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mtgondal · #2 Saturday, June 02, 2007

Once again, summer has arrived so if you are among those who spend a lot of time outdoors during daytime, you have to take extra care to avoid the damages that occur due to harmful sunrays.

Skin care

Most people know that using sunscreen protection is essential. There are a number of ways to promote a healthy glow without exposing your skin to harmful rays. To help avoid damages to skin here are a few tips:

• It is important for all to begin a daily face wash regimen, which exfoliate the skin of all the excess skin cells and oils.

• Apply sunblock on all parts of body that are exposed to sun, before going out.

• The skin around the eyes is 10 times thinner than the skin of the rest of the face. Protect not only your eyes, but also the skin around them by wearing sunglasses that block 90 per cent to 100 per cent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Now that you know how to protect the outer skin, it’s time to start thinking about what you can do to obtain a healthy glow from the inside out. Instead of using harmful chemical products, the best way to obtain a healthy glowing skin is the natural way, i.e. doing some form of exercise, which gets the blood circulating and delivers fresh oxygen to the skin all over your body.

The next step is to drink plenty of water. Outdoor play or exercise, especially in the summer, increases your risk of dehydration. This is one risk you don’t want to take since it not only affects your performance and robs your skin of vitality, but it may also be potentially hazardous to your health.

Be sure to drink fluids before, during and after physical activity. To replenish your fluids after any outdoor activity, weigh yourself before you participate and then weigh again after. Any weight you lost is water and should be replaced by drinking two glasses of water for every pound you have lost.

Hair care

Sunrays are not only harmful for your skin but summer sun and humidity can also damage your hair’s cuticle and result in dry, drab, split, brittle or frizzy hair and ends.

Hanging out in the sun without protection for your hair and scalp is the worst thing you can do. Use leave in hair products with SPF protection when you go outside or wear a hat or scarf to cover your hair.

Consider washing your hair less often during the summer months to allow your hair to absorb more moisture. When possible, finish with a cool to cold rinse to seal the hair cuticle and impart natural shine.

Don’t be careless about your trims. Make sure you have the ends trimmed every six to eight weeks during the summer months. When your ends are frizzy, it’s a sure sign that they are either damaged, split or both.

Pedicure

A great pedicure will have you feeling confident about baring your feet this summer, or wearing your favourite sandals.

Everyone knows that a good pedicure involves giving your feet a soak. But before that don’t forget to file your nails. Start by removing old nail polish with an acetone-free formula (keeps nails from getting dry and brittle). Follow the natural curve of your nails when filing.

After soaking, apply a soothing lotion to your feet before bedtime, slip on the socks, and go to sleep. They work much the same way as the heated mitts for your hands. The overnight therapy works extra magic. In the morning, your feet will be as soft as silk!

Manicure

Go for the French manicure this summer. A French manicure is a style of polishing the nails wherein white paint is applied to the tips of the fingernails, and the rest of the nails are given a pink coat or painted with sheer polish that is coloured either pale pink or very light beige. The French manicure is very good for short and moderate nail length.

Clothes

With temperature reaching its peak, various new styles of summer dresses become available in the markets. Summer clothes are usually made from light material enabling the skin to conveniently breathe. It is obvious that warm thick material clothes cannot be worn in the summer.

So girls, go for the light material such as lawn, cotton, georjet and khaddi; and cool colours like soft pastels, white, off-white and creamy shades. It is better to avoid black and other dark colours as they absorb more sunlight and hence give a warm feeling.

Flowery prints with white and light blues with the amalgamation of lilacs and purples are the hottest trends of the hot season. Distance yourself from darker colours till summer to give you a fresh look.

Thick or thin cotton clothes in white, grey, light blue and pale shades are best suited for boys.

Hygienic food

Besides taking good care of your looks, don’t forget that the most precious gift from nature is your health, and beauty is directly related to good health. Proper food and hygiene play an important role in preventing infectious diseases, in particular diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, and influenza, which tend to be more active during summer months. Summer is also the high season for food-borne diseases because bacteria multiply quickly in hot weather. So avoid eating unhygienic food at school/college canteens or elsewhere. Try to eat homemade food that must include fresh vegetables and fruits and avoid caffeine.

Summer season is not as bad as we think. It’s in our hands to make it beautiful. Just pay a little attention to personal care and this season will add colours to your life.