Alternative Therapies and Health News

Make your own lip balm at home without adding any preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors or artificial sweeteners. Lip balm is usually a mixture of solid base and oil mostly in the ratio 1:2. But you can make your own changes as per your need and liking. First melt the base oil and then add the essential oil according to your choice. Adding vitamin oil will be good for your skin.

• Go to your nearest shop and get some beeswax, almond oil and shea butter. Mix beeswax and shea butter until the mixture looks clear. Add almond oil to the mixture and stir.
• Heat a quarter cup vegetable oil and quarter ounce beeswax until it melts. Add a teaspoon of glycerin. You can flavor it with peppermint flavoring oil.
• Mix beeswax, shea butter, mango butter and cocoa butter. Heat the mixture until it melts. Later add almond oil and flavoring.

Transfer these mixtures into containers. As the mixture gets set, your lip balm is ready. With these simple tips you need not visit any cosmetic shops or drug stores anymore to buy a lip balm. All you need to do is stir your creativity and taste for a while.

Stretch marks are fine lines that develop on the body, as a normal puberty symptom. Stretch mark is a term that is used in describing a condition in which the tissue under the skin gets pulled because of overstretching and rapid growth.

Strech marks are reddish or purple color lines that are formed on the body that differ in texture from the surrounding skin. Stretch marks are a very common problem , among both the genders.

Common Causes Of Stretch Marks:

• Pregnancy
• Obesity
• Rapid weight loss
• Body building
• Hormonal disorders
• Insufficiency of nutrients in the body
• Sudden difference in physical or environmental conditions some medications
• Use of steroids

Here are a Few Effective Stretch Mark Remedies:

• Drink lots of water, because it helps in increasing the elasticity of skin, thus preventing the formation of stretch marks. This is proven to be a very effective stretch marks remedy.
• Eat a well-balanced nutritious diet, such that you dont put on too much weight. Keep a watch on your food because weight gain can also become a cause for the formation of stretch marks.
• Massaging the area of stretch marks has proven to be a good home remedy for the stretch marks removal. You can use olive oil, flaxseed oil, vitamin E oil or cod liver oil for the massage.
• It is the loosening or stretching of skin which causes stretch marks. To tone your body, exercise well.
• Use cocoa butter and apply it on the stretch marks.

The first thing people look in you is – your face. Others get impressed first by your face and next by the way you dress. Anyway, without the best face the best dress can do nothing. For an attractive and glowing face you need to have a healthy skin. You can easily achieve healthy skin by following the basic guideline - cleansing.

Deep Cleanse

Normally men have 15% oilier skin. Mean also have larger pores than women have. Basically, this means your face gets dirtier. So, the best regimen for an impressive face is cleaning your face every day, no matter what skin type you have. Deep cleansing is very important to keep pores clear, skin healthy and make you look good.

The Best Cleansing Products

Use cleansing products that are chemical-free. Don’t use deodorant soaps because they cleanse your face with harsh ingredients and leave behind a detergent film. This irritates your skin and clogs your pores. So, the best advice is - go natural.

Scrub Your Face

A good scrub is important for healthy clean skin. It removes dead cells and smoothens the surface of your face. Make sure you use a scrub that is strong and without being damaging. Don’t use scrubs containing rough elements like seed extracts or ground bits of nut. They will tear and damage your skin. A good scrub is one that invigorates you, not hurts you.

Don’t Forget to Moisturize

Moisturizing is also necessary for a healthy skin. The product that has least amount of chemical additives is the right and best choice. Use a light moisturizer on your face after cleansing and shaving. Don’t forget your neck.

Pure vitamin E, or aloe vera oil work well for an intensive moisture treatment. You can find them in liquid form. If not just break open a capsule, and apply the oil on your skin. This is a great under eye treatment. Don’t forget to moisturize this very sensitive area of your face. This is one of the first places to show aging because the skin under your eye secretes no necessary oils on its own.

One More Thing

Keep this important thing in mind. Depending on your skin type and time of year, you have to use different products and treatments to treat and enhance your skin.

If your teeth are wincing while you brush, that means that your teeth are too sensitive to whiten. Fortunately there are ways in which teeth can be whitened the painless way.

Start Preparing Early

To reduce the discomfort, use a toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate for six weeks before the lightening treatment.

Take it Slow

The most popular method of whitening, the dentist dispensed mouth trays start showing results in a brief period of a week, if you wear them overnight. But, incase your teeth are sensitive then, it can take forever. Instead, ask for a lower concentration of bleach and wear the whitening tray every other day for a few hours.

Go for Zero

Ask your dentist for a low or zero sensitivity bleaches that are now available. These products actually promise no pain.

Get a Primer Coat

For extremely sensitive teeth, the dentists can paint on a liquid desensitizer.

Avoid Store-bought Bleach Kits

The mouth trays that are available in the market rarely fit properly and can make the bleach leak out. It is also a good idea to see a professional, rather than self treat, since some stains actually indicate a decayed or abscessed tooth.

Eventhough your teeth are sensitive, you can still flash a mesmerizing smile…

Your lips tend to become dry and chapped during the winter. Make a soothing lip balm at home with this easy technique:

Ingredients:

150 ml calendula oil or safflower oil
1/2 tbsp grated beeswax
1 tbsp honey
5 drops vanilla essential oil

Method:

• Pour calendula oil (or safflower oil) and beeswax in a heatproof glass bowl. Set it in a pan of simmering water.
• Heat this mixture until it melts by stirring.
• Remove the mixture from heat and stir in vanilla essential oil and honey.
• Now pour it into small glass containers or plastic pots, and regrigerate to set. Voila, your lip balm is ready!!!

For more tips on lip care, visit: Home Remedies To Heal Flaky Lips .

You do not always need to blow up your savings to buy expensive products for your skin. Just look around your kitchen and you will find natural things to treat your skin inexpensively. What more, now you don’t have to worry about the side-effects, these natural remedies are safe and can be used by all, without burning a hole in your pocket.

Here are some simple tips to refresh your skin in minutes:

1. Apply fresh cucumber slices or cucumber juice on your face to refresh it. Wash off after half an hour.
2. To make your wrinkles lighter and less visible, apply the white of an egg on your face and let it dry. Then wash off gently with warm water.
3. Take a teaspoon each of glycerine and rose water. Put a few drops of lime juice in it, mix well and apply on the face. Wash off after 20-25 miutes.
4. Take one egg white and mix it with a tablespoon of honey. Apply on the skin, let it dry and then wipe off with a warm washcloth.
5. Take 1 tbsp. gram flour, 1/4 tsp. orange peel powder, 1 tbsp. beaten yogurt and 1 tsp. olive oil. Mix together and apply on your face and neck. When it has dried, rinse off with warm water, and then with cold water.
6. Add a few drops of lemon juice to a tablespoon of honey. Mix it properly and apply on your face and neck. Wash off after 20-30 minutes. Your face will glow with health.
7. Mix a few drops of lemon juice to raw milk and apply on the face. Wash off after 20 minutes with warm water.
8. Mix some yoghurt with gram flour and apply on the skin. Wash off when it dries.
9. Mash a banana and mix it with honey. Apply on the face and wash after 20-25 minutes.
10. Mix equal quantities of potato juice and cucumber juice. And apply on the skin. Wash off after some time.

For more information on skin care, visit Home Made face Masks for a Glowing Skin.

A Florida based doctor injected himself and three patients with an unlicensed botulinum toxin mixture that could have been deadly, but these patients are lucky to be alive. Usage of such fraudulent drugs can be a real killer.

Botox is generally considered safe, if it is licensed and administered by a licensed professional. The illegal preparation that the florida-based doctor used, contained the same botulinum bacteria as the popular Botox, but at concentrations 40 times higher than a lethal dose.

These sort of mistakes can have life-threatening consequences and can lead to Botulism. Botulism is a rare and paralyzing illness, and if left untreated, it may slowly paralyze the arms, legs, chest and respiratory muscles.

According to the report, all the patients were given the highly concentrated, unlicensed preparation that was intended and labeled for laboratory use and not human use.

The patients and the doctor eventually reported symptoms of weakness and had problems swallowing and controlling facial muscles. And two patients became short of breath.

Researchers report that the full vial of the preparation was enough to kill approximately 14,286 adults by injection. The doctor involved was sentenced to three years in jail for using an unapproved drug.

So the next time you go out to your cosmetic surgeon, make sure that he is a licenced professional and uses a licenced product. Be careful, because such things can be dangerous and life threatening.

Treat your tired and wearied feet to a soothing soak and relax your whole body. Fill a large bowl with warm water, sliced lime and mint leaves. Take a saucepan, and combine half cup each of baby oil, sugar and chopped fresh mint. Stir over low heat until warm. Massage this mixture on your feet and then soak them in the bowl of lime-mint water for 10 minutes. Rinse off and pat dry. Your feet will tingle with freshness !!!

The secret of a healthy, glowing skin is to eat a diet that is balanced, and rich in protective nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.

Chocolates, fatty foods, refined sugars and starches can sometimes cause acne in some people. Consume adequate amounts of milk, yoghurt, fish and eggs, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables if you want to have a flawless skin. If you are over weight or tend to put on weight easily, then drink skimmed or low-fat milk instead of whole milk. Drink lots of water to flush out the toxins from your body.

Important Vitamins for a Glowing Skin:

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is very good for your skin and eyes. Eats foods rich in vitamin A such as dairy products, green leafy vegetables, carrot, papaya, mango etc.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C maintains the elasticity and suppleness of your skin. Foods rich in Vitamin C are orange, lemon, and all citrus fruits.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E rich foods include seafood, poultry, seeds and nuts.

Apart from your diet, be careful about the kind of products you use on your skin and hair. Use branded products on the skin that suit you. Cheap products harm your skin. Similarly, if you are coloring your hair, use a good branded color, that does not damage your hair.

Exercise regularly to improve the supply of blood and oxygen to your skin. Exercise makes your skin more vibrant and glowing. And get a good night’s Sleep of 8 hours.