While you were sleeping…

With so many FMCG companies introducing dozens of products at regular intervals, it becomes very difficult to judge what is necessary for skincare and what isn't. Night creams are one such product. Many feel that they are just a mere waste of money, but night creams can also help you in some ways.

There are two basic types of night creams available in the market. One meant for anti-ageing and another for deep moisturising. The anti ageing range of creams contains basic ingredients like retinol, glycolic acid, salicyclic acid and retinyl acetate. All of these ingredients help your skin to increase turnover, which can help diminish the appearance of age spots and fine lines and wrinkles. However, these ingredients can irritate our skin, increasing its exposure to UV rays.

While, deep moisturising creams have hydrating, deep nourishing and restorative effect on the skin. These are just like your usual moisturising creams with extra levels of emollients so that they are more moisturising. So if you use a good quality daily moisturiser, then you likely don’t need a separate night cream. 

 But choosing these creams is tricky. All the creams available in the market are designed keeping in mind the age, skin type and requirements of your skin. Not all night creams are designed for you. Every cream is formulated keeping your age in mind.

So first consider your age. In your 20s, creams with natural ingredients are more advisable. Choose a cream that contains natural ingredients like aloe vera, honey and other essential oils. People in 30s need more chemical active ingredients like amino acids, ceramides, retinol and others. They are known for their antioxidant properties which are well suited for that age group. When in 40s, go for creams containing peptides, soy extracts and vitamins. Your night cream should be able to fight puffiness, wrinkles and pigmentation.

Then the next important thing to be considered is your skin type. If you have a dry skin texture, opt for a cream that contains maximum moisture. Glycerin-based creams are ideal. Creams that contain avocado, almond oil and shea butter are great for this skin type. For oily skin opt for an oil-free cream, it will not trigger acne or rashes. People with sensitive skin should use a night cream which contains lightweight formula. Natural ingredients like neem, cucumber, tea tree and aloe vera creams are your best bet.

To reap the best benefits out of your night cream, first cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser. Then apply the night cream in gentle, upward strokes in circular motion. Avoid the area around your eyes, but cover the area around your neck. And most importantly, apply it half-an-hour before you go to bed

Glares that care

If you thought that the harsh sun only affected your exposed skin, think again! It is not just your skin but also your eyes which suffer because of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. The fancy stylish sun-glasses we use are absolutely of no use in protecting eyes. Too much exposure to sunlight increases the risks of eye diseases like cataract, growths on the eye, and cancer. Some of these diseases take many years to develop, but when they do surface, they often leave devastating effects on our eyesight.

The most common and obvious way of protecting your eyes from the sun are glasses. But these days’ glares are more about fashion and less about care. When we buy glares, we opt for the trendiest options, but without checking its UV protection factors.

Understand that UV radiation in sunlight - UVA and UVB - can cause harmful damage to human body in more than one way. According to researchers, UVA rays have deeper penetrating effect on your eyes. These rays may injure the macula, the part of the retina responsible for sight. On the other hand, exposure to UVB rays results in external growth or discoloration of the eye.  Cataracts are in fact opacity formed in the natural lens of the eye often caused by long term exposure to UV radiation. Chronic UV exposure may contribute to the aging processes in the retina, leading to macular degeneration and poor vision.

Pterygium is a fleshy growth on the white part of the eye that may extend onto the clear cornea where it can block vision. It presents most commonly in people who work outdoors in the sun and wind, and is correlated to the amount of UV exposure. And Photokeratitis is reversible sunburn of the cornea resulting from excessive UV-B exposure. It occurs from spending long hours on the beach without UV sun protection. It can be extremely painful for 1-2 days and can result in temporary loss of vision.

To avoid the above it is essential to follow some dos

• Do use Ultraviolet protecting sunglasses. Buy a wraparound design in glares so that your eyes are well protected
  

• Use wide brimmed hat when on excursions in the outdoors

• Buy sunglasses only if there is a UV label. Labels should be examined carefully to ensure that the lenses purchased absorb at least 99 per cent of UVA and UVB light 

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• Wear waterproof eye make-up as sweat may cause it to enter inside the eyes 

Don’ts

• It is not necessary that glares of darker tint provide more UV protection. Also, don't be misguided by the price -- higher priced sunglasses usually reflect fashion or durability, not UV protection   

• Don’t rub your eyes with unclean hands or when you are outdoors and in public places   

• Don’t splash water inside your eyes, as is a habit for some people. This washes away the tear film that is a protective layer and can cause dry eyes  

Keep the water levels high this summer

Summers are for flaunting floral prints, cotton outfits, skirts and shades. However, preparing your skin to combat the harsh sun should be a priority, so that you can look gorgeous and wear those shorts without
any worry!

Keep your skin happy and hydrated because there's nothing worse than feeling parched and burnt, especially during hot, summer months. It is very essential to understand that even if humidity levels in the air are at its optimum, too much exposure to harsh sun rays can rob your skin of essential oils and moistures.

Firstly, it is important to understand what our skin is made up off. Our skin is the biggest organ of our body. Nearly 70 per cent of our skin is made up of water that helps us to flush out our toxins. In summer you tend to sweat more, so, replenishing the water content lost from your body is a must hence, when you’re advised to drink lots of water for healthy skin during summer, take it seriously.

Our skin has an inbuilt Natural Moisturising Factor (also known as NMF). Water binds itself to our NMF and collagen beneath our skin surface, which is responsible for keeping the skin hydrated. Though there are many factors like hormone, aging and caffeine that lead to dehydration of the skin, other external factors like over-exposure to the sun, high temperature, humidity, intense UV radiation, cold temperatures are also responsible for dehydrated skin.

Also popularly we tend to use more cleansing and exfoliating products, during summer to get rid of the excess oil. But what we forget to acknowledge is the fact that skin turns extra sensitive in the summer due to the rise in mercury. In such conditions, even washing your face with a face wash more than twice a day can prove to be damaging. The correct way to go about this problem is to identify your skin type and the reason behind dehydration.

When it comes to hydration needs of year skin, there is a myth - oily skin types do not need moisturising. The fact is that every skin type and texture needs to be hydrated. Even though acne and zits easily breakout on oily skin during summer, using a proper moisturising product on an oily skin is the most important thing. For example, using gel based lotions can help people with oily skin stay hydrated and cool. Secondly, oily skin tends to react more to the hot summer sun, decreasing the normal water level in the skin. So, a sunscreen/sunblock is a must no matter what weather it is. While most of the popular sunscreen brands are cream based, you also get gel based sunscreens with huge SPF available in the market. Gel based sunscreen products will not only ensure full protection but will also prevent pores clogging for oily skin.

So this summer stay hydrate and flaunt your spring summer look without any inhibition!

Decoding Sunscreen. Explaining Sunscreen jargons like SPF and which type of sunscreen suite which skin type dealing with body odour during summer

Sunscreen shopping made easier!

With the sun shining at its powerful best, a tube of sunscreen is a must for your skin. Sunscreen, your best friend and defence mechanism was a simpler product to buy 15 years ago. These days many of us stand in the sunscreen section of a local supermarket bewildered by the sheer volume of choices of sun protection; UVA or UVB, SPF 30 or SPF 60? and more. However, with constant climatic changes and advance technology, researchers have gone far ahead and created different products for different situations and conditions. So, now when you go sunscreen shopping you usually see jargons like SPF, UVA, UVB and much more written in block letters. So along with the confusion of which sunscreen brand is the best for your skin, these jargons make matters worse. But don’t worry as they might look scary little scientific short forms, but are easier to understand if you know what exactly they stand for and what benefits the sunscreen brand has.  

Sunscreen vs. Sunblock

The biggest myth is sunscreen and sunblock is the same. Sunblock shields your skin from the UVA and UVB rays, while sunscreen chemically absorbs them.  Though no concrete proof, sunblock is better than sunscreen since it blocks the rays and not absorbs them.

SPF

SPF or Sun Protection Factor along with the number next to it refers to the degree to which a sunscreen can protect the skin. It notifies the amount of UVB rays blocked by the lotion. The higher the number, the more sunburn protection the sunscreen can provide. But at the same time according to the popular belief, cream with higher SPF doesn’t mean that it last longer. Higher SPF just shields your skin better than the lower one. So contrary to what you might think, according to research SPF 15 filters out 93 per cent of UVB rays, while SPF 30 filters out 97 per cent.

UVA or UVB or Board spectrum

The ultraviolet radiations or UV from the sun are basically of two types UVA and UVB. UVA or Ultraviolet A is longer wavelength UV radiation that causes deeper penetration, causing damage to the inner layers of the skin. These damages don’t show up immediately but are harmful in the long run. While UVB or Ultraviolet B is a relatively shorter wavelength UV radiation that cause damage to the external layer of the skin like sunburn or rash. The normal sunscreens available in the market have the formulation to protect your skin from UVB rays, leaving your skin venerable towards UVA rays. So, while choosing a sunscreen look for labels which says UVA and UVB protection or board spectrum.

Water Resistance

This is another term that is usual misleading. Water resistant sunscreen is best for people who are on rigorous outdoor activities and sweat a lot, or entering the water. However, according to FDA water resistance means that whatever SPF sunscreen you use will only be effective for 40 minutes, while the very resistant variant has the capacity to protect you for 80 minutes in water and not more than that. So, while you plan for the pool parties keep time in check, reapply your sunscreen / sunblock again to ensure complete protection

My ‘Glowing’ Experience with Vagheggi Products

I feel blessed and am excited to be able to pursue my passion and follow my dream with my new venture. Myrah spa has Launched Vagheggi, the Italian Phytocosmetici skin care brand  in India recently. The results I have experienced in my skin, especially in fighting the signs of ageing while preserving my skin naturally, are remarkable.  I began using the products two years ago when I visited a spa in Milan.Being in the Spa industry and having used many different skincare brands I was very impressed by the phylosophy of the brand and the aesthetic appeal these products brought to me. Boastful and proud as it may sound, the glow on my face and my rejuvenated confidence, unleashed lavish praise and I dare say, the green eyed monster on some!

Vagheggi has now been officially launched in India . The blend of textures and bouquet of aromas will bring out and enhance the innate Indian beauty whilst making the skin glow with a healthy radiance.  Combatting the signs of skin ageing and damage through their regular use and smiling at yourself each time you cross any surface that doubles up as a mirror!  It’s not just about looking good but also about knowing that your skin is truly healthy from the inside out.

Vagheggi Phytocosmetici is 100% made in Italy. Research, development, packaging and testing are all stages carried out at their plant in Italy. This carefully controlled process of study, selection and processing means Vagheggi makes the most advanced “bespoke” cosmetics, each meticulously studied and chased to become part of a particular product for a certain need, based on the synergy of its active ingredients which are all from natural resources.

At Vagheggi they adopted the ‘ Green Oriented’ approach way back in 1975, when this was still not trendy. Research and development of products for the face and body uses elements and properties from the world of nature.They use more than 300 raw materials of extracts, essential oils, molecules of flowers, plants, roots, algae and minerals. Their approach respects man and the environment thats surrounds us and this is not only limited to the choice of active ingredients, it also governs the selection of other components such as preservatives, excipients, fragrances…all chosen for their level of quality, safety, performance and skin tolerability .

Vagheggi  Knowhow and skills, developed in 40 years of experience, have become business models reproduced successfully in 60 different countries worldwide. Their foreign markets include China, Canada, Taiwan, Austria, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea,Spain, Eastern European countries, United States, Australia and United Kingdom . Currently they are penetrating into emerging markets like Russia, South America and India.

Their visionary approach and highly scientific methods have helped them discover many particular cosmetic actions with beta-glucanbeing a vital part – an anti-ageing component that is highly celebrated for its efficacy. Their Vagheggi Delay Line is the first product line to be augmented with this ingredient to produce spectacular results to delay ageing.  I speak with experience – my skin thanks me for it every day!

It is apparent that the makers of these products are not happy to rest on their laurels but are constantly searching to better the quality through top-class technology and the development of each newly launched product. Their Gold Stem Line products are akin to royal and opulent treatment for your skin since they use 24K gold particles with a plant stem cell process. This process ensures the purity of the product and lends the skin a younger and resplendent quality. I recount these benefits for you through actual usage by my friends and self.

Vagheggi also produces a line of Phytotech appliances that are an ode to the environment and display respect for it. The design of these products blends seamlessly and stylishly with any décor used in beauty salons. It seems that Vagheggi has mastered the science of aesthetics and transformed it almost to an art form.  These products work in congruence of the body’s natural rhythm and work toward alleviating stress caused by internal and external reasons.  These appliances work in harmony and oneness with the beauty products to bring about a complete feeling of health and well-being. My enthusiasm and possible childlike ebullience comes from the actual experiencing of the goodness of their products and the restoration of equipoise and steadiness they have provided.  The wait will be worth it when you too will encounter the removal of the seemingly unattractive features of your body through the detailed and strict Vagheggi method and the resultant products.  I discovered a new me – it will be your turn soon!

Effortless Ways to Look Good – even when traveling

Driving down for a family function or traveling by train to a weekend getaway or jet-setting halfway across the world, there is no doubt that traveling takes its toll.  It is stressful and when traveling what heightens this stress is trying to look good.  

However, these effortless and effective methods will show you that looking good and traveling can be done in conjunction.  Face your next travel with a smile knowing that you could run into someone special and not want to hide! Seriously though, remembering these uncomplicated and easy tips will ensure that you won’t stress about how you look the next time you travel.

•         This is probably the most clichéd yet often forgotten tip – hydrate.  It is everywhere because it is absolutely vital.  Your body will feel healthy and your skin and hair will remain refreshed and rejuvenated.  Drink up before and during your journey.  Carry reusable bottles that will save you money, not have you drink water that has been chemically treated and are also environmentally friendly.

•         Keep your face clean which means don’t wear heavy make-up.  The fact is that the skin absorbs dust and dirt during travel and if your pores are covered with make-up they would land up getting clogged from the dirt.  You will most surely have a breakout of some kind on your skin when you reach your destination.  Let your skin breathe – even if you ‘fear’ being seen without make-up, use a light water based one and keep fresh clean wipes handy.

•         Keep blotting tissues or rice paper handy to blot out the oil especially around the ‘T’ zone.  Dabbing up this unwanted ‘shine’ due to the excess oil will not only keep your skin’s moisture intact but let you reach your destination looking fresh and dewy as a rose.

•         If you are traveling on a plane, the air-conditioning will dry out your skin.  Keep a light moisturizer handy.  Use it on your face, neck and hands.  In case you must apply make-up, use a shaded moisturizer instead of heavy foundation.

•         Just like your skin, your lips are vulnerable too and develop fine cracks.  This is most certainly not the way to look good! You could opt for a sensually coloured lip balm or a medicated one to keep those lines and cracks away.  A quick dab of gloss over the medicated balm has the same sensory effect. 

•         It is not possible or feasible to keep running to the restroom each time you wish to put on make-up or touch it up.  On road trips it’s almost impossible! Also carrying your entire set of cosmetics would also be inconvenient, so how about investing in a multi-tasking beauty stick.  These are available at all leading cosmetic stores. 

•         While skin care is crucial, don’t forget to care for your lovely tresses.  Invest in and carry a good quality wooden brush.  This will prevent your hair from being caught in a storm of static electricity. If the ride includes harsh sun and weather conditions, it would be wise to wrap your locks in a scarf or stylish cap.  Protect your hair and look ravishing!

As an added favour to yourself, wear a wrinkle-proof outfit in a colour that will match any shade of make-up.  Keep your cool, smile a lot and don’t forget to eat right!  There you have it – easy tips to keep you looking smashing and feeling great.

The difference between ageing skin and dehydrated skin

The largest organ of the body- skin, like all other organs shows signs of degradation with time and the natural ageing process. The top layer of the skin also known as Stratum Corneum protects the skin and is formed from water based cells and an acidic mix of waxes(sebum and sweat) and oily lipids. When this top layer of skin gets damaged, the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and other internal organs get harmed.

So what damages the top layer of the skin?

Natural Ageing:

After a certain age the physical changes in our body becomes normal. The Sebaceous gland that secrete an oily, waxy matter called sebum which lubricates and makes the skin waterproof decreases with age. Thus reducing the amount of natural hydrators making the skin(and hair) rough and dull, and the production of collagen and elastic deteriorate making the skin slack. With age the skin also steadily loses it’s ability to renew and restore the fats in the protective layer of the Stratum Corneum. And as the person grows older the blood flow to the skin also reduces. All these age related factors contribute to the drying of the skin. Although there are products that can stall this ageing for a while, the physical changes to the skin are inevitable as the person gets older. 

The most sought-after skin is that which looks and feels young. However, I urge you not to go in for any medical or anti-ageing surgical procedures without consulting an expert. All these procedures have their innate risks and it would be prudent to weigh these against the benefits. Constance persistence and a healthy lifestyle with a detailed skincare routine will help minimize the signs of premature and natural ageing skin.

Dehydrated Skin:

Dehydrated skin of all skin types be it dry, oily, or a combination of the two is a temporary and treatable condition. Dehydrated skin by its very definition is skin that lacks moisture and has low water content which happens due to a loss or reduction in bodily fluids. It feels taut, flaky and itchy, and can be aggravated by too much exfoliation, poor diet, an increased intake of caffeine and alcohol, smoking, and exposure to the sun.Replacing the lost fluids by drinking water, eating vegetables and fruits rich in water, and taking precautions for your skin in harsh conditions will help restore the smoothness and elasticity of the skin. Including exercise in your daily routine will help with blood circulation in the body and in turn help the skin detox and stay hydrated. Even though the natural ageing of skin is unavoidable, you can still prevent damage to it- prevention after all is a lifetime process.

You can protect your skin by:

•    Using sunscreen on a daily basis, even during the winter months

•    Having balanced nutritional meals

•    Staying hydrated- Lack of which can lead to rashes, abrasions and other inexplicable skin changes

•    Limiting the use of harsh soaps- the ones that are heavily perfumed

•    Lavishly pampering your skin with lotions and boy butters - Moist skin looks healthier and also heals a lot quicker.

With frenzied working hours and hectic schedules, we tend to ignore some vital bodily signs- skin included. The crucial thing is to ‘listen’ to your skin and body and work with them rather than fighting against the inherent nature. Establish for yourself a high moisture yet gentle skin care regime and give your skin time to heal. Your skin may feel oily but may still needs to be hydrated as it lacks water. Healthy skin goes beyond appearance- it keeps you from getting sick and damaging your bones, muscles and internal organs.

Healthy skin means a healthier you !