Natural Moisturizers for Dry Skin

Natural Moisturizers for Dry Skin
By Laci Chiodo

Does your skin feel like a desert? Not to worry! Soft, supple skin is not a mirage. If you're stuck in a dry spell and searching for relief, try a few of these natural moisturizing techniques to hydrate and revitalize your skin.

Hydrating Facial Mask
In a small bowl, mix one avocado, one raw egg, and one teaspoon of coconut oil to form a creamy paste. Apply the paste to your face and let it work its magic for 25 - 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Raw eggs and avocados contain natural moisturizing proteins, making them a super combo for fresh, luxurious skin. Adding coconut oil provides a boost of antioxidants.

Milk Bath
Fill your bathtub with warm water and add up to five cups of rich, whole milk or buttermilk. Light a few candles, turn on some tunes, and soak yourself for twenty to thirty minutes. Milk contains proteins that can help smooth and rejuvenate dry skin.

Oatmeal and Yogurt Exfoliant
Mix one cup uncooked oatmeal and a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt to create an exfoliating paste. Use as a gentle body scrub to remove dry, flaky skin and dead skin cells. The oatmeal will do the scrubbing while the yogurt does the moisturizing.

Maintain a Healthy Diet
Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and eat foods high in nutrients. Think fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco - all skin dehydrators, and avoid processed and packaged foods as much as possible.

Hand Treatment

A Quick Hand Treatment

Hands are the most visible parts of you, but they also take a lot of abuse. You use them in everyday activity, and yet, they are the ultimate accessory. You must give them the same attention you give your face.

* Soften your hands even while you do the dishes. Add a little almond oil (about a teaspoon) to dishwater. The water will soften rought skin while the oil seals the moisture.

* Slough off dead skin cells with a solution made of sea salt lemon. Brush it into hands with an old toothbrush. Do this twice a week to soften hands and remove discoloration.

* Wash hands thoroughly with warm water, then, using a coarse washcloth, rub briskly. While skin is slightly damp, apply a mixture of one teaspoon honey and one teaspoon olive oil. Place hands in small plastic bags, then in a pair of cotton gloves for thirty minutes. The heat helps the treatment penetrate.

* Warm a cup of milk in the microwave for thirty seconds (or until warm, but comfortable to the touch). Soak your hands for five minutes to strengthen nails and hydrate skin. Not only is milk loaded with lactic acid, a natural alpha hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates dead skin, but its high calcium content will strengthen fragile nails.

Lemon-Cucumber Whitening Extract

Lemon-Cucumber Whitening Extract

This recipe is good in whitening dark underarms and neck.

You will need:
Lemons
Cucumber
Turmeric

Procedure:
Extract lemon juice using juicer, and extract the same with cucumber. Mix lemon and cucumber juice together with a pinch of turmeric.
Apply to neck or underarms daily and leave this for 20 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Dark Under Eye Circles

Dark Under Eye Circles

By Anna Lynn C. Sibal

It is always said that the easiest way to tell how old a woman is or how she generally takes care of herself is to look at her eyes. The eyelids and the skin under the eyes are among the most delicate areas of the skin. The skin on that area is so thin, it wrinkles easily and is susceptible to puffiness and darkening.

Puffy and dark circles under the eyes can make us look tired and appear older beyond our years. Women approaching their thirties and older generally address this area first when they try to rejuvenate themselves, because puffy and dark circles under the eyes are one of the more obvious indicators of aging.

What causes us to form dark circles under our eyes, also known as eye bags? We have to recognize and accept it with ourselves that having dark circles under the eyes is part of the natural aging process. Also, we could be genetically pre-disposed to develop them earlier. Dark circles under the eyes can also develop from factors from our own environment, such as pollutants and allergens in the air. In addition, crying our eyes out is a sure-fire ticket to having dark circles under the eyes.

Not a few women think that undergoing cosmetic surgery or using expensive creams are the only ways of dealing with dark circles under the eyes. This is not so. While it is not possible to be able to remove them completely all the time, there are ways that we can take to combat them, or at least to make sure that they do not get worse over time.

One of these ways of fighting dark under eye circles is to keep our bodies hydrated by drinking plenty of water and fruit juices every day. Eight glasses or two liters of water is the recommended amount. Water flushes out the toxins in our body and acts as a natural moisturizer for the skin.

Another way of doing it is to get plenty of sleep every night. We should get around seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Sufficient sleep allows the body to repair and rejuvenate itself. When the body is able to repair itself properly every day, the skin appears younger and healthier, including the skin around the eyes.

If you are a smoker, you would do well to stop smoking. Smoking robs the body of nutrients and dries out the water in our cells. It is not just our skin that suffers from smoking; the entire body suffers from the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke.

Dark under eye circles home remedies:

• Resting your eyes for thirty minutes or so with a slice of cucumber over each eyelid.
• Putting on an eye pack that spent time inside the refrigerator before going to sleep.
• Chilling a couple of used teabags with most of the water squeezed out of them and then taking a nap for fifteen minutes with the teabags on your eyelids.

Getting dark circles under the eyes is a part of the aging process, but you do not have to go under the knife just to be able to get rid of them.

Black Hair

Black Hair

Should You Get Black Hair?

By Lynn Lopez

You might be thinking of getting a drastically new look. Most times, this only entails a change in your everyday makeup, a new haircut, or a few touch-ups to your wardrobe. What's really guaranteed to up your look's shock factor is getting a new hair color. If you've been a blonde all your life, turning brunette will turn heads. If you've never switched your brown hair color for any other shade, going a lot lighter will brighten up your appearance. But if you go with black hair, then that will definitely give you a whole new look.

Black hair can convey lots of different images. It could make you look like a total Goth girl or make you look like the perfect Oriental doll. Done right, it could make you look like a raven-haired goddess with long, cascading tresses.

Not everyone is cut out to sport black hair, though. Before you head to your stylist and declare your intentions to blacken your locks, go over these few guidelines first.

• Black hair is your goal, but it's not advisable to choose a totally charcoal-black shade. Hairdressers say a really deep black sometimes makes hair look fake, so a dark brown-black shade would look better.
• Consider your skin color. They say black goes with everything, and that's more or less true with black hair. You could have dark skin, have a glowing tan, or olive complexion and you're going to be able to pull off black hair just fine. Fair skin also does justice to black hair, but make sure you're not extremely pale, unless you really are going for a Goth look.
• Take your cue from stars who have turned their manes black. While she's ordinarily gorgeous in every look she's experimented with, Angelina Jolie once looked sinister in black at the 2000 Oscars. Ashlee Simpson used to be an aspiring black-haired rocker chick when she emerged into the music scene. Britney Spears shocked everyone when she dyed her normally blond hair a stunning black. Burlesque artist Dita Von Teese is a natural blonde, but established her signature style with glossy black curls.

Having second thoughts about getting black hair? Get yourself accustomed to a darker hair color by getting a deep brown shade first. If it turns out gorgeous, let the color settle in for several months and give your hair time to relax before getting another treatment. Then you can launch your new look and go all out black.

Carrot Juice Exfoliating Toner

This recipe for uneven skin tones due to blemishes and pigmentation.

You will need:
Carrots

Procedure:
Make a carrot juice by extracting the juice using a juicer. Apply on face's blemishes and pigmentation. Use this daily to achieve clear and well-toned skin.

Penne a la Broccoli Recipe

Penne a la Broccoli Recipe

One of the fastest and easiest main dishes to make. It's full of flavor and it also has the cancer-fighting protection of broccoli. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

16 oz penne or other hearty pasta, uncooked
Large bunch of broccoli
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Several cloves of garlic, chopped or mashed
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water until al dente.

2. Trim the ends of the broccoli stems and cut off the flowers. Peel the outer fibrous layer off the main stalks and cut the stalks into bite-sized pieces.

3. Separate the flower of the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

4. Place the broccoli in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Put it in a saucepan with the olive oil, garlic, water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and let steam until the broccoli is bright green and very crunchy-tender - no more than 5 minutes. Remove the lid and boil off most of the remaining liquid.

5. Toss the broccoli with cooked pasta. Top with red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Nutrients Per Serving
• Calories: 504.5
• Protein: 17.4 grams
• Fat: 5.8 grams
• Saturated Fat: 0.8 grams
• Monounsat Fat: 2.8 grams
• Polyunsat Fat: 1.3 grams
• Carbohydrate: 95.4 grams
• Fiber: 7.4 grams
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Calcium: 63.2 mg

睡前运动：月减腰围6cm

出处： 爱美网

你是不是想减肥，又找不到适合的运动呢？看看下面的几个动作，只要每天临睡前做一组，让你简简单单的一个月瘦掉4KG，腰围减少2.5~3cm，还不赶快跟着来？

一、首先是仰卧抬腿：30个一组，做4 组。











二、做这个收屁屁的动作，两腿要分开，两手平放在身体两边，把腰抬起来，也是做4组。










三、侧卧，一只手支着头，一只手扶床，做侧抬腿。注意，脚尖向下，脚跟向上，另一条腿绻起来。速度不要象她那么快，要慢些，不要猛滴把腿抬起来。别做错了，如果做完了，屁屁侧面不酸，你就没做对哦。这个每条腿做20个，最后一个要抬起来后停一会，再换另一条腿，也是做4组。










四、侧抬腿做完时，用手轻轻拍拍酸酸的地方，放松肌肉。不是全做完才拍哦，要做完20个就拍拍，再换另一条腿做侧抬腿。

美容大王大S教你瘦腿秘方

◎俏臀秘訣１：做運動
臀部要練翹，運動最有效。其實只要做一個運動就可以輕鬆擁有迷人翹臀了，那就是站著的時候，腿打開與肩同寬，腳尖朝外開呈外八字，膝蓋一定要打直，然後用力往裡夾你的屁股。這樣子夾，次數能超過二十下是最好。正在看電視或沒事的時候可以常常夾，這會讓你的臀部逐漸出現微笑的曲線喔！

◎俏臀秘訣２：搽翹臀霜
搽克蘭詩的翹臀霜也滿有效的。但是你若只是輕輕地像搽臉一樣地抹在臀部上，效果不是很好，一定要配合手的按摩。手的按摩必須用力地抓和捏，但是不要用力到讓自己瘀青，也不要把自己肉抓到破皮。

正確的力道有點像在揉麵團，用手掌部位去壓和推多餘的脂肪。這種按摩方式針對大腿和手臂水腫的地方非常有效。

◎緊實大腿秘訣１：揉捏按摩
大腿和臀部的交接處常會出現橘皮組織，我推薦大家用碧兒泉的產品，同樣用抓和捏的方式讓它吸收，也可以達到促進血液循環加強新陳代謝的效果。或者是用克蘭詩出的按摩板，它一面能幫你搽乳液，另一面能幫助你按摩。

先將乳液均勻塗上皮膚，再用按摩板這一面由下往上推，從大腿根部往臀部方向推刷，每個地方至少要刷上二、三十下，你會感到很熱又很痛，但這對於消除橘皮組織、消水腫都還滿有用的囉！

◎緊實大腿秘訣２：穿調整型塑身褲
除了抓捏法，另一種物理性塑身法，就是穿調整型的褲子。穿著調整型褲子可以改善你的線條，讓大腿線條變得好看，長期穿的話，肉也會集中在應該集中的地方，屁股也會變得比較翹。但是，能不能穿得住就要看你的耐力了，因為夏天穿著它會很難過，冬天穿著它又常讓人覺得刺刺癢癢不舒服！
《美容大王教戰守則》緊實小腿秘訣 美女當然不能有小象腿或蘿蔔腿，迷人曲線的小腿，是一定要追求的。不過，長期站立或是常穿高跟鞋的女生，小腿特別容易腫，或者產生靜脈曲張，影響了腿部的美觀，實在很可惜耶。

◎緊實小腿秘訣１：穿防靜脈曲張褲襪
如果你的職業是售貨員、老師或是常需要站立的工作，一定要穿防止靜脈曲張的褲襪，在康是美就買得到。這種褲襪非常合身，一定要買對自己的尺寸，按身高來買，要不然效果也不見得會好。

◎緊實小腿秘訣２：用纖腿凝膠
如果你常常站了一整天小腿又腫又脹，在康是美可以買到一種纖腿凝膠，品牌是PROMOTION，因為它含有清爽的薄荷成分，用這種凝膠來按摩腿部，小腿會比較鬆弛，比較舒服。

◎緊實小腿秘訣３：按摩＆抬腿
抬腿也是消除腿部水腫的好方法！按摩完腿部後，把腿伸直靠在牆上，與身體成九十度，最少要抬腿十五分鐘才會有效果。但千萬不要舉得太久，像是久到一個小時這種程度，你的腿會麻掉甚至還會抽筋哩！

◎緊實小腿秘訣４：喝薏仁水消腫
通常熬夜或是前一天喝酒，第二天很容易水腫，這時候可以喝薏仁水。薏仁水不是喝了馬上就有效。通常早上喝薏仁水，下午便會覺得尿多，或是你今天喝了很多薏仁水，隔天就會大量排尿。薏仁水會幫助你排出身體多餘的水分，現在很多早餐店有賣薏仁漿。
【美容大王經驗談】

如果想知道你是不是水腫體質，就在身體上比較腫的地方，用大拇指壓下去，如果壓完後有白白的一塊印子，很久才散掉，這代表你身體有多餘的水分。若水腫情況長期都不改善，甚至愈來愈嚴重，這代表你腎臟有問題，該去看醫生囉！


--------------------------------------------

无论是等车或外出期间，可利用等红绿灯，或是在站牌、月台候车的空当，做做以下的小体操，简单又能瘦腿。
立正站好，抬起任何一脚，朝内侧交叉，轻压住大腿内侧面；
维持10秒钟，再换另一腿；
注意：重心放在身体正中央 ，如果不易保持平衡的话，可将身体轻靠在墙壁或柱子上。

一分钟的瘦腿操
有什么办法能快点让我们的双腿瘦瘦的,让别人羡慕得恨恨的呢?我们来试试这个一分钟的瘦腿操吧。

瘦整个大腿

以立正的姿势站着、两手放在身体两侧。弯曲膝盖，

两手碰触脚趾（此时，不要太用力）。诀窍在于，不弯曲背部肌肉，只弯曲膝盖。再轻轻回到原来的姿势。这个动作大约为3秒，刚开始做的时候，以1O秒钟做3次为目标，习惯后再加速吧。

瘦大腿内侧

从立正的姿势开始，将右脚向前跨一步，轻弯膝盖。两手插在腰上。跳起的同时左右脚互换（此时注意背部要挺直）。边数一二边跳起来两脚互换。刚开始做的时候以10秒钟做10次为目标习惯后再加快速度。

瘦大腿外侧

以立正的姿势站着。右脚伸直向右抬起，同时左手伸直向左抬起。此时，注意身体的平衡。诀窍在于腿部要使劲。轻轻回到原来的姿势。另外一侧同样做一遍、这个动作大约为2秒。刚开始做的时候，以10秒钟做5次为目标，习惯后多加快速度。

瘦腿绝对计划
瘦整个大腿

以立正的姿势站着、两手放在身体两侧。弯曲膝盖，两手碰触脚趾（此时，不要太用力）。诀窍在于，不弯曲背部肌肉，只弯曲膝盖。再轻轻回到原来的姿势。这个动作大约为3秒，刚开始做的时候，以10秒钟做3次为目标，习惯后再加速吧。

瘦大腿内侧

从立正的姿势开始，将右脚向前跨一步，轻弯膝盖。两手插在腰上。跳起的同时左右脚互换（此时注意背部要挺直）。边数一二边跳起来两脚互换。刚开始做的时候以10秒钟做10次为目标习惯后再加快速度。

瘦大腿内外测

以立正的姿势站着。右脚伸直向右抬起，同时左手伸直向左抬起。此时，注意身体的平衡。诀窍在于腿部要使劲。轻轻回到原来的姿势。另外一侧同样做一遍、这个动作大约为2秒。刚开始做的时候，以10秒钟做5次为目标，习惯后多加快速度。

瘦腿只需一分钟
有什么办法能让我们的双腿快点瘦？来试试一分钟瘦腿操吧。

瘦整个大腿：以立正的姿势站着，两手放在身体两侧。弯曲膝盖，两手用力碰触脚趾。开始做时以10秒钟做3次为目标，习惯后再加速。

瘦大腿内侧： 做立正姿势，将右脚向前跨一步，轻弯膝盖，两手插在腰上，跳起的同时左右脚互换。先以10秒钟做10次为目标，后可加速。

瘦大腿外侧： 右脚伸直向右抬起，同时左手伸直向左抬起。此时，注意身体的平衡，腿部要用劲。另外一侧同样做，动作大约两秒钟。

瘦腿的独门秘籍
1、最简单的瘦腿方法，就是将两个膝盖用力并紧，轻微下压，这样快速做五六次便成！注意做这个动作时不需要屏住呼吸。

2、这个动作对于美化小腿曲线非常有效。平躺在地上，双手放于体侧，将两腿伸直并紧，两脚交互运动脚背20－30次，然后稍作休息，再重复做两遍。

3、找张有椅背的椅子坐直，将一条腿往上抬，停在空中，然后双手放在平举的大腿膝盖上，虽然做起来很累，但为了能穿迷你裙，再苦再累也要坚持。

4、坐在椅子上，挺胸，保持两腿交叉、脚尖着地的姿势，上面的腿使劲往下压，下面的腿使劲向上顶，约10秒后双腿互换位置照样做10秒种，2－3遍即可。做这个动作不需屏住呼吸。

5、这是一个芭蕾舞演员常做的动作，一条腿向前抬至90度，脚背绷直，再慢慢地往体侧移动，每条腿做20遍。坚持做这个动作既可瘦腿，又可匀称体态。

◆小秘方

家里的一些物品都可以当体育器械进行训练，比如用两个小板凳放在地面上，就可以做俯卧撑了；躺在床上，胸前抱两个西瓜，可进行仰卧起坐的训练；如果男士有啤酒肚，可以每天先进行30分钟的有氧训练，再进行腹部训练，例如可以做俯卧撑、原地高抬腿等，不要求速度很快，但要有足够的训练时间。再配合健康饮食，效果立竿见影，走出去就婀娜多姿啦。

隆胸丰乳－芝麻卷心菜

[原料及制作]

芝麻100克，卷心菜(又叫圆白菜、甘蓝)嫩芯350克，食盐、 味精、花生油适量。
首先，将芝麻去杂，淘洗干净，放入锅内，用小火慢慢炒，炒至芝麻发香时出锅，碾压成粉屑状；
养论坛博客专题

最后，在锅内倒入花生油，烧热，投入卷捞心菜嫩芯翻炒，紧接着加入食盐，改用旺火炒至卷心菜熟透发软，放入味精拌匀，起锅装盘，撒上芝麻屑拌匀便可食用。

[特点及功效]

众营养食疗·饮

菜心清淡，芝麻香醇。
卷心菜含有丰富的维生素(维生素产品，维生素资讯)[，具有促进卵巢发育、增加雌激素分泌量、刺激乳房发育之功效。芝麻含有非常丰富的维生素e(维生素e 产品，维生素e资讯)、b1、b2、b6，以及蛋白(蛋白补充产品，蛋白补充资讯)质(蛋白质产品，蛋白质资讯)、脂肪、碳水化合物。所以，本品具有隆胸丰乳的作用。