Beauty and Personal Grooming

Fennel is a popular ingredient that is used in the Indian kitchen. Also used as mouth freshener after meals and as an aid to digestion, fennel seeds are a mild diuretic as well. Read about the medicinal uses and home-remedies using fragrant fennel from here . As an infusion, fennel seeds can be gently cleansing and toning for the skin, and they can help reduce puffiness and superficial irritation. Thyme is also a wonderful herb that has antiseptic properties and is a main active ingredient that is used in Listerine mouthwash. Before the advent of modern antibiotics, it was also used to medicate bandages. It has also been shown to be effective against the fungus that commonly infects toenails . As for its cosmetic uses, it is a good astringent, An essential oil of common thyme is made up of 20-55% thymol . So a cleanser with these two ingredients would be great for the skin.

We have such grandiose plans for improving our health and well-being and making our lives easier and better; but most of the time these plans are hardly implemented and we continue with our old  monotonous habits as before. Why is it so? The problem with most of us is we tend to think in terms of big things, whether it is about losing enormous amount of weight or following a strict diet plan. We often neglect little things of life; those little changes and hygiene habits that can make a lot of difference to our health if we incorporate them in our daily routine.

In this day and age with all the resources available, there's no reason why guys should not keep up with women when it comes to looking fashionable or at least well put. Being well-dressed is beneficial because it builds a positive impression upon others because people tend to take you more seriously when you have a veneer of style compared to just looking like you woke up and walked around in clothes you slept in. Additionally, dressing well also boosts self-confidence and shows good manners for all people you encounter. Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/6mKxZ5XCw2Y

Nature’s bounty provides us with a galaxy of things that we can use to beautify ourselves. For thousands of years, Indian women have been aware of this and have made the most of them for their beauty routines. Grandmother’s Pandora’s Box of beauty tricks consisted of many natural ingredients which are commonly available. While fruits, flowers and vegetables are often used in different beauty recipes, leaves are also invaluable as beauty aids . These include mostly leaves of mint, lemon, tulsi, henna, neem, drumsticks, lettuce etc.

Women may reach early menopause for a myriad of reasons. The reasons for this can vary from genetically inheriting this condition, diseases like cancer, premature ovarian failure (POF), Turner's Syndrome and surgeries like  hysterectomy. Besides these, some uncommon reasons that increase the risk of early menopause are reaching menarche before the age of 12 and being childless, precocious puberty or early puberty - all of  which I have shared in the post " Mother's obesity may cause early puberty in daughters ".

Cornstarch , or cornflour (makkai ka atta) , is the starch of the maize grain, commonly known as corn. According to Dee Anna Glaser, MD, associate professor of dermatology at St. Louis University school of medicine, Cornstarch is one of the best home remedies to prevent irritated skin , as it relieves chafing by forming a protective absorbent layer between you and the outside world. With less friction, the irritation lessens when the skin rubs against itself or something else. Dr Glaser further says that you can also reduce the amount of moisture that normally develops over the course of a day by sprinkling odor-prone areas with cornstarch.

Some time back, Smitha had related her harrowing experience of a missed abortion / miscarriage in the post " Are headaches in early pregnancy a sign of miscarriage?"   She also wondered what could possibly cause miscarriage - low progesterone, chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, environment in the uterus not favourable for foetal growth. or something else. Smitha had conceived through assisted reproductive method, IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination) and was eagerly waiting to hold her baby in her arms after the completion of nine months! Alas, but destiny had other plans for her and she lost her baby in her 17th week or pregnancy and she had to go through severe depression for several months. Do read Top home-remedies after miscarriage .