KAMA AYURVEDA BRINGADI OIL

Namaste!

I used to oil my hairs at least once a week many years ago but from the time I have got seborrheic dermatitis I stopped using oil frequently and whenever I oiled my hairs dandruff started increasing and because of it I got pimples :'( so I stopped oiling my hairs from last few years and the quality of my hairs has become very bad since than.
I tried and tested many different oils available in the market, but nothing worked rather it increased my dandruff more. Even the doctor said to stop oiling hairs and only to use medicated shampoo. But the medicated shampoos have lots of chemicals that damage the hairs and makes it very rough and dry. But when I tried Kama Ayurveda products for the first time so I had a good experience and also bought their Bringadi oil and thought I should give it a try. The oil states that it's a hair treatment oil which helps in hair growth, prevents hair loss, dandruff and premature graying. Well I am not concerned about gray hairs as I have jet black hairs but anyways prevention is better than cure.
This oil is supposed to be massaged in the hairs so that the entire scalp is covered. The bottle mentions that keep it for 30 minutes but I sometimes keep it overnight. It also works as a natural conditioner. There will no need to apply conditioner if you have used this oil. Also a very less amount of oil is required to cover the scalp and the rest what remains in your hands can be applied in the ends of the hairs.

My experience was good with this oil. I will definitely repurchase it. I usually use this oil once a week or sometimes twice. For the very first time when I used this I could see difference in the quality of my hairs as I didn't applied conditioner and still my hairs were smooth. My hair fall has also decreased.

I wanted to test and see if this oil actually helps  in reducing or eliminating dandruff, so once I used the medicated shampoo to wash it and the next time I used  the regular shampoo. See it is obvious that if I am using a medicated shampoo for my dandruff  than for that time I won't be able to see any dandruff on my scalp, but when I used regular shampoo then after wash I could still see the dandruff in my hairs  but but but it was comparatively less. So I think it somehow helps to remove dandruff but not seborrheic dermatitis. Overall this oil is fantastic and the best oil I have ever used till date. It cost Rs. 515 for 100 ml

PROS:

• Natural product, free from chemicals
• Conditions hairs 
• Prevents dandruff 
• Reduces hair fall 

CONS:

• Smells bad 
• Does not helps in seborrheic dematitis

The Haircut

Namaste!

So it's my birthday month and I thought to make some kind of change in my hairs. I had already decided that I will be going for a blue ombre hair color but the hair stylist told me that a pre bleach will be done before applying the actual color that was blue and the hair resistancy will be tested that whether my hairs can tolerate that amount of chemicals or not. It is basically seen by applying bleach in your hairs and then they see that is there any breakage in the hairs or not. If so they stop applying more bleach in the hairs and than start the hair color. The more the bleach is done the more the actual color which you want enhances (for darker color hairs). After knowing about this, that so much of torture will be done with my hairs, I thought that again I should go for a red ombre which I got it done in March'16, that has now become copper but again the stylist told me that pre bleach will be applied if I want the exact same color which I showed to him. I wanted a vibrant red color and I also warned that nothing should touch my roots as I already have seborrheic dermatitis(dandruff).
I was very confused because I did not wanted a common look, thought to go for a bob cut but did not wanted to lose my long tresses. Finally some another stylist told me that I should shave my hairs from one side and oh my god it was such a tough decision I got really worried. After 5 minutes the guy came with a trimmer and completely shaved my hairs in one go from one side :'(
Now I think I should not cry over it as it was my decision and I only said yes for it. But beware whenever we visit a salon they try to convince so much to do this or to apply some product or get some kind of treatment done, don't get fooled around, be little strict with them ,there is no harm in saying "no"  if you are not as crazy like me because all my decisions are at the last moment and sometimes they end up to be good and sometimes bad. but I love my craziness and have no regrets. I am happy the way it looks now :)
And I can even keep it both ways :p

L'oreal Paris Star Collection Pure Reds Lipsticks Review

Hello beauties..

We all are in love with red lipsticks and it's a must to have at least one good red lipstick in your kitty that perfectly suits your skin tone. L'oreal came up with the star collection pure reds lipsticks in India last year and the shades of this range became very  popular.

The lipsticks are easily available everywhere and suits the Indian skin tone very well. Last year I purchased a lipstick and I fall so much in love with the lipstick that I wasn't able to resist myself from buying and trying other options available in this range . I have four shades in this collection and all of them are beautifully awesome . The colors suits my olive skin tone very well  and I love  wearing these colors as they go with most of the outfits . All the shade in this range are from red family  but  looks quite different .. not totally but there are similarities between scarlet and pure rouge  still you could notice that scarlet is little more on the lighter side .

Pure scarleto (Blake Lively)

Pure vermeil (Fan Bingbing)

 My favorite is vermeil. It was the first shade which I purchased  and you could see from the picture that  how much I love this one . I have used this shade a lot,  as this was the first shade which I bought from this collection,  but trust me I bought it because I found this shade to be  most flattering on my lips. It is just so so beautiful. It is quite similar to relentlessly red from Mac but the formulas are different  as Mac's retro matte lipsticks are extremely matte and dry out the lips but the L'oreal ones glide on the lips better than the retro matte range from Mac and after few minutes it becomes completely matte . I found something different in the formulas of these star collection pure reds range, the vermeil shade is  more matte as compared to the other shades which I have . The pure rouge shade is little creamier as compared to other shades. I don't know why :|

Pure Rouge (Freida Pinto)

The garnet shade is also a very beautiful color. It is the best shade for every type of skin tone. Fair, medium, dark, anyone could carry this shade without any doubts.

Pure garnet (Sonam Kapoor)

I would suggest that at least one lipstick from this collection is a must buy as you should try it once and see yourself that how beautiful these lipsticks are. The staying power is also good. It stays on the lips for around 4 to 5 hours and after that leaves a lovely light pink or red stain on lips. It would cost you Rs. 950 for a lipstick but anyways discounts are available on different websites, like on amazon or nykaa it is available for Rs. 750 or Rs. 795

PROS:

• Matte with a non drying formula
• Color stay power
• Easily available
• Sheek packaging with autographs of celebrities on the body
• Suits almost every skin tone

CONS:

• Little pricey, as it is a drug store brand 

Gram Flour/ Chickpea Flour - BESAN

Namaste!

These days we all want to use products that are chemical free. There are brands available in the stores but few are expensive to afford and for the rest there is no surety if it is a genuine product or not. So instead of using them we should be going for home remedies with the products that are easily available in our kitchens. Gram flour- besan is one such wonderful ingredient which is easily available, cheap and easy to use. It can be used in so many ways as a pack, scrub and even for bathing. It's so hassle free you just need to mix your favorite other ingredient that suits your skin and you are ready with your own home made product.

In India gram flour is very famous and there is no kitchen where it cannot be found. It's such an ideal ingredient that any one can use it, whether they have a dry, oily or normal skin, it is suitable for every type of skin. There is even one ritual in India known as "haldi", that before the marriage a pack which consists of haldi(turmeric) and besan(gram flour) including other ingredients like rose water, yogurt, saffron, etc. is applied on the bride and the groom so that they can have a glowing soft skin. In the past also the elite men and women used to bath after applying besan pack as it worked as a natural body cleanser, but now the chemical based soaps and body cleanser has taken over such products that does not even cleans the body properly and is of no use- except making lather and foam :D
I use the gram flour pack only on my body as I am already using other pack for my face these days.I like to use it with yogurt as it makes the skin soft and removes the tan. When you will apply the pack you will notice that it becomes really dry and tough to remove so you will have to scrub the pack by putting some water over it. My skin is extremely sensitive so I avoid applying besan on my face as it leads to redness while removing it, even I get some redness on my body when I remove this, but this depends person to person, everybody has different skin type so do a patch test before applying it on your face. But overall it is safe to use.

Different and easy ways to use it-

• Removes tan- mix yogurt in it and apply the pack
• Skin lightning and bleaching - mix lemon juice, turmeric and yogurt in it
• Reduces oil and skin lightning- mix tomato juice or potato juice in it
• Hair reduction- mix honey and lemon in it

All the above ways can be used on the body or on the face, only thing to keep in mind is that do check it by applying the pack on your hands before applying the pack on your face. One more good thing about gram flour is that the packs can be used a s scrub as well but this pros becomes a cons when the pack gets dry and we have to remove it by scrubbing it too hard, by doing so the skin can become little red. Otherwise it's all good to use :)

PCOD/PCOS

Namaste!

Polycystic ovary disease(PCOD) or polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) both are the same. When I visited the doctor in 2010 than she said it as PCOD now mostly the doctors call it PCOS. Okay! So here why I am discussing about this problem because due to  this many of the skin related problems are caused like acne, hair growth especially facial hairs and also weight gain. I know I am very skinny and underweight but when I had this problem my weight was around 49 kg which was normal according to my height and age. But as soon I was recovered with this problem my weight reduced to 43 kg, and I realized that this is me, my actual body, at that time I had fat because of the cyst.
I started getting acne when I was 13. I was very much pissed like the other kids but I got more worried when I noticed that I am getting facial hairs especially on my chin and the overall growth of my body hairs were also increasing. Till 5 years I was struggling and trying to figure out the solution. Whenever I visited the dermatologist she used tell me that it's normal in teenage and gave me few medicines and ointments. I have used what not- CLYNDAMYCIN, BENZOYL PEROXIDE, NEEM, CINNAMON, POTATO, TOMATO, HOMEOPATHY, I tried every possible thing and remedies to find the cure for this acne. My facial hair problem was not much as compared to other girls but my acne and pimples were increasing every day. Medicines had temporary solution and when I stopped taking them than again the pimples popped out.
One day in 2010 my family physician referred me to a gynecologist and she told me to get some tests done. There were some blood tests and ultrasound. She also asked about my period cycle, than we came to a conclusion that the internal problem is leading to the miserable face of mine. The ultrasound showed that there were cyst in the ovaries and in blood test it was found that my testosterone level has increased that are male hormones which leads to manly characteristics in a female. Thank God! I am still a female... The testosterone leads to facial hair growth even the voice becomes husky and masculine, there could be other characteristics as well, but I encountered only hair growth and the husky voice. My only problem due to PCOD was acne and facial hair growth. I also had sotret capsules for few months(for acne), but it could lead to liver problems if you do not have a strong liver and extreme dryness in your lips. Please do not take this medicine if you have a dry skin otherwise it could lead to cuts in your lips and face too if you do threading.
SYMPTOMS:

• Weight gain
• Hair growth(hirsutism)/hair loss
• Acne/Pimples
• Heavy voice
• Anxiety
• Infertility

Finally I started taking Diane 35 which is a contraceptive that is supposed to be taken for 21 days. There are other contraceptives for 21 days that are prescribed by the gynecologist. I took this for around 2 years and than stopped for next 6 months. After that I repeated it like I took the medicine for 2 months or 3 months and gave a break for few months. In June'14 I stopped taking the medicine and then got a ultrasound done in September and found that there were no cyst left and the problem has been solved now. But it can again show up if there is any kind of hormonal changes. The procedure of taking the medicine on and off is repeated until you do not get regular periods every month. If it is missed or delayed for more than 10 days than you should definitely get your self checked.
Now it's been around 2 years that all my hormonal system is balanced and I am getting my periods in time. I also had lots of fish in my diet which contains omega 3 and avoided junk food a lot. But this does not assures that it cannot happen in future. PCOS could happen at any time to any female and most of the times it is because of our unhealthy lifestyle.
PREVENTION:

• Healthy lifestyle which includes exercise and inclusion of healthy food in your diet
• Avoid junk food
• Avoid stress

NOTE: Please do not take any medicines without prescription of a good doctor.

ROSE WATER

Namaste!

I encountered the benefits of rose water when I was in school, but at that time I could not use it in the right way as I was unaware of its benefits. It is the cheapest, easiest natural toner available. It has endless uses and benefits . There are  lots of brands available in the market from drug store to high end  brands, there is so much to chose from. It is suitable for every skin type. It tones the oily skin and also soothes my sensitive skin, it also hydrates the dry skin. These days I am using Kama Ayurveda pure rose water. I heard a lot about this product and thought to give it a try. The product claims to be steam distilled which is considered as a pure form. It costs Rs. 250 for 50 ml product and I think everyone should give it a try because after using it I am not using any of my rose water which I had from other brands like dabur, lotus etc. I am also planning to try Forest Essentials rose water as that one is cold pressed. But trust me if you will use this you are definitely not going to buy any drug store rose water as this Kama Ayurveda rose water is so soothing and calming on skin. I always get redness and suddenly it starts to itch when my skin gets in contact to dust pollution or may be some kind of cosmetic from which I am allergic to, but this rose water helps to calm my skin a lot. I also use is to tone my skin after cleansing and in some face packs too. There are whole lot of other benefits of it:

 

• It helps to maintain the pH level of the skin & helps tighten pores.
• It is so good as a toner for every skin type.
• Helps in healing scars, wounds, cuts and redness.
• Can be used as a refresher, just spray it on your face.
• Helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
• Mix it in face packs.
• Makeup remover. 

The easy availability of rose water makes it more popular. There are no side effects(if not allergic) of it. It is easy to use and has so many benefits. So all you need is a rose water in your life to treat your skin well without any other product and if are lazy like me than it is the best thing to always carry, as whenever I am not in a mood  to use something on my face I just spray it and sleep and sometimes remove my makeup too with this rose water.

Pros:

• Easily available 
• Cheap until you are not using high end brands 
• Multiple uses 
• Not messy 
• Natural product 

Cons:

• Few people could be allergic to the smell 
• High end brands are little expensive 
• Tough makeup cannot be removed properly