Five ways to get straight hair naturally

Coconut and Lemon
 Add a few drops of lemon juice to freshly prepared coconut milk and mix well. Keep the glass of coconut milk and lemon juice into refrigerator for a few hours. A thick foamy layer will appear over the glass, which needs to be applied on the scalp and entire length of the hair right away. Steam your hair for 15-20 minutes after this and follow it up with a wash. Repeat this process regularly to get straighter hair.
Celery
Crush a few fresh celery leaves and mix them with a little water. Squeeze it to extract the juice and store it in bottle. The bottle has to be left unused for at least a day, so as to allow the juice to develop properties and effectiveness for straightening. Using them regularly, preferably in the morning, before bath will help in straightening hair. Massage it well on the scalp and leave it for 15-30 minutes, prior to washing it off with a shampoo.
The Milky Way
Milk is known to have moisturizing properties, which are suitable in straightening the hair. Take half cup of milk, preferably boiled and cooled. Then mix it with half cup of water. Store it in a spray bottle and spray over the hair. Allow it to stand for half an hour, before shampooing the hair. This mixture will help in straightening as well as adding substantial amount of moisture to add smoothness to the hair.
Cast a Spell with Castor
Castor oil is known to have hair growth and hair straightening properties. Massage the oil on the scalp, along your hair strands and then comb your hair properly. As you comb, blow dry your hair, which has been separated into sections, on high heat. The hair should feel dry and not oily after being blow dried. When done, wrap it with a chilled towel and leave for half an hour. It will soothe the hair from excessive heat and will restore the straightness.
Hair Dryer and Hair Brush
This combination is something that people have seen in salons and spas. This can be done at home too! Get a hair dryer and a good hair brush, which will stretch and hold your hair firmly in place. Comb your wet hair and while it is still wet, use hair brush to stretch a section of hair by rolling it in end and then blow dry it. Repeat the process for other sections of wet hair till dry.
 

Home-made hair packs for luscious hair in winter

A good hair care routine is a must during the winter months.  Lack of moisture in the air coupled with decreased humidity and pollution makes your hair weak causing split ends and damage. To regain the nourished and glossy look of your hair, try some of these time-tested beauty regimes, formulated by our experts especially for this season.

Home-made hair care packs for winter

1. Strawberry pack – You will need: One cup crushed strawberries, half cup rosemary shredded and one tablespoon vinegar. Mix the above ingredients well in a bowl and apply to your hair. Leave it on till its dry (about half an hour) and rinse. This pack works well even on coloured hair.
2. Egg and banana pack – Bananas make for wonderful hair conditioners. Use ripe ones for maximum benefit. You will need:  two ripe mashed bananas, two eggs beaten well, juice of one lime and two vitamin E capsules. Mix all the items in a bowl, apply to your hair and wear a shower cap, keep it on for about thirty minutes, then shampoo. This pack can be used as often as twice a week.
3. Fuller’s earth pack – Fuller’s earth or multani mitti is a must in beauty regimes of Indian women. You will need:  two tablespoons each of Fuller’s earth and gram flour (besan) and half cup vinegar. Mix well and apply for twenty minutes, then rinse. For very dry hair, you can apply hair oil before putting on the pack.
4. Shikakai pack – You will need: two to three tablespoon shikakai powder, two tablespoon each of fenugreek seeds and green gram (soaked the previous night and blended together). To this add one whole egg, mix well and use like a shampoo. This pack makes hair soft and shiny.
5. Egg pack – You will need: two eggs and three tablespoons olive oil. Blend both the ingredients well and apply to your hair leaving on for twenty minutes. Cover your hair with a plastic wrap for maximum benefit.
6. Beer pack - Use flat beer to get lustrous tresses. Simply apply the required quantity onto your hair, leave on for ten minutes and wash with a mild shampoo.
7. Egg and yoghurt pack - You will need: one cup yoghurt, yolk of one egg and one teaspoon lemon juice. Mix the first two ingredients and to it add the lemon juice slowly. Leave it on your hair for about half an hour, then wash. Yoghurt also takes care of dandruff while egg is a great moisturizer.
8. Castor oil and honey pack - You will need: one tablespoon honey, two tablespoon castor oil and one egg. Mix them and apply to hair. Leave on for about an hour, then shampoo.
9. Aloe vera pack – You will need: one tablespoon aloe vera gel, one teaspoon lemon juice and two tablespoon coconut or olive oil. Mix the ingredients, apply well and leave it on for about forty-five minutes, then rinse off with  shampoo.
10. Avocado and milk pack – You will need: one cup milk, one cup water, some dried rose petals, a ripe avocado, two teaspoon almond paste, and two teaspoon honey. Boil the first three items, allow to cool, and then blend. While blending add the remaining ingredients, apply to hair and leave on for thirty minutes, then rinse off.

Health miracles of Honey

Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate. It contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 all of which change according to the qualities of the nectar and pollen. Besides the above, copper, iodine, and zinc exist in it in small quantities. Several kinds of hormones are also present in it.
As Allah says in the Qur'an, honey is a "healing for men" . This scientific fact was confirmed by scientists who assembled during the World Apiculture Conference held in China . During the conference, treatments with honey derivatives were discussed. American scientists in particular said that honey, royal jelly, pollen and propolis (bee resin) cure many diseases.

A Romanian doctor stated that he tried honey on cataract patients, and 2002 out of his 2094 patients recovered completely. Polish doctors also informed the conference that bee resin helps to cure many diseases such as haemorrhoids, skin problems, gynaecological diseases and many other disorders.

Nowadays, apiculture and bee products have opened a new branch for research in countries advanced in science. Other benefits of honey may be described as below:
Easily digested:
Because sugar molecules in honey can convert into other sugars (e.g. fructose to glucose), honey is easily digested by the most sensitive stomachs, despite its high acid content. It helps kidneys and intestines to function better.

Has a low calorie level:
Another quality of honey is that, when it is compared with the same amount of sugar, it gives 40% less calories to the body. Although it gives great energy to the body, it does not add weight.

Rapidly diffuses through the blood:
When accompanied by mild water, honey diffuses into the bloodstream in 7 minutes. Its free sugar molecules make the brain function better since the brain is the largest consumer of sugar.

Supports blood formation:
Honey provides an important part of the energy needed by the body for blood formation. In addition, it helps in cleansing the blood. It has some positive effects in regulating and facilitating blood circulation. It also functions as a protection against capillary problems and arteriosclerosis.

Does not accommodate bacteria:
This bactericide (bacteria-killing) property of honey is named "the inhibition effect". Experiments conducted on honey show that its bactericide properties increase twofold when diluted with water. It is very interesting to note that newly born bees in the colony are nourished with diluted honey by the bees responsible for their supervision - as if they know this feature of the honey.

Royal Jelly:
Royal jelly is a substance produced by worker bees inside the beehive. Inside this nutritious substance are sugar, proteins, fats and many vitamins. It is used in problems caused by tissue deficiency or body frailty.

Weight loss tips

Weight loss tips

1 - Drink water when you feel hungry. It makes you not to eat a lot of unwanted calories.

2 - breakfast is very important because it makes a person not to eat lot of food in the lunch and supper.

3 - Be sure to eat owes - lunch or dinner.

4 - Try to reduce drinking whole milk and try to replace it with milk - free from fat.

5 - when you feel full stop eating more food.

6 - Try replacing sugar by any other means of desalination in tea and coffee or any other drinks.

7 - soda in which a very large amount of calories, one package of soda no more than 10 teaspoons of sugar.

8 - Try to reduce fried foods and went to the boiled or grilled foods.

9 - Stay away from ketchup or mayonnaise and headed to the spices and put it into the food.

10 - Avoid canned foods or prepared foods.

11 - Do not eat the food in front of the TV, because that leads to eating a lot of food.

12 - chew your food well before swallowing so do not eat a lot of food.

13 - avoid food containing fatty substances.

14 - When eating chicken remove the skin from it because the skin contains a lot of fatty substances.

15 - Green tea helps to burn calories, you can drink between meals.

Harmful Health Effects of Smoking

Harmful Health Effects of Smoking

1) Every year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from diseases caused by smoking cigarettes - Smoking KILLS.

2) One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Half of these deaths will occur in middle age.

3) Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of cancers.

4) The mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels.

5) This can cause heart attacks and stroke. It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers end up having their limbs amputated.

6) Tar coats your lungs like soot in a chimney and causes cancer. A 20-a-day smoker breathes in up to a full cup (210 g) of tar in a year.

7) Changing to low-tar cigarettes does not help because smokers usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper into their lungs.

Say No to SMOKING

Home remedies to ease the common cold

Here are some simple home remedies that’ll help ease the symptoms of the common cold:

Lemon and honey - Lemon in warm water with one teaspoon of honey can be taken three times daily. Lemon increases the body’s resistance against the cold and its vitamin C content can be useful in washing out toxic components from the body and decreasing the duration of the disease.

Go for garlic - Garlic has antiseptic and antispasmodic properties. Boil 4 to 5 cloves of garlic in water and ingest the mixture three to four times daily. Garlic oil also helps in opening the respiratory passage. 3 to 4 drops of garlic oil mixed with 4 to 5 drops of onion can be very helpful in flushing all the toxic materials from the body, hence lowering the fever.

Ginger to the rescue - Ginger is an excellent remedy for the common cold. Boil it with water to make a decoction, which can be taken thrice daily, along with half a teaspoon of sugar. Add ginger to your tea for a soothing a delicious beverage.

Other tips to get over your cold

• The best precaution you can take to avoid getting a cold is to eat a nutritious and healthy meal that enhances your immunity. It is better to avoid alcohol and cigarettes.

• Use a towel or handkerchief while sneezing or coughing to check the spread of infection to others.

• Avoid taking antibiotics, as they have no role in the treatment of these viral infections. They may weaken the body’s natural immunity and kill the healthy bacteria of the body, which will create a further favorable ground for the virus to multiply, with more virulence making the condition worse.

• Drink lots of water and try to rest as much as possible. It is advised that when the acute symptoms of the disease are present, like soreness of throat, running nose, fever, chills, congestion of nasal passage etc., the food eaten should be light and diluted. After the acute symptoms are gone, go back to your normal well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts, cereals, grains vegetables and fruits. Avoid fish meat, cheese, and starchy foods.

Top 7 myths about drinking water - busted!

Myth 1: Drinking water between meals is bad for digestion – This is one line that has been passed down from generation to generation. However, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that it will affect the digestive process. At the most, it will probably fill you up and reduce your appetite for dinner. But besides that, go ahead and enjoy a glass of water with every meal.

Myth 2: Drink 8 glasses a day for good health – Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is one of the most popular myths in circulation today, despite scientists saying that there is no clear correlation between good health and sipping on water all day. Doctors recommend drinking water only when you are thirsty!

Myth 3: Drink water, you can never have too much of a good thing! – Recent studies reveal that drinking too much water can in fact, be potentially harmful. Excessive water consumption is dangerous in that it can lower salt concentration in the body. Water intoxication, a life-threatening condition, occurs when there is dilution of blood sodium because the kidneys are over-worked, and unable to excrete the excess water as urine.

Myth 4: Water cleans out the body’s toxins – The toxins in our body are filtered out by the kidneys. And common myth says that drinking more water means clearing out the toxins. Wrong! In truth, drinking large amounts of water will actually reduce the kidneys’ ability to function as a filter

Myth 5: Drink water for healthy skin – It is widely believed that since our body’s composition is 60% water, drinking a lot of water will give you glowing skin. However, there is little evidence to support this idea. Healthy skin is a result of many things, including diet, weather, pollution and genetics.

Myth 6: Drinking water can aid weight loss – Water has been touted as the secret drug for all dieters. “Drink water and you’ll shed those pounds like magic.” This is hardly true; as we discussed, water will, at the most, fill up your stomach and reduce your food intake at mealtimes. But water is far from a miracle drug to lose weight.

Myth 7: Drink as much water as you can during a workout – It is widely believed that a workout increases chances of dehydration, so common myth says you need to increase water intake during exercise. But dehydration sets in only when you lose 2 percent of body weight. Do the math, and it is unlikely a normal workout requires increased water intake. Instead, ensure you are well-hydrated throughout the day, without over-doing it.