Lifestyle Choices

Finger nails take three to six months to grow and toe nails twelve to twenty-four months. Nail is made of keratin in much the same way as skin and hair. The visible part is quite inert and not much happens to it at that stage. The growing section lies mainly under the skin and the only part that can be seen is the half moon. Any disease which affects the matrix, as the growing area is called, may produce a variety of changes.

Nails may alter as a result of an internal disease. Iron deficiency, for example, leads to flat nails and liver disease may produce white nails. Some medications produce discoloration. Pits, like those on a thimble, sometimes occur in psoriasis and ridges and depressions may be a feature of eczema. (more…)

Most of the time we take little notice of our hair and nails. During adolescence there may be times we would wish to have different colored or textured hair or curse that our nails break too easily, but after that we pretty well accept our lot. That is until some change occurs. When hair starts to be lost there is not only an immediate cosmetic problem but the scalp may be damaged by sunlight or low doorways. Equally, when finger nails fail to develop properly this problem is both cosmetic and functional: it may become impossible to pick up small objects.

Too little Hair

Male-pattern baldness

This term is used because it is so much more marked in men than in women. The typical changes of receding hair and thinning on top are well known and often run in families: the process may even start before the age of thirty years. Women are much less severely affected and anyway tend to keep the front hair line. However, with increasing age many women notice some thinning on their scalp. The hair loss, in both sexes, is due to the effect of hormones but not an excess of them. The fault lies in the hair roots which become over-sensitive to existing hormone levels. (more…)

It’s common for the boy to try again, right away or later. He hopes that the girl was just pretending to be reluctant, so as not to seem too easy. He thinks she is perhaps wanting and expecting him to persist and that she will look down on him as a mouse if he doesn‘t. Her cue is to be as definite at the second try as she was at the first. But she can still be friendly, as if appreciating his attention.

Another common manoeuvre of the male is to begin arguing : ‘But you said you liked me…. What’s the harm?… Don’t you have any feelings? … Isn’t it abnormal not to want to? … All the other girls do…. I don’t want to date a person who doesn‘t like this side of me…. A boy has strong instincts that have to be satisfied….’ There are thousands of arguments that have been used since (more…)

Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of dates, at least from a boy’s point of view. In one he feels drawn to a girl primarily by her physical attractiveness (which includes a certain seductiveness of personality) and will go as far as he has the boldness to try or as the girl will permit. In the other he is attracted by a girl’s whole personality, including her physical appeal, and wants to know her better; somewhere in the front or back of his mind is the thought that this might possibly turn out to be the exciting relationship of his life.

In a girl’s feelings also there are the two kinds of dates. But there is lots of evidence that a girl doesn’t distinguish so sharply and calculatingly as a boy; she tends to hope that any kind of dating relationship will turn into true love. (more…)

Many of us never worry about our health until we are in danger of losing it. Then we are willing to pay any price, pouring out the savings of a lifetime in a vain attempt to try to win it back again. Our health is our greatest possession. Why should we throw it away through ignorance? There is no substitute for good health. We must take care of it while we have it. Our whole future depends upon our maintaining a sound mind in a healthy body.

Hospitals all over the world are filled with people who have disregarded the laws of health. Some may not have realized their danger. Others knew but did not care. They evidently thought that they could dodge the consequences. Perhaps they did for a while. But eventually even the strongest constitution will break if we continue to disregard the laws of health.

Many a chronic invalid might have enjoyed good health all through his life if he had only known how to keep well. Instead of living a happy life, free from sickness, he has become a burden to himself and perhaps to the community as well. Prevention is always far better than cure. Knowing how to live will keep us out of trouble. It will enable us to live out our years in peace and contentment, free from unnecessary pain and illness. (more…)

Although money can’t buy it, anyone intelligent can learn to have good taste. You can spend like a drunken film star, but you risk an expensive clutter that hasn’t quite come off. If you pay someone else to design your home you risk something pretty expensive, lifeless and unlived in, or alternatively, an exuberantly camped-up setting with mouldings picked out in white and in which you feel uneasy.

So the first rule is Do it yourself. Because otherwise you’ll never learn.

Discovering your own good taste is an unpeeling process, eliminating the layers which other people have impressed upon you. One of the easiest ways to find out what you like is to get a pinboard and start sticking up anything which takes your fancy — a scrap of lace, photographs, postcards, a colour swatch, a cartoon. (more…)

A tycoon millionairess once told me that she found a business easier to run than a home. I’m sure she’s right. I’ve never yet been able to make the housekeeping show a profit, but my system is to run it in the same way as I run an office, with a planned budget, purchasing and filing department (all me). This is not nearly as clever or complicated as it sounds. Any sane woman in a perfect world wouldn’t bother, but if like me you’ve lost two vacuum cleaners and £140 worth of laundry in one year you’ll know it’s worthwhile.

The equipment: All you need to get organized is a writing surface, a chair, a kitchen drawer, a large cardboard box or a bit of shelf space on which to store two wire office trays or a couple of shopping bags (IN and OUT), eight double-sided envelope files with which to start a filing system, a duplicate book, two notebooks, envelopes and writing paper, a handbag diary and notebook, an address book — and some pretty postcards. (more…)

There are two sorts of crisis: there is the personal one, such as the loss of a job or of a loved one by death or divorce, or the communal one, such as a motorway threat to a village, or a war. But there always seems to be some sort of crisis.

When personal disaster strikes, you probably need sympathy and practical help; but there is a distinct possibility (especially if everyone else is also swimming for the lifeboats) that the only person who is always interested in you, and able to provide you with sustained help is … YOURSELF.

Don’t think ’somebody ought to do something about it’ or `the government should see to it’. Start thinking in terms of self-reliance. What you can do and what you can’t do — that may be all you can count on. Whatever your crisis, force yourself to look cheerful. Shakespeare said: ‘ There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so’, and Napoleon added that `the moral is to material as three to one’. I would also say that the quickest face lift is a smile. Go on — try it, just for today SMILE and try to find something good instead of something bad in every new situation. (more…)

First, take a good look at yourself (body, soul and inside skull). Decide what areas could stand a little pleasant improvement. Decide what your life lacks. New friends? Less weight? More fun? Once you’ve decided what you want, stand up, take a deep breath, and S TART.

What you can do inside your home

Make yourself more beautiful: This is basically taking better care of yourself, encouraging healthy narcissism, learning to love and take care of your body, condition your skin and hair. Learn to relax. Take care of yourclothes. (more…)

You really should indulge yourself and have a professional manicure at least once; save your baby-sitting cash or weekly allowance and go ahead and splurge! Think of it as more than an indulgence, however; learning tips from a pro will enable you to give yourself perfect manicures at home. If you have any problem tendencies, a good manicurist will point them out and offer helpful advice for combatting them.

Until you make your first appointment, study the list below, in which a New York City nail-care expert reveals her method for flawless fingers: (more…)

In browsing through stores and reading magazines, you will find that nail polish is available in dozens and dozens of delightful colors, from sultry wines, scarlets, and mahoganies to berry brights, creamy pastels, and shimmering iridescents. How to decide on the colors that are right for you? Read on!

• The Brights.Clear tones of scarlet, rose, pink, coral, tomato, and tangerine. To wear these colors, your nails should be medium length to long, well shaped, strong, and resist chipping and flaking. Brights look well on fair to medium skin tones. These colors are not the best choice, however, if you frequently engage in activities that cause chipping, such as typing or swimming. Also avoid them if your fingers are short or stubby; bold, bright tones will only accentuate the shape.

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Your poor feet! Walking, running, dancing, jogging, basketball and pogo sticks, stiletto heels and pointy toes—do they ever get a rest from all the abuse they’re forced to take? The tips below will help get your feet looking—and feeling—their very best, day or night. You don’t have to visit a fancy beauty salon to benefit from these footwise suggestions.

1. For swollen feet that are really beat, soak in cool salt water for five minutes. Dry carefully and moisturize.
2. To step up circulation, soak feet for five minutes in shallow footbath or tub of warm water; switch to cool, and keep soaking for an additional five minutes. You’ll be ready to dance the night away.

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Feet not only affect the condition of the rest of your body, they also reflect it. A good reflexologist or zone therapist will be able to tell you just by taking your feet in his hands and pushing them what is the state of your liver, the muscles of your back, or your pituitary gland. Originally an ancient Chinese form of therapy, foot reflexology has recently become a popular form of alternative medicine products. It was first developed and charted in the beginning of the century by an eminent American doctor named Fitzgerald, who described the ten specific zones of the body that are regulated by different nerve complexes. Through these zones, which go from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers and toes, so the theory goes, runs a network of nerves connecting the important muscles, glands, and organs to specific tiny points on the feet. (more…)

The Causes

Although allergies and allergic reactions to particular substances are not inherited, a tendency to them can be. If, for instance, both your mother and your father suffered from allergies, you have a 57 percent chance of them too. Approximately 15 percent of all women are said to be highly prone to allergic reactions, 25-30 percent are less easily sensitized (which means they will react adversely only to some substances, sometimes), and 55-60 percent are relatively allergy-free or only rarely prone to allergic reactions. But, on the whole, allergic complaints are on the increase, and cosmetic dermatitis and skin sensitivities are leading the field. For instance, in one study of skin ailments in the mid-seventies it was found that where, four years before, only 3 percent of the patients in Britain seen by dermatologists were suffering from skin reactions, in the space of a very few years it had risen to 14 percent. (more…)

Blackheads—the Cause

A blackhead—in medical terms, an open comedo—consists of a solid plug of oil that clogs the pore and then blackens due to oxidation on exposure to the air. If it is left alone it will simply stay there in the skin. Blackheads do not cure themselves.

Prevention and Cure

Blackheads on oily areas of the face (such as around the nose and chin) that are not inflamed can be removed easily by steaming the skin first or by applying hot compresses using flannel dipped in hot water and wrung out—hot water to which bicarbonate of soda has been added at a ratio of 1. tablespoon to each pint. This opens the pores and loosens the oily material. Then gently, with scrupulously clean hands and the tips of your fingers wrapped in facial tissue, you can ease out the plugs. Never use your nails. Finish off the treatment with the application of an antiseptic cream. (more…)

While all of the nutrients found in the Lifestyle Diet are important for skin, some are particularly vital to its look and health. Vitamin A, for instance. If you do not have enough of it in your diet or if you have some difficulty in assimilating and using the vitamin (many women do), this can bring about dry, scaly, and crinkled skin. For, among its many functions, vitamin A helps regulate the size and functions of the sebaceous glands. A shortage can result in enlarged pores, rough skin, and acne.

Without adequate vitamin C, the collagen fibers in the dermis suffer damage. Vitamin C and the biofiavonoids that are found in natural foods (such as the whitish inner skin of grapefruit) not only keep skin young by helping to protect the collagen fibers and keep them intact, they also ensure the health of the tiny capillaries that supply nutrients to the skin’s cells, protecting skin from fragile or broken veins (bruising) and early wrinkling. When capillaries are not strong and working properly, then the skin’s cells don’t receive all the oxygen and nutrients they need via the bloodstream, and their functioning suffers. Neither are wastes efficiently eliminated. This can lead to st_asis in the tissues, and cellulite, as well as contributing to early aging of the skin. (more…)

LAVENDER (Lavandula officinalis, L. spica)

A beloved herb, lavender is one of the most well-used herbs in cosmetics. Make a strong lavender oil by infusing flowers and leaves in a good oil, eg sweet oil, and use as a rub for aching muscles, or in the bath for softening the skin. Lavender vinegar can be brushed and rubbed into the hair to stimulate hair growth and, rubbed onto the temples, will soothe fatigue and headaches. Have a bunch of lavender leaves and flowers at the bedside and touch and bruise them from time to time — the fragrance will help you sleep. Lavender tea — 60 ml (¹/4 cup) herb to 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water — relieves exhaustion and will help you unwind. This same brew is an excellent face wash and a stronger brew can be rubbed into the hair — 250 ml (1 cup) herb to 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water — to stimulate hair growth. Dab it onto pimples and acne, or use as a gargle to freshen the mouth. You can splash it on as an aftershave lotion or use it in bath oils, vinegars, soaps and perfumes.

LEMON (Citrus limon)

Lemon is an aromatic astringent and is used in many ways. Add the fresh peel to your bath to soften the skin, and the juice to the rinsing water after you have shampooed your hair. Use diluted juice as a rinse for oily skin, as a face wash and as a freshener. Dig your nails into a squeezed lemon to strengthen and cleanse them. Rub a halved, squeezed lemon over rough heels and elbows. Drink lemon juice in hot water or herb teas daily to keep the skin clear. Dab the juice onto spots and blemishes. (more…)

Cuticle Softener

25 ml (2 tbsp) fresh pineapple juice

25 ml (2 tbsp) pawpaw

I egg yolk

5 ml (1 tsp) apple cider vinegar

Mash the pawpaw and mix into pineapple juice. Beat in the egg yolk. Add the cider vinegar and pour into a small bowl. Soak nails in the mixture for half an hour, massaging every now and then. Both pineapple and pawpaw contain an enzyme which softens protein tissue. (more…)

Hard Skin Softener

Mix a tablespoon of coarse sea salt with a tablespoon of almond oil, and rub vigorously into the hard, horny areas. Then hop into a bath, adding a little more oil to the bathwater, and soak the well-rubbed areas for at least 10 minutes. Then rub the hard skin away with a pumice stone. After your bath soothe the worked area with a good cream or lotion.

Mask for Horny Skin

This is particularly good for roughened hands and heels.

2-4 cups soapwort, flowers, roots and leaves, steeped in 2 litres (8 cups) boiling water

250 ml (1 cup) pawpaw, mashed OR

2-3 slices pineapple, mashed

half an avocado

250-500 ml (1-2 cups) bran

4 scented geranium leaves, minced (more…)

Consider first the lowly lemon, one of my favourite fruits. Its place in natural cosmetics is paramount. The lemon serves as a whitener, skin softener, cuticle softener and remover, nail cleaner, smell and stain remover, and skin toner, restoring the acid coating the skin needs.

Once you have used lemon juice in cooking, save the squeezed halves. Dig your nails into it and rub the pulp and skin all over your hands, or feet, paying particular attention to rough heels. You can use up every bit of its goodness. Massage your feet with the skin, and rub the inner white pith over your nails, softening the cuticles.

Lemon Brandy Hand Lotion

This is a very old softening and soothing lotion for rough, chapped hands. It keeps well, too, as the brandy preserves it.

125 ml (1/2 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice

125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine vinegar in which a few sprigs of basil have been steeped

      250 ml (1 cup) brandy

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