Articles Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Flavours of Beauty

September 29, 2016

All about hair cleansers

Hi you all 🙂

Hair care products play a very important role in the quality and health of hair, along with other controllable factors like protein rich food, keeping hydrated and having stress free life. I had thick long straight silky hair as a kid but once I moved to a different city to do my college, my bad hair days started. Because of the change in water (chlorine rich water), my hair started falling off a lot and became thin and dandruff prone in no time. I used to use commercial shampoos then and it made my hair dry and thin day by day.

Once I converted to natural skincare 🙂 , I concentrated more on getting back my hair quality. Even though my hair is now back to it’s former silky texture and has grown thicker, the hair fall still has not reduced much owing to the hard water from pipes. When I am back in my home town, my skin and hair problems vanishes as the quality of water is much better their.

Many of you have written to me asking about hair care products and shampoos for different hair types. I thought rather than reviewing each hair cleanser separately, I will combine it all in one, so that you can choose what suits best for you.

Before going to the reviews, let me tell you how I wash my hair. Hehee yeah with water, but I always wash my hair post oiling. So I oil my hair atleast 30min prior wash, then gather the hair forward and wet it well. Take a coin size amount of shampoo and mix it with water well. If I use shampoo bar, I lather it well with water. Apply the lather on scalp and massage gently towards hair tips. Rinse hair and repeat the shampooing incase you have oily hair like mine. Apply the conditioner only to hair and not on scalp and leave it for few minute before washing the hair thoroughly.

The products I am writing about here are:

1.Hair cleanser from Gia bath and body works

2.Lavender,chamomile shampoo bar from Juicy Chemistry

3. 8 in 1 root nourishing amla-neem shampoo from Just Herbs

4. Onion cream shampoo from Aroma essentials

5. Beer coconut milk shampoo bar from Soaps by Sangi

6. Dhathri herbal shampoo

Some of this has already been reviewed in detail before, so I will add the links to those.

The Argan oil and silk protein enriched hair cleanser from Gia is my favorite of the lot. The reasons being:

Price : Rs 290 for 200ml

It has same consistency as that of commercial shampoos but with none of its cons.
Thick consistency and creamy and silky texture.
A little quantity goes a long way and the bottle lasted me many many months.
Most economical comparing quality, quantity and cost out of the lot.
Lathers well
Makes my hair soft, silky, oil free and clean in a single wash.
Convenient sleek packaging that is travel friendly.

Cons :

Only that this came with a screw on cap and I need to shake it to get the product out.
Availability needs to be checked with the owner on their fb page

Read detailed review here : My favorite hair cleanser from Gia

Buy it here.

2. The lavender and chamomile shampoo bar is a product I tried recently and it really impressed me. Reasons are:

Price : I got it as a gift for a contest. But actual price is around 800Rs if I am not wrong.

Very impressive ingredients list
Heavenly fragrance
Removes oil and cleanses well in 2 washes
It doesn’t dry out the hair and makes hair soft and manageable.
No preservatives or chemicals.
Awesome packaging. The product came in this handmade pack that is so pretty and re-usable.

Cons:

Very expensive.
Since it is a soap I don’t find it travel friendly unless packed well and kept dry.
Gets used up faster than liquid shampoo.
Availability needs to be checked with the owner on their fb page

The product seems to be out of stock now. The brand has launched some new shampoo bars instead. You can write to them to know about availability.

Buy it here

3. 8 in 1 root nourishing shampoo from Just Herbs

I used it for a while and then stopped as I was not as impressed by this product as the other hair cleansers I was using.

Price: Rs 525 for 200ml

Pros:

Like all Just Herbs products, this one has a pleasant and nice fragrance
It is quite mild and lathers decently on wet hair
Doesn’t dry the hair
Impressive ingredients. Contains certified organic Gooseberry (Amla), Neem, Hibiscus and Henna
Can be bought from their website and shipping is free

Cons :

The consistency is very thin and I need to use a lot of product to wash away all the oiliness (my hair is short and straight). So the product, even though 200ml, gets used up very fast.
Expensive
The bottle did not come with a dispenser, even though they show one in site. So I have to just pour it on hand directly which is not convenient.

Buy it here

My only issue with this one is the texture. It is not exactly in cream form and the onion smell can be strong for sensitive nose. Also I need to wash hair multiple times with this one to completely remove oiliness.

Buy it here

5. Beer coconut milk shampoo bar from Soaps by Sangi : This was my first shampoo bar buy and I got it about one and half years back. This was just a solid bar of soap with no frills. Not pretty looking and no added fragrance, but it was a good buy.

PC : Soaps by Sangi

Price : Rs 220-240 for 80-90gm bar

The product has excellent hair nourishing ingredients like beer and coconut milk and it cleansed the scalp extremely well leaving it soft and nourished.
Did not dry out my hair.
No strong fragrance
Mild on hair and can be used for all hair types

Cons :

Not travel friendly as it might melt.
My hair remained a bit oily even after 2 washes
Availability needs to be checked with the owner on their fb page

I bought almost 2000Rs worth items from them but this, a clay based soap and a detergent bar were the only ones that I liked. The body butters, gels and lotion bars didnot suit my skin at all and I did not like their consistency.

Buy here

6. Dhathri Herbal Shampoo : The most widely available herbal shampoo that you can find in any super market. This was my go to shampoo during my childhood and throughout college years. I have done a detailed review of this here, Dhathri Herbal Shampoos.

Pros: Easy availability, pocket friendly, chemical free.

Cons : Strong fragrance, Lime variant can be drying.

I hope this post was helpful. Do let me know your feedback and also let me know names of any other hair cleanser that is worth mentioning.

August 31, 2016February 14, 2017

Green tea mask, desi sandals and best matte lipstick

This month I did a bit of quirky shopping and well everything turned out to be amazing (usually I return most of the stuff I buy online). So here is a sneak peak.

Skincare:

I found out about this brand called #skinyoga recently and I got a sample sized green tea face mask to try via the app Smytten.

Skin Yoga is a luxury skin care brand that provides 100% plant based products. The green tea face mask came in this cute little wooden box. The mask was enclosed within a tiny glass bottle with a cork stopper. Head over to my instagram feed (Here), to see the cute video I made unpacking the product.

The product is simple but very effective treatment for oily and acne prone skin. I will be doing a detailed review of the product soon.

Blue sandals :

I came across this fb page 22.2accessories few weeks back, and I loved their funky and quirky handcrafted products. Richa, the brand owner was a doll and helped me choose these awesome pair of handcrafted leather sandals. Really comfortable to wear and best for daily use. I love all those colors that adds life to otherwise unnoticed feet.

Peachy little liars :

I am not a big fan of makeup and I don’t generally use anything but kohl. But it has been a while since I wanted a perfect natural lip shade that can make my otherwise dry and lifeless lips, look a bit healthy on occasions. My search has now ended successfully, after my purchase of Peachylittleliars from Sugar cosmetics. #sugarcosmetics

FDA approved, this lipstick is free of mineral oil and parabens. Love!!!

PC : Sugar Cosmetics

This dusky pink shade is exactly same as my natural lip color, and hence evens out the color of my lips. It brings that subtle glam to my otherwise dried and washed out lips. Quite happy with the shade even though this being matte, does dry out my lips after a while.

So that’s it, these are my favorites for this month. Let me know if there is a brand or product, you think I should know of. I will surely try it out and review it here.

August 10, 2016February 22, 2017

How I got rid of forehead acne in 3 days

My skin hasn’t been behaving well this monsoon.Big painful acne pops up one after the other on forehead and cheeks mostly and I who always had clear, spot free skin, was really concerned about the sudden outbreak.

Similar issue happened last year, when I was in US. I had dressed up for Halloween and had used face paints from my nieces. I had a very bad allergic reaction later and rashes and acne started spreading on my face. I had to really take good care of my skin for few months before I could get rid of them.

Anyway this time, I was well equipped to fight acne as I had researched a bit about the reasons for acne and ways to control it.

DO NOT SQUEEZE THE PIMPLE. Popping a pimple can cause scarring and make your acne spread further.

Understand the reason for acne

Now you would have always had acne growing up or you might have had a sudden acne outbreak on skin. The first one might be hereditary, hormonal or may be because of your lifestyle or environmental problems. If it is the latter, you need to figure out what changed in your lifestyle or eating habits in the immediate past. Probably you started using new skin care products or eating lots of oily food, exposed to sun for most part of day, excessive sweating or eating lot of chocolates. May be it is time to change the pillow covers, face towels, you tried a new makeup product or you are exposed to pollution more. The reasons could be many, but try to understand what might have been the cause.

For me I realized that my hair is getting too oily recently and the fringes are falling a lot to forehead. Also I started having dandruff as well. No wonder acne was just on the forehead.

2. How I fought the acne

When the first pimple was up, I did not think much about it and left it to heal by itself. But as soon as the first one disappeared (leaving a mark behind), the second one popped up. That is when I took it seriously and started with the new skin care regime.

I started combing my hair back without letting it fall to my forehead.
Every other day, when I felt my hair was getting oily, I washed it well with my favourite Gia shampoo (Review)that took away all the oiliness from my hair without leaving it dry and frizzy.
I made sure I washed my face well thrice a day, in the morning, evening (after office) and before bed, using tea cleanser from Cape of good soap (read review here). I gave special attention to my T-zone, keeping the product there for a while, before washing it off. This particular soap, is great for combination to oily skin, as it keeps oil at bay for a long time. Also I was careful not to touch my face, without washing the hands thoroughly with soap. (Remember bacteria is one of the leading causes of acne, along with excessive oil and dead skin cells.)
I used clay based face masks every day for 3 days after office, applying a thick coat on the problem areas. I did not use a face scrub on these days, as this can irritate the skin and cause further break outs. The masks I used were the Gia french green clay mask (read review here) and Juicy chemistry black head buster mask.

Clay based masks helps in absorbing the oiliness and detoxifies the skin by pulling out dirt and clearing the pores. These two masks are excellent and did a great job in clearing my skin off all impurities.

5. I used Kama vetiver toner (Kama Ayurveda haul post) pray after the mask, which helped tighten the skin and provide just enough splash of moisture. I did not apply moisturizer to my acne areas and left them alone for most part of the day.

6. At night after cleansing the skin well, I took Listerine (yes the mouth wash) in a cotton swab and rubbed the acne area with it. I had read some where that mouth wash has ingredients that can kill acne causing bacteria and can dry up the pimple.

A word of caution, this can also make the area irritated, dry or scaly for some people who are has sensitive skin. So do a patch test and try this only if you are sure, your skin won’t respond badly to this.

Anyway this worked well for me and it really shrinked the pimples overnight. Please do patch tests before trying something new as all skin types won’t respond in a similar way.

7. If you do not want to try the Listerine step you can use dilute apple cider vinegar after patch test. Also, try getting facial steam with few drops of tea tree essential oil or basil essential oil in water.

Three days of these steps, and the acne was gone. But yeah it left a spot that is getting lighter with my daily skincare routine. (read about daily skin care regime here)

Let me know if this helped and your effective skincare methods to fight acne.

August 1, 2016

Kama Ayurveda store visit and haul post

Kama Ayurveda, started in 2002 in India, is a luxury skincare brans that sells authentic ayurveda based skin care products. According to the brand,

Our treatments are 100% natural and use plant-based ingredients, prepared from organically – grown plants and herbs or collected by India’s tribal communities from natural habitats. This means – No artificial colours. No artificial fragrance. No animal ingredients. No petrochemicals, parabens, urea, propylene glycol or sulphates. All our organic products are internationally certified.

I had always wanted to try their products but felt they are too expensive. But recently, I came across many product reviews of the brand and wanted to check out if it was worth the hype.

They have two outlets in Bangalore, one at the V.R Mall and another at 1 M.G mall. I got a chance to visit both the branches and I bought few of their products.

First of all, I loved their store decor. The tranquil Indian instrumental music and pure fragrance from the incense, transports you to a peaceful state of mind. There is an ‘Indianness’ in the store that is so refreshing fro a change. I had done my research on the brand before visiting the stores. They partner with Arya Vaidya Pharmacy to ensure the quality of products. As per the store staff (who was very helpful), their labs are in Kerala but unfortunately, no stores there. From the reviews of many bloggers, I already had an idea of their best sellers (the kumkumadi face serum, scrub and hair oils)

V.R Mall store

The small store offers products ranging from face care, body care products to authentic ayurvedic oils and incense sticks. I walked around smelling and trying out all the products and even my husband, who is not into the skin care madness like me, enjoyed the music and decor of the store.

I had already read rave reviews on the kumkumadi oil and face mists. I, being not a fan of face oils, did not feel like getting that. Even though I was not planning to buy anything, the store staff spent a good amount of time, explaining the usage of products I showed interest in and I ended up getting the vetiver face mist, as suggested by the staff (for combination skin). He said rose and lavender mists can be a bit heavy for oily/combination skin types.

Also the range of soaps were amazing, most of them smelled really good, especially the rose and red sandalwood ones. So I got the rose, cinnamon,orange soap that had a heavenly fragrance.

Loved the packaging of products and the paper bag I got. I don’t know where the French connection is from, as all the products have details mentioned in French as well.

1 MG store visit

Mohnish and Reema, from the brand arranged my second store visit. The 1 MG outlet of the brand, has an ayurvedic doctor for clients to consult. But to my disappointment, the doctor was not available on the day I visited. Nevertheless, I spent quite some time, checking out the products and finally bought eladi hydrating day cream. This branch actually lacked the music and space of the first outlet and the staff did not look that interested about the customers either(probably because it was quite late in the evening).

I got sample tubes from both the stores and i started using few of them. Samples included hand and foot cream, night cream, face masks, face scrub, bringadi hair oil and tiny bottles of body oils. Also I got a book let with all their product images, % of natural ingredients and a small description.

First impressions:

All the products, smells so pure and are quite light on skin. Even the creams ,inspite of being thick, gets easily absorbed and doesn’t leave oily cast or residue. The face mist is very earthy and refreshing. The ingredient list and quality are really impressive.

The ingredients are very pure and formulated in the best of quality, that only a small amount of product is required for each use. Hence it lasts longer and I feel that the price is justified. Even the 5g tube of face cream, lasted me a week and more, with daily use.

Also I feel a huge difference in the quality and efficacy of the product, even within 2 weeks of use, compared to other pocket friendly alternatives I have tried so far. Wait a second, I don’t think the price difference is much (for the products I bought), as most of the natural brands available, sells products at a comparative cost these days. The face toner for eg, cost only 175Rs when many other handmade natural brands I know, sells it for more.

Also I did not buy the very costly products, that I felt I did not really need in my skin care regime.

The brand also offers pure essential oils, lip balms, body lotions, scrubs, plant based masks and ubtans.

I will be reviewing the products after using it for a while.

Do check out their store when you get a chance and let me know your thoughts.

July 27, 2016February 14, 2017

Daily morning skin care routine for glowing skin

Hello All, if you are my instagram follower, you will know that this is my 100th post there. Apart from skin care, I talk to you about my recipes, awesome eateries I have been to and I make sure I answer all your queries. I just wanted to make this post a special treat to you all.

In this post I will tell you everything you need to know about a skin care routine and products that are affordable as well as effective.

Why do you need to have a skin care routine??

The word routine might make it sound tedious, but it is not. All you need to do is keep your skin clean and moisturized, but not whenever you feel like it. Following the routine in the morning and before bed is important, as it keeps your skin healthy and helps to rejuvenate it and helps in cell turnover. A good skin care routine, however simple, will bring a drastic improvement in skin health, tone and texture.

Morning skin care routine:

Many of us have full time jobs and keeping aside time for a routine in the morning may not be possible. But the steps I am going to give you is simple and this will not take much of your time.

Cleansing

Use a good quality natural/organic cleanser. Cleansing is the first and most important step in skin care and the effectiveness of later steps depends on the quality of your cleansing. YOU CANNOT SKIP THIS. Do this once in the morning and once in the evening after work.

Besan (chick pea flour)/Green gram powder are the best natural cleansers for all skin types.

Cleansers I suggest:

Khadi Cucumber and Aloe cleansing milk with Shea butter: The cheapest and the mildest cleanser of all, this one feels like cucumber puree on face and it comes for Rs 150 for 210g. You can massage face with a coin size amount of this cleansing milk and wipe it off with cotton.

Gia bath and body works :If you want to go soap free, and also nourish your skin with a cleanser that has oodles of goodness, go for oats/coffee/orange peel powder based face cleansers, depending on your skin type. Check out the review here .This is very affordable and will last you for several months (8 for me) as you need only a very small quantity to cleanse the skin.

Best thing about soap free, powdery or crumbly cleansers is that, you don’t need a separate face scrub.These provide gently scrub action and hence helps you rid of dead skin.

Just Herbs Silksplash Neem-Orange Rehydrant Face Wash& vit E face wash from Gia : If you like liquid face cleansers, these are good choices as they do not strip your natural oils but still cleans the face well. Gia vit E one is really thick and you need only a pea size amount to wash entire face and neck. Just herbs one is bit more diluted.

Eventhough it is not a dedicated face cleanser, I loved using the Teas Please assorted tea soap from cape of good soap (Review). this helped a lot in keeping oil at bay and making my skin soft and smooth.

Almost all natural skin care brands offer wide range of cleansers, but I have listed just the ones I have tried and liked.

Dry skinned people do not wash your face with warm water, as it can strip your skin of natural oils and make it more dry. Also make sure not to miss the neck area while cleansing.

Also do not rub your skin with towel, to dry it. Pat dry your face with a soft tissue or face towel.

2. Moisturizing:

You must be wondering why I skipped toning and exfoliating. As I said, incase you are gripped for time you can add those to your night time skin care routine. Also if you are too lazy to use a sun screen after, choose moisturizers with sun screen.

The best natural moisturizer is aloe vera gel/milk cream for oily/dry skins respectively.

Choose a gel based moisturizer if you have oily skin and a cream based one if you are prone to dry skin.Dot the moisturizer on the forehead, chin, cheeks, nose and neck and gently press and spread the product through out the skin. Don’t massage face rigorously or use harsh strokes.

For my combination skin type, the below moisturizers have worked well.

Initially I was using the Fab India vit E cream for oily skin, before I realized that it had parabens.

Bio Organics and Natural aloe vera gel with papaya and saffron is a pocket friendly option for oily skinned beauties. Read the review here . The brand offers many versions of aloe gel.

Gia daily moisturizer with SPF : This white moisturizer is quite light and fluffy. A tiny amount of this can moisturize the face and neck well. Comes with the added benefit of sun protection. Suits all skin types.

Just herbs FAGEL instant glow beauty gel : My favorite gel based moisturizer that has a very pleasant fragrance. best for combination to oily skin types as it keeps the face oil free for long.

These two below have prices around 450-480 Rs but this is a great investment for the skin, considering the awesome ingredients and its quality.

Also if you love using serums, try the Juicy Chemistry Argan and Rose day serum with sun protection.

I have recently started using the Kama Ayurveda Eladi Hydrating cream, as it feels heavenly on skin. But it is quite expensive and I found out that Kottakkal Arya Vaidyasala has one that is much cheaper. Will right a comparison review after I get hold of it.

Make sure you moisturize and sun protect your hands and feet as well with a good hand and foot cream. Also use a lip balm to moisturize and protect your lips. My one and only favourite out of the many many ones I tried, is the Burt’s bees lip balm (Review). Also lip balm from Aroma Essentials with spf, is really awesome. (Read review here)

USE A GOOD SUNSCREEN BEFORE YOU STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CLIMATE.

I have used Biotic, Lotus and lacto calamine sunscreens, but these make my skin oily after a while. The one that suited my combination skin best is the Just herbs No Sun Jojoba gel.

For all those of you, who has that extra few minutes to pamper yourselves in the morning, use a scrub twice a week and a toner daily.

3. Toning and Exfoliating:

Cleanser should be followed by scrub and toner before moisturizer, if you are going for the full routine.

Toner:

You don’t need to buy a toner, as it can be made easily at home. Rose water, green tea water, cucumber juice, aloe-vera gel etc are all great toners. You can easily make these at home and store it in fridge or make ice cubes with them.

Apply the toner with a cotton or spray it on face for even application.

If you are particular about buying one, get one free of alcohol or any harmful chemicals.

I started using the Kama vetiver toner, few weeks back and I have really enjoyed the refreshing spritz of earthy goodness on my face. I got the 250Rs bottle and I feel it will last me long. Before this I was using the rose water from K-Organics which is only Rs 130 for 100ml. Read the review here

Rose water and lavender toners etc suits normal to dry skin the best. Vetiver and aloe based toners are great for oily to combination skin types.

Many brands like Aroma essentials, Oil craft naturals, Juicy chemistry and Organic mills sells chemical free toners, but I have not tried any of those.

Scrubs :

Rice flour, coffee/tea powder, almond powder, oats powder, green gram powder, sandal wood powder etc are great natural scrubs.

I always prefer soap free powdery cleansers as it has added advantage of scrub action as well. If not, I go for face masks, that ex-foliates the dead skin, on massaging it before washing it off. Also use a scrub at most twice in a week. Be gently when you scrub your face, as it is the particles in the scrub that should do the action and not your force. Avoid area around the eyes.

The simplest of all and the best scrub I have used so far is the K-Organics, Honey Rose scrub. As the name suggests, it just has these two ingredients and it is affordable, gentle and very pure. Read the review here

Juicy Chemistry Black head buster and Just herbs honey exfoliating face cleansing gel are all great scrubs.

Face masks, like toners gives you all the extra benefits but need not be a part of daily skin care routine. So not adding it here.

This post has been really long. So I will keep the bath time skin care routine (where I will talk about awesome body scrubs and body oils) and night time skin care routine for another post. Also I will be updating the review links for all the products in this post, I have not yet written about.

Hope you all enjoyed the post. Do add your favourite skin care products in the comment.

July 20, 2016February 14, 2017

Right products with right ingredients for your skin type

What are we doing wrong???

It is quite easy to understand what product to buy. Say you need a cleanser, or a shampoo, all you need to do is go to store and get one. But how do we choose the product?

Mostly based on the ingredients you like, say you like the fragrance of rose or lavender. Your preference will always be to buy such products, those that appeal to you in fragrance, texture or those products that worked for your friends or your favorite blogger.

Even if we are in an outlet of a particular brand, we don’t generally ask the staff on what might be right for our skin type. Or if we have any particular concern, we need to choose products accordingly.

How I realized this?

For example, I love pleasant natural fragrances like that of rose and lavender. So if I am buying a lip balm and there are three options, say mint, rose and vanilla ; I go for the rose variant. But after using it for sometime, I realize that it doesn’t make my chapped lips any better. But that might not be because the product is not good or the ingredient list is not impressive. It is simply that I did not choose the right product from the choices I had.

Whenever I see products with mint/peppermint, coffee, tea, pepper etc I instantly make up my mind that I wouldn’t like them. I don’t stop to think if my skin would disagree though. As one of my instagram followers rightly said, ‘It is like you really like certain kind of food, but your body might be allergic or wouldn’t respond well to it’.

Finally when I decided to try the Burt’s bees lip balm, which has peppermint as major ingredient, I did not expect a miracle. From childhood my major skin problem was my chapped lips. It was always dry and chapped and the skin gets so dry that even lip scrubs can’t remove the dead skin. I tried lip balms from many different brands and even those home made natural ones, but none of those worked for me. The major mistake I amde was, I always chose what I thought was best for my skin, lip balms with rose, vanilla, citrus and chocolate flavours or oils. None with mint.But when I finally did, that was the best thing I ever tried on my lips. It made my lips smooth, supple and matt without any dryness throughout the day.

This doesn’t mean all those lip balms I tried were bad, it wasn’t right for my skin condition. But for someone who just needed a mild daily moisturizer, all of them would have worked well.

Sometimes on my Instagram page I encounter questions like ‘How can you say that this product doesn’t work? It worked well for me and I loved it’. I correct them saying, see I never said that this product doesn’t work. I said this doesn’t work for me. Why? Because my skin condition, need and the climatic condition of where I live can be very different from yours. So something that works for you, may not work for me even if we are both oily skinned. There are many factors affecting the efficiency of a product and the best judge is you =, given you know your skin well.

How to choose the right products?

When I visited Kama ayurveda outlet recently, I decided to buy a face mist. As usual I went for the rose/lavender ones. Because so far on all blogs and reviews, I see the rose or lavender variants reviewed the most. Everybody praises these and not the earthy vetiver mist I came across there. The staff there suggested the vetiver mist instead saying, this is best for combination/oily skin types, as the other two might be a bit heavy for such skin.

Eventhough reluctant, I decided to try it. To my surprise, I loved the earthy natural fragrance of the mist. It was light on skin, kept me fresh and took away the oiliness from skin.

So first point is :

Be clear on what your skin needs (not what you want).
You need to understand your skin type first. Just because your face is oily doesn’t mean your body skin needs to be oily too. Most of us might be of combination skin types, that is oily in T zone and dry around mouth. So understanding the skin type is very essential in choosing the right skin care product.

Advice is mostly free.

2. Always ask expert opinion, before you invest on skincare.

3. Rather than spending your money on products to try, read multiple reviews on the same. Ping the blogger and get to know if this might work for your skin. Also when you are in any brand outlet, ask for testers before buying the full product, if you are not sure.

4. When buying from artisans who make handmade skin care products, don’t blindly follow the reviews posted in the page. Chat with the brand person and get as much info about the product. Ask questions regarding your concern and skin requirement and choose wisely.

5. You don’t always need to have different kinds of products to take care of your skin. Keep it simple.

My beauty kit includes mostly of a good cleanser that provides mild scrub action as well (soap free mostly oats based), so I don’t need a separate scrub. I use homemade face masks mostly or if not I use face pack that has ingredients to address multiple skin problems at once, rather than buying different products for all needs. My body skin is dry, so I always need a good moisturizer and I have not come across the best one so far. Still searching.

6. Don’t go crazy on natural skin care products either. Basically all ingredients are chemicals if you think about it, natural or artificial. Just like how all artificial chemicals are not harmful for us, all natural products might not be safe for all skin types either. So be careful and keep a watch on changes happening on skin while using the product.

7. There is only so much these products we apply externally can do. Eat healthy, keep hydrated, rest well and have good thoughts. Healthy skin is a reflection of healthy life.

So even though I hate mint in food, my skin loves mint. Here are the current minty products I am using.

I have reviewed few of the products in this, and you will see more reviews in the coming days. Also I am enjoying the fresh feel of the vetiver face mist from kama ayurveda.

Let me know of your thoughts or queries on this post.

June 30, 2016January 24, 2019

How to choose the right skincare product

There is a plethora of products out in the market and they all claim to be natural or herbal or organic. How do you choose the right skincare product then?

So what, you read about this awesome product this new blogger wrote about and you have to have it. Why? Because she said it is a miracle product and worked wonders on her skin.

Please don’t do that.

I have seen people writing reviews on how wonderful a product is. And that might be the only product of its kind that they have used so far. So there is no comparative study there.

Don’t just blindly follow and buy based on such feedback. See, when switching to chemical free products you will know the difference instantly. But that doesn’t mean that the first product you tried is the best and you should recommend it to people.

When you use products with different ingredients over long period of time, that is when you know the effects and differences between different brands and products.

10 tips to find the right product:

1. Before buying a product read multiple reviews from authentic reviewers and users. Understand your skin type and the reviewer’s as well, before jumping into conclusion. A product well suited for one skin type might not suit others.

Try to read reviews from people who have tried out different brands and products, so that the reviews are actually a comparative study and you find out something better than what you think is best.

2.Try to understand the ingredients in the product and how it suits your skin. Read the label carefully and understand the ingredients and what it does.

3. Write to the brand and ask your queries and let them help you choose the best product for your skin.

4. Contemplate if this product is really required in your skin care regime. Don’t just hoard unnecessary products.

5. Not all natural ingredients are safe : Natural ingredients doesn’t mean it is mild or safe. Essential oils for eg, are very potent and if not used in right quantity with right combination of ingredients. it can trouble your skin.

7. Ask questions. Clear out your concerns. You have every information you need in your finger tip.

8. Always do a patch test before applying the product all over your skin.

9. Understand your skin first, it’s concerns and needs and try to find simple solutions. Most of the time we end up spending a lot on solutions that are easily available at home.

10. Give it time. Most of the time when you switch to natural skincare, our skin will take some time to get used to it. For eg: On switching to natural hair cleanser, the hair will go through a bad phase mostly where it got overly oily, in my case. This is because the hair is subjected to years of chemical abuse where it is stripped of natural oils and now on making this switch, it will take some time to get rid of the toxins and find a balance.

11. The quality of product depends on the quality of ingredients. Don’t judge a product based on it’s complexity. Some products might have a lot of exotic ingredients, but may not deliver results as it could be of poor quality ingredients or might not suit a certain climate. Sometimes the simplest of ingredients can deliver great results if it is sourced correctly and is of high quality.

13. Skincare is not just about the product but also on the way you apply products, consistency of sticking to a simple regime and understanding the skin’s needs. Just spending an extra minute on cleaning the face well before sleep, will do more wonders than using a luxury cream. If you don’t know how to apply each product or layer them correctly, you might never find the right product for you.

14. Your skin’s requirement will change over time. It could change with age, with climate changes, with lifestyle changes. So change your products accordingly if necessary. A heavy moisturizer might work in a less humid region in winter but not in a humid region. This is not because the product is bad.

15. Don’t choose products that are not transparent about their ingredients. if you find only few active products in ingredient list and the rest are hidden under terms like ‘qa base’ or base, it means that the brand has not revealed the complete ingredients. QA base could be fragrance, preservatives, thickening agents etc. Ethical brands will list out all the ingredients and there are many of them in market. So don’t go for namesake natural brands.

16. You don’t always need to follow the trend. Maybe face oils are not for your skin type or maybe chemical exfoliation might case sensitivity issues or matte lipsticks are parching your lips. Stick to what works for you and use natural alternatives. Concentrate on your gut health instead. Happy gut will give you happy skin.

17. You don’t need multiple products for each step of skincare, trust me. For eg: If you are someone who uses a face oil as moisturizer, say Jojoba oil; you can use the same as a first step in double cleanse. You don’t need a separate cleanser. You can remove your makeup with a face oil and even use it as lip moisturizer. If you have say, rose petal powder; you can mix it with face wash or moisturizer to use as a scrub, mix it with curd to use it as a face pack, boil in water to make toner (eventhough steam distilled rose water retains all its goodness), aloevera gel for hair mask, moisturizer, face mask…anyway you get the gist. Don’t fall prey to marketing and keep hoarding products. Set a budget and buy just what you want.

Skincare is relative and very personal. How a product works on you will depend on your lifestyle, climate, food habits, exposure to pollutants, quality of water and many more. So make sure your self care approach is holistic and not just limited to skin care. Cleansing the body will automatically cleanse the skin. So make sure what you eat and drink is a conscious choice and you do it right.

If you would like to understand more about how to choose products, what ingredients to avoid in products, how to understand toxic ingredients, how to read a label, detoxifying gut etc, join our mail list. We assure you, we won’t spam your mail. You can give your email id in the right menu bar and click Subscribe. We tend to make healthy transitions when we do it as a community than alone. So join our skincare community.

June 28, 2016February 14, 2017

Choose the right toothpaste

Why do we use toothpaste?

No, not for all those reasons that came to your mind. We use toothpaste because it makes the mouth not smell and taste like mouth. It is a cosmetic. Our elders used to clean their teeth and gum using charcoal from paddy husk (umikari, in my native language) also with neem stem and mango leaves. They ate sugar cane and fibrous food.

We call out teeth sensitive. It can neither take heat nor cold. We pay so much attention to food we eat, cosmetics we choose but never read ingredient list of toothpaste that we use daily throughout our lives.

A study by the Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR) has found that many of the toothpaste manufacturers are adulterating toothpastes and toothpowders with high quantity of nicotine.

“Out of the 24 brands of toothpastes studied in 2011, seven brands – Colgate Herbal, Himalaya, Neem paste, Neem Tulsi, RA Thermoseal, Sensoform and Stoline – were found to contain nicotine,” said Professor S. S. Agarwal of DIPSAR, which is affiliated to the Delhi University and is funded by the Delhi government.

Read more here

The truth is this: There are no herbal toothpastes in general retail stores within the reach of the common consumer. The ones that are available are normal toothpastes with very limited extracts of herbs. You can find comparative study of toothpastes in Indian market in the link below.

Read more here

Let us look at some ingredients of popular toothpaste brands available in market.

7 Toxic Toothpaste Ingredients

Triclosan : Triclosan is a chlorophenol, which is a class of chemicals that is suspected of causing cancer in humans.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) : SLS is used in products such as garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and car wash soaps. Elsewhere, SLS is used for clinical testing as a primary skin irritant.
Artificial Sweeteners.
Sodium Fluoride: The main ingredient in toothpaste and rat poison
Propylene Glycol :Research on the safety of propylene glycol in personal care products is lacking, although it’s a known skin, eye, and lung irritant and may cause organ system toxicity
Diethanolamine (DEA) : It’s a known hormone disrupter and can react with other ingredients to form a potential carcinogen called NDEA (N-nitrosodiethanolamine), which is readily absorbed through the skin and has been linked with cancers of the stomach, esophagus, liver, and bladder.
Microbeads :The bits were found in Crest microbead toothpaste and were getting trapped under patients’ gums. This gives food and bacteria an entrance to your gum line, which could actually cause gum disease.
Hydrated Silica :A whitener that damages tooth enamel

Read more here

Your mouth is actually one of the most absorbent places in your entire body. This is why some medications are administered sublingually, or under your tongue.

While you’re dutifully brushing and swishing, the ingredients in your toothpaste enter your mouth and gums, which are the gateway to every system in your body.”²

This is why you need to be very careful when choosing toothpaste. Many popular brands contain questionable ingredients that you’re far better off avoiding.

Read more here

It is actually the brushing that cleans the teeth and not the toothpaste. In toothpaste covers it is written that only a pea size amount is advisable. Still in ads they show the entire brush covered in paste. Also it is written that if swallowed consult doctor. We are putting this product in our mouth that is toxic if swallowed. Can the warning be anymore clear.

Carefully read the ingredient list before buying toothpaste and choose wisely. Or use traditional methods of cleaning teeth to be safe.

May 31, 2016February 14, 2017

How do you know if a product suits your skin??

We see reviews on a lot of handmade, chemical free products these days. And most of these are positive reviews, after all what harm can natural ingredients do when used correctly. How do we know which one suits our skin? How do we know which product to buy when we have many options?

Write to me, your queries on products and I will include comparisons in reviews.

Let me know which products you want to see reviews of and what more you expect from posts.

April 29, 2016February 14, 2017

DIY TIME :)

DIY Yummy Ginger Citrus BODY SCRUB

In the last post I have explained how to make face scrubs. In this post you will learn to make body scrubs.

Ingredients Needed:
Orange juice/ Lemon juice : half cup.
Grated Ginger : 1 and half table spoon.
Virgin coconut oil : 1 cup
Sugar : 1 and half cup
Essential oil (optional) : Lime/ Lemongrass /Grapeseed
Aloevera gel : 3 tsp

Mix this all and store in a glass jar and refrigerate. There you go!!!
Take a small quantity and gently massage skin with this scrub.

RESULT>>>HAPPY SOFT SKIN 🙂

You can cut the aloe vera gel incase you don’t have it.