Elbows :

Our elbows are one of the most neglected parts of our body. Many ladies take a lot of care of their body by doing regular facials, pedicures, manicures etc. but forget that the elbows too form an integral part of their beauty regimen. As a result, however well one might be dressed, an ugly and black elbow can be a source of worry and embarrassment.Elbows are friction areas and tend to have thick skin. Try to keep them soft by applying a body lotion twice a day. Mix gramflour and cream, and rub this paste on the darkened areas for ten minutes before a shower

Basic feet care can go a long way in preventing corns. Spare a few minutes everyday for your feet. Soak feet in warm soapy water for 10minutes. Rinse and spread a thick coat of body lotion from toes to your ankles to soften hard skin on your feet. At night, massage a nourishing cream under your feet and at the side where you find the skin has become rough or dry. Change your footwear if possible.

HANDS :

Hands are most neglected by most women. To make them soft and smooth, give them a weekly manicure. Here is how you do it. Soak them in warm soapy water for 20 minutes. Give them a light scrubbing,then clean under the nails and file them with an emery board. Massage with a rich nourishing cream. To maintain suppleness, apply a hand lotion or a moisturiser 3 times a day. You may apply a light coloured nailpolish on special occasions.

It is important to maintain a healthy scalp to prevent falling of hair. A healthy scalp is the color of your complexion and it should be supple, not tense. The most common scalp problems are:

1. Dry scalp : small powdery white flakes caused by environmental factors or styling abuse. 2. Dandruff : bigger yellow flakes which are the result of a greasy scalp shedding its skin cells too quickly.

3. Oily scalp : caused by overproduction of sebum - or inadequate rinsing.

Regular massage helps stimulate oil nourishing products to moisturise and exfoliate the scalp (like egg, amla, curd etc.), which relax a tense scalp, more so when combined with an oil massage. Avoid using styling products directly on the roots and cut down on heat styling. For oily hair choose products accordingly, avoid scalp massage but shampoo hair regularly, it does not stimulate the oil glands. Dandruff is best treated with a specific dandruff shampoo. To reduce flaking, gently shampoo your hair using the pads of your fingers. Do not scratch. Psoriases or eczema, caused by stress should be medically treated.

TIPS TO RESCUE HAIR FROM SUN DAMAGE :

12 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PEP UP A SLEEPY, STRESSED OUT FACE :

1. Eat a well balanced and nutritious diet.

2. Do not comb or brush hair roughly.

3. Try to avoid stress as it can cause dandruff and hair loss.

4. Regular exercise is great for hair and skin.

5. Do not expose hair to extremes of weather.

6. Soap should not be used to wash hair. Soap makes hair dry, coarse and full of tangles.

7. Do not expose hair to chlorinated water.

8. Wash hair as often as possible.

9. Avoid using hair dryer too often as it affects the protein in the hair and causes hair to become brittle and dry.

10. It is a myth that a 100 good strokes are good for the hair. Brushing excessively causes stress on the hair and causes it to split and break. Brushing also stimulates the sebaceous glands which produce sebum or natural oil, making hair lanky and greasy.

11. Hair should be combed when wet. If wet hair is not combed, it will dry out tangled, making it unmanageable and difficult to style.

**** Do not become emotional very often. It makes your skin age faster, resulting in a wrinkled skin. It makes you look older.

If skin starts peeling off your face, use a mixture of glycerine, lime juice and sugar made into a cream like texture and apply twice a day for about a week. It can be applied regularly to eradicate peeling of facial skin. The skin becomes softer and glowing if intake of riboflavin is increased. Riboflavin is found in abundance in milk, butter, fish, liver and in all cereals. Intake of riboflavin also corrects mouth ulcers.

To bring this black patch to normal skin colour, take five to ten drops of juice squeezed from lime and apply it on the skin surface. Allow it to dry for about 10 minutes. Try using less soap and use soapnet powder. This method should be followed twice a day. This procedure is recommended for about a fortnight. You will find the dark elbow skin turning into normal colour.

Before any exercise programme, consult your doctor. The exact amount of exercise depends on your age and physical condition. Start slowly and improve gradually. Do the exercises daily.

1. Lie on your back, arms stretched overhead against the floor, buttocks resting on the floor, knees drawn up close to your chest. Extend one leg straight out, parallel to the floor, but not quite touching it. Draw that leg's knee back close to the chest, while extending the other knee straight out. Draw the second knee back, while again extending the first leg and continue this bicycling movement through four extensions of each leg.

2. Lie on your back, legs bent, with knees pointed toward the ceiling, feet flat on the floor, hands on the back of your head, fingers interlocked. Exhale as you lift up, and place head between knees, inhale as you lower back to starting position. It may help to keep your feet in place if you stick them under some heavy furniture, such as a dressing table.

3. Stand feet comfortably more than shoulder width apart, arms stretched sideward and parallel to the floor, with elbows straight. Keep feet planted firmly and slowly twist the trunk as far to the
right as possible. Stretch, pulling right arm back, and left arm around to the right. Snap back to starting position, and place arms on hips. Repeat exercise, twisting to the left.

4. Stand feet apart as wide as comfortable, arms overhead, elbows straight, hands shoulder width apart. Rapidly swing upper body forward and down, while bending knees. Reach back through legs, and touch the ground as far back as possible. Swing upper body back to position.

5. Sit, legs bent, knees pointed toward the ceiling, feet flat on the floor, hands on the back of the head, fingers interlocked. Lean back until upper body is at 45 degree angle, twist completely left, then right; return forward to starting position. Do same exercise, twisting first to the right then to left.

6. Stand, feet shoulder width, hands on hips. Reach over top of head with left hand, touching right ear. Bend sideward to the right, sliding right hand as far as possible down right leg and stretching left side as much as possible. Do not reach forward or backwards to slide right hand further down. Return to starting position and repeat to left.

7. Lie on back, feet together, toes pointed, arms stretched overhead against the floor, shoulder width apart, elbows straight. Raise legs, keeping them straight until they are vertical. Lower legs to starting position.

A NOTE OF CAUTION:
-- In doing exercises that involve the lower back - true of abdomen - strengthening exercises - it is very important to keep the curve in the lower back as flat as possible.
-- Unless directed otherwise, try to breathe regularly and slowly as you perform these exercises. Holding ones breath while exercising may put an unnecessary strain on the heart.

Repeated waxing treatment makes hair grow finer to some extent. However, the skin on the upper lip is quite sensitive and waxing might irritate it. Also the hair has to grow to a certain minimum length so that the wax has something to hold on to. Unless you have a lot of hair, you will find that for the upper lip and chin area threading is a simpler and quicker method than waxing.

1. Buttermilk is supposed to be a great astringent and so reduces and closes oversized pores. It should be left on the face for about fifteen minutes and washed off with cool water.

2. Beaten egg-whites are the biggest drying agents and skin tighteners. Egg-whites should be applied on the face with cotton-wool and kept on for a few minutes.

3. Cornmeal and oatmeal made into a paste with hot water also helps in closing large pores. Apply this paste and keep it on for about half an hour.

1. Butter milk also acts as a mild bleach because it contains an acid. Put it on freckles and leave till dry.

2. Four tablespoons of grated radish and a few drops of vinegar make an effective bleaching paste.

3. You can boil grated horse - radish in milk to make a mild bleach.

Q) Every time I scratch a mosquito bite, it leaves black scars. HELP!

A) Darkening of your skin following any kind of reaction - insect bite, injury or allergy - is very typical of our skin. As soon as you are stung by an insect, start using a mild anti-inflammatory cream like Rashfree or Crotorax, even Lacto-Calamine or Caladryl lotion helps.

Avoid scratching and itching. A mild cold cream is soothing, so apply it when you feel the urge to scratch. Try Ponds cold cream.

If it is an injury - even a mild superficial one - apply an anti-bacterial ointment like T.Back, Neosporin or Fucidin immediately.

Once the wound has healed start using a cream with 2 percent Hydroquinone like Eslite or Melalite.

By Asha Jain

Nail growth is dependent on internal factors. You probably need to up the protein intake in your diet. Skimmed milk or curd is one of the best sources of protein, as are sprouts, eggs and meats.

Contrary to popular belief, calcium has nothing to do with nail growth. The flaking could be due to exposure to detergents and substandard nail polishes.

You can prevent chipping by :

* Soaking your nails in heated olive oil or edible sunflower oil twice a week for about 10-15 minutes.

* Every evening, wash your hands with warm water and a mild soap and then apply a cream containing lactic acid and urea (Moisturex or Cotaryl). Continue this for at least two to three months.

If all this doesn't work you need to see a dermatologist.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO MAKE MY HANDS SUPER-SMOOTH? REGULAR HAND CREAMS DON'T SEEM TO WORK FOR ME.

Hands tend to get dry and rough as they don't have any oil glands and are exposed to a lot of wear and tear. Follow this routine to soften your hands :

Depending on the dryness, soak your hands in warm olive or sunflower oil for about 15 to 20 minutes, upto three times a week.

Use a mild soap like Fem liquid soap or the Pears bar which contains glycerine.

Creams containing lactic acid and urea are very effective. Moisturex and Cotaryl are widely available. Use them every night after washing your hands with warm water.

After applying the cream, wear cotton gloves to intensify its effect.

Avoid harsh detergents and always wear rubber gloves when you handle strong chemicals.

Que : I have attractive eyes but there are wrinkles on the eyelids.I use frosted eye shadow quite often. I even use vaseline to create an oily look. Are the wrinkles due to the frequent use of vaseline ?

Ans :The use of petroleum jelly (vaseline) does not cause any wrinkles. In fact, it prevents wrinkles and protects the skin from the drying effects of make-up. It is quite normal for some people to have creepy skin on the eyelids. This is not considered to be "wrinkles" but the natural folds of skin over the lids. You should, anyway, use less eye make-up, especially of the frosted type. Reserve eye shadow for evening wear only.

Ans :Repeated waxing treatment makes the re-growth finer to some extent. However, the skin on the upper lip is quite sensitive and waxing might irritate it. Also you need to have the hair grow to a certain minimum   length so that the wax has something to hold on to.  Unless you have a lot of hair, you will find that for the upper lip and chin area threading is a simpler and quicker method than waxing.

Que. :- I have a few corns under both my feet. They are not very hard but they are very painful. Please suggest a treatment?

Ans. :- Never treat a corn yourself. Consult a chiropodist for proper treatment. A corn is formed by friction and pressure.Ill-fitting shoes are the culprits in most cases. Basic feet care can go a long way in preventing corns. Spare a few minutes every day for your feet. Soak feet in warm soapy water for 10 minutes. Rinse and spread a thick coat of body lotion from toes to ankles to soften hard skin on your feet. At night, massage a nourishing cream under your feet and at the sides where you find the skin has become rough or dry. Change your footwear, if possible.

Que :- I am a 15-year-old plump girl. I wear a well-fitting bra, but my breasts still sag. I want them to be well shaped, and if you advise exercise I will do them without hesitation.

Ans :- Breasts cannot be trimmed into shape in isolation. You will have to slim down your whole body from top to toe to have a well balanced figure. Exercise alone will not help much unless you follow a strict diet control. You should cut down all the fried, fatty, starchy and sugary items in your daily menu. The following items should be included generously in your meals: curd, green vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, radish, salad leaves and carrots.  The raw vegetables will give you a feeling of fullness without increasing your intake of calories. Besides exercise, make time for brisk walks and outdoor games.

2. Keep your nails free of nail varnish occasionally.

3. Dip your nails in warm olive oil before a manicure and rub it into the cuticles every night.

4. A massage of vaseline into the cuticles is excellent for rough cuticles. Equal amounts of almond oil and white iodine make an excellent mixture for the nail base.

5. Rub your hands and nails with a slice of potato or lemon for removing the stains.

6. If castor oil is added to acetone, a nail polish remover, it will protect the nail enamel.

Ans : Waxing with hot or cold wax is not a permanent cure. There are better and safer ways to remove the hair. A hair depilator is more convenient to use and with a shaver attached to it, it can also be used for removing  underarm hair. With age the hair growth decreases on its own. Frequent waxing does not reduce hair growth permanently.

1. If some blackheads are stubborn enough not to pop out with an ordinary steam-facial, than take a steam face-bath to which epsom salts have been added.

2. Milk helps to get rid of blackheads permanently in some cases. Wash your face with warm water and sponge it for fifteen minutes with tepid milk everyday.

3. A liquid scrub for blackheads is made with 4 ounces of powdered almonds, 2 ounces of glycerin soap and 1 ounce of Fuller's earth (multani mitti) dissolved in a little water. This solution is to be rubbed onto the blackheads.