Orange Glamor: Emma Watson

No, I'm not going to recommend you to book an appointment with a masseur. I'm here to talk about easy to do, everyday massage. Massage need not necessarily be done with oils. You don't get beautiful skin by using more product. Whatever you use, whether a cream or shower gel, it's at least thrice as effective if you massage it.

And if we are talking about healing and relaxation, it can be easily done yourself in minutes, without spending dollars. Though I suppose people enjoy spa experiences more because of the luxury it offers, making you feel like a king or queen. But if you are truly after relaxation and rejuvenation, I reckon it's better done at home, not only cheaply.

Personally, I used to give myself a full body massage with mustard oil before bath. Half an hour before bath, I'd apply it on my whole body and keep rubbing it until bath time. I don't think it can be kept longer than that because mustard oil feels really sticky and if you keep it on for too long, it starts to itch. It makes skin shiny though and it actually treats itchiness of scalp (speaking from personal experience).

Now, I use pure almond oil and I don't have to even massage the whole body to be relaxed. Massaging my ears is enough. It gives me energy, brightens up the eyes and improves breathing. If you apply it on the neck and ears, then definitely you can feel the body relaxed, especially the face. If you have a headache, then too, massaging it relieves the ache. Like mustard oil, it too gets rid of an itchy scalp while also making hair soft and radiant.

Though be careful, mixed oils are completely different from pure oils. But I don't think you need to be a scientist to detect them. Mixed oils mostly state that they are mixed. All you have to do is reading the ingredients.

I wouldn't say mixed or fancy oils are all useless. They are pretty good too, they just serve a different purpose. They often smell great. Of course, pure oils smell amazing but certain hair oils have a fragrance similar to talc and perfume, something you can wear at a party. Also, some of them have different oils among them, one or more to give strength to the hair, others for shine. Some are also designed to take effect in a short time, so you don't have to keep them overnight.

While they may smell good and even make your hair pretty, I wouldn't recommend them for body massage or for problems like itchiness.

Image: Emma Watson

An article by Sanya Garland 😊

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Like home, clothes and food, cosmetics are a necessity today. Someone living without a face wash and body lotion, would be termed "uncivilized". Not just with women, cosmetics are gaining popularity among men as well. But is it only because they are starting to care more about their looks? Let's try to answer what are the other reasons for humans using cosmetics.

Often we are advised to change our creams and lotions, but many of us still refuse to, even if we have seen the suggested product to work better. Why do we? Isn't the aim of cosmetics making us look better?

We have all seen women who like to try every new product in the market. They just love to try the new products even if they don't run a blog on which they'll be writing reviews. It's their love of experimentation that excites them about every product launched. They like to test products and see how each works, whether it makes you feel cool or dries skin out. It's their way of having fun.

Most people use only their favorite cosmetics, citing their performance as the reason for using them. If you tell them shampoo B works better than their favorite shampoo A, they would give you any reason they could. They would say they have been using the shampoo for years and it suits them best or their scalp is sensitive and most shampoos spoil it. In reality, it could just be the smell or the overall experience of using the shampoo.

The smell, the brand, the packaging, how they make us feel, all play a role in making people choose a product. Favorite products are preferred like the spouse, children or pet are preferred over other people. Some people have a love of menthol so products with mint appeal to them. Many women have a love for flowers so they like every cosmetic containing essential oils of flowers. The same products would be disliked by men, for obvious reasons. I don't like much oil in my food so obviously I don't like them in my cosmetics either. I love oils for massaging and using essential oils so if a cosmetic feels just like them, I'd love it. If it's not like them, it'd feel sticky and I'd hate it.

Image: Emma Watson

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Hair removal is a part of everyone's beauty regimen, whether or not they cleanse and moisturize everyday. For most of us, it's a hassle, especially in the beginning. If you visit the salon every 15 days, it's not a hassle but it comes at a high cost and sometimes burning or itching or leaving you with half an eyebrow. Of course, mistakes can occur at home as well, but know that all you need is practice. It might go wrong the first few times, but with practice, you can become as good as the pros. If you are one who would never do it yourself, it's recommended to find a good stylist and stick to her. Also, the same person doesn't have to do everything. If you find that your stylist cuts your hair satisfactorily but leaves you with an irritated skin after waxing, it's time to be honest with her and find a good waxer.

Then why do it at home? Well, there are people who complain of infections after a salon wax. It can happen, as the same application stick is used on several people. This has never happened with me though. I just dislike visiting salons, someone touching me and pulling my head or legs in any direction they wish to. Like some people prefer to eat food cooked at home, I feel I should do my grooming myself.

There are logical reasons behind it too. Removing hair gets rid of some of the dead skin cells, but waxing also strips some live skin cells, perhaps it's the reason I've never really liked my skin after waxing. I don't want to spoil my skin to remove hair when there are other methods available. Having sensitive skin is another reason. It gets red after waxing and sometimes blackheads develop after threading. Threading isn't a bad method though. It's natural, done using a cotton thread and nothing else. Some beauticians cause me no pain or blackheads post threading. Sugar waxing is a natural alternative to waxing, it doesn't strip any live skin cells and unlike waxing, sugar waxing doesn't require hair to be at least 1/4th inch in length. It's messy though.

Now, I'll come to the methods which can be done at home without creating any mess. Though threading can be done as well, using a self-hold machine threader. Tweezing is a common way to remove hair. In it, you pluck each hair, strand by strand. Best for areas with few hair, like eyebrows. It's quite painful, but you don't need to do it more than twice a month. Some women might get away with doing it once a month. And if you use the right products after it, the pain won't last long. To reduce the pain, pop a painkiller half an hour before any kind of hair removal.

The method that I use is a depilatory cream. I had tried them years ago, but wasn't satisfied with the results, including that of Veet. But recently I tried Veet Suprem' Essence and I'm very happy with the results. It clearly says "not to be used on face or private parts" but even though I used it on my face, it caused no harm. Hair removal creams are better to be used on fine hair, as the effect lasts longer. While tweezing can only be done on coarse hair, fine hair is hard to pluck. What I like most about hair removing creams is that you are not required to wait for the hair to be long. No matter how short they are, hair removing creams remove them all! No pain either. Though it can cause redness or irritation if left too long. To make the effect of hair removing creams last longer, use a razor after keeping the cream on your skin for 5 minutes. If you use the cream to remove fine hair with a razor, you would be relieved for at least 15 days. I prefer to use a razor designed for women, Gilette Venus, which has a moisture strip. Given the way this razor looks and bends, you would feel less like you are doing a manly activity. Most women rate it as one of their favorite razors.

Women who are dissatisfied with any hair removing method they use, are probably skipping a step or two. It's not just about what you do while removing hair, it's also what you do before and after it that matters. If you don't do anything before and after hair removal, you need to do it more often and are often left with skin irritation and burns. Prepare your skin by exfoliating at least a day before removing hair. Best to be done right before it. Soften the hair with warm (not hot) water. Make sure you don't have goosebumps if you are shaving(usually happens when you are feeling cold). I don't wet the area with warm water before using Veet, but it's advisable to do it if you are using a shaving cream. Best to remove hair in sunlight, but if that's not an option for you, choose the area with the brightest light. Before you start, keep water, a cloth and one or more of these by your side:

Lacto calamine
Baby oil
After waxing and threading gel or lotion
Aloe vera gel
Cold cream
Ointment for burns and cuts or something like no nix styptic pencil, used by men for cuts caused by shaving
Ice

The above are to be applied after removing hair. Lacto calamine makes sure I don't get blackheads after threading, but it's not enough after using Veet. Baby oil did the trick. The reason for keeping them at your disposal before you begin is that hair removal can often go wrong. It can cause irritation, in which case you need to take the product off immediately. It can also be messy. Never remove hair in a hurry. If you have wax on your skin, remove it with a wet towel. If it still remains, use a mixture of lemon and warm water. You can also keep a bottle of wax removing liquid handy. After removing wax, apply one or more of the above mentioned products. Not all of them can take all redness away, but baby oil sure does. I like to apply ice, followed by lacto calamine, which stops bleeding along with reducing the burning sensation and finally I use baby oil.

To reduce your hair growth, use Vaniqa, though it is a prescription only cream. It can take up to 8 weeks to show results, but it's definitely worth a shot. You'll have fewer hair to remove each month if it does work for you. It is recommended for women with hair growth in abnormal regions like chin, but you can still ask your doctor.

Image: Emma Watson

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