Beauty and Personal Grooming

2012 was an eventful year with its share of highs and lows. Blogging took a backseat as I was preoccupied with other things that required more priority. But thanks to the guest writers who contributed several quality articles, there was no dearth of posts. Now that the year has come to an end, it's time to showcase the best posts list!

For some people winter means snow, Christmas, and hot chocolate. However, for a lot of other people winter just means rough and dry hair. The cold, dry air winter produces can easily give you more than one bad hair day. Dry hair makes it hard for you to style yourself because your hair is too frizzy and brittle.   You can even experience some split ends by sitting in the house with the heater on all day. You definitely need to learn how to protect yourself against the harsh weather winter brings along.

Vacation is a time for treating yourself. It’s a time where you should be able to get exactly what you want whenever you want it. Are you having trouble figuring out where to start? Here are nine different things you can do to pamper yourself while you are on your next vacation.   A week at the beach? Yes please!

Pregnancy is the most beautiful period in a woman’s life. It’s the time to celebrate and rejoice your womanhood. There is so much to think about during pregnancy that you may easily overlook oral health. It is very important that you take good care of your teeth. During pregnancy there are lot of hormonal changes in the body which leads to various teeth and gum problems which in turn affects the baby. Hence it is imperative that you pay more attention to your teeth and fix an appointment with your dentist to avoid any dental problems.

Cracked skin on your feet can cause a lot of discomfort and embarrassment. There is nothing fun about experiencing your feet itching, peeling, and cracking. You may also develop red and flaky patches and the heel of your feet will probably start to bleed. When your skin splits open it will be hard for you to walk or even stand without feeling pain. Most of the time cracked feet are caused by dry skin, especially during winters but can also be caused by certain conditions like diabetes or psoriasis.

Wouldn’t it be great if, as soon as you made the decision to start your own beauty supply business, it would just magically appear before you, all set up and ready to go? Unfortunately, it takes more work than that. Fortunately, it isn’t as difficult as you might fear. You’re going to have to work hard, but that work is going to be incredibly rewarding.   Soon these beauty products will be your bread and butter!

One of the best things about going on vacation and staying at a great Hawaii hotel (if you're lucky enough to be going to Hawaii) is that those hotels often keep all of the beauty essentials you will ever need on hand. This can save you loads of time when you are packing and trying to figure out what to bring. At the same time, bringing your own can save you quite a lot of money. Here are the seven tips that every vacationer should follow when it comes to what beauty essentials need to be packed for a great vacation.

During the winter months, it’s tempting to try to beat the cold and dry air outside by curling up in front of a heater . The truth is that this is just as bad for your skin (and can sometimes be even worse). If you want to keep your skin as healthy and as moisturized as possible, here are some things that will help you out. This is your skin. This is your skin without the proper moisture in the winter.

It's not unusual to get sick during the winter season. With the cold weather, most people stay cooped up inside, sharing germs with one another on a regular basis. The winter season also brings with it a variety of slips and falls, as well as other injuries that can ruin your holidays. If you become ill or get injured this season, knowing who to visit can help ensure that these holidays aren't the worst that you've ever had.

Its definitely the fall season and now it’s the right time to discard flip flops and shorts and take into consideration jeans and boots. No matter what your style quotient is, the key to an amazing wardrobe is selecting the foundation pieces, which are the best to work with. These are the basic items that you’ll need to make a strong foundation. If you don’t have any of them, then remember its better to invest in any of them rather than buying trendier items. Year after year, these items will serve you the best.

Gender roles are a flexible concept, they have been gradually changing over the years. That is why the people’s perception of what is considered ‘manly’ or ‘feminine’ have changed a lot. It would be impossible to imagine a female breadwinner even a century ago while it does not look surprising nowadays. Our lifestyles and habits have changed. Fashion styles have evolved as well: both men and women wear jeans, trousers and t-shirts. The unisex style of clothing is not surprising anymore.

Panax ginseng has long been valued for its numerous health benefits. Traditional healers, mostly found in China, Japan, and Korea, have been using it for medicinal purposes for almost a thousand years.  Panax ginseng is mostly classified as an adaptogen and a restorative tonic. Briefly, an adaptogen is something that enables a person to respond healthily to stimuli such as physical and mental stress. A restorative tonic, on the other hand, is a medicine or any other agent that helps to promote the restoration of health and strength as well as mental consciousness. Given these two qualities, one can see how favorable it is for a person to take advantage of the numerous benefits that panax ginseng can offer.

People go on a diet in the hope of shedding their long-dreaded excess weight. However, not all diet attempts seem to go smoothly as planned. Somestrategies to lose weight only make dieters reap the opposite results. So if you are on a diet but you seem to be getting fatter by the minute, there must be some things you’re doing terribly wrong.

Image Credit A True Sleep Masks Function   A sleep mask can be a very helpful tool for men and women who have trouble sleeping at night.  Their main purpose is to block out light that may distract someone when trying to fall asleep.  Any other benefits are small and only a secondary function to light reduction.  Although companies may claim their masks have several healing abilities, the truth is, most are ineffective and cannot provide much additional help. There are several types of sleep masks all ranging in price and quality.  Although the differences may not affect the ability to fall asleep, they can cause undesirable results concerning wrinkles and puffiness around the eyes.

Taking care of your hair involves setting up a good routine for yourself – one that you can follow every day. The products you use on your hair and to support your hair health are also important. Picking the wrong ones could do some damage to your hair, leaving it weak and unhealthy looking.

Skin pigmentation is a common issue that plagues many women and men in India. In fact, in my dermatological practice, I see multiple patients daily suffering with this particular skin issue. I usually give each and every one specific counseling and guidelines to help guide them on how to treat and prevent this prevalent skin disease. Read below for my skin care tips to help prevent and treat dull and pigmented skin!

Seasonal allergies are a constant source of struggle for people who live with them. According to the National Institutes of Health, 17.9 million Americans in the last 12 months have been diagnosed with hay fever. Allergies can be as unpredictable as the weather, and with the warm period of the seasons becoming longer due to global warming, allergies that would only stick around for the summer months might still be around into October and November. People can also develop allergic responses to indoor allergens as well, and staying cooped up indoors may not be the best solution for everyone, especially since outdoor allergens can accumulate indoors as well. Knowing the worst allergens can be a step toward getting the best treatment for airborne allergies.

Your beauty supply website is up and running, but you don’t accept online payments. Why? The whole point of online shopping revolves around buying and paying for products in one place. Sure you have your reasons, but they will hold back your success. Most shoppers can come up with a multitude of reasons to accept online payments, and you should listen to them.          What? You don’t accept online payments?

It sure can be easier to buy what you need online sometimes. Maybe you can’t find the product you want or need in your area, or maybe you don’t have the time to run around to physical stores, so buying online is just more convenient. Image courtesy of renjith krishnan/ FreeDigitalPhotos

Staying fit is best done by being physically active. Physical activity is essential to maintaining a healthy body. Sports have always been the best means to be active, as     they mix up both pleasure and workout together. Playing sports contributes to overall development of your body, including mental and physical development.

The holiday seasons can mean a lot of different things to different people. However, one of the most popular and common holiday traditions involves eating foods heavy in sugar. Whether it’s candy canes, cakes and pies, or even sweet holiday beverages, the amount of sugar that is consumed during this time of the year can be considerable. Unfortunately, this can have damaging effects on dental health, increasing the likelihood of cavities and other dental problems beginning to develop.

Bad breath can be a huge issue in anybody's life, especially if you have a very active social life. People don't want to face you if your breath has a foul odor.

After any kind of surgical procedure, there is always a list of things you need to do to aid your healing body, in addition to a handful of things you are to stay away from. Among others, here are five questions that your doctor should address:

If you want to have beautiful looking hair then dry hair can really make you frustrated. People usually suffer from dry hair because there isn't enough moisture and oil in their hair to begin with. One of the main reasons most people don't have enough hair moisture is due to excessive sun exposure without protecting their head. Other things like excessive washing and using harsh chemicals can cause dry hair. If you like to utilize a lot of styling products like blow driers and hot curling irons on a regular basis it can cause your hair to become very dry also.

It is interesting, isn't it? That the only mammals that drink another mammal's milk are humans. Actually, that's the basis for many holistic health experts' argument about why, ultimately, dairy milk is not the best for our health. The reasons why include that cow's milk is an acidifying protein, it's a processed food and that it produces (more) mucus within our systems. Image Credits If you are someone who has been considering trying out a milk alternative, but you haven't been sure if you should go with soy or almond milk, we have enclosed some "pros" and "cons" to both to assist you with making the best decision for you and your family:

It may be snowing and blowing outside, but that doesn't mean you have to look as pale as an ice queen on your special day. You can have the tan you want for your wedding photos (and build up a base so you don't burn on your tropical honeymoon) before the big day with a bit of planning and some careful forethought. Although some people prize a fair complexion, you certainly don't want to resemble the corpse bride on your wedding day, and the cool tones of winter can definitely give you a bluish pallor if you don't do something to correct your lack of pigment. However, you'll also want to avoid the burnt toast look of the New Jersey tanning mom. So here are just a few tips to ensure that you look perfectly, naturally tan on your special day.

There's no look sleeker than perfect, shiny, flat-ironed hair. Whether you're attending a high-brow charity luncheon, spending the day at the office, or hitting the clubs for an evening of drinks and dancing, a flat iron can offer you the polished look you seek. But as you may be aware, the intense heat that comes off this styling tool can also cause irreparable damage to your delicate locks, leading to dullness, dryness, fly-aways, and even split ends. Over time, your silky strands can start to show signs of wear and tear that make your mane look positively tatty, especially if you already stress you tresses with chemical treatments like dye or straighteners. So if you want to keep your hair healthy and shiny even when you're turning up the heat, here are a few tips to help you do less harm.

Winter season is here and has brought in the cold winds and a change in the wardrobe. In this season you do not have to end up looking like a drab instead with proper accessories and dress sense you can make the heads turn. This season invite the cold with warming up your closet. Here is a guide of dos and don’ts of winter fashion:

The onset of winter brings along many skin related issues for many women. It is a season when our skin is more prone to damage. Skin requires more pampering and care in the winters. It is more likely to dry up because of adverse weather conditions. It is all the more important to moisturize and  keep your skin healthy if you wish to look stunning in the winters. It is necessary to keep your skin hydrated all the time. Skin experts believe that a flawless skin is the result of an individuals diet intake and water intake. The food items which you include in your diet and the amount of water content taken in a day highly affects the texture of your skin. You can maintain a flawless skin all throughout the winters by bearing in mind some small tips that can be used in your day to day life. Here are some basic tips for a flawless skin.

The spreading of germs is a huge problem, partly because it can be done so easily and without our knowledge. In a heartbeat, you could find yourself with a pesky ear or eye infection because you picked up some nasty bug. There are ways to reduce the likelihood of this happening, though--and you may be able to prevent it all together. Remember these three suggestions to stay healthy.

  Having breakouts on your skin?  Is your skin getting dry and becoming prone to acne? It's time to get the best moisturizer available around and get acne free skin. Choosing the best one is dependent on your skin type, it's always recommended to consult your dermatologist.

Nowadays, every woman has at least 5 different types of bras, and 7 different kinds of panties to go with each the days of the week, maybe. You will often hear young women, especially teenage girls, complaining about not knowing how to organize their lingerie in a way that they don’t look for it all over the wardrobe when a simple white bra is needed.

There are lots of things to think about when you are starting a business. The fact is that starting your own holistic health store is not all that different from starting any other kind of store. That said, there are some things that are unique to holistic health that you need to make sure you are thinking about and taking care of. Practical Business Stuff Understand your market and how to reach them. Holistic healing is varied and eclectic. What types of holistic products do you want to carry? Do you want to cater to a highly specific clientele? Are you hoping to serve a wide variety of people? Figuring these things out in advance saves you time and money on your marketing and advertising. Photo Credit: Spring Dew

We all know that we should take vitamins, eat healthy diets and exercise regularly if we want to stay healthy. While these are all great tips that work, they can be boring, to put it mildly. Luckily, if you're tired of the same old ways of staying healthy and keeping fit, there are fun ways that you can accomplish both. If you're looking for alternative ways to keep your body, and your health, in shape, here they are:

Natural is the way to go when it comes to your delicate skin. All those chemicals and peels destroy the layers of your skin and end up giving your more issues in the future. Fight this by using natural ways to fight your acne problem. Best of all, you probably have the ingredients already in your home! Here are five ways you can treat acne naturally and effectively:

Better Living Through Chemistry Back during the last century, when the technological revolution started sweeping the planet, one of the phrases enjoined by scientists, often under the purview of big corporations, was: “Better Living Through Chemistry.” Nowadays we know that many of the chemicals cooked up in scientific laboratories over the past decades are actually quite harmful and are not found anywhere in nature, making nature sorely pressed to deal with them. Unfortunately, we've infused just about everything we eat and use with harmful toxins. Home-Made Is Always Best 

The number of online shoppers is on the rise, with more and more people choosing to buy online instead of waiting in long lines at department and convenience stores. Since almost all companies accept credit cards online, it’s much simpler to browse for products, such as beauty goods, in the comfort of your own home, versus fighting traffic, crowds, and salespeople. Your home is much more appealing than crowds. In addition to long lines, there are plenty of other advantages to buying beauty goods online. Companies typically offer online discounts and coupons, free shipping, and a wider range of products you may not otherwise find in a store.

If you don't think having a pair of healthy looking eyebrows is important think again. The eyebrows are like frames for the eyes, which is the primary feature on a person's face. If you don't think eyebrows are a big deal just look into the mirror and imagine yourself without them. If you didn't have eyebrows to compliment your eyes you would look weird. Your eyebrows not only puts a beautiful frame around your eyes, but they also display your emotions. Without a pair of healthy looking eyebrows you will either look surprised, angry, or depressed all the time. As you can see eyebrows are definitely important and greatly influences the way we look as individuals. However, things like hormonal changes, excessive plucking, and bad eating habits can cause your eyebrows to begin to fade away. If you don't want to resort to using expensive make-up products to color in your eyebrows check out these home remedies. With the right home remedy you can successfully re...

When you think about beauty products like lotion, shampoo, facial toner and makeup remover you usually do not think about them being made at home. However many of these items are easy and inexpensive to make yourself. All you need is a few common ingredients that you can pick up at your local supermarket and you too can create your own homemade beauty products for much less than store bought brands. Here are some simple recipes for you to use:

Whether you admit it or not, it is the deep desire of every woman to look beautiful. Beauty is not related to physical features but depends a lot on the physique of the person. A woman with a beautiful face and a trim figure leaves behind a lingering impression even after she leaves the room. And the woman’s figure is best represented by the clothes she wears.

Asha asks: I want to wax the excess hair growth on my upper lip and chin, but I am not sure whether waxing will increase or decrease the growth in the long run.

How to Have Youthful Skin and Hair There are many ways to produce beautiful skin and hair, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle will create a radiant appearance from the inside out, which can then be enhanced with the best hair products. Reducing stress, getting proper exercise and eating healthy all work together to give hair a healthy, bouncy shine and skin that glows.

We all have a basic understanding of the foods we need to eat: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. There are ways to kick start your body, however, a lot more than normal. Give your system the healthiest shock of its life and start incorporating these three foods into your daily eating habits. All three of these foods help to lower high blood pressure too!

Varicose veins can be upsetting and frustrating to handle effectively. Aside from the pain the condition can cause, it’s hard to ignore the most overwhelming issue in dealing with them: they are ugly. No two ways about it.

Your skin tone determines a lot about your beauty and appearance. Having a splotchy, spotted or irritated face can make your makeup look worse or just give you an uneven appearance. However there are a lot of natural ways to help your face regain its even skin tone. From removing acne marks to evening out oily or dry skin, here are some natural remedies you can make at home:

You Will Need: Heat tamer spray or heat shield product Flexible Hold Hairspray 1-2 inch Barrel Curling Iron Bobby Pins Preparing the Hair

You hear it all the time – take care of your skin! You see it all time – commercials and ads for skin care products. But what is the best way to take care of your skin, to safeguard it against harsh weather conditions like cold, dry air and UV rays? Isn’t it better to protect it in the first place than worry about reversing already accrued damage? Not only do you need to think about your skin type, but you also may need to alter your skincare regimen as the seasons change. The good news is that once you make good skincare a habit, it will come as natural as brushing your teeth, and your skin will thank you for it!

With the plethora of steals and deals out there for different makeup products, it can be hard to determine when it’s OK to save money and when you’re better off splurging. Some people swear by buying only the most expensive beauty products, while others are notorious coupon clippers and clearance shoppers. While you don’t have to spend a fortune on all of your beauty products, there are certain times when you should splurge and other times when saving is the better choice. Here are four times when you should splurge and four times when you should save:

Most people will suffer from back pain at some point of their lives. For some the pain is rather significant, while others are simply inconvenienced and annoyed. Back pain can be caused by a number of activities from working at your computer to playing a game of baseball with your children. Unfortunately, unless there is a disc problem or major injury, most doctors can’t do much for the pain aside from prescribing pain killers. Instead of simply masking the symptoms with some powerful (and sometimes addictive) substances, try a few of these home remedies to ease your back pain.

There will never be a better time to lose weight or increase muscle mass than in the teenage years, when metabolism is at an all-time high and your body's hormones are engineering a major growth shift each day. Yet if you are a teen (or you have a teen child) who wants to get into better shape, there are several steps that you should take in order to maximize your workouts' efficiency and minimize their risk. Since no humans on the planet take as many risks as teens, they are the most likely to become injured in the course of exercise, but several factors can greatly decrease the chance of harm.

Are you looking to slim down and reduce the size of your chest? Perhaps you’re sick and tired of disguising your man boobs? Whatever the case, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 6 ways to shape-up and improve the appearance of your torso:

Browse the bath and beauty section of any store and you will notice a variety of scrubbers and cleansing implements to scour every part of the body. There are all kinds of sponges, both natural and man-made, among the many utensils displayed. With so many options before you, it can be difficult to know which is right for your needs. Synthetic sponges often outnumber the natural ones, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are better for your skin.

You don’t have to pursue the Fountain of Youth with Ponce de Leon to help your body retain its natural formative years. In truth, the key lies in the act of regular exercise. Frequent activity and proper nutrition are key elements in maintaining a healthy body, thus improving longevity for your body, both physically and mentally.                   Everyone is in search of the proverbial Fountain of Youth ( Image Credits )

Being a teenager is tough. If your teen is unhappy with their physical appearance it can be an extra stressful time for them. They may not only suffer from confidence and low self-esteem issues, but in some cases their feelings about their appearance may even make them the target of classmates and bullies in their school.

You just spent twenty minutes applying your makeup. From eyeliner to lipstick, you have the whole process down to a science. Maybe you’ve even mastered applying it on the way to work at stop lights (which we wouldn’t recommend). But what happens when the heat turns up? Don’t let all of that beautiful effort melt away (literally). When the humidity tops out, it’s impossible to always be in air conditioning. Keep that look with the help of makeup primer.

When considering the body’s composition, it can be noted that magnesium is the eleventh most abundant element by mass.  It is also the fourth most abundant mineral in the body.  Almost half is stored in the bones, while the remaining half can be found in the cells of other organs, body tissue and blood. Magnesium is needed for all living cells.  It plays a major role in forming and maintaining DNA and RNA.  The compound has many medicinal uses including the creation of laxatives, antacids, and sedatives.  Magnesium also helps treat eclampsia and Restless Leg Syndrome.  It can be found in many non-medicinal products too like fertilizer, paper, and fire-resistant cables.

Let's face the facts - you have always wanted an eternally beautiful skin and tried every anti-aging product that fills up the television screen during late-night movie breaks, but you are still trying to negotiate a deal that those ugly fine lines and wrinkles and aren't very hopeful that those things are going to disappear overnight, right? Well, the truth is there are hundreds and thousands of different anti-aging products available on the market and in most of the cases they are supposed to be money churners for the pharmaceutical houses and they are at best “hope stimulators” if anything else - most of the times they don't work! Yes, of course there are a couple of clinical products on the market that do actually work, but they are very costly and even if you have a ton of disposable money to spend on such beauty care products, you would also need to worry about side effects and repeat visits to the cosmetic surgeon’s chamber every couple of months. So, how is it any ...

Eat healthy and Exercise . Those are really the only ways to truly lose weight and keep it off. Unfortunately, in today’s world it is increasingly difficult to eat healthy. And what does “eating healthy” even mean? It seems that a “must eat” one week, is a “don’t ever eat again” the next. Doing something that should seem so natural actually requires hours of research just to get started. Fortunately, I have done some of the leg work for you. Not just in the research department, but also in the testing process.

Do you enjoy trying new beauty products and exploring makeup trends? Do you feel that you can make some money doing what you love? Then maybe you can find success by operating your own virtual beauty products store.

The weather may get colder as fall hits, but it is your chance to turn up the heat on your exercise routines. Waiting to get in shape until winter is difficult because it is too tempting to lounge inside and hibernate. Autumn temperatures make it easier to exercise outside after the sweltering heat of summer. These indoor and outdoor fall exercises help burn off the pounds and ensure you will be ready to indulge a little when you see a Thanksgiving feast.

Let's face it; cellulite is definitely not a very attractive trait to have on your body. Even though it isn't a serious health problem it can be embarrassing when you go to the beach or pool and you have an unattractive dimpled skin on your hips, buttocks, or thighs. This problem is usually an issue reserved for females, but men can experience this uneven fatty tissue beneath the skin too.

Somewhere between cooking a Thanksgiving feast and wrapping last-minute gifts for your brother’s wife’s parents, you start feeling run down. Before you let the hustle and bustle of the holidays start literally wearing on your face, take some time to care for yourself. All you need is a few festive ingredients, such as organic pumpkin (no, really) and peppermint tea. You’ll probably stock up on these holiday flavors anyway, so save yourself another trip to the store and use what’s on hand. Start with these simple DIY beauty creations, and your skin will be glowing like the lights on your house (trust us, that’s a good thing).

OK, here's a quick question: When you first bought your foundation or blush and you started using the brush that came with it, since you've been using it, how many times have you washed the brush out? If you can't remember if you ever have, that is a surefire sign that this article was written just for you! Although we don't really purchase makeup with the applicators and brushes in mind, the reality is that we should because they are not just the tools to make putting on makeup easier, but they are also the items that rub against our skin, which also means our pores. So, if they are not clean, it can really pose a bit of an unsightly problem---five of them, specifically, that we can think of. Are you curious about what those are?

Wholesome vegan foods are known to help prevent—and sometimes even reverse—heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other serious illnesses. But not only will plant-based foods help you live longer, they'll also help you look younger. Certain fruits and vegetables—or, more specifically, the nutrients found in certain fruits and vegetables—are known to promote clear, glowing skin. Here are some of your best bets for beautiful skin .

Sometimes acne is simply a result of bad habits we’ve acquired over time.  If there is no hormonal cause for acne , by changing a few habits you can eliminate acne forever.  Here are 10 tips to help you:

We have plenty of products and procedures to make us look good on the outside, but if you're insides don't match, all the makeup and hairspray in the world won't be enough to convince people that you're an all-around beautiful person. The truth is that sometimes the world gets us down. Between hectic schedules, killer commutes, demanding bosses, and never-ending obligations, we can lose sight of what really matters: our own health and happiness and the same for those we love. So here are just a few ways to get back to your own happy place so that your inner beauty gets a much-needed boost.

There's nothing like the excitement that comes with knowing that in just a matter of one airplane flight's time, you will get to see your significant other, or meet up with some friends for a weekend, or even meet your new employer.

OK, so here's the thing: Have you ever sat and thought about what a flaw actually is? According to most dictionaries, it's defined as being a "defect", a "fault" or a "blemish". So already, in discussing the topic of women as it relates to body image, in thinking about "flaws", who really determines what those are?