HONEY THE NATURAL HEALER

Honey-the nature's natural sweetener is "manufactured" in one of the world's most efficient factories, the beehive. Bees visit around two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey. Honey contains fructose, glucose, and water. It also contains sugars traces of enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids. Anyway I am not going to take a class on honey's content but explain how you can use honey in beauty treatment.

Icon of beauty- Cleopatra is said to have ruled Egypt with an iron fist. Apparently, it was a smooth fist. She used honey and milk for skin-enhancing and moreover became one of the famous historical e.g. of people using honey to pamper their skin complexions. Honey is humectants, which means it attracts and retains moisture. This makes honey a natural fit in a variety of moisturizing products including cleaners, creams, shampoos and conditioners. Honey also acts as an anti-irritant, making it suitable for sensitive skin and baby care products. Honey's prospects in skin-care are looking even sweeter; research is currently underway to develop a process using honey to create alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) which is very good for removing pimples.

Here are some tips to use honey for beauty treatment:
• 1 teaspoon of honey mixed with 1 teaspoon of curd when applied on the face for 15-20 minutes and then wash away with cold water keeps your skin soft and smooth.
• A mixture of honey and olive oil acts as a good hair conditioner. Work a small amount at a time through hair until coated. Cover hair with sower cap; leave on 30 minutes. Remove shower cap; shampoo well and rinse. Dry as normal.
• Mix equal amounts of honey, sandalwood paste, turmeric, rose water and glycerin. This mixture when applied on face helps you to remove dark spots, softens your skin and leaves your skin glowing.
• Mix together honey, vegetable oil and lemon juice. This mixture acts as a very good moisturizer.
• A mixture of 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) when applied on face, removes excess oil, tightens pores, lightens blemishes and moisturizes your face.(Importance of multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) in my next post)

Fashion tips (page2)
9) A straight cut skirt and full leg pants will hide large thighs.
10) To appear shorter, jackets or tops should fall below the hips.
11) To lengthen your legs, go for slim, straight leg pants.
12) To appear taller and thinner, try a pinstripe suit. Long sleeves should hit just at the wrist bone. To hide wide hips, try an a-line style dress.
13) Give a new updated looks to an old blouse or jacket by sewing on new buttons.
14) Pleats add pounds. If you want to look larger through the hips, wear pleats. If you don’t, avoid pleats! If clothes don’t fit, have them altered. If they don’t fit, they’ll remain in the closest.
15) One of the biggest trends this season is denim. You can find it in skirts, shorts, jeans, jackets and shirts and even kurtas.
16) Women with larger hips should choose jeans that are generously cut through the hips with a flared leg.
17) When losing weight, don’t wait to choose wardrobe pieces. Choose pieces that will camouflage problem areas. (“The art of dressing up“ in my next post)

Fab abs
A flat abdomen symbolizes beauty and has served to aggravate our struggle to create a perfect body. Many women tap their stomachs while discussing weight loss indicating it’s their problem area. However, if you are still young, don’t have a few pregnancies behind you and fitness is part of your lifestyle, then there is a hope. Keeping your abdomen toned can help deter fat cells from developing as well as strengthen the lower back. Having a strong lower back is one of the best bonuses that your body can have, it makes your whole body stable and your posture also improves. Yoga is one of the best ways to shape your abdomen and back. Most yoga asanas, especially inversions and balances, use core abdominal strength to get into the pose and to hold for a length of time. But this needs committed, regular practice. Making yoga a lifestyle, can adversely effect your life in a positive way, it strengths the body and mind, it reduces restlessness and it has healing effects also. I can suggest certain easy-to-do yogic exercises in my next posting which you can do. Doing these exercises for a few minutes daily can certainly improve your health.