Wine therapy for beauty !

Wine facials have become very popular in India. Wine has been used for centuries as a natural skin care treatment. Homemade masks and toners made from wine can help exfoliate and remove skin problems.

Wine also makes an interesting topical skin care treatment, since it contains such a wide range of substances that can be beneficial for troubled skin.

Every wine has a slightly different composition, and different varieties are useful for particular skin types. Dry skin types may wish to choose a sweet wine with plenty of sugar for water-binding purposes. Acne-prone skin will do better with red wine, since its high concentration of the polyphenol resveratrol may act to reduce inflammation while reversing or preventing free radical damage. Those with extremely flaky skin should choose dry wine, which has a greater concentration of the natural called malic, tartaric, and citric acid.

For dry, flaky body skin, mix 1 cup dry red wine with 1 cup of water. Pour into a spray bottle, and apply all over after a shower or bath. Leave on for 5 minutes, then rinse. Particularly flaky skin may benefit from mixing ¼ cup of dry white wine with 1 cup white vinegar and adding ¼ to ½ cup of this liquid to bathwater.

For dry skin, mix 3 tablespoons sweet red wine with ½ tablespoon aloe vera gel and one tablespoon runny honey Apply to face and neck, and rinse off after 10 minutes or so.

For oily skin and acne, blend 3 tablespoons red wine with some yogurt and use as a facial mask.

For sensitive skin, use white wine; the natural preservative tannin in red wines may prove too irritating to reddened facial skin. Boil a soothing herb like chamomile in the white wine for 10 minutes.Acne-prone skin may benefit from use of dry red wine straight from the bottle as a toner.

Wine therapy for spa

Wine and traditional spa treatments are now being combined to offer consumers a fresh approach to skincare and relaxation.wine not only tastes good - it's also good for your skin.Wine therapy removes dry skin and increases circulation with a foamy, vitamin-rich scrub of sea salt and wine, followed by a warm wine massage. Filled with nourishing vitamins Grapes, and their seeds and vines, contain some of nature's most powerful antioxidants, helping to account for the hottest trend in the spa industry cleansing their faces with Merlot wraps, exfoliating with crushed.Cabernet scrubs, and soaking themselves in vats of spring water treated with the extract of red grape vines, all of which help soothe, moisturise and protect the skin. It appears Cleopatra was on to something when she bathed in tubs of wine 2,000 years ago.

Wine grapes contain natural antioxidants called polyphenols that exfoliate, detoxify, cool inflammation, and soften and repair damaged skin. Sixty percent of extractable grape polyphenols are in the grade seed. Thirty percent are in the grape skin and less than 10 percent are in the pulp.

Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol found in the skin of the grape. Red and purple grapes have significantly more resveratrol than green grapes.

(Inputs by: Dr Jaishree Manchanda, cosmetologist and founder of Berkowits skin clinic)

Tips for glowing skin

Your skin is a clear indicator to your lifestyle and internal well being, here are a few popular beauty tips to give you that much elusive glowing skin.

Exercise: 

Exercising can do wonders to your skin. Indulge in some sort of physical activity on a regular basis and notice how it affects your skin for the better. Running, jogging, walking or swimming, take out around 30 minutes from your daily schedule and unwind.

Drink water: 

Probably one of the most advised beauty tips, keeping yourself hydrated on a daily basis is absolutely essential. Juices and other liquids are also highly beneficial. Drink around 10-15 glasses a day and it is sure to positively affect your skin. Additionally, excessive consumption of alcohol should also be avoided.

Go green: 

A healthy diet can do wonders to the quality of your skin. Incorporate a healthy dose of vitamins and proteins in your daily diet and notice the condition of your skin change for the tremendously. Figs, radishes, spinach etc are great for healthy, glowing skin. Nuts like almonds are also known to improve the quality of your skin.

Get perfect beach holiday skin

People love holidaying on beach, but they do not know how to keep their skin glowing. Expert gives tip to protect skin to have that beautiful beach holiday look.

Jill Zander, founder of the Jill Zander Skin Rejuvenation Clinic, shares tips to keep skin looking beautiful in the summer sun and beyond, reports femalefirst.co.uk:

Sun protection: 

Use a sunblock daily. Always include your neck, decollete and backs of hands and reapply frequently. Wear a hat and large lensed sunglasses.

Antioxidants: 

We become more sensitive as we get older to external stresses, as a result of free radicals produced by environmental pollution, car exhaust fumes, UVA and UVB and cigarette smoke. Invest in a scientifically proven home care regime to protect your skin with vital nutrients providing good antioxidant protection enriched with vitamins C and E.

Repair sun damage: 

When it comes to sun damage, vitamin A is the most valuable skin care nutrients applied to the skin. Vitamin A helps to smooth sun damage, giving less wrinkled skin and also helps to even out skin tone.

Use a good facial scrub: 

It is required to remove oil, dirt, impurities and dead cells to improve texture and restore natural glow. Do it at night only.

Summer scent: 

Never apply fragrance to the skin in the day. Oil of Bergamot, often used as a fixative, can cause photo sensitivity and pigmentary problems. Only apply in the evening.

What to eat for a brighter skin

Here's a list of edible items that can help you get that glowing skin you've always craved for

Shelling out that last penny in the salon and still, women fret about maintaining a glowing complexion throughout the year. It's no secret that drinking about eight to 10 glasses of water on a daily basis will help clear those impurities and give you a healthy looking skin. But it's not just water that will add to your skin's radiance. There are many edibles that will keep you glowing. Here's an index of what you should add to your daily food slot to look bright and pretty.

Strawberries

Yes, this is one secret that has been out of grandma's kitchen trove for the longest time. Strawberries are known to be brilliant as it benefits the skin in more than one way. This accessory fruit is known to be rich in coenzyme Q10, a substance that helps fight free radical damage, and lessens the pace of aging, increases both the adeptness and rate of cellular energy production. Quite high in alpha-hydroxyl acid, this fruit helps get rid of dead skin cells and helps the body build collagen. Another great thing about strawberries, it's highly concentrated with vitamin C, an essential antioxidant that helps prevent skin blemishes, fights the aging process and the harmful effects of the sun.

Tomatoes

There are many reasons to toss a tomato in your diet, it adds to the content of collagen in the skin, thus preventing it from sagging. Also, tomatoes have higher antioxidants , this helps reduce fine lines on the skin. Also, eating tomato sauce and tomato juice can help clear up acne.

Oranges

Another fruit apart from the strawberry that is extremely high in antioxidants are oranges. These help brighten the skin. Orange, a citrus fruit, contains vitamin C, that helps prevent conditions like skin inflammation. One thing known about vitamin C is that, it helps improve the absorption of Vitamin E and iron in the body, and this in turn gives you a radiant complexion. You might have noticed, there are many skin care products that have orange extracts in them.

Eggs

Eggs are great for the skin, they help soften, firm and hydrate the skin. It is known to contain amino acids that help in generation of new skin cells. A study states that two major antioxidants that eggs contain, lutein and zeaxanthin, is known to increase more than four times the protection against the UV damage that leads to lines, brown spots, and cancer. Apparently, eating about one egg a day significantly increases blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin (but not cholesterol).

(Compiled by Simi Kuriakose)