How to Get Clear Skin Using Home Remedies.

Everybody in today's world dreams to get a beautiful skin. But the main problem that arises is the lack of fundamental knowledge to cure the most common beauty blunders like acne, dark spots etc. Here some suggestions that may help you get more beautiful and clear skin.

1) Heal a pim­ple quickly with tea tree oil. Apply 100% tea tree oil with a cot­ton swab directly onto the pim­ple every few hours. Then, apply vit­a­min E oil on the spot at night, about one hour before bedtime.  

2) Pre­vent pim­ples and keep your skin smooth with gly­colic acid from a sugar scrub. Glycolic acid may help reduce acne. Mix organic cane sugar with your face or body wash in the palm of your hand. To make a sugar scrub, see further How to make a sugar scrub. 

3) Use lemons and baking soda. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into baking powder. Add enough to form a paste. Wash your hands, then apply the lemon and baking soda paste wherever you need it. Don't leave in place too long, or it might dry out your skin and cause peeling. Use warm water on a soft face cloth to remove it. Your face should feel clean and the bacteria in the acne will be under attack.

4) Lighten dark spots and acne marks. Dab on freshly squeezed lemon juice, or apply organic grass-fed yogurt to your entire face and neck. Leave on for ten min­utes. This will help to lighten and brighten your skin. 

5) Give your skin a dewy look just by drink­ing at least 2 liters (1/2 gal­lon) of fil­tered water per day. It sounds like a lot, but it will do the trick! This can also pre­vent and elim­i­nate black­heads and minimize dry skin.

6) Fil­ter your shower and sink water if possible. This will prevent dump­ing chlo­rine and chem­i­cals on your skin and hair and you’ll end up with soft skin and health­ier hair. If you have asthma and aller­gies, it may help alleviate symptoms. 

7) Use champagne to add a glow. Champagne can help to shrink pores and give your skin an antiox­i­dant burst; it can also even out skin tone. Dab the skin with some flat cham­pagne and a cot­ton ball. 

8) For a quick glow, apply a few drops of olive, coconut, or jojoba oil to the tops of your cheek­bones and your brow ­bones. Add where you would usually apply high­lighter or shim­mer cream. 

For more tips, click this link http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Clear-Skin-Using-Home-Remedies

 

Healthy Eating On The Go: 6 Tips On What To Eat To Stay In Shape On The Run

Many of us struggle to maintain healthy eating habits while we’re constantly on-the-go meeting the demands of our professional careers and busy family lives. A hectic lifestyle that involves traveling, fighting traffic, running late, or being stuck at the mall could make it easy for us to forgo healthy eating and succumb to fast food and sugary snacks. Keep a healthy diet and your energy up during a jam-packed schedule of work, family activities such as road trips, day camp, and beach days, with these six quick tips to keep you in shape while on the run.

1. Menu Plan Monday

The start of the week can be grueling for many of us who struggle to shift gears from the weekend to the workweek. Engaging in Menu Plan Monday isn’t only an opportunity to keep track of your menu planning throughout the course of the week, but it also gives you the chance to use up all the ingredients in your kitchen that can often be ignored — veggies in the crisper. Planning your meals well in advance will help ensure your meals are healthier and well-balanced. It also allows you to search recipes from the menus of others who do plan out Monday's meals.

The blog I’m an Organizing Junkie is home to Menu Plan Monday and can provide you with insight on your quest to get organized with food.

2. Pre-Packaged Snacks

In between meals, it’s easy for us to reach into the drawer or open our refrigerator and grab the most convenient and accessible food item. To avoid consuming junk food simply because it’s convenient, stack up on healthy snacks such as on-the-go apples and oranges, snack-size low-fat yogurt, raw nuts, raisins, and other dried fruit to place in sight. This is a great alternative for those who may not have time to pre-make their breakfast or lunch. "Most people will eat junk food because it is convenient, but they'll often choose healthier options if it's made available," Mary Hartley, registered dietician and nutritionist for CalorieCount.com told SheKnows.

Opt for hummus and veggies or kale chips if you choose to do some light TV snacking.

3. Avoid Fast Food Baked Goods for Breakfast

A wholesome-looking muffin for breakfast could seem like a sweet and quick fix to our breakfast woes while we’re on-the-go, but it could wreak havoc on our waistline. Although not all muffins are created equal, some of them could contain about half of the saturated fat for the day. Rather than biting into a muffin, choose a plant-based protein shake, flax and chia cereals, or even whole grain toast with nut butter, and a piece of fruit.

Smoothies are also a healthier alternative when you’re on-the-go. A strawberry-yogurt smoothie can provide you with vitamin C and potassium, high fiber, and keep you full from breakfast to lunch.

4. Brew Your Own Tea or Coffee

Many of us start our day and spend a considerable amount of time waiting in line at our local coffee shop for some caffeine. This daily habit can come out to be costly and consume more time out of our busy schedules. To avoid long lines, and to save time, brew your own tea or coffee before you leave the house, and keep it in an insulated thermos. You can get your caffeine fix on your way to work, or at work, and even enjoy it mildly hot at noon.

5. Don’t Skip Lunch

It’s easy to forgo eating at the office when we have a busy hectic work schedule, but this is no excuse to skip on lunch, regardless the workload. If you find yourself pressed for time to leave the office, pack your own lunch. "Don't starve yourself at lunch – it will only lead to overeating later," Hartley told SheKnows. Some quick and healthy low-calorie lunches include sandwiches and wraps, and salads and platters.

6. Healthy Dine-Out

At one point or another, we’re bound to dine-out amid our busy schedules and family activities. However, dining out doesn’t mean you have to abandon your health mantra. For plates that come with sauces or dressing, simply ask to have these on the side, avoid having anything fried, and do not feel pressured to eat everything in sight. You can simply divide your plate into two servings, and save it to eat for a later meal. Cooking Light provides some healthy restaurant options for dining out.

Maintain healthy eating habits with these six quick tips to stay healthy and in shape on-the-run.

Nutrition and Acne: How Your Diet Can Affect Your Skin Health

A recent article published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics discussed the relationship between dietary factors and acne severity in young adults. Affecting nearly everyone between the ages of 15 and 17, acne is caused by bacterial colonization, inflammation and hormonal mediators,which diet can exacerbate.

The article refers to a study for which participants filled out a food frequency questionnaire, noting their usual consumption of certain foods—including candy, French fries, milk, soda and pizza. Researchers estimated the amount of total sugar, added sugar, saturated fat and trans-fat consumer by the participants, who were also asked to report their acne severity and current skin conditions.

Foods with a high glycemic index (i.e., rapidly digested carbohydrates) had a significant impact on young adults with moderate to severe acne. They cause a spike in blood sugar, triggering a release of insulin into the body, which leads to oil production in the skin glands.

There was also a relationship between moderate to severe acne and sugar, dairy, saturated fat and trans fat intake.

Among all participants, “the foods most commonly perceived to increase acne severity were chocolate, French fries and pizza.” This is most likely due to the amount of sugar, dairy and trans-fat in these foods.

More surprisingly, perhaps, there was also a correlations between acne and diets high in poly-unsaturated fat sources, such as fatty fish, which may suppress inflammation and therefore decrease acne. Acne development was also lower in females who had a diet rich in vegetables.

What does all of this mean to you? Although the study had certain limits—especially the fact that food consumption and acne severity were self-reported—the evidence is clear supporting a link between diet and acne, especially among teenagers.

If you struggle with acne and want to improve your skin health, here are some foods to include in your diet and others to avoid.

Helpful Nutrients

Vitamin A: This is the main ingredient in accutane, a prescription medication that treats acne. Vitamin A regulates the skin cycle. Food sources include salmon, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and broccoli.

Selenium: This mineral protects the skin from free radical damage. It is found in wheat germ, tuna, salmon, and brown rice.

Omega 3 fats: Omega 3 fatty acids lower inflammation in the body. Salmon, walnuts and olive oil are great sources of these healthy fats.

Foods to Avoid

If you struggle with acne, you should avoid foods with simple sugars and trans-fats. Opt for whole foods instead of processed foods, which tend to have higher amounts of trans-fats. Limit dairy intake. Try alternatives such as almond milk or coconut yogurt.

Other factors may also contribute to acne, such as the amount of sleep you get and your stress level. If your acne causes you problems, I recommend meeting with a dermatologist to explore the best options for your skin health. A registered dietitian can help you create a plan based on your food sensitivities, if you have any.

References:

“Relationship of Self-Reported Dietary Factors and Perceived Acne Severity in a Cohort of New York Young Adults.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Volume 114, Number 3. March 2014.

A chocolate face mask and more luxe DIY beauty treatments

You’ve changed all your light bulbs to energy-efficient LEDs. Heck, you even started biking to work (well, you’ve thought about it, anyway.) Next on your eco-friendly agenda: Creating your own all-natural, organic and still totally luxurious DIY beauty products at home. Here are 10 easy — and completely affordable — treatments that address everything from cracked heels to dull hair color. See, it really is easy being green!

Chocolate beauty maskBesides tasting pretty darn delicious, dark chocolate is chock full of vitamins and antioxidants, making it an excellent foundation for a DIY face mask. It also contains caffeine, a de-puffing ingredient often added to skincare products. Simply mix equal parts yogurt, honey and dark cocoa powder and apply evenly to face and neck. Relax for 20 minutes. Rinse and enjoy the sweetness, calorie-free (though we won't blame you if a few tablespoons end up in your mouth rather than on your face).

Plumping lip scrub

 
Stir together a tablespoon of brown sugar, a few big squeezes of honey, a teaspoon of olive or coconut oil and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon (which acts as a natural lip plumper and just plain tastes good). Then simply rub it onto dry, cracked lips, using an old toothbrush to gently scrub.

All-natural bronzer

To imbue skin with a sun-kissed glow that smells aah-maze-ing, grab an old, empty compact and fill it with a mixture of cinnamon or cocoa powder (or both!) and powdered sugar (baby powder works, too). Play around until you get the perfect blend, brush it on as you would store-bought bronzer and go ahead and blush at how easy — and cheap — this DIY trick is. 

Foot exfoliator 

Spring means sandals, which also means it’s time to get back to those pedicures you’ve been putting off for months. Mix up a custom foot-scrub that’s nail salon-worthy at a fraction of the cost. Stir a quarter cup of coconut oil (soften it first for a few seconds in the microwave, if necessary) or olive oil with a cup of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and several drops of an essential oils like orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit. Store your scrub in a mason jar and when you’re ready for a pedi, massage it into your feet, and rinse with warm water. Bring on the flip-flops!

Custom bath salts

Turn your bathroom into a spa day with this relaxing treatment: Mix a cup of sea salt with half a cup of Epsom salt, and then add in a few drops of your favorite essential oil — lavender is a soothing option. If you want extra moisture, stir in a teaspoon of olive oil. Pour the concoction into a pretty jar that can be sealed with a lid. When you’re ready for a bath, spoon a few tablespoons under running water and soak your cares — and not your paycheck — away. 

Beach-waves hair sprayWind tousled waves are one of summer's sexiest (and simplest) hairstyles, and it seems like every beauty label is now selling a bottled sea spray. Make your own voluminous, just-spent-the-day-surfing version at home for a few cents, rather than a fistful of dollars. Dissolve a teaspoon of sea salt in one cup of hot water, adding in a squirt of leave-in conditioner. Pour into a spray bottle, shake it up, spritz and say hello to a fab hair day.

Teeth whitener

Coffee is great. Red wine is divine. But our two favorite drinks can leave teeth stained. Save on whitening treatments with oil pulling, an Ayurvedic remedy that stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow have made trendy. Just take a teaspoon of melted coconut oil and swish it around your mouth for 20 minutes — yes, it’s a long time, but multitask by cleaning up the kitchen or just veg in front of "The Mindy Project". When time’s up, spit (trust us, you don’t want to swallow this stuff you’ve been swishing), rinse and brush.

Hair color shortcut 

To enhance your hair color in an all-natural way, head to the grocery store. Blondes can concoct a brightening rinse using the juice of a lemon combined with two cups of chamomile tea. Apply and let it sit for five minutes. Brunettes can darken their locks with a coffee-based version. Just brew up a pot and, after it cools, massage it into hair and let sit for 15 minutes or so before rinsing. Redheads can deepen their hue by gently rubbing tomato juice in the hair and letting it absorb for half an hour or more. Um, is anyone else hungry?

Brighten nailsIf dark polish has left your nails looking yellow, whiten them naturally in a soak that combines a cup of warm water, the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of baking soda. 

Homemade shampoo

Whether you’ve run out of your regular hair wash or are just keen on trying a natural alternative, mixing up your own “green” shampoo is easier than you might think. Combine a quarter cup or so of organic coconut milk with a third cup of liquid castile soap, adding in several drops of your favorite essential oils (we like a rosemary and mint combo). Shake it up in an old bottle and lather up as usual. 

Lesley Kennedy writes for ShopAtHome.com. Follow her on Instagram and Google +

5 Easy Nutrition Tips for Healthy Living

National Nutrition Month is finally here! While many of us may have adjusted our diets at the start of the New Year, after a few months the determination to stay on track with nutrition begins to fade. Rather than allowing for old habits to creep back in, try to focus your nutrition on the health benefits your will receive from eating well rather than placing all of the focus on aesthetic goals. By focusing on your long term health, you will be more likely to stick to your healthy habits. Below you will find simple nutrition tips that will help you get back on track and making nutritious healthy options.

1. Fill up on vegetables
Vegetables are a low calorie/high volume food. This means you can eat a lot of vegetables without consuming a lot of unwanted calories and you will feel full because they take up a lot of room in your stomach. When eating vegetables, avoid adding sauces and oil, which will add more total calories to your meal. Aim for fresh or steamed vegetables when possible.

2. Take it easy on the fruit
While fruit is a great source of fiber and natural sugar, some people tend to go overboard and eat too much. In turn, this keeps sugar and carbohydrate intake sky high. Rather than ditching fruit all together, try pairing one piece of fruit with almond butter, nuts or a source of lean protein.

3. Be wary of nutrition/protein bars
While the marketing on most of these products claim these bars are the healthy alternative, most of these bars are high in fat, carbohydrates and artificial preservatives. Some of these health bars also pack a similar nutritional punch as a traditional candy bar. Do not allow yourself to be fooled! Read the label and check out what is really going into these products before you snack on them daily.

4. Up the protein
If you feel like you are constantly hungry, try adding a bit more protein to your meals. When ordering a dinner salad, order a serving of lean protein to be placed on top to help you fill up and stay full. Also try eating the protein portion of your meals before having the side items which are usually higher in carbohydrates and fat.

5. Drink more water
Water aids your body in digestion and keeps your skin looking youthful and hydrated. On days where you are training or outdoors for a period of time, be sure to consume extra water. Drinking 12 ounces of water before your meal will also fill up your stomach and may prevent you from overeating.

Try incorporating a few of these nutrition tips into your daily routine. Small changes can add up to great health benefits on the long run. Take care of your body now in order to prepare for a healthier future!

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/