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Weather can be one of your skin’s worst enemies, especially during the winter season. As we go through this dilemma, we should remember that there are numerous factors aside from the one mentioned above which put your skin to the normal condition of wear and tear.

Effective skin care and treatment are way to keeping your skin younger-looking, supple and full of moisture. The purpose of putting yourself to an effective skin regimen is to minimize the incorrect habits of skin treatment and the factors that injure the skin and causes irreversible damage.

Dermatologists use the term “xerosis” to describe dry skin. In more severe cases, skin moisture is nearly absent thereby resulting to characteristic cracking, scaling and itching called pruritus.

The above conditions are brought about by the skin lacking the required moisture to prevent the aforementioned results. The skin needs a relative amount of moisture to maintain smooth or suppleness, flexibility and protection.

If the skin is a not sufficiently moisturized, harmful UV rays get into the skin easily and travel all the way down the delicate subcutaneous tissue and subsequently make you skin vulnerable to damage.

In order to avoid the many activities that jeopardize your skin’s health, it is important to identify the many factors which results to the unwanted condition.

Avoid Using Soaps with Harsh Ingredients - Regular soaps such as anti-bacterial and deodorant soaps, which are non-moisturizing, dehydrate the skin and rob your integument with essential oils which locks moisture from your body.

Products containing alcohols also dissolve skin lipids and cause the skin’s moisture to evaporate resulting to skin dryness. Water and oil-based products are perfect for your skin. Use Dove Olay and other soap substitutes available at your local drugstore.

Washing with Hot Water - Although water is an effective moisturizing agent, it also strips your skin with valuable oils or lipids which are responsible for retaining moisture from your skin.

Frequent bathing, especially with hot water, removes valuable oils and exposes your skin to infections by destroying your body’s first main line of defense.

Once this is lost, your skin will become more prone to organic attacks by pathogens and sometimes cause irreversible damage to your skin.

If you are used to bathing with hot water and cannot resist the temptation, try replacing it with lukewarm water to lessen the effect of skin dryness.

Frequent Washing - Frequent washing and bathing, usually more than once a day depletes your body with moisture and natural oils. Also, limit your bathing time within 15 minutes.

Weather - Winter is one major factor in the development of a dry skin. The use of humidifier, in most cases, solves the problem of the effect of the climate. It compensates for the insufficient humidity needed for the preservation of skin moisture.

This is because cold air cannot afford to hold adequate amount of water to serve skin’s moisture demands. Warm air on the other hand holds enough humidity to keep the skin moisturized at a certain level.

Patients under medication - People taking diuretic drugs remove water from a patient’s body because the kidney will less likely reabsorb the water filtered through it. In this case, frequent intake of water is needed.

The skin deserves much attention for it manifests your overall health or state of well-being. It provides you with valuable clues as to how you take care of yourself and how much attention your skin gets in your daily physical management.

If you think you are too big for your clothes, your face is puffy and looks swollen when you get up in the morning, then you are suffering from water retention. The other symptoms are bloating of the stomach or tightness of the ring in the finger. Your shoes will pinch and all these events will cause you a lot of discomfort. This is called water retention or edema.

Usually, our bodies have the ability to balance the water levels in the body depending on the food that we eat or drink. But at times, this balance tends to go haywire. The leading causes of edema are excessive salt and alcohol intake, long periods of inactivity and monthly hormonal fluctuations or pregnancy in women. A sudden gain in weight or swollen ankles is the only signs of water retention.

The common home remedies for water retention are:

? Go into deep water: Exercising in the swimming pool will be an excellent remedy for curing this problem. This is due to the water pressure forcing out the excess water out of the tissues and into the bladder. It is advised to exercise gently in the pool at the temperature of 80 to 90 degrees F. if you are pregnant, avoid water above 100 degrees.
? Avoid diuretics: Though diuretics are effective for the flushing out of excess water in the people with the heart, kidney or liver disease, they can also cause rebound edema. Continuous usage will activate the salt and water retaining hormones and when stopped, these hormones are activated and cause water retention.
? Minimize salt intake: Avoid foods high in salt like hotdogs, burgers, pizzas etc. They contain very high salt content and the fluid released will remain in the body till kidneys have a chance to excrete them which is about 24 hours.
? Exercise continuously: Exercise has been shown to reduce the water retention by flushing out the water and salt through sweating, higher respiration and increased urine flow. If you have been sitting for a long time, walk up and down or climb stairs every hour. You can also try the following exercise: point the toes downward, then raise them up as high as possible which pumps up the calf and foot muscles. You can also raise your hands up overhead.
? Increase fluid intake: Water moves through the kidneys and bladder thus diluting the urine. It becomes easier for the kidneys to flush diluted urine out along with the salt contained in it. Plain water is the best option, since juices, sodas and colas have salt content.
? Sip on the herbal tea: Many herbs are slightly diuretic. Parsley is the best known one. Take two teaspoons of dried leaves for each cup of boiling water and seep for ten minutes. Drink three cups a day.
? Lie down with feet up: Recline with the feet up in the raised position. This will allow the fluid collected in the legs to go to the circulatory systems and from there to the kidneys for excretion.

If these tips do not work or if you have heart and kidney problems consult a doctor. You can also consult a doctor if you have a pitting edema where an indentation remains when you press the skin.

OK, perfect eyebrows? What qualities make eyebrows perfect?

Our eyebrow shape and color influences a lot the expression and harmony of our face. You may think eyebrows have a minor importance or that they are just an insignificant detail, but you must know that they do have an important role in each of ours physiognomies.

First things first, every part of your eyebrows must be matched, and equal, they need to be smooth and their color must be assorted to your face and eyes, not to unnatural hair color you have, but to the natural color your hair is supposes to be. If you feel the need to change the color of your eyebrows you can go to a cosmetic salon. As a general rule of thumb, if you are blonde you should make your eyebrows light brown. If you are a brunette make them black.

Make-up can be used if the eyebrows are carefully arranged and perfect to help fit the harmony of your entire face. Experts recommend that you shape your eyebrows to be the correct fit for the shape of your face. If you aren’t sure what shape your face is or how to go about doing this it’s recommended to have an expert guide you or actually do it for you. Below is some information that may guide you along the way.

The different shapes of faces:
- Square face: this type of face has eyebrows that are thick and horizontal. Therefore they need to be thinner and their shape needs to change.

- Diamond shaped face: the eyebrows will need to be corrected just a little, and made as oblique as possible.

- Round face: the eyebrows don’t need to be rounded, correction has to be done as ascendant as possible. You will correct the superior aspect of the base.

- Triangular face : the eyebrows must be oblique upwards, separated and a little from the nose through correction.

The base points of eyebrows:

The base - this is at the top of the nose.
The middle- the most oblique part and the outermost part.

Perfect eyebrows are normally in the shape of a comma. The base is about 8mm and the middle should be less then 2-3mm of the top. The extremity needs to line up with the base. If your eyebrows don’t look like this you should correct them. If they are too bare, then a special pencil can be used to fill the empty spaces. The color of the pencil must fit the color of your hair.

Be cautious when you start adjusting your eyebrows! Eyebrows that are too think can darken the face. Eyebrows that are too slim will make you look like your are astonished all the time.

If you want to have smooth shiny eyebrows you need to comb them and message them with your favorite face cream. With a little extra care you’ll have the beautiful eyes you’ve been looking for.

Pores are a form of opening which are usually small but if it gets enlarged then there is trouble for you. It is an opening for glands onto the surface of the skin. These pore secretes oil which lubricates also protecting the surface of your skin. If proper care is not taken then these small pores can be devastating for your face.

During the time of puberty there are always chances of the pores to enlarges as it has to remove the excess oil at that point of time. Enlarged pores are trouble for everyone and it can be undone due some plain and easy methods of skin care treatments. People having oily skin have to suffer more and with the passage of age it keeps on increasing. It can be mostly seen on the T-zone which can be due to hereditary factors too.

These pores if partially blocked pores can cause the arrival of blackheads which is mainly affected due to the dirt which causes lot of problems. You can use mainly different methods to remove these pores. Some methods of doing it would be a simple home remedy such as the use of milk which is one of the easier ways of skin cleansing. By doing this the dirt which cannot be seen by the naked eye can be cleaned and your T-zone would be new as ever, but by using regularly.

There are different products in the market which can be used on regular basis to have that clean and clear skin. But the use of proper cleaning and use of the proper brand is very important. Pimples are major worry for many which are caused due to the pores. Washing your face on regular basis is very important to avoid dirt accumulation.

The fragrant wood known as Sandalwood found in India, Hawaii and islands of the Pacific has been much-sought after not only because of its heady, woody natural fragrance but also because of the many healing properties it is believed to possess.

In ancient India, Sandalwood was widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a cure for internal and external bodily dysfunction. It’s most common uses remain as incense and in making perfumes. However, with Aromatherapy and Ayurveda coming into vogue nowadays, the therapeutic use of sandalwood is becoming more widespread.

Commonly found in most Hindu households, sandalwood sticks are used to make a paste obtained by rubbing them on a rough stone surface. This is known as ‘Chandan’ in Hindi/Sanskrit. It is applied on the forehead as ’tilak’ - a mark - usually after worship or religious ceremonies and is known to have a calming and stabilizing effect on the mind. In Ayurvedic medicine, it along with turmeric paste is used as an antiseptic and applied on cuts, wounds, scrapes, bruises and burns - due to its antimicrobial properties.

The oil obtained from the wood - sandalwood essential oil - is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an essential ingredient in herbal drugs for uro-genital disorders. It is also considered effective in treating anxiety.

Sandalwood fragrance is believed to help in enhancing alertness and concentration. It is also good for the nervous system.

The wood also has cleansing properties and its extracts in various forms, when applied on the skin help to keep it germ-free, moisturized and also offer protection from the harmful rays of the sun.

In alternative medicine, it is believed to help in meditation. Aromatherapy experts swear by the efficaciousness of sandalwood oil in treating bronchitis, chapped skin, depression, dry skin, laryngitis, leucorrhea, oily skin, scars, sensitive skin, stress and stretch marks.

Skin Care with Sandalwood

You can make a great paste form 1tsp each of sandalwood powder, milk and turmeric. This is very useful to help you with acne and pimples.

Another remedy for acne is made by mixing sandalwood paste with rosewater. Apply this paste all over your face later rinse it off after 30 minutes.

If you are suffering from skin allergies you can use this remedy. Take 1tsp lime juice with 1 tsp sandalwood paste. Apply this all over your face for 30 minutes. Later wash it with fresh water.

Sandalwood face packs works wonders on your skin if used regularly.