Beauty ingredients and their functions (A – B)

“A”

Alfalfa - helps to promote hair growth.

Aloe Vera - this fleshy leaved plant has a cooling effect on skin. Especially beneficial to hair and skin, it may be combined to form shampoos, creams and hair oils.

Almond - belongs to the nut family. It has high nutritious value. Promote healthy teeth, bones and skin. It is an excellent skin cleanser, softener and provide nourishment. Widely used in facial scrubs and face masks.

Almond oil - rich oil with softening and nourishing properties

Alum - a sulphate of potash and alumina. Used as a styptic.



Amla or Phylanthus Emblica - helps hair growth, prevent premature graying and controls dandruff. It has excellent 'darkening' properties.

Apple - a lovely, juicy fruit. It contains vitamin A, C, potassium and pectin. Improves texture of the skin and can be made into cider or vinegar.

Apricot - golden, peachy looking fruit with high nutritional value. It can be eaten fresh or dried. Apricot is used in peel off facial mask.

Avocados - high nutrition content; rich in vitamins, minerals, and oil. The greenish yellow pulp may be eaten. It is also used in face masks.

“B”

Butter milk -'the residue' after butter has been churned from cream.

Banana - herbaceous plant edible with nutritious value. It can be used in face masks.

Barley - the grain of barley i.e., pearl barley is rich in iron and phosphorous. Widely used to soothe and cool the body system. Also used in face masks and as a beauty drink.

Basil- Tulsi is an aromatic culinary plant with medicinal properties.

Beer - made from fermented malt barley, sugar, hops, yeast and water. It can be used to set the hair.

Beeswax - used in the preparation of face cream.

Bengal gram flour - has smoothening properties. It is used widely in face packs and complexion scrubs.

Benzoin - 'gum' from Eastern tree used in medicine and perfumery. When heated it yields benzoic acid.

Benzoic Acid - used as preservative in the preparation of cosmetic creams.

Bi carbonate of soda - used to whiten teeth.

Black berry - 'the bramble'. A scrub with fruits.

Borax - a softener for hard water and an antiseptic.

Boracic Acid - acts as an antiseptic and checks excessive perspiration. Boric is the shortened form of the word Boracic.

Bran - the 'husk' of wheat and other grains. It has been separated in milling from the flour. May be used in face masks for its nourishing cleansing and boosting properties.

Brewer's yeast - rich in vitamin B and protein. It is used in cleansing masks.

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Methods of cleansing

It is important to clean the face with extra care because the skin is more sensitive than other parts of the body and is almost invariably exposed and it is exposed to the many harmful elements in the air around us every day.

There are many facial cleansers available in the market. These are formulated so that they cleanse effectively while keeping your skin's natural oils intact.

If you have normal skin you should use:

Gel cleansers:

These are usually oil-free and may not foam or lather. These are good for sensitive skin also.


If you have oily skin, you should choose from the following:

Foaming cleansers:

These cleanser lather the face and remove the excessive oil from the surface; particularly suitable for the oily skin type.

If you have dry skin, you should choose

Water-soluble cleansers:

These are good and all-purpose, and are generally non-irritating.

Lotion cleansers:

These are recommended for dry or sensitive skin because they leave a light soothing film on the skin.

Cleansing milks:

These are best for removing make-up.

Facial cleansers may be of many types. You need to choose one that is most suitable for your skin and your pocket.

How to Clean Your Face

The best way to clean your face is to warm water and a mild cleanser twice a day, probably in the morning and before you go to bed. It is a fairly simple process.

These are the correct steps for cleansing your face:

Wet your face with warm water.

Squeeze out a small amount of face wash, about the size of a fifty-paisa coin, on your palm.

Use a soft sponge to gently rub the cleanser all over your face for fifteen
to thirty seconds.

Splash your face with running warm water several times (about ten times), until you are sure that all the cleanser has been rinsed off. Feel your face for signs of oily residue. Warm water is more effective for dissolving oil and impurities.

Pat your face lightly with a clean face towel, but make sure not to pat it completely dry—you need to retain some water to get the best effect of the moisturizer that you apply.

Apply an appropriate moisturizer.


The top five face cleansing errors


Is your cleansing method is keeping your skin glowing at its best?
Make sure that you are not making these five common cleansing errors.

1. Cleansing too often.
Over clansing your face can stimulate oil glands, making your skin even slicker. So no matter what your skin type, cleanse no more than twice a day with a cleanser formulated for your skin type.



2. Using of too much cleanser.
The less concentrated your cleanser, the gentler it is on your skin. So dilute a dot of liquid cleanser with water or lather it up in the palm of your hand before you begin.

3. Using products that are too harsh for the skin.
You might like the tingly feeling that an alcohol-based cleanser or astringent provides, but using it every day can lead to tight, flaky skin. In fact, astringent is often unnecessary even for oily skin. So let your skin be your guide.

4. Using products too harshly.
Yes, whiteheads are annoying, but over-scrubbing will not help. Avoid abrasive facial pads or grainy scrubs. You might end up with blotchy, flaky skin or even tiny broken capillaries.

5. Not rinsing enough.
Many people don't rinse away their cleansers thoroughly enough. When you think you're done rinsing, splash your face three more times.


This article is republished in India Study Channel

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How to clean ourselves - Know about soaps

How should one bathe?
Should one use a body wash or a regular soap?
What kind of soap should one use?
Whether one should use soap or body wash depends on their skin?

So many questions arise in our mind, when caring of skin is concerned.
The skin on one’s body may be quite different from the skin on her face. It would be a good idea to check the skin on arms and legs. Even if the face has oily skin, arms and legs may be quite dry.

In Indian tropical weather conditions, one should bathe twice a day, morning and, using a cleansing agent and warm water. One should rinse thoroughly to prevent soap residue from getting deposited on the skin. Soap deposits may cause allergic reaction, and also lead to darkening of the skin. Always moisturize after cleaning the skin at night, even in summer.

It becomes confusing, what to use from so many cleaning agents available in the market. All of them are claiming their benefits. Let us know what we want for us and which will suit the best for our skin.


Choosing a Soap


If you have normal skin, these are the cleansing agents you should choose from:

Regular/traditional soaps:

These soaps are fine for normal skin, but may be irritating for dry skins.

Transparent soaps:

These are the best option for sensitive but oily skin.

Shower gels or body shampoos:

These have been recently introduced, and are often technically better than soaps.

If you have dry skin, these are the cleansing agents you should choose from:

Moisturizing or super fatted soaps:

These are good for those who have dry skin as they contain fatty ingredients and are pH neutral.

Body washes:

The moisturizing ones are especially good for dry skin.


Specialized kinds of soaps


Deodorant soaps:

Avoid using these on your face as the antiseptics can cause reactions.

Medicated soaps:

These can cause dryness, especially when used for long periods of time. Under no circumstances should you use a medicated soap for more than two months at a stretch.

Use a medicated soap only if:

*Spend a lot of time outdoors.
*You perspire due to strenuous skin.
*You have too much body odor.
*You have a skin infection.

pH of the soap is important:


pH is the approximate measure of acidity of a substance and is represented by a number. Seven is considered neutral, whereas less than seven is acidic. The higher numbers denote alkalinity.

Our skin is mildly acidic. Most of the ordinary soaps available in the market are alkaline. They react with the acidity of the skin and kill some superficial cells. These cells putrefy and cause more bad odor. More alkaline, and cheap is the soap, more damage will be done to the skin. Search for neutral pH soap for best results.

This article is republished at India Study Channel

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