Health tips: Awesome

Thursday, 18 July 2013

7 Ways We Use Oatmeal to Get Awesome Skin & Hair

There are uses for oatmeal beyond your morning breakfast - it smooths and soothes skin, and even fights breakouts. Welcome to the surprisingly wonderful world of oatmeal!

By Kate Winick - June 21, 2013

BLEMISH MASK: Mix 1/2 cup raw or instant oats with enough water to form a paste. Set aside for 5 minutes before stirring in 2 to 3 drops of tea tree oil. Apply to skin and relax for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing with warm water. The concoction removes dead skin and fights the bacteria that cause breakouts.

DRY SHAMPOO: Use your blender, coffee grinder, or food processor to pulverize oatmeal. Mix the powder with an equal measure of baking soda. Massage onto the roots of your hair, then brush out.

FACIAL EXFOLIATOR: Its natural whole grains make oatmeal the ideal base ingredient for an at-home scrub. Grind 2 tablespoons oatmeal to a grainy consistency and add in 1 teaspoon baking soda. Store the mixture in an air-tight container. When ready to use, scoop a couple tablespoons into your hand and add very small amounts of water until spreadable. Gently scrub face using a circular motion for 60 seconds, then rinse.

BODY SCRUB: Combine 1/4 cup ground oatmeal, 1 tablespoon local honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix while drizzling in additional oil as needed to create a paste. Scrub the mixture immediately over arms and legs.

SKIN SOOTHER: For relief from sunburn, poison ivy, or even chicken pox, try an oatmeal poultice. Cook up some oats and then let them cool until tepid. Spread a layer on a damp cloth and lay it oatmeal-side-down over the affected area. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before rinsing off.

REJUVENATING FACE MASK: Mix 1 tablespoon of oatmeal with 3 tablespoons of warm, organic whole milk. When the oats expand a little, add a splash of carrot juice and a capsule of Vitamin A. Apply to skin and sit for 30 minutes.

BATH SOAK: Look for colloidal oatmeal at your health food store — it’s oatmeal that’s been ground into a very fine powder. This allows it to stay suspended in water, rather than sinking to the bottom of the tub. Sprinkle 1 cup of the stuff into the stream of running water. Step in and soak for 15 minutes.

Kate Winick is a contributing writer on iVillage. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

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Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Instant Blonde Highlights & Other Awesome Uses for Lemons

There are so many beauty uses for lemons. Lemon juice can whiten, brighten, and freshen every aspect of your beauty regimen-and we've rounded up enough ways to squeeze out some extra gorgeousness in everyone!

By Kate Winick - July 11, 2013

HAIR HIGHLIGHER: We’re betting you’ve already tried this one, but it works as well as ever. Apply lemon juice directly to strands to highlight hair while you’re out in the sun—or simply use a hairdryer.

FACIAL TONER: Lemon juice is a natural astringent. Apply a few drops to a cotton ball and use it in place of your regular toner to eliminate surface oil.

NAIL WHITENER: If dark polish has yellowed your fingernails, squeeze a lemon into a small dish and soak your nails in the juice for a few minutes to remove stains.

DIY DEODORANT: The citric acid in lemon juice kills odor-causing bacteria, making it the perfect emergency deodorant when rubbed under your arms.

CLARIFYING HAIR TREATMENT: A lemon juice rinse is a natural way to cleanse product buildup. Pour a mix that's one part water and one part juice over hair and let sit for one minute before rinsing.

HYPERPIGMENTATION FADER: Lemon is a legendary folk remedy for freckles or age spots. Apply juice with a cotton ball once per day to ligthen spots over the course of a few weeks.

FABRIC STAIN REMOVER: Almost any substance can be removed from fabrics with lemon juice. Create a paste by mixing with salt for tougher fabrics. For delicates, saturate the stain with lemon juice alone and rinse.

DANDRUFF TREATMENT: Lemon juice isn’t a preventative, but it’s great at removing existing flakes. Massage it into your scalp, leave on for ten minutes and shampoo as usual.

JEWELRY POLISHER: A lemon cut in half and dipped in salt offers the perfect combination of chemical and physical abrasiveness to clean brass, steel and copper.

BODY EXFOLIATOR: Mix one part lemon juice with two parts each of salt and olive oil to create an all-natural body scrub.