Natural hair colour lightners.

Hey Dolls,

Since I was a child I have been obsessed with haircare, I always boasted about my long perfectly straight hair but secretly always despised my pitch black hair colour, especially because my sister had brown hair. But I still never had the courage to just colour them and face any sort of damage. Therefore even now when I'm 21 years old, I still have untouched hair, but sometimes I use these tricks to make my hair colour almost brown. These tricks work for virgin as well as treated hair, also on any hair colour & type, so do let me know how these worked for you.

Lemon Juice

I heard about this tip first in the conversation between Skylar White & Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad. Being the curious kid that I am, I read up on this on Livestrong & found out that this natural beauty remedy has been around for forever, which is a testament to the fact that it actually works! According to Livestrong, when the citric acid in lemon juice heats up in the sun, it opens hair cuticles and lifts out the pigment. Just squeeze some lemon juice into a spray bottle, dilute with water (3 times the amount of  lemon juice), and then spritz into your hair before you head outside. (P.S. If you’ve ever used lemon juice to keep a cut apple from browning, you’ve already witnessed its amazing bleaching properties!)

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is another natural hair lightener, said to be more gradual than lemon juice and therefore better for brunettes. It can be applied directly or added to shampoo or conditioners. Click here for more information.

Rhubarb

Instead of bleaching, rhubarb and rhubarb root bring a yellow that gives medium-light brown or dark blonde hair a lighter hue. Some recipes use just the rhubarb stalk (boil in water, then use the liquid to rinse through hair), others combine it with the powdered rhubarb root or even chamomile, and some use wine to steep the rhubarb. Click here for recipe

Honey

I’ve never tried this one myself, but if anything I’m sure that honey would be deeply conditioning. As Livestrong explains, honey contains the enzyme peroxide, which is an effective lightener when mixed with distilled water to activate it. Plus, your hair will smell yummy and feel soft post-honey treatment. please also view this article for more information.

Beer

Yes, beer. Beer is another method that I’ve tried & I can swear by its lightening properties (Refinery29). Use a light beer of course, and just keep in mind that you might not want to try this method right before you go to a family get-togethers. Bonus: The B vitamins and proteins in beer will repair damaged stands too.


None of these methods are a true replacement for salon highlights of course. But if you’re just looking to add a little extra brightness to your mane, these all-natural methods are pretty impressive considering the ease, availability, and low cost. Also, keep in mind that you may not see dramatic results immediately. I recommend repeating these DIY beauty treatments frequently to gradually lighten your locks over time.

Hope you use these tricks & do let me know if you have ever tried any of these or any other DIY hair highlighters? 

XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal

Oil Pulling, Make it your hobby!

Have you'll heard of Oil Pulling by it’s acronym, “OP.” I came across it while doing some random health searches on the web and later I looked it up on youtube to learn more after trying this and seeing the benefits I'm hooked so if you haven't tried it yet I intended to break it down what it is in as simple way as possible.

What is Oil Pulling. Oil Pulling is taking any type of oil, while coconut oil works the best it can be done with sesame oil, sunflower oil, even olive oil and putting a few table spoons in your mouth and swishing it around. So you put oil in your mouth and “swish” it around the mouth. When you are finished, you spit it out, you use warm water and rinse your mouth out. You do not ever swallow it. You may swallow a little incidentally, don’t worry about that. Just don’t swallow the entire amount. You do this for 15 to 20 minutes daily, Do this for 5 minutes if you'r not comfortable it can be slowly increased. You may feel disgusting or uncomfortable when you first put oil in your mouth but trust me after 2-3 minutes you become used to it. Do not spit it in your house sinks or toilets, coconut oil in particular has been known to clog drains. So just dispose it in a plastic bag or trash. 

Oil Pulling Benefits: for me, evoked a deeper more fulfilling sleep, gave me energy, improved my teeth and gums to a point that I now have 0 issues, and killed carb cravings. Now, this is conjecture as there are no real studies out there (we can talk about that later), but I firmly believe that the improved sleep, lowered carb cravings and increased energy are due to oil pulling it also balancing blood sugar. I know, it sounds crazy, but something is happening and it’s rather consistent among people. Other people have seen improved skin, improved if not cured sinus issues, detox of poisonous metals, cured chest congestion. 

 The two biggest hurdles for those wanting to try or continue trying oil pulling tend to be making time for it, and the taste and texture in the mouth. Oil pulling takes around 15 to 20 minutes a day, so finding the time is something everyone has to decide for themselves (I do it while surfing, watching episodes and blogging). You can do it while taking your dog for a walk or making breakfast or packing lunch.

 The other issue, flavour and texture, Ziggy Marley has launched what seems to be, the only version of flavoured Cold Pressed Coconut Oil that doesn’t make use of sugars, thereby compromising the health benefits. Instead, aroma is added, but the flavour turns out pure, non-intrusive and incredibly palatable. Using this to oil pull is an amazing solution for those that don’t like the taste, in addition, it leaves a wonderful lemony ginger flavour in the mouth afterwards (freshens breath).

During an interview with E! News, the always fresh faced Gwyneth Paltrow said,  ”I just started ‘oil puling,’ which is when you swish coconut oil around [in your mouth] for 20 minutes, and it’s supposed to be great for oral health and making your teeth white.”

Do try this once before dropping the idea and spread it around tweet me and tell me how you felt about it at the end of the day and like the post if you thought this post was interesting or useful. For other articles related to teeth whitening click here.

XOXO, 

Anshika Agarwal.

Make that lipstick last longer!

Hey Dolls,

Don't we just hate it when we wear our favourite red lipstick but wears off even before we hit the party? Well here is a step by step instruction to help you keep any lipstick longer.

Step 1:Apply your favourite lip balm to moisturize and prep your lips for the lipstick. This will even out all the crease and help in smooth and even application, it also avoids staining of your lips and restores the natural colour.

Step 2: Apply your lip liner followed by your lipstick, the texture and colour doesn't matter for this technique.

Step 3:After you have applied your lipstick, hold a tissue over your lips and lightly dust translucent powder over the tissue.

And its done! 

Let me know what works for you!

XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal.

Life Hack Tuesdays: Convert your eye-pencil to a super intense gel eye liner + GIVEAWAY.

Hey dolls,

Personally speaking I prefer gel eyeliners and liquid eyeliners more than a normal eyepencil because of the dark colour they leave, I can say from my experience that they are longer lasting than kohls pencils. But they're more expensive too! Here's a simple trick you can follow to make them work just like the gel liners, All you need is.. 1) An eye pencil 2) Lighter/Candle or any kind of flame.

Just hold the nib of the pencil above the flame for 1 second and let it cool down.

You have an intense liner to use, Amazing isn't it?

What do you prefer, a gel liner or a pencil? Tell me in your comments below and you can win a MAC liquid liner. Details on my Twitter so follow me and stay tuned!

XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal.

Life Hack Tuesdays: Mark your targeted water intake.

Hey Dolls,

Todays Life Hack is probably the most useful! I can never stress enough on the importance of water intake. Its a solution to so many beauty problems but its also true that you should not intake all the water together at once as it affects the liver and kidneys! Try distributing your water intake throughout the day leaving gaps after your meals. I found a clever way that you should definitely try.

First of all make a target for your water intake. You can stick to 8 glasses a day r if you want to calculate in details you can find your ideal intake here.

Fill the entire amount of water in container(s) and mark targeted timings on it with a permanent marker. Keep it in your room or wherever you spend most of your time. This will help you intake the water periodically and appropriately. You can also set multiple alarms on your phone to remind you to have water.

Do try this and send me pictures of your favorite water bottle using #Anshika or #bombaygirl07,
XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal.

DIY Natural Cleansers for Dry, Oily & Normal Skin

Every morning and evening we wash our faces, hoping to rid ourselves of any 

potentially harmful substances that have come in contact with the surface of our precious skin. It’s important to know that we’re cleansing our skin with the 

best possible ingredients, which is one of the main reasons I love making my

 own beauty products.  Not all skin is created equal, though, so today I have 

recipes for three different cleansing concoctions: one for dry skin, one for oily

 skin, and one for normal skin.

First up: Dry Skin. Wintertime, hot showers, air conditioners & heaters are 

often the culprit for skin that lacks moisture. The base for this cleanser is

plain yogurt, which, apart from its natural cleansing properties, is full of 

protein to soften your skin. It’s also a bit acidic, so it acts as an exfoliator,

removing unwanted dead cells from the surface of your skin. Honey acts as

a humectants, drawing moisture into your skin and keeping it there, as olive 

oil adds further moisture. Apples give your skin vitamins A, B, and C, as well 

as a dose of antioxidants to keep you looking fresh.

Next up: Oily Skin. For those whose skin tends to be on the oily side, 

let lemon and oatmeal be your new friends. Lemon acts as an astringent 

as well as a disinfectant, killing any bacteria that may otherwise cause 

breakouts, while oatmeal exfoliates the skin, absorbing excess oils in the 

process. Honey will restore moisture into your skin, balancing out any 

dryness that could have been caused by the lemon.

Finally, Normal Skin For those whose skin tends to be somewhere in 

between dry and oily, this cleanser is for you. The yogurt and cucumber 

nourish and clear your skin without drying it, while the mint adds a 

pleasant soothing experience.

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Bananas for white teeth?

/http://bombaygirl07.blogspot.in/

Yes this is true! Don’t throw out that banana peel just yet, use it as a natural teeth whitening treatment.

How to use: Make sure your teeth are clean and dry. Gently rub the inside of a ripe banana peel on your teeth for 2 minutes. Make sure to get all your teeth.  Leave the the banana peel residue on your teeth for a good 5-8 minutes.

Afterwards you can brush and rinse as usual.

What’s the secret ingredient that works on getting the stains out and brightening your teeth? It’s the potassium, magnesium, and minerals that are absorbed by your teeth and aids to lighten them and lift stains.

Do this twice a day for quick results!

Homemade Hair-Oils'

Our hair is the sole most important factor which contributes to the difference in the way we look, Change your haircut and Voila! you have a makeover there itself. But not always it tends to behave itself, do they? That's because they are not happy, in short happy and well nourished hair makes everyone happy! so how do we do the magic?

Like the skin, Everyone's hair is individual and it varies from person to person in terms of color, texture, body, bounce density and length. Hair types may be classified broadly as normal, dry, greasy & combination. Normal hair has healthy sheen & is manageable. Dry hair is usually caused by external factors like excess heat, bleach, chemicals in our hair products, faulty diets & lack of proper hair care.Greasy hair is usually caused by hormonal imbalance also weather, humidity & bad diet. Combination hair is very greasy at the scalp and has dry split ends.


Every hair type needs proper nourishment and care. Hair-oils are an excellent way to achieve it.Does oily hair need oil too? Yes its all about finding the right combination of right oils. Here are few recipes for common problems.


http://bombaygirl07.blogspot.in/COMBINATION HAIR

Ingredients;
4 Stems of Aloe Vera
1 Liter (32 oz) olive oil
2-3 drops of Juniper oil
0.5 tsp camphor powder

Cut the aloe stems and scrape out the gel, mix with olive oil. Simmer for 30 mins until the gel floats on top. Whisk the oil with a hand beater, add camphor powder and juniper oil when cool. Store in bottle and use regularly.

 OILY HAIR

Ingredients;
1 Litre (32 oz) coconut oil
1 cup fresh neem leaves or 2 tbs neem powder
Simmer the ingredients for about 30 minutes on slow and let it stand for an hour and strain. Store it in a bottle.


http://bombaygirl07.blogspot.in/
DRY HAIR

Ingredients;
500 ml (16 oz) almond oil
250 ml (8 oz) castor oil
250 ml (8 oz) olive oil
50 ml (2 oz) Grape seed oil
Simmer the ingredients for about 30 minutes on slow and let it stand for an hour and strain. Store it in a bottle.