Home Treatments for Dark Lips

Long-term use of cigarettes — especially lower-quality — can permanently darken lips over time, due to the harsh nicotine in it. But there are some things you can do yourself to help lighten dark lips and remove some of the staining that the smoking can cause.

Try lime and honey. A mixture of lime juice, honey, and glycerine, applied regularly, could help lighten dark lips. You’ll need to apply it every day for several weeks before you see any positive effects.

Consider almonds, butter, and milk. After you wash your lips, apply almond milk, almond oil, or cream made from milk, and let it stay on your lips for at least one hour. Continue using this treatment daily for several weeks to lighten your lips.

Experiment with other natural ingredients. Some experts suggest beetroot, pomegranate, or coriander juice to lighten lips. To make coriander juice, grind up some coriander leaves in a blender.

Moisturize your lips. Keeping your lips moisturized can help make them appear lighter. You can try natural lip softeners like clarified butter or over-the-counter products like Vaseline to help condition your lips and lighten them. Apply either of these to your lips at night and as needed during the day to help moisturize and protect them.

Use lemons. Lemon juice is well known for its skin-lightening abilities. You can make a paste of equal parts lemon juice, graham flour, yogurt, and honey, and rub it onto your lips. Leave the paste on your lips for a half hour, then wash it off.

Keep your lips covered. Use sunscreen to protect your lips — the sun can increase the amount of pigment in your lips, making them even darker.

Limit your exposure to other potential skin darkeners. Cigarettes, coffee, and tea do more than stain teeth — they can also darken lips. Give your lips a break from these potential stainers.

Consult a doctor. If these home remedies don’t solve the problem, make an appointment with your dermatologist or doctor. He or she can prescribe an intensive lightening cream or another treatment to help lighten your dark lips and bring them back to a more natural color.

Skin Care Tips for Men

Men’s skin is very different from women’s, as their skin is thicker and many use a razor every day. As someone who has many male clients, I know that men are less likely than women to fuss with their skin and therefore, the simpler approach to skin care, the better. Here are some simple, but effective tips that can be helpful for the men in your life.

Never use bar soap.

The binders that hold a bar of soap together are in an alkaline base (high pH balance), which will strip all the water and natural oils out of the skin, causing the surface of the skin to dehydrate. Instead, use a low-foaming cleansing gel that still will give a deep pore cleaning, but won’t leave the skin feeling tight and dry. The skin cells need to stay moist in order to be healthy, as without water, acne conditions and sensitive skin will be aggravated…

Use a shaving gel instead of foam.

The key to a comfortable shave is to condition the skin prior to shaving to soften the hair and the hair follicle. If you’re prone to ingrown hairs, this one is important. Many men shave after showering when the skin is moist, but for sensitive skin, that may not be enough. You need an emollient-based shaving cream that, when applied to the skin, softens the hair and follicle so that when a razor goes across the skin, there is less irritation. Typical foam shaving creams are not emollient enough. Look for gel-based shaving creams that instantly lubricate and hydrate, so that the razor glides easily across the skin, lessening irritation, rashes, and ingrown hairs.

Wear moisturizer with sunscreen.

Knowing that the number one cause of aging is exposure to daylight, it is important to keep the skin protected by using a moisturizer (with the sunscreen built in) 365 days a year. Most men certainly don’t like anything feeling greasy on the skin, so choose formulas with zinc oxide that give a much lighter feel on the skin. 

Get deep pore cleansing facials every change of season.

Men are prone to blackheads and clogged pores mostly on the nose and forehead area, and the safest way to get those pores cleaned out is with a professional facial. And you’ll get to enjoy their freshly clean face as well, which is always a plus.

Avoid using alcohol-based aftershave.

Many men like the clean and tight feeling associated with using alcohol-based aftershaves, and they have been told that these close the pores. Contrary to popular opinion, pores do not open and close like doors. Using alcohol-based aftershaves only results in more problems, as alcohol causes dead skin cell buildup, keeping hair trapped in the skin, leading to more ingrown hairs and sensitivity. Instead use a calming, oil-free moisturizer that will soothe the skin after the abrasiveness of shaving instead of burning it.

Men like an easy routine. These small tips for the men in your life will make sure their routine stays simple while their skin stays healthy and radiant.

3 Basic Nail Care Tips For Healthy Nails

Keep your nails strong, healthy and beautiful with these nail care tips.

Protect
The most important aspect in maintaining good looking nails is to protect them from damage. Fortunately, there are numerous ways for us to do this. One is to avoid submerging our nails in water for a long period. This can be very damaging as too much moisture can weaken the nails. The effect is splitting, breaking, and peeling nails due to overexposure to water.
Protect your nails from harsh chemicals as well. Most of the commercial products that we use contain chemicals that may be damaging to our nails. If possible, use only acetone-free nail polish removers as they are milder compared to acetone-based ones. But then again, limit your usage of nail polish remover as they can still dry out your nails.
Never use your nails as tools in opening containers, bottles, and cans. Use a bottle opener rather than your nails. Avoid the habit of opening letters using your nails, too. Avoid scraping things off or prying things open with your nails. There are corresponding tools designed to do such things.

Polish
To make your nails a little more resistant to water, wear nail polish or a clear nail hardener. Nail polish application does play an important role in proper nail care. It not only acts as a fashion style and accessory but it also aids in providing a protective layer for your nails. You can settle with clear nail polish if you prefer the natural look. Go for chic colored nail polish or eye-catching nail art if you want your nails to be more noticeable.
But whichever you choose, there are some things that you should still consider. You still need to prepare your nail plate prior to polish application. Clean, trim, file and buff your nails to create a clean and smooth surface. Apply a base coat so the polish won’t stain your nails. Both base coat and top coat will lengthen the life of the polish on your nails, which means lengthening the days before your subject them to the harsh chemicals contained in nail polish remover.
In general, you should not subject your nails to manicure and pedicure more than once a week.

Prevent
To protect your nails from water, wear gloves when washing dishes, gardening, and doing other house chores. Use gloves as well when using bleach, solvents, and other cleaning products. Also, limit the amount of time that your hands are immersed in water. When removing nail polish, soak them in nail polish remover only in a few minutes.
Eat a healthy diet and go for foods rich in calcium and protein as they can help promote healthy and strong nails. Biotin, a substance in most dietary supplements, and Vitamin E contribute to healthy nails and hair as well. To keep the proper blood flow in your fingers, massage your nails with hand cream. Also, keep your nails at a considerable length to prevent getting caught and breaking.

Hair Loss Prevention

All people lose hair on a daily basis, unfortunately many people will go through rapid hair loss without new hair coming in to replace it which results in thinning hair which possibly leads to some degree of baldness. Hereditary plays a major role in the severity of hair loss but improper care of your hair along with an unhealthy lifestyle may cause early hair loss.

Hair Loss Prevention

• Getting proper nutrition is essential for healthy hair. 

• Water, protein, biotin (part of the vitamin B complex), vitamins A, B6, B12, C, copper, iron, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, calcium, folic acid, and magnesium all play a part in maintaining a healthy scalp, skin, and hair.

• Using your fingertips to massage your scalp will increase circulation in your scalp which is important for hair growth.

• Gentle combing or brushing of your hair will help break up hardened oils that clog your pores. It is recommended that you comb or brush 100-200 strokes in the morning and at night.

• Avoid excessive wind, sun, and heat (such as from hair dryers, hot showers, and curling irons) on your hair.

• Tight fitting caps and hats will cause poor circulation in your scalp and will also cause build-up of sweat and grime.

• If you have live a high stressed life try reducing stress by taking some time out daily just to relax, excessive stress is believed to induce hair loss.

• If you color your hair, limit coloring it to once every 2 months. Hair coloring damages your hair and the less frequently you color it the better.

• Avoid putting too much physical stress on your hair; brush/comb your hair gently, don't pull your hair when you brush and avoid braids and ponytails if possible, they place constant stress on your hair.

• Get enough sleep.

• Use a conditioner and trim any split ends.

• See your doctor or a dermatologist for advice if you have concerns about hair loss and want to seek treatment.

HOW TO BRIGHTEN DULL SKIN

Problem of dull skin is commonly found in today’s generation. And there are several reasons which cause the formation of dull skin, which includes increasing pollution, use of commercial skin care products which contain high amount of chemicals, poor nutrition, unhealthy life style, stress etc.

Therefore proper care of skin is very essential to make your skin healthy and prevent from dull, dry and lifeless skin.

TIPS FOR IMPROVING DULL SKIN

•   Increasing amount of dead cells on skin surface causes dull skin and rough appearance. Using gentle facial scrub helps dull skin to get rid of the layer of dead cells, thus the supple, fresh skin beneath is revealed.
• Cleansing the face daily is important for healthy look of skin. Avoid using harsh soap and cleanser as these can damage the skin. Use gentle movement rather than rubbing too hard.
•  Avoid using hot water to wash your skin.

• Beneficial mask of apricot and olive oil can be made to brighten the skin. Place some dried apricots in water overnight and make paste in next morning, add some olive oil, mix well and apply on skin.

• Make the paste of unripe papaya, honey and gram flour. And apply on skin. This will help to exfoliate the skin and treating dull skin.

• Almond is also helpful for the treatment of dull skin. Place some almonds in water for one night, grind it and make the paste of it, add few tablespoons of milk, mix well and apply on skin for 30 minutes.

• Grind some spearmint leaves make paste of that and apply on skin twice a day.

    BY: FARHAD