasteners, is made of silicone, or is made of a no snag material.
  • Do not use accessories that are not meant for hair tying: Often people use items like regular rubber bands that aren’t meant for hair, causing breakage. Also, pulling the hair back too tightly can put too much tension on the hair, ultimately causing traction alopecia which could result in permanent hair loss.
  • Do not tie the a bun or top knot when hair is wet using hair band and do not tie wet hair when you go to sleep. Allow the hair to follow naturally on the pillow or bed.
  • Allow your hair to rest and play up your natural texture: Hair rest means includes avoiding pulling your hair up with tight elastics and holders. Wearing your ponytail in the same place can cause hair strands to weaken. It is the same type of damage you often associate with daily hot tool use.

How to avoid headaches associated with hair bands?

Most of the time, discomfort is caused by the headband fitting too snugly on the head. Headbands are meant to be fashionable and comfortable accessories that make our lives easier when it comes to styling our hair. The reason many women find headbands uncomfortable is that these hair accessories usually put pressure on sensitive spots right behind the ears, sometimes even leading to headaches . Wearing a too tight headband or ponytail can cause headaches that can radiant to your neck or shoulders. The tightness of your headband can put strain on your muscles and skin under your scalp, causing pain. If you wear headbands all the time, usually your head becomes used to this external pressure, but if you only wear headbands for special occasions, your scalp may be unfamiliar with the bands which further leads to discomfort.  Few suggestions to avoid headache associated with hair bands wearing…

  • The type of fabric you choose for a headband does have an effect. Wear silk or elastic headband. Hard, plastic headbands will be harder on your scalp than a scarf or turban style head piece. It is still a really practical way to keep your hair in place, without discomfort. In addition, there are so many different styles and patterns that you will never run out of options.
  • If plastic headband bother you too much, opt for a stretchy band that still holds your hair in place, but doesn’t put as much pressure right behind your ears. After time, these elastic headbands will stretch, giving you a looser fit.
  • Similarly, adding cushion will help to avoid headache. Cushion means, try putting some cotton or fabric on the ends to create space between your head and the hair band. It may not look pretty, but if you wear your hair down, no one will even be able to notice. This will soften the impact the headband has on your head, reducing the pain.
  • Do not wear hair bands for more than 8 hours. Even if you do not get headaches from wearing headbands, you should still only wear them for 8 hours. Putting pressure on your head for too long will ultimately cause a headache. Remove hair band while working (if it is allowed) and also before going to bed.
  • If you workout and sweat a lot, after work out leave the hair loose, do not tie with band. Tying sweat, wet hair causes headache.

Image courtesy: Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash
References:

  1. https://www.aad.org
  2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
  3. http://stylecaster.com/
Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

Early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in 1983. Alzheimer is memory loss that disturbs and disrupts daily life.

Person who suffers from Alzheimer disease will face a slow decline in memory.

The ten early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s are follows.

This checklist can help both patient and family to understand what is going on with the person and while discussing with doctor.

  1. Memory loss that disrupts day to day life: One of the most common signs of this disease is forgetting recently learned information. Person will forget dates, events and will ask for the information over and over. Will seek help of memory aids and family members for tasks that they used to do on their own.
  2. Planning and solving problems challenge: Ability to develop or plan on task and work with number becomes difficult. Will forget monthly bill numbers and concentration reduces. Making mistakes becomes often.
  3. Challenge with familiar tasks: Forgetting daily tasks, trouble driving to familiar location, managing budget or remembering familiar rules. Occasionally needing help to use the settings on a microwave or to record a television show.
  4. Confusion with time or place: Losing track of dates, season and passage of time. Trouble in understanding why things are not happening immediately. Sometimes might forget where they are.
  5. Vision related problems: For some patients, difficulty in reading, judging distance and color determination or contrast can be painful. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships is also a sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
  6. Problems in communication: Person may stop in the middle of the conversation as they have no idea what is the conversation about and may repeat themselves. Vocabulary problem – finding right words or calling wrong names, addressing wrong person can happen.
  7. Misplacing things and forgetting: Keeping things in places where they cannot remember and finding it difficult to digest that they have forgotten is a symptom too.
  8. Poor or decreased judgment: Understanding situation, what is going on and who people are or dealing with money can be difficult.
  9. Withdrawal from social activities: No interest in hobbies, social activities as they find it difficult to remember things around them. They may not want to take work projects and not participating in sports or events.
  10. Change in mood and personality: Confused, suspicious, fearful, depressed, anxious and not believing in people are changes one can see. They will get upset if they are in places where it does not give them familiarity and comfort. They may start approaching things in a different way and can be irritable when things get disrupted.

All these symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. What we need to keep in mind is; Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.

The risk factor is of course the age – 65 and older people suffer more with Alzheimer’s.

However, it is not just restricted to old age. Do you know? The fact is, approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease and it is called early-onset Alzheimer’s.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, you are not alone. There are sources that can help to assist you and your family with Alzheimer’s. Contact your doctor and find out how to get help.

Visit:

Image credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: November 2, 2017
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child nail care

Teach children how to take care of nails

Children have a habit of biting nails and it is a habit which we see in most children.

This is unhealthy habit and can lead to stomach infection, wound in nails, stomach ache etc.

Teaching child why and how to keep nail clean and healthy is important.

Nail care tips are here to teach:

Short nails stay cleaner:

If your child cannot handle nail cutter/ nail clipper, an adult should help child to trim the nails and this avoids any injury. After age 9 or 10, teach them how to handle nail cutter. Teach them how to trim nails. For babies, trim nails using special scissors.

  • Trim nails after bath or shower. Nails are softer after a bath.
  • Don’t use regular scissor to trim nails
  • Cut fingernails almost straight across. To keep nails strong, round a little at the corner. This will not damage nails.
  • To avoid ingrown nail of toenails, cut toenails straight across
  • Use a nail file to smooth edges. If not, skin can get scratches or nail may entangle threads causing wounds. Pull the file across in same direction, avoid going back and forth.
  • Don’t touch cuticle or push back cuticle as cuticle protect nail root.
  1. After washing hands, dry the hands well. Use sanitizer if water is not available after using toilet.
  2. Use lotion and rub on fingernails to keep them moisturized. If not, dry nail will split easily. After washing hands in the morning and night apply the moisturizer.
  3. If the nail is hanging, trim it as soon as possible. It can cause infection. Don’t bite the nails.
  4. Get to know about the nail polish remover brand (without acetone) that you use and limit its use twice a month. Nail polish harms cuticle and dries the nail fast.
  5. Foods: Eat protein, calcium and Vitamin B7 rich foods – walnuts, almonds, lentils, dairy products helps to get stronger and healthy nails.
  6. Toenails: Toenails care is as important as fingernails. Children most time play in the ground and meet soil or mud. If the toenail is hanging and if the trip it can cause serious injuries.
  • Cramped toes can lead to painful ingrown toenails. When buying shoes make sure toes have space to wiggle. Confirm with your child about the comfortability of shoes.
  • Teach child to wear fresh socks almost every day. Socks can harbor lot of bacteria and fungus that can cause nail infection.
  • If summer, tell them to wear flip-flop when going outside in public places or stepping ourside house. It is better to wear shoes/flip flops when visiting beaches, pools, locker rooms, public toilets etc.

More importantly, parents should be a role model for kids. Make sure you also trim your nails and show them how it feels good, comfortable and clean when we keep nails clean. It is a healthy and critical habit. Check nails of your children for dark streak, infection, yellow nails etc. If you find any of these symptoms contact your doctor.

Reference:

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: November 1, 2017
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Halloween Safety

Halloween Safety

October means Halloween fun for kids who celebrate the ghost day with enthusiasm and fun. Kids would love to wear best costume and get all those candies to fill their basket/bucket. Parents accompany toddlers and young children while they visit the neighborhood houses on a designated day.

However there are teen kids who would love to go out in costume slash parents. Parents should be cautious while stepping out with children or sending out children to walk through the community.

Children might get hurt or face risk of injury when they wear certain costume and their behavior can also put them under risk when they step out in dark. Fact is that children are more than twice as likely to be hit by an automobile and dye than any other day of the year.

Parents must guide children and instruct them how to be safe during Trick or Treat.

  1. Decorate costumes, buckets, baskets with reflective stickers or tape. Choose light colored stickers and tape.
  2. If kids prefer makeup apply nontoxic pain on child’s face or arms.
  3. Costume should be of right size for kids – if not they may trip and fall
  4. While using masks make sure their vision is proper and clear
  5. If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child’s costume, make sure it is not sharp or long to avoid getting hurt, trip or fall.
  6. Children under the age 13 should not be alone at night and must be accompanied by adults.
  7. For those children who would like to go out with friends, tell them to stick to familiar areas around your home and stick to the timings – generally between 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  8. If strangers offer treats on side walk or on roads – kids should not accept it.
  9. Once they bring back their treat, go through the treats to make sure there is nothing unusual stuffs in the treat.
  10. Tell your child to take precautions while crossing roads -to: look for cars, use reflective gear, walk with a group, and carry a flash light.

Other Points to remind your young adults:

  • Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
  • Remember reflective tape for costumes and trick-or-treat bags.
  • Carry a cellphone for quick communication.
  • Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
  • If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
  • Never cut across yards or use alleys.
  • Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
  • Don’t assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn’t mean others will!
  • Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

CDC- Center for Disease Control has provided “SAFE HALLOWEEN” tips to make sure kids are healthy and safe.

S: Swords, knives, and other costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.

A: Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.

F: Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.

E: Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.

H: Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. WALK and don’t run from house to house.

A: Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.

L: Look both ways before crossing the street. Use crosswalks wherever possible.

L: Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.

O:Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.

W: Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.

E: Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.

E: Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses. Never accept rides from strangers.

N: Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

How to make it healthy treat for kids?

A good meal or early supper before the parties and trick-or -treat will discourage them filling up their treats.

  • Buy small size treats and add few non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
  • As mentioned above, examine your child’s treat closely. There might be spoiled, suspicious, unwrapped treats. If you are not convinced then take control and throw it away.
  • Try to ration treats for next several days.

Parents! If you are hosting a party for kids and adults take following precautions:

  •  Provide healthier treats for trick-or-treaters such as low-calorie treats and drinks. For guests, offer a variety of fruits and vegetables.
  • Use party games and trick-or-treat time as an opportunity for kids to get their daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity.
  • Be sure walking areas and stairs are well-lit and free of obstacles that could cause someone to fall.
  • Keep candle-lit jack o’lanterns and luminaries away from doorsteps, walkways, landings, and curtains. Place them on sturdy tables, keep them out of the reach of pets and small children, and never leave them unattended.
  • Remind drivers to watch out for trick-or-treaters and to drive safely.

Follow above safety tips to make the festivities fun and safe for everyone.

.

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov
  2. https://www.aap.org

Image credit: Photo by Alexandru Georgescu from Pexels (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: October 26, 2017
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When should you wash your clothes?

When should you wash your clothes?

We all have that habit – sniffing and wearing clothes.

Sniffing may give you satisfaction of smelling deodorant that is sitting in your shirt but it won’t tell you how dirty is your cloth.

When should you wash your clothes? It is better to wash clothes as per the fabric and as often as it needs.

Here are recommendations –

  1. Dress and office pants: Wash after 6 wears- Generally dress pants are worn for office and party occasions. They are made of synthetic blend material. Don’t need to wash them everyday. Wash after 6 wears.
  2. White clothes: After every and each wear – To retain the white color of the cloth one need to wash white clothes often. If not, color will change to yellow and looks dirty.
  3. Winter clothes:
  • Gloves, scarves and hats: In a season minimum 4 times. Because they will collect oil from hair, facial oil and make up. Gloves get dirty easily as we wear them whenever we stepout during cold season.
  • Sweater: Every 3 wears – Sweaters absorb sweat and dirt. Sometimes we wear them inside our winter jacket. This retains more sweat inside the sweater.
  • Synthetic jacket: Once every 6 wears – Dirt, sweat and exposure to outside conditions makes them dirty easily (snow removal, leaf removal or car wash during winter). Most synthetic jackets can be washed in washing machine in and out. Inner linings can be removed and washed separate.
  • Leather jacket: Never or may be once in a season. If you are a fan of leather jacket and have one, try not to wash leather jacket because they are extremely resilient and meet your skin.
  • Socks: Wash them often. Socks after every wear should be washed and dried. Keep extra pair of socks always.
  1. Leggings and meditation yoga pants: Wash them every 2 wears or alternate days. Depending on how often you exercise you can decide. Often wearing yoga pants causes sweating and they also absorb sweat.
  2. Swimsuits: After your every wear – considered similar to undergarments, must wash them after every wear to protect hygiene.
  3. Undergarments: Underwear: Wash everyday.  No explanation needed – it is critical and important.
  4.  Bras : can be worn 2-3 times before washing. Give your bra a rest day in between. This will give elastic a chance to regain its shape.
  5. Regular shirts and T-shirts: After every wear. If you are planning to wear them without washing – test before wearing. Body odor and sweat odor can come out from the shirts which you may not able to recognize after wearing. Shirts absorb sweat easily as shirts are primary contact of the arm pit and body.
  6. Pajamas : Every 3 wears is fine. If it is cold at night you might not sweat. If you sweat while sleeping and wearing pajamas then you may have to think of washing pajamas next day.
  7. Jeans: After every 5 wears. Washing jeans every time can only harm and stretch the jeans a lot. When you wash jeans use cold water to retain the color and freshness of the jeans.
  8. Bath towel : Once or twice a week. Depends on how much your body sweating, how much you are exercising or doing physical work. Bath towels should be hung to dry between uses. Towels need to be allowed to dry before they are used again.
  9. Bathing suits: should be washed after every wear.
  10. Suit: 3-4 times for wool and 4-5 times for synthetics. Depending on the lifestyle or environment you may need to dry clean more often. You need to clean them often if you expose suit to smoky bars, smog or smelly environments or if your suit gets stained.
  11. Wash all types of cloths:
  • If you drool, vomit or spill something on the cloth.
  • If you sweat a lot
  • If you cook for a longtime in kitchen
  • If you cleaned bathroom and toilet
  • If you spent time cleaning backyard and dirt removal
  • If you come in contact with blood and other stains

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Grandma’s tips: www.healthylife.werindia.com

Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-looking-searching-clean-2371/ (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: October 17, 2017
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Black henna?! Henna is never black

Black henna?! Henna is never black

Often you read the news or listen to someone telling how bad is temporary tattoo and how skin in hands and legs developed rashes and blisters because of application of henna or mehndi or “black henna”. Is henna bad for the skin? Before concluding without knowing the facts, one need to understand what exactly is the reason (for reaction) or is it a chemical that is responsible for this?

Traditional Henna is not black!

Many countries and religions are using a plant popularly known as “Henna” for traditional body art tattoo. These tattoos are temporary and women especially use this art to decorate/design hands and feet to celebrate auspicious occasion like wedding, engagements, festivals etc. Henna is a plant scientifically called “Lawsonia enermis”. It is also known by other names as mignonette tree and the Egyptian privet. Lawsone is the tannin compound produced by this amazing plant. Henna is popular in Asian countries. Traditional preparation for mehendi art starts by plucking the leaves of henna plant and grinding to make a paste of it with other ingredients like lemon juice, black tea, drops of Eucalyptus oil etc. Use of other ingredients varies from region to region.

Once mixed henna/mehendi will be kept for 24 hours to get desired reddish-brown color. And, artists with the help of fine tools (cone or small thin stick or thread) draw the body art. After drawing the design, it will be left to release the color for couple of hours. While waiting, lemon water with little sugar dissolved in it will be sprinkled on the design. This helps to release darker color and temporary henna tattoo remains longer than expected.

As you can tell the ingredients generally used in traditional henna is safe and one can use it without much doubts.  IF the fresh leaves of henna is not available, one can use dry powder of leaves available in the market. While bringing it to home, one must read the ingredient label to make sure there is no artificial or synthetic chemicals added. If so, don’t buy it.

Addition of essential oils like eucalyptus or tree tea oil and the body heat can turn traditional henna to dark color giving black color look in the palm and hands. This color will turn to reddish brown in a day or two and looks beautiful. On the rest of the body, the stains will remain brown.  It means, henna never leaves “black” stains on arms, legs and bellies!

What causes allergy? Henna, Indigo or Black henna

Decades ago, when there was no synthetic hair dye, people used to color the hair using henna and indigo color. Indigo color also extracted from plant. It is darker blue. While tattooing, Henna plant color was termed as Red Henna and Indigo was marketed as “Black Henna”.  The name Indigo was given to hair and cloth dye. After dying hair with henna, applying indigo color to hair turns hair color to jet black. And it is safe.

Now in the market  there is another product that is also sold as ‘black henna’ and it contains chemicals that can cause health issues.

Beware of black henna or kali mehendi

Also known as ‘peko”, black henna is the one consumers need to be aware off. It can cause blistering, open sores, scarring, and lifelong health problems.  How and why these reactions happen? Reason for these horrible reactions is due to chemical reactions. Synthetic henna or black henna is made of chemicals. Let us see what exactly it is.

In many countries instead of traditional henna, artists use black henna that contains chemical Para-phenylendiamine, a black hair dye. It is the reason for blunders happening in the name of Henna and black henna. A temporary tattoo drawn using “Black Henna” is not safe as it can cause dangerous skin reaction.

Para-phenulendiamine is base for black hair dye that should not be put directly on skin or mixed with any material that touches skin. When we apply it on hair we should take precaution and use gloves. It should not touch scalp as it can cause serious injury. It is a strong sensitizer, transdermal toxin and considered to be a carcinogen.  Many people get itching, blistering and hair loss from using black hair dye on their hair.

How to differentiate real henna, indigo and black henna?

If you look in the box, if the powder is green and has herbal dry leaf or hay odor then, it is probably powdered henna leaves or can be indigo color (not harmful). If the powder appears coffee colored or black then it could be para-phenylenediamine based hair dye.

To test, take little powder and mix with water.

  • If the color of water turns to light green then it is henna. Powder might settle down at the bottom.
  • If it turns blue then it is indigo color and it also does not stain skin black.
  • If the color turns darker brown and back then it is because of PPD. It also gives strong chemical odor and turns skin black and gives reaction. This is hazardous and is a byproduct of coal tar!!

Next time when you visit a henna artist, before applying temporary tattoo, look at the ingredients of the tattoo powder. Ask the artists for details. If you feel it is unsafe and black henna then don’t apply. Traditional henna that is described above, is the best method as there are no complications develops when you apply on the skin.

References:

  1. http://www.hennaforhair.com/indigo/
  2. http://hennalounge.com/resources/black-henna/
Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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