How to Get Healthy Nails After Acrylics

You loved your long, shiny nails and the endless nail art options they supplied… until it was time to take them off. If you were once religious with wearing acrylics, then this story might sound all too familiar. As a rule, when nails are put under stress, they crack—figuratively and literally. And if your nail health wasn’t up to par before acrylics, or you went to a salon that was careless on how they went about applying them, dealing with damage afterwards is nearly inevitable. But mending your tips isn’t impossible—just follow these tips from top nail pros.

The Process

First, you need to understand why damage would even happen in the first place. That means knowing exactly what the process entails. It begins by filing your natural nail and applying a primer. Then, an acrylic nail is placed on top. This is sealed into place.  After two weeks of acrylics, the clients will need to return for a fill-in, which means filling in the gap between your own nails and acrylics nails to prevent any water or anything else might get into the open area. Otherwise the acrylic nails might get loose or be a cause for infection.

 If the filling was successful, you can get a new set in about two months. Your old set will have to be removed and a new one applied. Removing them can take up to an hour and is done by soaking your nails in an acetone-based solution. A driller can also be used to remove them. There is an extremely high chance that either of these removal processes can and will damage your nail bed.

The Damage

You’re not guaranteed to see damage after a set of acrylics—there are many different factors at play—but it can happen. The condition of the natural nail after acrylic nail removal varies greatly depending on the skill level of the technician who’s applied it, as well as the quality of product used. Generally we see thinning of the nail bed from over-filing, and a lot of dryness. In worse cases you see 'rings of fire' caused by improper E-filing, and even nail fungus! Thinning of the nail bed also tends to lead to weakness and a likelihood of flaking and chipping.

Go Shorter 

If you’ve removed your acrylics and want to transition back into wearing your nails natural, it's recommend going for a shorter nail until your healthy natural nails have grown out. This means keeping them trimmed—without extensions—which will also reduce the chances of your natural nail breaking at the most inopportune moment, as it always does.

Switch to Regular Polish

 Instead of a gel polish, which usually entails filing down the nail when it's removed and reapplied, try staying on a regular nail lacquer routine for a while. If one really can’t go without their normal nail-care regime, it's recommend a clear nail polish, just to observe one’s nail growth situation.

Stay Moisturised 

Highly recommended regular application of cuticle oil and hand lotion due to the drying effects of acetone. 

Eat the Right Nutrients  

Biotin, omega-3 rich food to your daily diet, which can strength your nails You can find biotin in foods like eggs, peanuts, almonds, avocados, or sweet potatoes. Another daily food is walnuts, which is rich in omega-3 and vitamin E.

Wait It Out 

Your nails can be nursed back to health, without a doubt, but it'll take time. Sorry... There really isn't a quick fix. Your damaged nail needs to grow out completely so that it can be replaced with a healthy nail. While you wait, stick to regular nail polish, get regimented about moisturising, and stay away from acrylics. At least for a while.

Sources:

http://www.instyle.com/how-tos/how-to-get-healthy-nails-after-acrylics

Homemade Beauty Tips For Beautiful Eyes

EYES SHOULD SHOW EMOTION, BUT NOT OUR AGE.

Have your eyes lost their natural beauty? Tired eyes are a sign of stress and fatigue. It makes you older. The culprit could be anything – too little sleep, stress and who knows what else. For one reason or another, you’ll wake up with tired eyes.

Your eyes say a lot about how you feel. Is ‘how to get beautiful eyes’ the question on your mind? Here are some homemade beauty tips for eyes that will help keep your eyes healthy and pretty.

Cold Spoon

Here is one natural beauty tip for eyes – keep two spoons in the freezer over night. Take them out in the morning and place the spoons' curved backs to your eyes. The spoons will be cold so you will have to do the treatment in intervals. This will help enhance blood circulation and keep your eyes feeling fresh.

Ice Water

Dip cotton pads in ice water and apply them to closed eyelids. Keep them in place for 10 minutes. The coldness constricts the blood vessels and makes eyes lighter. The cotton pads should not feel icy but pleasantly cold to make your eyes refreshed.

Egg Mask

If you are wondering how to get beautiful eyes naturally, egg mask is one effective solution for you. Beat a few egg whites and apply them gently around your eyes. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes before rinsing the face with cold water. The egg mask will make the area around and under the eye feel tight.

Dark Circles

• Grate two cucumbers and squeeze the juice out. Apply the juice with the help of cotton pads and place on darkened areas of the eye. Let the juice sit on the eyelids for 15 minutes. Try the homemade beauty tip for eyes for at least 5 days to get beautiful eyes.
• Mix a teaspoonful of tomato pulp with a pinch of turmeric powder, half teaspoon of lime juice and 1 teaspoon of gram flour. Apply the paste gently on the eyelids and the dark areas. Keep it for half an hour before removing it gently with moist cotton pads. Do it once a day for at least a week.

Green Tea Bag

How to get beautiful eyes? A green tea bag can help you. Soak the tea bag in cold water and apply it to the eyes. Keep it over your eyes for 15-20 minutes. The tannins in the tea will reduce inflammation and keep your eyes bright and healthy.

Puffy Eyes

• Slice a raw potato and circle the closed eyes with these halves. Place them on the eyes and relax for 15-20 minutes.
• Dip a cotton pad in chilled milk and place them on the eye lids. Relax for 10-15 minutes.
• Add few drops of vitamin E oil in a small bowl of chilled water. Dip cotton pads in the bowl for 5 minutes and place them on the eyes. Relax for 20 minutes.

Deep Sunken Eyes

• Combine a teaspoonful of honey with half a teaspoonful of almond oil. Apply the combination gently on the eyes at bedtime. Try the remedies for a week to see noticeable results.
• Soak a few almonds overnight. Peel the outer layer in the morning and with a glass of milk, eat the almonds. Do it for at least a month.

 For Fresh Eyes

• Soak amla (gooseberry) overnight in water and use it the next morning to wash the eyes.
• Soak cotton in lukem warm milk and cover eyes with it for 15 minutes.

Eat Lots of Fruits and Veggies

Very important part of beauty tips for eyes is your diet. Below are some food options that you must include in your diet to make eyes more beautiful.

• Carrots – Rich in beta carotene, eating carrots can be helpful in maintaining healthy eyes. Beta carotene is an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
• Broccoli and brussels sprouts – Vitamin C is crucial for eye health. Broccoli, bell peppers, and brussels sprouts contain a lot of vitamin C to help your eyes stay healthy.
• Fish foods – Fish foods such as wild salmon and sardines are healthy food options for your eyes, owing to omega-3 fats that protect tiny blood vessels in the eyes.
• Spinach and sweet potatoes – Both the foods options contain beta carotene to promote eye health. Moreover, spinach contains lots of vitamin C, lutein and zeaxanthin – components that keep your eyes healthy and your vision sharp.
• Salt – Cut back on salts; a high-sodium diet can cause your skin to retain fluids which may lead to puffiness under the eye area.

  

Hydrate your Body

Drink as much water as possible. The puffiness of the eyes is sometimes a result of lack of water in the body. Hydrating reduces puffiness and also flushes waste from the body. Therefore, drink a glass of water whenever you notice your eyes are a little droopy.

Exercise Regularly

You must do exercises everyday; doing so improves blood circulation. Only when you exercise, your eyes receive enough oxygen to keep them healthy.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

The best beauty tip for eyes is to get a good night's sleep. Lack of rest can lead to puffiness and can make the eyes to look tired. Get as much rest as you can in the night. Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep will not only helps to keep your eyes healthy but whole body functioning at full capacity.

You now know the inexpensive eye care tips that will help you achieve that look. When rest isn't an option, these quick fixes to get beautiful eyes will help you look fresh.

Sources:

http://www.onlymyhealth.com/homemade-beauty-tips-for-bright-and-beautiful-eyes-1402146168

6 Golden Rules of Good Hair Care

No matter what your hair type, check out the following simple do's and don'ts for healthier, happier and more manageable tresses and banish bad hair days forever...

1. Wash your hair two to three times a week, max

How often should you wash your hair? It's the perennial question of the hair industry and but experts seem to agree that cutting back is a good thing - and washing every day is a mistake, no matter how much you might crave clean-feeling locks.

Your hair's natural oils are designed to condition and protect your tresses, so when you shampoo daily, it strips these vital oils away.

It creates a vicious cycle of over-production of oils and a need to shampoo very often. Ideally, to keep your hair healthy, you only need to wash two to three times a week, max.

Don't over wash coloured hair

This is especially true for coloured hair, which can lose its sheen quickly with too much washing.

The biggest mistake people make is over-washing coloured hair.

Buy a good-quality shampoo and wash it every few days using styling products in between to keep it looking fresh.

Take into account your hair type and lifestyle choices

Of course, how often you need to wash your locks also depends on the type of hair you have.

The curlier your hair is, the longer you can go between washes. The straighter it is, the faster the oil wicks down, so that can make it oilier faster. If you have super straight hair, you may not be able to go more than two days without washing.

And lifestyle choices like going to the gym may also affect how often you shampoo your tresses. But even here, there are ways of cutting back - you could try simply rinsing your hair rather than adding in shampoo.

You may not be able to imagine not washing your hair after a workout (we totally get that), but you can can always rinse out sweat without shampooing. A water-only rinse will remove salt and sweat without stripping hair oils.

Invest in some good dry shampoos. And finally if you're aiming to scale back the amount of times you wash your hair per week, remember dry shampoo is your friend.

2. Avoid hot showers and shampoo your scalp, not your ends

Come shampoo time, many of us reach for a large dollop of the good stuff to scrunch into our hair, but there's a technique to good hair washing and overdoing things on the product front will do more harm than good.

Healthy, beautiful, shiny hair starts in the shower so make sure to use the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type and level of damage.

The volume of shampoo you should use depends on the length and thickness of your hair, but a blob the size of a 20p coin is a good start on, longer hair needs a 50p-size dollop.

Aim for the scalp not the ends

It's not just how much shampoo you use, but where you apply it that counts.

Use shampoo on the scalp only - not on the ends of your hair. The shampoo will rinse down in the shower, but you don’t want to scrub the ends.

Massage your scalp to encourage circulation

Giving your head an invigorating massage as you shampoo is a good way to encourage blood circulation and helps to detoxify the scalp.

Having strong, healthy hair is the best way to make any hair look expensive. A lot of it is about properly shampooing and conditioning and taking care of your scalp - massage it well while washing to get circulation going.

Avoid hot water

Cool off in the shower. Blasting your scalp with extremely hot water will dry out your hair and create tangles that could result in breakage.

3. Towel-dry your hair before applying conditioner

Good conditioner is also crucial when it comes to thick, curly hair.

For curly, highly textured hair, always deep condition. No two minute conditioners here. Deep conditioning involves a conditioner that will add moisture and strength (protein) back to hair. You should use heat by either applying conditioner to hair while taking a shower and let it sit while showering or by covering the hair with a plastic cap and applying heat from an outside like a hair dryer.

Gently towel-dry the hair before applying conditioner

Make sure you towel-dry hair after shampooing and before you apply conditioner: excess water in your hair means the conditioner won't be able to penetrate the hair shaft and deliver the necessary moisture to keep hair looking healthy and shiny.

If you're short on time, at least squeeze out excess water - hair that’s saturated with water doesn’t have room to absorb anything else.

Avoid the roots and concentrate on the ends

Try not to put the conditioner on the roots, because that can cause your scalp to get greasy faster. It's also a good idea to think ahead and anticipate situations where your hair might dry out.

While you exercise, you perspire, which means that your hair gets damp with sweat that can actually make it dry. Before you hit the gym (especially during the summer, but this works year-round too) wet your hair and add in some conditioner from the mid-lengths to the ends. Rinse out the conditioner post-workout and you’ll be left with shiny, hydrated hair.

Avoiding too much sun helps too.

4. Brush your hair twice a day, from the bottom up

Healthy hair needs regular brushing but don't tear through your locks mindlessly.

For perfectly shiny, healthy and untangled hair, you need to brush your hair twice a day. Once in the morning and once before going to bed, for about a minute each time.

Don't be rough with your hair: treat it nicely and it will repay you by looking healthy and shiny.

Comb wet hair, don't brush it

When your hair is soaking wet, it is weaker, fragile and more susceptible to breakage. Try not to rough-dry hair with a towel, and instead gently press the water out. Also, do not brush your hair while it is wet. Use a wide-tooth comb, working from the ends of your hair on up.

Brush from the bottom up

Brushing from the roots causes damage – always brush from the bottom and work up.

Use different brushes for blow-dying and styling

At home, you should have a round brush for blow-drying, for styling and a tail comb to move hair around a little.

Keep your brushes clean

Filthy hair brushes that are covered in hair, oil and product build-up are breeding grounds for bacteria. Clean them at least once a month with a mixture of baking soda and lukewarm water. A toothbrush will help you to get into all those tiny bristles.To make sure your hairbrush lasts, look after it. Do this by regularly removing all of the hair that gets stuck in the brush. Clean once a month with warm water and a small amount of shampoo.

5. Use a low-heat setting for hair drying and point the nozzle down, not side-on

As a general rule of thumb, one of the worst things you can do for your hair is overheat it with excessive blow drying. If you want to avoid dry and damaged locks, you need to either rein in how often you use a hairdryer or pay attention to how you're using it and take care to apply heat protection products beforehand.

Cut back on heat-styling tools

Don't use heat-styling tools daily. Flat irons, curling irons and even blow drying can damage the hair shaft. Damaged hair is not able to retain colour the way that healthy hair can.

Styling doesn’t always have to involve a hot tool. If you give yourself a fierce blowout on Monday, rock it out on Tuesday and on Wed do a fab high ponytail. Making your style last a few days will really help prevent damage.

Use protective treatments

Add a pea-size amount of protective treatments from the mid-levels to the ends of your hair to seal in moisture and smooth the cuticles down before you head out into the cold.

Do use leave-in treatments to blow dry your hair, it will protect and moisturise your hair every day.

Wait before blow-drying your hair and use lower heat settings

Try not to blow-dry your hair immediately after shampooing. Ideally, you should allow your hair to first dry for 15 minutes under a towel turban. This saves effort and also cuts down on the hair exposure to the blow-dryer.

If at all possible, don't use the high heat settings of your blow-dryer. The air stream should feel comfortable on the back of your hand.

6. Try castor oil, hair oil and dry shampoo

Just like applying facial oil can help regulate oil production on your skin, hair oil can do the same for your scalp. There’s no need to go crazy with applying oil, but don’t be afraid to use oil if you have oily hair. It’ll actually help to regulate how oily your scalp is, because your hair won’t feel as though it needs to naturally overcompensate for dryness.

Hairspray is to hair what salt and pepper are to food. Once sprayed, you’re finished.

Yes, it can be sticky and overwhelming, but find a medium-hold hair spray to start with and spray it into your hands and then run your hands through your hair to smooth down the frizz.

Sources:https://www.stylist.co.uk

The Right Way to Use a Clay Face Mask

If you have oily or acne-prone skin, clay masks are a must-have. They not only soak up all traces of dirt and grease, but they're also simple to use: 

Apply one all over your face, have a glass of wine while you wait for it to dry to a hardened shell, and rinse. Am I right? No, no I am not. Turns out that most of us have been using clay masks the wrong way for all these years—and doing more harm than good to our skins.

So why? You should never let a clay mask dry fully. 

There are three phases of a clay mask.
There's the damp phase where your skin drinks in the beneficial minerals from the outside. 

Then you have the start of the dry phase, which exercises your capillaries and stimulates blood flow as the mask cools and contracts. 

But then there's the dry phase, which draws out moisture from the surface of your skin, causing dehydration and irritation. Not only does skin then feel dry, tight, and sometimes itchy, but when you counteract it by slathering on extra face cream, you're just smothering your freshly cleansed skin.

So the next time you use a clay mask, don't wait for it to reach the flaky stage before you start rinsing. Do the touch test: When you start to see it drying (which usually means it gets lighter in colour) but it still feels a bit sticky, it's time to wash that sucker off—so it doesn't suck the life out of your skin.


Sources:
https://www.allure.com/story/right-way-to-use-clay-face-mask

Coffee Grounds - Fantastic Skin Treatment

Coffee has proven to have wonderful effects on the skin. It contains powerful anti-oxidant agents, protecting the skin against free radicals and reducing the risk of skin cancer. Coffee tightens pores and removes dead skin cells, making the skin looking younger. It also displays anti-wrinkle properties. Because of all these benefits, coffee has become a common ingredient of numerous luxury beauty products and spa therapies, especially anti-ageing and anti-cellulite ones.

Many of coffee drinkers do not realise that used coffee grounds contain the same anti-oxidant and other beneficial compounds that are used in the luxury skincare products. Used coffee grounds and are just too good to be wasted! They cost nothing and can improve your skin appearance just after a single use!

However, the level of anti-oxidants in used coffee grounds depends on the way coffee is brewed. The best coffee grounds are those collected at the bottom of the cup, but those left in a coffee-making machine can also do the job. Accordingly to scientists from the University of Navarra in Spain, plunger, filter and espresso coffeemakers left the highest levels of anti-oxidants in coffee grounds, while mocha-style coffee makers − the lowest.

Coffee grounds can be used for face and body peeling and for hair treatment. Just chose your favourite recipe and enjoy your ‘new’ healthy looking skin and shiny hair!

Coffee Grounds Face Peelings

Below, there are few very simple recipes for coffee face peeling. Remember – for face applications, use only finely grinded coffee grounds. Some people find grinded coffee too rough, and prefer to use it on hands and body only.

‘Economic’

The simplest recipe for coffee peeling mask contains just one ingredient – used coffee grounds. The first part of the job is simple: brew a coffee and drink it. Then remove the excess of the liquid from the grounds. Spread the leftover all around your face avoiding the area of eyes.Coffee grounds should be slightly warm when applied on the skin. Keep spreading the mixture for a couple of minutes, as this action removes dead skin cells and make the skin look softer. Do not press too hard. Rinse your face with warm water.

Below there are few more recipes, but it is a good idea to start first with the grounds only, so you can see for yourself how wonderful coffee is on the skin just after one use!

‘De lux’

Prepare coffee grounds as above then mix them with an egg’s white. Massage softly into the skin and let the mixture to dry. Wash your face with warm water. Effects guaranteed!

‘De lux plus’

Mix 1 spoon of coffee grounds with one quarter of brown sugar. Add six coarsely grinded hazelnuts to the mixture. Mix two teaspoons of almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and few drops of orange extract. Combine all the ingredients and apply on face, avoiding the area of eyes and neck. Keep the mixture on for a couple of minutes then rinse with warm water and a soft soap.

Coffee Grounds Body Scrubs

Just chose your favourite body scrub recipe.

Coffee Plus Olive Oil

This is the simplest, but effective combination. Just mix coffee grounds with 2-3 spoons of olive oil. Apply on the skin, particularly on the cellulite-affected areas. Massage the skin gently for a couple of minutes than rinse it with warm water.

Coffee Plus Sea Salt Plus Natural Oils

Combine two cups of coffee grounds with half a cup of sea salt of ordinary sugar. Add 3 spoons of natural oils to the mixture – these could be sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, etc. You may also like to add a couple of drops of vanilla or almond extract to add some scent and make the treatment more enjoyable. Massage the mixture into the skin then wash it out with warm water and a delicate soap.

Coffee Plus Salt Plus Yoghurt

Mix 2 cups of coffee grounds with half a cup of coarse salt (or sugar) and with 3 teaspoons of yoghurt. Mix all the ingredients to create a thick mass. Take a hot shower to open your skin pores then apply the mixture on your skin, avoiding face and neck. After a couple of minutes rinse it out with warm water and a delicate soap.

Coffee Plus Carrot Plus Clay

Grate 2-3 carrots and mix them with 2 cups of coffee grounds. Add 3 spoons of clay - e.g. green (Montmorillonite) clay or red (illite) clay and 1 teaspoon of water. Mix all the ingredients. You may also add few drops of vanilla, orange, chocolate, or lemon extract to add some scent. Massage the mixture into the skin, avoiding face and neck. Wash it out using warm water and a delicate soap.

Coffee Hair Shine

If you are a brunette, then you can use coffee to add softness and shine to your hair. For this treatment, freshly brewed coffee should be used rather than grounds. Prepare some strong coffee with little water and let it cool. Using fingers apply the mixture on your hair and scalp, and then wrap your hair with a towel or a plastic cap. After 20 minutes, wash it out with warm water.

If you are afraid of the mess...

Coffee grounds’ treatments can improve the condition and appearance of the skin and hair at no cost. However, there is one inconvenience – they create loads of mess to clean up. If this problem is putting you off, you may consider using hand-made beauty products based on coffee, such as hand-made coffee soaps. They are much cheaper than luxury brands but are equally good if not better.

Sources:

https://bellatory.com/skin/-Used-coffee-grounds-fantastic-skin-treatment-at-no-cost