Thursday, 28 January 2016

5 Ways To Have Fun This Weekend With Less Cash

Weekend is that time we all look forward to and can't hold ourself from
rushing out of the office even before the clock ticks on the closing time....TGIF.
Its been a long week, now its time to refresh and relax both the body and mind.
Well you don't have to pay visit to the cinema,shopping mall,spa,salon,garden to
have a great refreshing weekend. Here are fun things you can do without spending
 a dime.
       1.Exercise-first activity on a saturday to-do list after waking up from 
         the long saturday induced sleep to observing your morning devotion. 
        There can never be a better time than this to burn out the accumulated 
        calories packed from restaurant eating during the week. 
       Early work resumption time and late home coming due to the unavoidable 
        traffic does not give one enough time to exercise before and after work.
        Exercise can be fun and relaxing when accompanied with music, and
        de-stresses both your body and mind while giving you a trim and shapely 
        look for the new week.
        -Dance the salsa, kukere, etighi, makkosa whatever rocks your boat for
          5 minutes this is to stretch and prep up the muscle for what comes after.
        -Follow with 15 mins of cardio exercise like jogging on a spot, skipping
          imaginary rope, this burns out fat, keeps the blood flowing, and eliminate
          waste products thru sweating.
        -Tone and trim your body with 15 mins of muscle building and weight training -
            squats, planks, press up, push up, lunges firms up targeted parts of the body
        -Flatten and tighten up your stomach muscle with 15 mins of abs work-out,
          spread out your mat or blanket now ready do the side crunches, leg raise,
           squat side twist, sit-up.
          -Stretch out your muscle for 5 mins,you will feel exhausted in a good way at
            this point and really sweating, refill on water...not cold water if
             possible have a warm cup of green tea perfect for fat blasting and don't
             forget to feed on a protein diet to build up muscle.



     2.Organise all the week's clutters - shoes, clothes and make-up items 
        littering your space, clean up the room...spread your favorite clean
       bed sheet...spray room with your favorite air freshner
       (vanilla smell takes me to cloud 9).... hang up your window drape to 
       let in natural lighting into the room....soften the atmosphere with a 
       cool music playing softly (my fav is KennyGee).
       Pick up a really funny novel....relax.... read and laugh out to your 
       heart's content after all its Saturday, you won't realize how
      fast the time is running while you are having a good time

     3.Weekend is the best time to cheat-diet if you are dieting.
        Indulge your craving appetite with those food you've been
        avoiding to eat all through the week due to the calorie pack
       (sharwama, noodles, ice-cream,chocolate, junk food). 
        Yours truly never misses her weekend noodle veggie soup.....
        a plus to look forward to another weekend with grand expectation 
        right?

      4.Do an at-home-facial  and resume Monday with a glowing and 
         fresher look, Your friends and coleagues won't need to ask if you 
        had a great weekend,your radiant face will tell!!!

       5.Feeling bored with staying at home this weekend, 
          grab your manicure and pedicure tools, give your hands and 
          feet a nice warm massage to relieve out the week's tension. 
         Experiment with your nail polish, create artsy nail designs 
         on your nails. You could make it more interesting by inviting 
         your girlfriend over and paint each others toes while catching
        up on the latest gist in town...it would be Fun Reloaded!!!

Thursday, 21 January 2016

5 Ways to Treat Acne Spots and Scars at Home.


The acne- stage of life is one experience you wish never happened
because long after the acne clear out you are left with annoying spots 
and scars always a reminder of that ugly and awkward episode one's
of life. But the good news is that moderate and mild spots and scars left 
behind by acne and other skin conditions can be treated from home
using edible staples from the kitchen.

Lemon belongs to the citrus family rich in vitamin C (asorbic acid) its a
natural bleacher that lightens out spots and also fades out scars brought
on by acne and pimples. When using lemon for acne treatment its important
to apply on the spot and scar areas only because lemon is astringent and can
dry out the skin excessively, but the good news is that if you have acne scars
brought on by acne you probably have oily skin and will cope with lemon
combined with honey, honey will serve as a moisturizer and hydration for the skin.
If you have very sensitive skin or allergic to lemon acidic nature you might want
to try out other suitable acne spot and scar treatment below.
Lemon and honey both contains natural anti-microbial and antioxidants properties
that can also help against future acne rebound by .
How to use
i.Squeeze fresh lemon juice into a saucer about two tablespoon mix with 1
tablespoonful of raw unrefined honey and mix.
ii.Wash face and dry with a clean towel.
iii.Soak cotonpad in lemon-honey juice and apply to spots and scars areas only.
iv.Leave for 30 minutes or for as long as you can endure the stinging feeling.
v.Wash off with cool water and moisturize face immediately.
vi.When using lemon skin tends to be sun-sensitive, so use sunscreen when out
in the day.
vii.Because lemon is highly acidic its recommended not to do this every day,
three times every week is enough to clear out that troublesome spot and scar.

Goat milk contains alpha hydroxy acid is great for skin peeling, it
completely removes dead skin cell from the skin, and its also rich in Vitamin A
which helps to repair the damaged tissue of skin and it also boost cell
renewal promoting the healing of acne scar skin and improves complexion
tone by gradually fading out spot and blemishes.
Goat milk is mild and suitable for oily, dry, combination, sensitive skin.
How to use
 i.Get fresh goat milk not yet pasteurized from the farm.
ii.Wash face and dry with a towel
iii.Using a cotton pad apply milk on face and leave overnight on face
iv.Wash face the next morning and apply your usual skin products
Because goat milk is all skin type friendly and moisturizing, it won't strip
your skin of its natural oil so can be use daily.

Papaya combined with honey is one amazing home remedies in clearing
out spots and mild scars. Papaya contains an enzyme known as  papain a
natural skin exfoliator that promotes the shedding of dead skin cell revealing
a smoother and brighter skin tone.
Papaya is packed with vitamin A which lightens out spot and blemishes
and heals damaged scarred tissue.Honey is also another natural agents
that fades out blemishes and spots, it also gently exfoliates dead skin cell while
retaining skin moisture by forming a protective barrier against moisture loss
leaving skin hydrated with a glowing skin texture.Because papaya dries
out the skin, honey will serve as a moisturizer to this mask.
How to use
i.Blend or mash papaya to a paste of half cup and mix with three tablespoon of
honey.
ii.Apply paste on a cleaned face and leave on for 30 minutes or for as long as
your face can endure.
iii. Before washing off, massage face in a scrubbing motion for 5 minutes
and rinse off.
iv.Repeat this three times every week but discontinue if irritation occurs.
Papaya can make your skin sun-sensitive so its important to use a sun protection
during the day.

Tea tree oil is a natural oil is effective in the treatment of acne and those
pitted scars left behind. Tea tree oil contains terpinen an agent that fight
bacterials that leads to acne and pimples.Tea tree oil also lightens dark spot
left behind acne improving the skin complexion.
Castor oil is another healing oil for acne scars that stimulates lymphocytes
(cells in the body that promotes the healing of scars) into rapid action in
healing acne scars. Castor oil is also anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial
preventing future breakout.Tea tree oil combined with castor oil can be
very effective overtime in reducing acne scars.
How to use

i.Heat a teaspoon of castor oil and tea tree oil.
ii.Steam your face lightly to open and unclog pores for oil to penetrate into
skin.
iii.With a clean hands massage the warm oil into face for five minutes
with gentle circular strokes.
iv.You can leave oil on overnight and wash off in the morning
v.To avoid an oil stain pillow  dab off excess with a face wipe.

Retinoid is a vitamin A derivative used in the treatment of acne, acne spot
and acne scars. It is a prescription topical cream or gel medication, very
effective in the treatment of spots and scars at home. It works on the spots and
scars by excessive peeling of the scar skin, exfoliates the peeled skin while
promoting the growth of new and fresh skin cells to replace the scar spot
already removed scar skin forming a more smoother skin surface and improving
the overall texture appearance of the skin. Its ability to exfoliate and increase
new skin cell turnover at the same time is why Retinoid is especially suitable and
effective for acne scar and spot removal.Although Retinoid is mostly prescribed
by dermatologist and usage monitored because of its possible side effect but
you could buy it off-the-counter and make sure to follow the instructions on the
leaflet inside. It comes in various brand but Retin-A is the brand most commonly
found in Naija pharmacy is in a white creamy base with a dosage ratio of 0.05%
and 0.1%.

How to use
i.If you just started using Retin- A, it is safer to start with a lower dosage
of 0.05%, and use just a tiny bit of it at once as less is better when using
Retin-A, more application does not guarantee faster action rather it will
lead to excessive flaking of the skin which can be embarrassing.
ii.Don't use Retin-A with other skin drying products like salicylic acid,
alpha hydroxy acid, glycolic acid, they don't relate well together and
could irritate the skin.
iii. Moisturizer is your best friend (bff) when using Retin-A
because Retin-A tends to strip the skin of oil leaving it dry and flaky.
iv. Use sunscreen when out in the sun as Retin-A makes the
treated area sensitive to to UV rays.
v.When treating skin with Retin-A, your skin will get worse in the first few
weeks of treatment before it gets better and best.




Wednesday, 20 January 2016

The Beauty Magic Of Black Soap


  Do you wonder how our great grand mothers and grand mothers
get smooth and glowing ebony looking skin long before industrial
cosmetics came into the scene and how do they manage to keep skin
diseases such as pimples under control?
Local remedies like black soap was the solution for them at that time.
Black soap is an age long soap spanning centuries with origin from
the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria where it is locally called Ose Dudu before
regional trade and marketing brought it to Ghana and from there black soap
recieve recognition in other West Africa countries and became popular in the
world of skin care.

  Black soap is an organic soap 100% natural, made in the traditional way from the
ash of dried plantain bark,cocoa pod ash, palm kernel oil, camwood (osun),
lemon, honey and shea butter.
Each ingredient used in making black soap plays individual and important roles
for the benefit of the skin and combined together they help to achieve a whole lot
in skin care. Black soap contains plantain which is rich in iron, vitamin A and E,
lemon is rich in vitamin C . Honey has antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties,
shea butter is a natural sun UV protector and palm kernel oil is a natural skin
moisturizer, camwood is a skin brightener.

Benefits of using black soap
1.Black soap deep cleanse the skin of make-up, dirt, impurities and unclog pores.
The skin feels fresh and clean after wash,and the good thing about is that it doesn't
leave the skin tight and dry, its also suitable for oily, dry, normal and any other skin
type even the most sensitive skin can used it under observation.

2.A well mixed black soap is rough in texture with particles which exfoliate dead skin cell
 off your skin revealing smooth, soft and fresh skin at every wash.

3.With regular use black soap helps to lighten and  fade out dark spot, blemishes,
reduces the appearance of wrinkles and is effective in treating acne,eczema, and skin rash.
For acne and other skin issues you would rub soap on affected areas then leave it for
how long your skin can bear the stinging feeling, massage skin gently with the foamy
lather and rinse off. 

4.Black soap contains lime known for its natural skin bleaching, it lightens the skin
complexion and combined with camwood which is sourced from sandalwood plant
another amazing natural lightening agent they clear out uneven tone,
hyperpigmentation and skin discolouration giving you a uniform and glowing skin tone.

5. It is even said that shea butter in black soap can protect the skin from
the Ultra Violet rays of the sun but this alone should not be your only means of
sun protection.

6.For natural, dreadlock and texturized hair, black soap is not just good for
your skin, its good for your hair as a shampoo because its organic and
contain no hair damaging chemical in the off-the-counter shampoo.
It washes the hair squeaky clean leaving no residue on the scalp and do you
know that honey and shea butter used in making black soap are natural hair
conditioning ingredient that moisturize the hair....so black soap doesn't dry out
the hair. Black soap contains lime commonly used as a local remedy for dandruff
and flaky scalp treatment.
Don't forget that black soap is very cheap and lathers very well...a little goes a
long way. After trying out black soap on my hair there was no going back, now
I have replace my shampoo with black soap....my hair love it, skin love it and I love it too.

Note
To get the best from Black soap its important you buy from a good
black soap mixer and if possible get an experienced local black soap maker
who can mixed the ingredient well. The effectiveness of black soap is determined
by the mixing and combination of ingredients.

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Easy Home Manicure


Weekly home manicure shouldn't be a boring daunting task like doing dishes,

cleaning and cooking , spice things up and make it" fun and interesante"

I always look forward to my next manicure session as another opportunity
 
to relax and to release accumulated stress from my tensed fingers

after all the week"s wahala (naija wahalla can drive someone crazy a times).

This is what i do:
-I do my manicure and pedicure on sunday evenings this is the time am most
likely free from the hustle and bustle of unendless activities.

-I  use a  quiet and secluded spot which is usually my bedroom

-I control and condition my mind to a relaxation mood and try to cut out
anxious and worrisome thought (that can wait till when am done with manicure).

-I create a relaxing mood with a good comedy movie or a relaxing music
depending on what my mood crave for at that particular time.

-I keep a bottle of massage oil by my side to give my hands and feet
a dose of tender loving care(TLC) massage(they do deserve it)
Now am set for a good manicure time.

Basic essential need for manicure session:
Cotton wool
Nail polish removal
Warm water
Bowl
Body scrub/sugar scrub
Pumice stone/hand brush(solely meant for for the palm only)
Shea butter
Castor oil
Nail file
Nail buffer
Nail cutter
Base coat
Nail polish
Black soap/body wash
Cuticle stick/pusher

Procedure:
-Wipe out old nail polish coat with a nail polish removal, avoid using blade to scrape
out nail polish this does more harm than good, it thins out the nail overtime causing
nail breakage.

-Soak hands in a bowl of warm soapy water to soften cuticles, palms and dry dead skin cells

-Exfoliate dead skin cell off the skin by gently scrubbing the skin with a scrub or
home made sugar scrub, rinse off afterward .


-Scrub pumice stone/hand brush firmly but gently over palms to soften, this step is necessary if palm feels
dry and hard to the touch. you can
skip if you have soft palms already

-apply  shea butter on palm and rub both palms together applying friction until shea butter is
completely absorbed, shea butter
helps to soften the palms.

-Massage hands tenderly with massage oil (in the absence of one make a
massage oil from equal ratio of shea butter and castor oil)
a good hand massage is neccessary to reduce swellings from water retention, it relieves stress, tension and arthritic pain from the hand (fingers).
It also helps to promote blood circulation.

-Trim nails with a nail cutter, file to desired shape,smoothen nail surface with a
nail buffer, push in cuticle with a cuticle stick and massage nails and cuticle with
castor oil/shea butter. For every manicure session I love massaging my cuticles and
nails with castor oil. It helps to strengthen nail from breaking and speeds up nail growth.

-Now nails are ready for nail polishing and don't forget to start off with a base coat,
 it keeps nails from polish stain and prolongs nail polish.Apply nail polish on two
coatings drying at intervals. get a perfect glossy manicure finish with a transparent
nail polish.Voila  manicure se fini....Pretty easy.