Aloe Veda Herbal Hair Oil {Product Review}

Price: Rs 125 for 200ml (pretty decent)

Ingredients

Absolutely love the ingredients!!! Sesame oil is one of my fav oils for hair as its not very thick and heavy and is extremely nourishing and also prevents gray hair. A little information about Allantoin:

Allantoin is also used in medications for dermatological conditions including acne, impetigo, eczema, and psoriasis. Allantoin is moisturizing and keratolytic, meaning that it causes keratin in the skin to soften. This property helps skin to heal more quickly and to bind moisture more effectively, making products containing allantoin useful for dry skin and for healing wounds, burns, and scars. It is also effective against sunburn, chapped lips, cold sores, diaper rash, and similar skin irritations. (Source)

Pros

- made of amazing ingredients

- gives a bit of shine to the hair

- isn't a heavy hair oil

Cons

- smells too sweet for my nose

- has some green color added to it perhaps

My Experience

I have been using this hair oil since almost a month after I have left the treatment. I have talked about this in my June hair diary. So, to start with its a green colored oil which has a really sweet smell. I am not a fan of strong smells and I am not a fan of this either.

Moving on, I have applied this with the help of cotton as well as I have mentioned here. Incidentally, the usage on the website talks about the same method.

For best results, oil your hair with Aloe Veda's Herbal Hair Oil at least twice in a week. The best time to oil your hair is in the night. Leave the oil overnight and wash it next morning as this allows deeper penetration. If possible use heated oil as hot oil penetrates scalp better and carries the active ingredients to the hair roots. If done appropriately using a cotton ball directly on scalp this can give amazing results. To ensure that you do not damage the properties of the hair oil place the bowl over boiling water to heat the oil. It is advisable to apply oil in the night and leave your hair oiled overnight. Massage your scalp for few minutes even while shampooing and finish off with a light conditioner. Regular application stimulates the scalp and activates the hair follicles which leads to better hair growth.

it comes in a flip top bottle

So, I can say that yes, it does give shine to the hair. But, to be honest, the shine is less compared to the treatment I was on which really strengthened my belief in the treatment. I did not face any major hair fall or any other problem while using this oil.

One thing which I would say is that it seems to have some green color added to the oil. Why? I apply the oil from a silver bowl so there is always some quantity of oil which remains in the bowl and I don't wash it unless I apply the ginger tonic as well (which is generally next morning, I apply oil at night). And, I always noticed some green color spots on the place where oil was present.

As to how much it helps with hair growth, I am not really sure coz its too early to say something like that. Overall, I found it to be a decent hair oil which gets washed off easily and doesn't weigh down the hair!!! It leaves the hair shinier and softer if you haven't used a better product than that.

Availability

Online - Aloe Veda Websites

PS: Product sent by brand for consideration. 

Other products from Aloe Veda:

Aloeveda Moisturising Bathing Bar Indian Khus with Kewda Extracts

Aloe Veda Chocolate Vanilla Lip Butter

Some blog updates!!

So, I was really getting bored today and wasn't in a mood to work at all so spent sometime redesigning some of the blog elements. Did you notice the new look of the blog? Do you like it? How do you like it?

I know the ads are cumbersome the way they are but unfortunately they are not working out in any other layout so kindly bear with me for sometime. I will definitely try to work out some way around them.

The upcoming posts would be mainly reviews as I am AGAIN falling back on the reviews for the PR products!!! And, some other products which I am loving currently. I have misplaced my camera and  need to find it in the load of baggage I have. Probably, will do it this Saturday. 

PS: This post was written on Friday!!! Anyways, I have a news to share with all of you so let me begin it the conventional way - Thank you so much for all your support and love to my blog. For those who are not aware, I do have another blog which I am trying to revive yet again so would be very pleased if you all could give me company there. The other blog is everything apart from beauty - books, movies, life, relationships and everything I feel about. Ok, to warn you, right now, you will have just one post and numerous quotes to read about. But, I shall be regular on the other blog as well. So, will be very happy if you could join me there. You can visit the blog here.

I got a new Sling!!

So, check out the latest sling bag I got from oasap. Its spacious and really quite impressive even though I didn't expect it to turn out so good. Yes, there is a small problem with the bag but otherwise, as per the thrift things oasap has, its quite decent.

Pros

- spacious bag

- looks really decent and would suit any western wear!!

Cons

- the handle string of the bag is not symmetrically stitched. (you can see in the pic above)

Check out more products from oasap.com.

PS: Credits provided for purchase.

Related Posts: 

Purse from Oasap.com

Flipflops from Oasap.com

Arodent Ayurvedic Gum & Dental Paste {Guest Post}

Guest Post by Ankur Kumar

My Experience

I have suffered teeth problems since my childhood, also all of my teeth became light yellow in colour although I've always practised good Oral Hygiene. I was told by Doctors and Dentist that my teeth have adopted this colour because of the bad water of the area in which I was living.

I tried many ways to to make my teeth white which included chewing teeth whitening chewing gums which never helped. Also, some other natural remedies like mustard oil with salt n may others but never got the result. I also came to know about other treatments for whitening the teeth but it  resulted in making teeth too sensitive.

But still, I was ready for it because yellow teeth  were very irritating for me as  I was loosing my confidence and also I was not able to smile :( My Dentist suggested me to use Aerodent toothpaste. I started using it without any expectation but results were amazing.

The light yellow colour have been completely removed from my teeth and also  teeths are whiter than before at least I can smile now with confidence. At first I just bought small Aerodent toothpaste tube for trial sake. I have recommended the toothpaste to some of my friends and 6 out of 9 who used it regularly got positive results. 

Also, don't forget brushing the gums with a soft tooth brush while brushing the teeth as it is very important to take care of gums also which most of the people neglect.

Related Posts:

Whiten your teeth and improve your personality
Foods to keep your teeth white and healthy
Do you clean your tongue?
Do you rinse your mouth after every meal or snack?

Are you technology driven? {Health}

nah, I didn't really have that reaction :D

The changes in my home front recently have deprived me of internet since almost a week (at home). So, I was forced to live only on television which has very limited number of channels and even fewer were of my interest. So, technically, my time these many days has been technology free. No, I am not a phone addict at all. In fact, I hardly read messages!!

Since long, I have been trying to cultivate a life style which is less dependant on laptop and television and more on some productive work which keeps my mind chaos-free. I have observed that whenever I am alone and doing some work (any household work), I tend to keep the television on or run some movie on the laptop and as a consequence, my mind gets extremely chaotic. When I didn't have anything on my disposal, my mind was calm and in fact, I enjoyed the serenity a lot. 

I read novels, in fact, literature and slept peacefully at the correct times and my sleep was comparatively lot deeper and undisturbed. Its just that for me, its more of compulsion of using something which is available on hand. When there was no internet, I didn't even have to think about the blog except for one thing that I couldn't post everyday!! But, I felt a lot relaxed as if I was on a holiday :D And, in fact, life was much less complex!!

So, what about you? Are you a laptop or BB or an iphone addict? Can you simply not survive if you are not connected all times? Or, do you depend on any gadgets too much that your life would seem worthless without it???

Image Courtesy:mahira29.wordpress.com

Related Post:

How to get undisturbed beauty sleep?

Vitamin D not easily absorbed? {Health}

This is another comment (by Nids) received on my recently posted Vitamin D deficiency issue which might be very useful to you all.

Hi folks....been reading on this for sometime now and decided to add my two bits today. My parents are both doctors and they say that vitamin D deficiency exists not only because of less exposure to sunlight but also because Vitamin D is not easily absorbed in body due to Cholecalciferol deficiency which helps in Vitamin D's absorption. So she gave me these sachets of Cholecalciferol powder by brand Caldikind (by Mankind brand). Each sachet is 1 gm in quantity and tasteless. She has asked me to add the sachet to curd or water and drink as its tasteless and have at least a sachet each since my bone density is less too (coz of mild Vitamin D deficiency). Each sachet is priced at Rs. 21. She told me to use regularly for about 2 months and then decrease it to 1-2 sachets per week. You can take your physician's advice on this and purchase it from any chemist. I am taking this sincerely as one of my aunts who had deficiency suffered through lots of problems post the age of 35.

Also, Bhumika mentions here that Vitamin D deficiency is getting common over the ages of 40. So, get yourself a thorough checkup if you are above 40. Also, if you are a female, I would also suggest a mammogram. 

Nivea Sun Moisturizing Lotion SPF 50 PA++ {Product Review}

Price: Rs 399 for 125ml

Ingredients

I am skipping on this part because I couldn't get a better pic :( Sorry, guys!!!

Pros

- a medium consistency lotion which spreads easily

- smells nice

- does protect from tanning

Cons

- white cast!!!

- little issue with blending
- its PA++ and not PA+++ (the 3 +'s give highest protection against UVA rays)

My Experience

Since you all are already aware of my stringent requirements when it comes to sunscreen, doing an unbiased review is pretty difficult for me. I have needed a body sunscreen since long and this one came at the right time. And, Nivea being on the top of my beloved brands, the products did make me curious and I was very happy when I got a chance to try the products.

To begin with, the lotion is of a medium consistency and is pleasantly perfumed which doesn't bother the nose and doesn't linger on the skin either. It is of a soft yellow color and spreads easily on the skin. Now, this is where the trouble with the product begins. It spreads easily but it sits on top of my skin (which I have no issue with since its a sun protector).

But, it leaves a horrible amount of white cast which makes it absolutely impossible to use the exact amount of sunscreen which is actually required to achieve the said protection. One arm needs a tea spoonful of sunscreen which is around 5ml and I am hardly able to apply a really huge dollop on both hands :( 

I have not tested the sunscreen under stringent conditions because I got them a month back when I was in Delhi and in Hyderabad, it has been cloudy since then. In the meantime, I do go out in the afternoons around 11-2 PM slot and apply my sunscreen once right in the morning. 

Also, if you have read my posts on sunscreens, I have ranted a lot about the regular sunscreen ingredients being not so stable and break down on exposure to sun so I don't know if this sunscreen breaks down or not but its ingredients are all same. But, I won't say that my arms have tanned seriously or anything. 

Also, there is one claim which bothers me a bit. The sunscreen talks about immediate protection. As far as my knowledge goes, the sunscreen ingredients take 15-30 minutes to get activated and form a shield on the skin to protect from the sun's rays. So, as a precautionary measure, I always apply this at the same time I apply the sunscreen on my face. No, I haven't used this on my face as I didn't want the white cast.

One word about its water resistant power. Since it gives a very thick white cast, whenever I wash my hand, I can see a layer of the white film where the water touches my skin and initially, I had thought it to be water resistant. But, once I was caught up in the rain and the whole sunscreen literally bled from my hands and it was looking really bad coz I didn't have hankie or napkin to wipe off the cast and my whole hand was looking painted white!!! So, yes, its not water resistant in a torrent of rain but it does have some resistance. 

Also, since I have ranted so much about this product's negatives, let me state some positives about its counterpart product - spf 30 one. It doesn't give any white cast and disappears into skin really well!!! I am loving it and my arms haven't grown dark even though I apply it only once in a day!!!

PS: Product sent by brand for consideration.

Other products from Nivea:

Nivea Nourishing Body Milk
Winter Skin Care Lotions
Reminiscing Life through Beauty Products
Nivea Fruity Shine Dragon Fruit vs Pomegranate
Nivea Refreshing Cleansing Milk
Nivea Repair and Protection Lip Balm

Killer Sunshine - Skin Cancer Infographic

Source:http://www.insurancequotes.org/

Do you suffer from Vitamin D deficiency? {Health}

I had talked about Vitamin D deficiency very recently in this post. One of the blog readers, Roshni, left this comment which I think is worth reading.

I have vitamin D deficiency. Against the requirement of at least 30, my vitamin D was 3.4. My doc is giving me injections for the deficiency and has asked me to be very careful for sometime as my bones are brittle and can fracture easily.
Vitamin D deficiency is truly very common today (particularly after you start working as most people spend the whole day indoors). My suggestion to anyone who has this routine of getting up, exercising in the house and then going to work, to get your vitamin D checked.

I would again like to assert that going outdoors or having a house which has plenty of ventilation is a good idea as well as a proper balanced diet is very necessary to combat such deficiencies.

Image Courtesy:doktorium.com

Do colors define you?

I am really feeling low right now. The day was really bad!!! Anyways, so I came across this really fun game which I thought of sharing with you all. As you all would be aware that Lush came up with huge range of cosmetics and collection of colors which are, from what I gathered, really worth drooling over. And, the concept of Lush is that colors are connected to the moods. So, they have this fun game as well which determines your moods. So, check it out here and do let me know the results in the comments below :)

Mine were - Drive (Moving Forward), Strong and something else which says In Control. I must say these games are really fun ways to promote products!!! 

Image Courtesy:imabeautygeek.com 

I'm MIA!!!

Due to certain changes in situation and the hassle of all, I have been to lazy to put up any posts. I hope to do better from today or tomorrow. So, see ya guys :) And, don't forget to keep dropping your comments and mails!! Also, to all those readers whose queries I haven't answered, please mail me back again as I have got a huge backlog of mails and I don't want to miss any query :)

Nivea Hamper Winners

The Nivea giveaway winners are Nidhi and Gargi. Both have replied back and I am awaiting PR confirmation to forward your addresses to them. So, congrats girls!! The winners have been chosen using random.org and not on the basis of their answers. And, check out their best sun kissed moments:

"I love the sun as it brightens and refreshes you early in the morning...but my best moment where sun was a beauty guider was when we visited tiger hill in Darjeeling..we were waiting from before sunrise on this view point, it was so chilly..just as the sun rose it showed the tip of kanchenjungha, worlds third highest peak..what a beauty!!next it started lining the whole range of mountains with a golden border and the rays fell on the opposite range only to reveal mount everest...nature can be so dangerous yet beautiful!!!" - Gargi

"In sun, I can remember my last year's hiking in Bali and those wondrous days i spent on beach snorkeling and on water scooter. I was heavily tanned afterwards since no sunblock I have used has been absolutely water proof." - Nidhi

Me: Girls, I am dying to go to Darjeeling and Bali :) What fun you had Nidhi and Gargi, I am sure that was a breathtaking sight. Yes, you are so right about nature being beautiful. Going near to the majestic Himalayas is equally awe-inspiring and when I went to the Swiss Alps, I was just lost!! And, the worst irony of the story is that my hard disk crashed and I lost the snaps too *wailing*.

PS: Kritika, did you receive the AloeVeda hamper?? Do let me know. Pranali has already received it. And, sorry for no beauty post today as I am feeling damn lazy and in fact, I am not well :( And, life's changing too fast right now so I am trying to keep pace with it.

How do you choose the perfect shade? {Makeup}

Ohk, so when it comes to makeup or to speak of the simplest thing of tinted moisturizers, I am at loss with the shades. If I could, I would have written a post on "How to choose the perfect shade" (hoping someone would steal the title and give me a good post instead :-D). But, since I am total klutz at it, I would rather ask you. 

Whenever I got to buy a loose powder, I have this SA apply it on the back of my hand and if it blends, its awesome!!! But, unfortunately, they forget one thing that back of the hand is generally least tanned and way different in shade than the face. So, obviously, many times, the choice of shade goes wrong. 

Now, I also have this issue of white cast. Have you applied a tinted moisturizer and found it to give a white cast? So, what does that mean - do I have to take a darker shade or a lighter one? Well, I am sure it must have happened to you when you were an amateur as well. So, how do you really go about choosing the coveted shade?

Also, what do you do when you have an uneven skin on the face? The same shade doesn't go well everywhere, right? So, do you blend it with a moisturizer or buy two different shades and mix them? I think many do that as well but its not exactly very simple, right? So, hoping to see the tips from you :) Shoot them down!!

For those who are not aware, the shade of the foundation should be same as that of your jawline. Do check out my take on blending basics and please don't laugh if you find it really weird coz I am really not great at it :(

PS: Forgive me for enabling the word verification coz I do know how irritating Google has made it but I am getting an overload of spam comments so taking this step after a lot of deliberation. Hoping to see your comments continuing :)

Image Courtesy:yourbeautysecrets.tumblr.com,lilylolo.co.uk

Scarf from Jabong.com

Jabong is one of the online sites which had become really popular during the debacle of the much talked about "Glossy Box". And, the website has been under a lot of spotlight since then. One of my acquaintances was talking about ordering from this site and being given a good service which made me curious to try it out. So, lets talk about it.

The navigation of the site is pretty much like any other. Earlier, their focus had been on beauty products but lately, they have moved the focus to apparels and accessories with a lot of notable brands. The payment options are endless and they do promise good service. They do have discounts going on right now. 

Anyways, check out what I bought from them. To give them credit, I received my order in just one day which has not happened with any other site as far as I can recall right away. So, that's a good service. And, the packaging was good for a scarf. As it can't be broken or is not delicate, it comes in a pouch packaging with bubble wrapping. It also had price and brand tag attached. 

Weird outgrowth on my skin {Skin Care}

I went for waxing some time back like probably in March (not my latest one) and that time, something happened to my skin and I noticed some weird kind of outgrowth on my leg. It seemed to me like an outgrowth of dead cells but I am not exactly sure about it. And, frankly, it was looking too bad on my leg as if I have a disease or something. I asked the girl who attends me regularly and as usual, they are really clueless about anything. I don't understand why its not compulsory in India that only licensed aestheticians should be employed in big salons where they charge you like a bomb!!! 

Anyways, coming back to the topic, I braved on and thought I would use Apple Cider Vinegar on the outgrowth!! I know I am crazy. But, thank God, it wasn't my face. So, remember never to get face waxing done!! So, I took a cotton and dipped it in ACV and tied it to the outgrowth with the help of a bandage. It stinged very slightly on the skin but I kept it on till my next bath. It does smell foul though, let me warn you. Anyway, the next day, I noticed a significant reduction in the outgrowth and by next day, the outgrowth kinda peeled off and was gone. 

And, my legs are back in shape :) This whole recital was just an experience sharing and neither am I recommending it to you nor I advise it ever because you never know what you are suffering from. ACV is highly acidic and that is why it was able to get rid of what I believe were dead cells and don't ever try such things, especially on the face or delicate skin!!

Image Courtesy:madam-flower.net

Suggest a powder and foundation brush? {Your Opinion}

Ok, so, everyone, I need opinions from you as to which is a perfect foundation brush and even powder brush. Pocket friendly but good products are more welcome. I did check out TBS powder brush but it costs like 1100 and I was like :/ So, please give your suggestions and also where those products might be available?? I have heard a lot about EcoTools. Where are they available?? Online??

PS: No, I didn't go MIA. In fact, the internet went MIA! And, seriously, I don't know how to treat these two days of silence - I had fun without having the pressure of putting up a post and this affected my routine of writing post in a drastic sense so its feeling really weird writing the post right now :D

Image Courtesy:expertmakeupartist.com

Bloated Stomach - Do you feel uneasy after a meal? {Health}

On a good note, I have started taking care of my food habits and even though I am not yet up to the mark, I am better. So, a genuine request to all - never ever unnecessarily skip your meals, any of them. Now, its been a week since I have been regular with my lunches and dinners but initially I started feeling a lot bloated. So, I sat down analyzing what was wrong with my food. 

Acidity Issues

When your body has gotten used to irregular eating habits, regularizing can give rise to many issues, first and foremost being the acidity issue. So, always keep a pudinhara with you though I don't really recommend medicines. But, still. Another way to combat this acidity is to eat less. Yes, always start with smaller portions of food and spend around 20 minutes finishing it off. 

Take lesser amount of proteins and carbohydrates as they are difficult to digest and go more on salads and fiber. A very important and crucial tip which helps with weight loss issues as well. Go lighter on eggs as well as they are heavy for the body. That helps not to make your stomach feel like its gonna burst. 

Rice - Brown or White

Ok, so, I have never been a fan of rice. In fact, I don't like rice except for in very rare circumstances and generally avoid it. I prefer chapatis. And, also, I noticed that white rice makes my tummy bulge a lot and makes me feel not so very easy. Then, I started having brown rice. Well, to my disappointment, even brown rice didn't suit me as its very heavy and makes me feel a lot uneasy. 

So, I decided to cut out rice completely from my diet. And, as soon as I did this, my stomach was happy and very carefree :) So, a little mention here that exercising everyday helps a lot with the metabolism and lesser portion of food is very important to maintain weight and remain healthy. Also, if you are a fan of butters and ghee (like me!!), well, try to reduce it as body needs a lot of energy to breakdown the fat and generally, ends up storing it making you fat!!! 

Those were my observations this past week. What do you think helps with keeping the body light and full?

Image Courtesy:healthcare-online.org

Nutritional Supplements and Health {Health}

Last week, I had asked you a question if you liked to drink milk? And, from the comments, I realized that many of us love to add something extra to the milk, either to mask its own smell and taste or to get the extra dose of nutrients. I had already said that I love Complan, only the plain one though the memory boosters one is really good. In fact, I like to eat Complan just as it is or try pairing it with Threptin biscuits.

Threptin Biscuits

How many of you have had Threptin biscuits, put your hands up!! My hand is already up and as many of the people who have eaten these biscuits would agree, they taste absolutely nasty but, damn, if they are not power packed!! So, whenever I used to have this disgusting biscuits, I tried having them with my all time favorite Complan and yes, the pair tastes good :)

Have you had Cerelac?

Ok, this question is solely for the adults and not you 1 year old babies :D We all had Cerelac when we were kids and infants but have you ever tasted it after you have started getting to know the tastes of things? It really tastes awesome and I do have a fetish to have cerelac though I have never bought it yet :D

Other Nutritional Supplements

Apart from Complan, I have tried Proteinex and Horlicks. Both of them are good. I have heard good things about Woman Horlicks and Amway Nutralite but Amway is too expensive and my friend told me that it doesn't really taste good. But, Woman Horlicks, my mom recommended it to me.

I am right now taking Horlicks Gold which is also fine. The thing with Horlicks is that it always makes me feel full immediately and releases energy when compared to other drinks. And, I absolutely hate Bournvita and Boost, both of which taste like sugar factories and nothing else. Don't mistake me, I had Bournvita when I was younger but slowly grew out of that phase!! So, what about you? How do you like to take your milk? 

PS: Ahem...I have got a news. I have suddenly become important enough to be interviewed. Haha, just kidding. But, you can read my question and answers round with Stylecraze here.

Auravedic Botanical Actives Pulpy Facewash Honey Almond {Product Review}

Price: Rs 150 for 100gms

Ingredients

Pros

- made of natural ingredients

- no SLS (I am searching for a face was without SLS) 

- cleanses the skin really well 

- leaves the skin soft and doesn't stretch it

Cons

- stings the eyes real bad!!! 

- not suitable for excessively dry skin as it stings badly!!

- if you use excess of product, it makes the skin feel stripped

- it would have been great if it came in a flip top packaging

My Experience

I got this product back in February for review. But, that time, my skin was going through a dry patch so when I used this for two-three times, it really stung my skin badly. So, from personal experience, I can say that this product is really potent and is not for people who suffer from any skin issues like eczema and psoriasis. For the record, I don't have any. 

it smells really funky like a jelly (in a good way)

So, I had to discontinue using this product that time and I had talked to the Auravedic people too regarding this issue. They also advised me to stop using it immediately. But, last month, I ran out of my face wash stock so I decided to give this a try again!! My skin was healthy and not going though any rough patches that time so the face wash was good. 

Coming to the cons again, the biggest problem I have with this product is that it stings my eyes every time I use it. It was really frustrating. Yes, I do understand that it has natural ingredients which are not suitable for the delicate eye area. But, I do expect not to end up hurting my eyes every time I wash my face. Otherwise, it cleanses the skin really really well. 

Also, another issue with the product is that since it comes in tub packaging, sometimes I do pick up a little more of product and if I do use excessive product at one time, it really makes my skin feel stripped off and dry. The usual amount to be used at one time is a pea size of the product and it forms a good amount of lather and leaves the skin really soft and doesn't stretch it at all. 

A flip top packaging would be a great idea for this product so that one can control the amount of product coming out of the bottle. Overall, I do want to give another variation (Rose-Saffron) of this a try but I am holding back just because of the stinging issues. Yes, it is definitely worth a try and one tub lasts for a month easily!!

PS: Product sent by brand. 

Other products from Auravedic:

Auravedic Reviving Body Cleanser

Auravedic Pure Brightening Skin Polish Amla Tamarind

Auravedic Facial Skin Repair Moisturizing Lotion

Auravedic Pomegranate Grapeseed Face Polish

Win Nivea Sun body lotions!!! [Giveaway CLOSED]

So, here's another giveaway for you all. This time its being sponsored by Nivea and its gonna giveaway sun body lotions (the latest release by nivea) spf 50 and sf 30 125 ml bottles to TWO winners. So, the rules are simple. You have to answer a question and be a confirmed subscriber to Perfect Skin Care for you. So, if you are not, subscribe right now by entering your email id in the subscription form in the sidebar. And, enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway ends after a week so hurry up!!

For those reading this post in their mail boxes, please log onto the blog and enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter form. Also, give it a few seconds to get loaded.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hair Spa for Dandruff {Hair Care}

The reason I am doing more posts on dandruff these days is because I have ignored this issue for long as I never faced it and these days I am getting more inspirations on the issue. So, I was talking a few days back with a girl and she told me what helped with her dandruff. She has had an issue of severe dandruff since she was in 10th and she has taken numerous treatments, none of which had worked. 

So, as a last resort she went for L'Oreal Hair Spa. And, she has taken around a month of the sittings. The L'Oreal Hair Spa was used with the dandruff treatment ampules. But, she initially did not see any improvement. But, after one month of no change and after leaving the treatment, she gradually noticed the changes in her hair and scalp and found that the entire dandruff issue had disappeared. 

I wanted to share this in case if anyone has the issue and is tired of going through all the treatments, they can give the L'Oreal Hair Spa treatment a try. The entire service costed my friend around 8k (the whole package, not each sitting) with every sitting lasting about an hour to hour and a half. She, in fact, asked me to get a hair spa done for my hair as it really helped her hair (even the texture) and she is using the L'Oreal range of products only (meant for dandruff).

Image Courtesy:all-informationz.blogspot.com

Related Posts:
Some Remedies for Dandruff
How to get rid of Dandruff?
Aloevera Scalp Gel for Hair Growth
Hair Tips for Monsoon
Best way to deal with Dandruff??
Essential Oils for Hair Growth

Earthy Goods Vanilla Patchouli Indulging Handmade Soap {Product Review}

Price: Rs 95 for 100gms (approx.)

Ingredients

Pros

- smell is incredible and uplifting. 

- moisturizing and doesn't leave the skin stretched.  

- love that its a natural soap and has amazing ingredients.

- feels luxurious :)

Cons

- Palm Oil comes from Palm trees which are getting endangered. 

- I don't know if the ingredients are organic.

- melts very soon :(

- the sandalwood powder on one face of the soap bar is very scratchy!!!

My Experience

I love their soaps. They are amazing, moisturizing and smell awesome while they last. My dad also fell in love with the soap. But, yes, one side of this soap has vanilla swirls which are topped with sandalwood powder or may be vanilla bean powder too (it felt like that to me). But, its pretty scratchy on the skin :( 

Otherwise, I would recommend all the Earthy Goods soaps. You should definitely check them out!! I am in love with handmade soaps and am not gonna switch back to the commercially available ones anytime in the future now. Yes, the only problem with handmade soaps is that they melt very easily :(

Availability

Online - Earthy Goods Website

Other products from Earthy Goods:

Earth Store Cinnamon Spice, Jasmine Lavender and Mountain Rose
Earthy Goods Forest Honey Nourishing Handmade Soap

Have you attended any concerts?

I have attended 4 live concerts in all or I guess 5. One was Euphoria and another was Vishal-Shekhar live, both as part of college fests. And, one was Shaan and another was Shreya Goshal to which we got free passes and the best one for which we had to pay (but was too awesome to miss) was Bryan Adams!!!

Out of all, Shaan is still my fav!! He is so cute and I absolutely love his songs and technically, it was my first couple concert and I have very sweet memories of it. I have enjoyed all of them, danced like crazy, shouted till the voice was hoarse. The best part was that he didn't make us wait even a minute!! In fact, we were late and he was already on stage sharp at 7 and he sang non-stop till 9:30 or something!! It was freaking awesome. 

Btw, Bryan Adams was way too different than the desi concerts!! The crowd was uber cool and well-mannered. But, he made us wait for more than an hour which had become really irritating. This was sometime in Feb or March last year when he was on India tour. To confess, I only knew "Summer of 69" :D Ok, I am not a music buff or anything. So, that's my excuse!!

So, have you attended any concerts? If not, what's your excuse?

My June Mega Haul

So, let the pics do the talking :)

my peep-toe sandals :)

my sunscreen stock!!

hair bands (thrifted)!!

Lush Dark Angels

Forest Essentials Body Oils (smell heavenly)

sesame oil

won it on Bhumika's blog

received them for reviews

received it just today and dying to try them out!!!

PS: I couldn't click the bangle I bought for mom otherwise I would have shared with you all. Btw, I didn't even talk about the birthday celebrations. It was awesome :) We went to Citywalk for dinner. There is a small bistro called Amici which specializes in wood fired Pizza and Italian food. So, we had a pasta and pizza there and it was just too awesome. So, if guys go there, don't miss it out!!!

PS1: I am desperately waiting for the Kindle. Hope I receive it soon :)

PS2: Just now read on some blog about the All-in-one TBS BB Cream and was intrigued!!! Hope they launch it soon in India as well :)

Related Posts:
My Latest Haul
My December Haul
November Haul
September Haul

Vitamin D deficiency {Health}

So, I have been since long hearing about this whole thing about using sunscreens and then people suffering from Vitamin D deficiency. Till now, I didn't think it was worth a mention coz no sunscreen can cause a Vitamin deficiency for a fact. But, yesterday, my friend told me about her brother who has Vitamin D deficiency. No, I am pretty sure he doesn't even what a sunscreen is :D

So, what's the whole deal about this deficiency? Well, you can attribute it to today's lifestyle. We all avoid going into sun to avoid getting tanned, we all sit in closed buildings with full blown AC's all time, hardly take out time to exercise in the natural environments (gymming has really gained a lot of popularity and people are ready to spend money there than getting out of their house, no judgements here coz I know many do this solely for motivation). So, when you have no time to go out in the sun and spend 10 minutes, you can definitely expect a deficiency of such a vital nutrient which is so freely available.

I have time and again insisted on the routine of waking up in the morning and going for a walk. Its great for health, body and soul overall as it works benefits in spiritual sense as well. Also, Vitamin D is also present in food sources like eggs, all varieties of fish, diary products like cheese, milk, yogurt, oranges, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach. So, don't forget to eat balanced food and stay healthy.

Image Courtesy:doktorium.com

Best way to deal with Dandruff?? {DIY}

So, yes, I know most of you are facing this problem right now or would be in the coming subsequent months of August-September depending on when monsoons hit your town. So, be armed with this simple DIY to get rid of dandruff. 

Ingredients

• Apple Cider Vinegar / Fruit Vinegar / Vinegar
• Water

Method

Add 2 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a bowl and take a cotton and apply it to your scalp half hour before you shampoo your hair. To avoid dryness (vinegar is acidic so drying for scalp), you can apply this treatment on well-oiled hair. Do this every time you are going to shampoo. This helps with long standing issues of dandruff too. 

Remember the Kamini aunty treatment? Yes, it involves this ginger hair tonic which I had told you was ginger infused in vinegar. My mom has even prepared the dupe for it :D We are calling it dupe coz the actual treatment might have other additives. I shall share it soon :) Till then, let this treatment help ya!!

Image Courtesy:jdc325.wordpress.com

Aloe Veda Chocolate Vanilla Lip Butter {Product Review}

Price: Rs 115 for 10gms

Ingredients

Since the pic is not really clear, I will mention the ingredients here:

Sunflower oil, Soyabean oil, Beeswax, Sweet Almond oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Chocolate Flavor & Vanilla Flavor, Octyl methoxycinnamate

Pros

- its really buttery!!!

- spreads easily on the lips
- moisturizes the lips very well
- staying power is good
- stays all night long and makes the lips soft and supple

Cons

- tub packaging :(

- does get a little washed off when you eat something which happens with all lip balms
- it doesn't repair the lips in a long term which is sad

My Experience

The product is brown in color but obviously goes transparent on the lips. Its really buttery and melts easily with body temperature and spreads easily on the lips. But, I have noticed that it didn't help me with cracked and chapped lips. It just keeps my lips soft and moisturized till the time it is on the lips.

Ok, all lip balms do get washed off when I eat something or drink water. Though, it does have resistance towards water a little. But, I absolutely hate the tub packaging. No, I am not such a huge hygiene fanatic because I always make sure that no one else uses my products and my hands are clean when I am using them.

But, the product does tend to get in the nails and nail bed and also lip balms are more easily applied from a tube application. When I apply this lip balm with my fingers, it always spreads around my lips :( The product might seem expensive but it lasts really long. I have been using it since a month and I have finished only a little.

PS: Product sent by brand.

Other products from Aloe Veda:

Aloeveda Moisturising Bathing Bar Indian Khus with Kewda Extracts