Six Major Causes of Inflammation...

All of us experience inflammation. Whether it's a sprained, swollen ankle, or a throbbing headache, inflammation asserts its presence in a distinctive way. It causes pain, swelling and heat. This is known as acute inflammation and it's an essential part of our immune system.

But sometimes inflammation doesn't repair your body. Instead, it releases inflammatory compounds that result in chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation leads to illness, disease, accelerated ageing and weight gain.

Often, we inadvertently create inflammation in our body, so it's important to identify the causes. Here are some surprising causes of inflammation.

Excess weight
Carrying extra kilos can result in an inflammatory response within fat cells. As we age, some of the cells present in our fat tissues get older and promote inflammation.

Stressful job
Work anxiety and chronic stress have a direct effect on inflammation. The hormone cortisol plays an important role in controlling your inflammatory response. Chronic stress diminishes cortisol's ability to regulate, leaving inflammation unchecked.

Smoking habit
Other than its numerous health risks, smoking also increases certain indicators of inflammation, including a high white blood cell count and elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a substance produced by the liver.

Evening drink
When alcohol metabolizes in your body, it produces poisonous by-products that worsen inflammation. The liver is so actively involved in the process, it may be specifically susceptible to the effects of unwarranted drinking. The accumulation of fat in the liver can result in chronic liver inflammation, which in turn leads to hepatitis or cirrhosis.

Cooking oil
Get rid of inflammatory cooking oils such as vegetable oil, soy oil or corn oil. The high omega-6 content and low omega-3 content promotes inflammation. Replace them with anti-inflammatory oils such as olive oil or coconut oil.

Sugar addiction
Sugar is the chief inflammatory food. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup have serious inflammatory health effects that include heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and even ageing.

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Five Hair Air-drying Mistakes Ladies make...

Curling, straightening, a super polished blowout—we’re advocates of doing what we need to do to get the hair that we want, but it’s fair to say that sometimes our hair just needs a break. That’s when we turn to air drying which, truth be told, is a little bit more involved than it seems. If wash-and-go is your thing, then by all means, go for it… but if you find yourself unhappy with the results, you may be making one of these 5 major air drying mistakes.

Mistake 1: Sleeping on Wet Hair
Sleeping on wet hair seems like a good idea—shower before bed, hit the sack, and wake up with dry locks in the morning. Not so! Wet hair is extra susceptible to damage and breakage, and the combination of cotton pillowcases and tossing and turning can not only cause tension that tugs at and breaks hair, but tons of frizz and tangles. Avoid it at all costs, even if it means giving hair a rough blow dry. You’re better off exposing it to a bit of heat.

Mistake 2: Rubbing Hair with a Towel
Using a bath towel is considered the standard way to dry off the hair after washing, but if done incorrectly, it’s basically the fastest route to breakage and frizz. Instead of hopping out of the shower and twisting hair to release excess moisture, then rubbing dry with a towel—both things you should not do—use your hands to gently squeeze out extra water in large sections, then do the same with a towel, blotting and squeezing the hair rather than rubbing or wringing.

Mistake 3: Leaving Hair Too Wet
It goes without saying that proper towel drying technique is critical, but leaving soaking wet hair to dry on its own won’t do you much good, either. The more water you can absorb before leaving it to air dry, the better, as super wet hair will just take forever to dry. Because wet hair is damaged more easily, this is no good, not to mention that leaving it wet for too long tends to result in frizz (and lots of it).

Mistake 4: Not Using Product
Part of the allure of air drying your hair, aside from avoiding the potential damage from heat styling, is the effortlessness of a natural, “I woke up like this” texture, but that doesn’t mean you should skip product. All hair types should follow up towel drying with a detangling leave-in conditioner and use a wide-tooth comb to break up knots and smooth out the hair before adding product. You know best what your hair needs, whether it’s volumizer, curl-enhancing cream, or a texturizing spray, but we recommend starting with a frizz-fighting serum and a light-hold styling cream.

Mistake 5: Using a Hair Tie
Hair is at its most fragile when it’s wet, so pulling it back into a ponytail or bun as it’s drying is a huge cause of breakage. Using hair ties will also result in strange kinks and texture once hair has dried… and furthermore, sleeping on wet hair that’s also in a bun to get waves is a recipe for disaster. If waves are what you want, try using a balm or styling cream and twisting hair in sections as it dries so that you don’t put stress on your strands.

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How to care for your make-up brushes...for the Ladies

We know, the last thing you want to do is clean your makeup brushes. (Washing dishes and doing laundry is pain enough). But because makeup, bacteria, oil and dirt get stuck in the bristles, it’s essential to give them total cleaning so you don’t end up with clogged pores and even breakouts. Here's a little tip to assist you with makeup brush maintenance.

Daily Care
To combat bacteria buildup, give your brushes a little shower with a brush cleaner spray. To use, just spray this anti-bacterial spray directly on the bristles, then swipe the brush across a tissue to dry.

Weekly Care
Once a week, you should indulge your brushes in a bath to eliminate any dirt or bacteria that’s harder to spot. You can use your everyday hair shampoo or invest in a brush shampoo. Not only does the cleanser wash away debris, but it also conditions the bristles for soft, longer-lasting brushes.

How to Do the Deep Clean
 
Step 1: Rinse bristles under warm water.
 
Step 2: Fill a bowl with water, adding a dollop of shampoo to the water. Now swirl the brush tips in the water.
 
Step 3: Swirl the brush in your palm, working up a lather. This friction will help get any hard-to-reach dirt.
 
Step 4: Rinse the brush tip under running water until all of the shampoo is cleaned off.
 
Step 5: Towel dry brushes with a cloth.
 
Step 6: Lay brushes on a cloth to dry. Don’t dry brushes standing upright, since this will cause moisture to seep into the glue that holds the bristles and can lead the hairs to fall out. Because brushes will take at least a few hours to dry, make sure you apply your makeup before cleaning.

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Healthy people make these mistakes all the time...read

You eat all of your veggies; you’re a regular at the gym. You’d call yourself healthy–but are you really? Nobody’s perfect. Even the healthiest people fall for these common bad habits. Experts tell us some simple habits to break in order to live a truly healthy lifestyle.

1. Ignoring Stress
Healthy eating habits will only take you so far. When stress goes unmanaged, it will have adverse effects. Stress is linked to so many health problems including adrenal fatigue, weight gain and disrupted sleep.

2. Embracing the ‘No Pain, No Gain’ Mentality
People sometimes think if they feel pain, that they are working out harder and feeling the ‘burn. There is a big difference between pain and burn. Pain is usually caused by overuse of muscles and improper placement or use of the body. Bottom line: pain leads to injury and injuries are a major setback to goals.

3. Popping Multivitamins
Instead of taking a general multivitamin, choose supplements based on specific deficiencies, such as iron or zinc. “Taking a general multivitamin can be unwise as it can give too much of some nutrients and not enough of others,” “Better yet, eat more nutrient-rich foods. It’s practically impossible to overdose on fruits and vegetables. Plus nutrients often interact positively with one another in whole packages, which is why food should be considered our primary source of nutrition.”

4. Being Too ‘Good’ All the Time
Some of us can get too wrapped up in our healthy diet and forget to enjoy ourselves. Connection to others, community and friendship are important for both physical and mental health, so don’t forget to laugh a little!”

5. Forcing Yourself to ‘Like’ Foods
When was it ever said that to be healthy we had to hate the foods we consumed? It’s really important to find healthy foods that you truly enjoy eating, so that you don’t feel deprived.

6. Drinking Too Much Water
We’ve been ingrained to drink eight glasses of water daily, no matter how thirsty (or not thirsty) we are. “Our bodies are not built like a simple hose—water in, water out, “It maintains a regulated system of establishing how the water functions, from transporting nutrients to maintaining the health of our cells.” Drinking too much disrupts this entire system and will cause the body to excrete more nutrients than necessary.

7. Drinking Too Much Fruit Juice
Although fruit juice does contain vitamins and minerals that cleanse the body, the large amount of sugar causes spikes in our blood sugar levels. They also have little of the fiber that is found in the whole fruit to slow the absorption into the body, a celebrity fitness trainer and author of Avoid sugary versions by concocting your own version or drinking one that have the nutrients without the added sugar.

8. Assuming Skinny=Healthy
Just because you can eat whatever you want and not gain a pound, it doesn’t mean you should eat whatever you want. It doesn’t matter how fit your body may appear to be. What you eat will eventually catch up to your health and destroy what you took advantage of for so long. Make healthy eating habits now so you never have to reap repercussions in the future.

9. Skimping on Sleep to Work Out
There’s obviously nothing wrong with being dedicated to a workout routine, but when it gets in the way of your sleep you have a problem. Your body needs proper rest and recovery, a fitness and food coach. “Whether you wake up extra early, or stay up late after an evening sweat session, you are risking your health. She recommends focusing on getting a consistent 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Then schedule your workout around that time frame.

10. Purchasing Food Based on Calorie and Fat Content
Just because a food is low in fat and calories, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Read the ingredients section. This tells us what is in the product which is more important than calories and fat, If you cannot pronounce the ingredients and it’s largely chemical based, it is not a healthy food.

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Guide to stronger and healthier nails...a must read!!!

With regular manicures, and gel variety, weakened nails happen to the best of us. You know the feeling: You take off your polish only to find a brittle, sad-looking surface beneath. Fortunately, nails are pretty forgiving, and provided you care for them properly, they’ll be back in shape in no time. These six tips and tricks are key for nursing your nails back to much-needed health, so you can rock that polish again asap.

Moisture with oil.
All too frequently we spend time on our face cleansing and moisturizing routines while the rest of us fall to the wayside. Just as you wouldn’t give your face a scrub without following up with moisturizer, think of your nails and hands the same way. Invest in designated nail oil or use your favorite oil, like olive, coconut, or jojoba, to rub into your nails and cuticles whenever they’re feeling dry. Dry nails are more likely to crack, split, and peel, so diligence is key.

File carefully.
Choose your nail file wisely, as there are plenty of emery boards on the market that are just too rough on nails. If it feels too sandpaper-y to the touch, that’s not a good sign. Beyond that, be sure to file smoothly in one direction rather than back and forth to minimize damage as well as jagged edges.

Leave your cuticles alone.
Once you start cutting your cuticles or pushing them back, it starts a kind of vicious cycle, where you not only get used to the way it looks and feels and can’t go without it, but causes the cuticle to grow back stronger. Opt instead to simply leave them alone—the cuticle protects the nail from infection, and cutting them can result in painful swelling, redness, and irritation.

Avoid acetone.
Acetone nail polish removers are the most efficient way to remove nail polish, but the strong solvent is extremely harsh and drying to both your nails and the surrounding skin. Polish removers that don’t contain acetone aren’t nearly as effective as those that do, so they definitely require a little more effort, but if you have dry nails or nails that are prone to splitting, it’s wise to steer clear of acetone. Regardless of which formula you choose to remove your polish, moisturizing your hands and nails afterward is key.

Limit exposure to water.
Just as prolonged exposure to water is drying to your skin and hair, it’s drying to your hands and nails, too. Always wear gloves when you do housework, especially when you wash dishes, to avoid drying out your nails… or ruining your manicure.

Apply nail hardener / strengthener.
If your nails are especially weak, it’s a good idea to stay proactive about protecting and strengthening the surface of your nails. Even if you’re steering clear of polish for the time being, it’s helpful to regularly apply a conditioning base coat, like nail hardeners. It’s packed with ingredients like jojoba oil, keratin, and biotin to thicken the nail and create (the illusion of) smoothness.

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