Y One?

These days we have ONEs all over us. First it was the RA-one mania and even before the dust settled on RA-one and G-one, F-one was here! And just like its fast cars, it was done in three days, creating so much GA-GA.  

I’m sure we all remember some years back there was this other fixation with ONE in Bollywood, like Coolie No.1, Khiladi No.1, Hero No.1 even a Biwi No.1 and so on. 

But like our reel heroes, in real life too we all want to be “the ONE”, be it the smarter one, the rich one, the successful one, special one, loved one, the BEST ONE. Nobody wants to be NO-ONE, everyone wants to be SOME-ONE, some-one else.

Since childhood, we have always been told we have to be the first one in everything. It started with crawling, knowing very well there were a billion kids who started crawling before us.

Be the first one to say Mama/Papa, so what if there were again millions kids doing the same thing all over.

Then we had to be the first in class, then in school later in the club, followed by city and then the first in the country.

Why do we have to be first in everything, rather anything for that matter? Why can’t we just be satisfied being good, being happy in our space?

We all know we can’t be the first and the best in everything in life, but in the aspiration to be the “One” we are not able to be the “Happy One” today.

Love life, and always remember you ARE special!

Tress mess No stress, Dove is here

Hair, the crowning glory of any face, (I have purposely not said just a woman’s face, not wanting to rise a spate of male furry) and it is true, no man would be considered handsome if he were bald!

Hair, chemically is a dead part of our body, but brings life and vibrancy to a dead face also! Nothing dead has even been more important than Hair! Our hair can make or break our appearance; it is the defining point of one’s personality.

Since the days of Cleopatra, a lady’s beauty took an exponential leap if she possessed long thick healthy hair, in India we like it black, the darker the better.  

I personally believe clothes, makeup, posture and everything else takes a backseat in comparison to the hair! I mean just imagine, Sushmita Sen or Shilpa Shetty without their gorgeous manes, all dressed up and looking pretty, but would you have given them a second look had their hair been not so kind to them? But they didn’t get those gorgeous locks just like that, yes I agree they have been more lucky then some of us, but even they have to put in regular care and efforts to nourish and maintain their hair.

In India, I personally believe the South Indians and Bengalis have it easy. They are blessed with beautiful long lustrous dark hair. In the South, women usually wash their hair and apply plain and simple coconut oil on the wet scalp itself, no fancy olive or almond oils for them. And their diet also helps them. The use coconut oil and fish in their daily meals surely helps. Similarly Bengali babes also have it in their genes or their fishes! Look at Sridevi, Hema Malini, Moon Moon Sen and her daughters and you shall know what I am talking about.

But not all of us are so blessed, so we need to put in extra efforts and make the most of what we have.

First of all there are some ground rules that all of us should know, understand and remember.

1.       No matter what you can never change your hair type.

2.       Recognize your hair type then style and nourish it accordingly.

3.       Unclean hair translates into unhealthy hair.

4.       All expensive products need not be best products.

5.       Chemical treatments will definitely harm your hair.

6.       Natural remedies cause least damage, but are also more tedious.

7.       No substitute to eating fresh green veggies and fruits.

There are two ways in which you can better the quality of your hair. Internally and externally.

Internally, not only for hair these 5 things will help in many matters of the body.

1. Eat fresh green vegetables and fruits. Especially which provide vitamin A, B, proteins and folic acid. (Green Peas and Dals help). Once I was suggested to take Vit A and C for forty days every morning with my breakfast and then take a gap of 10 days; continue again for 40 days, to help me control my excessive haifall.
2. Drink around 3-4 liters of water every day. You should ideally drink 3-4 glasses of water first thing in the morning and another 3-4 glasses at bed time. The rest you can have in any other flavored fluids, less sugar and not chilled.
3. Exercise for atleast 30minutes in a day. Some yoga poses like Sarvangasan, Matsyasan, Poorna Halasan are very beneficial for your hair. They improve blood circulation to the head and also boost hair growth.
4. Live a stress-free tension-less life. Easy to say, meditation and deep breathing exercises help.
5. Avoid dirt and pollution as you can. You could use a cotton cloth to cover your hair, apply a good quality hair serum or leave on conditioner which acts like a protective layer on your hair. 

Externally, you can choose two types of products, one which make your hair look healthy and the other which actually make them healthy. I prefer the later one, because if my hair is healthy they will even look healthy in some time. It’s just that products that make my hair look pretty show instant results, while the other tries my patience.

Like for example, if I were to shampoo my hair (using any shampoo available)and give it a good blow dry it will shine and look nice instantly, but instead if I use a good nourishing shampoo specifically  suitable for my hair type and let it dry on its own, my hair would not look so great initially, but in the long run, my hair won’t be damaged either.

Aloe Vera is one ingredient that can help your hair (and even your skin for that matter) both ways. Drinking Aloe Vera juice (from people who have tried it, eeekkkss!), helps makes hair soft and healthy, and by applying it on the scalp helps to­­­­­­­­­­­­ control hair fall and make the scalp germ free.  

Consuming vitamin supplements of A and B, Evening Primrose oil and Triphla (an Ayurvedic mix of amla, harar and bahera) are said to make our hair healthy.

If we were to notice simple hair damage signals early enough then we can take corrective steps to curb or reverse the damage.  Here’s a list of some hair damage signs, which can be controlled with proper care.

Signs of Hair damage

• Rough or dry hair – sufficient moisturizing and use hair serums
• Excessive Hair fall – eat healthy and stay stress free
• Dandruff - yoghurt, lemon, and a clean scalp helps
• Split ends –regular  haircuts and hot oil treatment
• Greying of hair – needs special professional help

In all the above cases, we need to delve into the root cause and them find the right solution. 

Here's my cleansing routine. 

                                                                                            

Shampoo Use a shampoo which suits your hair type, your quality and your daily routine.Shampoo twice so as to clean it thoroughly.  

Condition Always condition your hair after washing it and towel drying it. But make sure your dont let the conditioner penetrate into your scalp. Rinse throughly.

Serum A serum acts like an outer coat for your hair, shielding it from the sun, pollution and dirt. 

Mask Use it once a week to help you deep condition your hair. Use this from the middle of your hair to the ends, not to be used on the scalp.Leave it on for 5-7 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water.

Enjoy the difference.

I'm not at all a know-it-all person, nor any professional, these advices are received from various sources, including my granny, mom, friends or my beauticians. Some of it is also accumulated from reading various magazines or articles on beauty and hair. So please excuse my ignorance or any mistakes and before taking any medications or supplements do consult a specialists, like I've  said earlier, each one is different  and so is our hair. Please also feel free and do correct me.

Here gals and guys help me put together a list of real, fun, absurd things, ingredients, methods that you have heard, tried or been advised/suggested to try to help better your hair! Sounds fun? Then jot down yours as  comments under this post!  (Multiple entries allowed the more the merrier!!)

All images used in this post are taken from various Dove advertisements on the net. This post is for the Dove competition on Indiblogger. 

                                                                               

Qvendo re-discovered

This is my second virtual shopping tour of the Qvendo store. Know more about my first visit here. Yes, I’m hooked and booked to this fantasy shopping, instead of the tiring window shopping, I’m glued to virtual shopping, not to mention that there’s a silver lining of being able to win the prize attached to it at the same time. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ve been given Rs.75,000 to use at Qvendo’s Online Shop to win the same amount if selected in the top 3.

But I guess even otherwise, virtual shopping is much easier on our legs as compared to window shopping. It is even softer on one’s pocket. As for me, I’m loving it! Here’s my take ONE (cause how can I not have more than one option!) on how I would dress up if given the 50k to shop from Qvendo, would love to hear yours. You can also participate by joining Qvendo. Mind you, this is a by invitation site. So better catch the deals as soon as you can before your neighbor gets it, here I would also like to mention that some sales and deals are only available for a limited time, around 5-10days, especially the hot items. So don’t waste time instead grab whatever fancies you ASAP.

TO start with I’ve always wanted a nice little black dress, something that is considered a must in a female’s wardrobe. But as I don’t wear sleeveless dresses, the LBD always eluded my collection. But here on Qvendo, I’ve come across the perfect one.

It’s a Calvin Klein silk knee length dress, in a natural black colour, with very precise detailing and appropriate cuts in the right places to give me a very classic look. Its cut and style is such that minimum accessories will do the job perfectly. But then how will I use up my remaining amount of Rs. 35,300(50,000-14,700). So let’s continue.

For a clutch I shortlisted two options, as I was getting great deals, I could indulge myself! I opted for the pink one so as to add some extra colour and bling to the outfit, a perfect accompaniment in case I’m
wearing my dress in the day time. But if I was to wear for a night out, I’d rather carry the gold clutch with pink detailing.
The pink clutch is from Flip-flop and is available for Rs. 2,800 while the Golden one, also a Flipflop product, is priced at Rs. 1,400. Surprised? Even I was, but then that’s how it is at Qvendo, new and better deals everyday.

I still have lots more shopping to be done, with around 31thousand still at my disposal! Yippeeeee! So let’s hit the love leather section and see what we can get our hands on. I had to get something in black and maybe will even pick a golden with Pink to go with my clutches, let’s see if I get lucky!

My first obvious choice was the black Chloe Strap peeptoe for Rs.14,900 which originally was for Rs.27,900!

While my second option was this Schumacher strap sandal in beige and coral colours worth Rs.8,900 which was originally tagged for Rs. 24,700!

Ive also selected this brown D&G glares, worth Rs. 7,900 for they have this unique shape which go well on almost all face cuts.

My next select was a Grey Lawrence Belt worth Rs. 2,900 which you’ll have to pay Rs. 5,200 in case you don’t buy from Qvendo.

Opps when I started my tour, I was under the impression that how would I be able to spend so much on one site, but now looking back I think I need more, are you listening to me Qvendo? Here I’ve just managed to shop for myself, need to buy some for Hubby and baby too. Please give me one more go! And then there’s Diwali also around the corner, I was thinking if I could get some gifts for friends and family too.

So I think I’ll take a tour no. 3 all over again at Qvendo’s! Till then Happy Shopping!

Incase you have not yet registered with Qvendo here’s your chance to do it again! Mind you these memberships are by invitation only, and that too this link shall take you to be a VIP member, so don’t waste time! Discover Qvendo

Oh before you get on your own shopping tour, dont forget to leave your footprints here in form of some comments! 

To like it on FB click here, it will help me win the competition! And for all the bloggers, don forget one like deserves another! Best Of Luck! 

Sweet and Sour

Ever noticed a sugarcane juice vendor more commonly known as Ganne Ka Ras wala in most parts of India? He keeps squeezing the sugarcane until its well past the limits to get optimum juice out of it, knowing very well his product will be sweet or to the most a bit tasteless.
But at the same time, a lemon juice vendor (our nimbu pani wala), never will do anything like that, he gives the lemon a requisite squeeze and then throws the lemon in the bin.

Even if he tried to squeeze the lemon further, in an attempt to get more juice, he will only get sour or bitter juice. And hence spoiling what he already has.

Physically sugarcane is much bigger and stronger than a lemon, but because sugarcane is a “sweet” fruit, it is taken for granted; it is always expected to deliver sweetness. But the lemon whose properties we all are aware of is never expected to give sweetness, same is with life. We only need to portray our real properties to the world around us, people and circumstances will follow accordingly.

Most of the times, we do things so as to make others happy, to make them say such nice things about us, we are scared of being tagged negatively, of being called arrogant, ill-tempered or any other such name so we fall in line and do as we are told. We need to let the other person know how much we’d be willing to give in to him/her, to a relationship or to a circumstance and the rest shall follow.

I’m not saying we should be sour and bitter at all times, though there is nothing wrong with it, as there are countless recopies which need the lemon’s sourness, but we could all try to be like a sweet lime. A bit sweet normally but if pushed – squeezed more, give way to some bitterness too.

Life is all about balance, but by the time we learn this balance, we realize we have reached the end of the rope.