Ever so often, we women take so much care of our face and pamper it with products to keep the skin smooth and youthful. But we forget to extend the same treatment to our hands and feet. Nothing is a greater giveaway to age than weathered dry hands and feet.
Hands come in for a lot of use (and abuse). From strong chemical detergents and soaps to the beating sunrays and cold winter days, hands get it all and more! Age spots, discoloration, peeling and cracked skin … the woes are endless. Skin on the back of the hands tends to appear dry and shriveled as it has few oil glands. It is essential to keep it well nourished with a rich lanolin-based cream or even a homemade blend of glycerin and rose water.
As for our feet, we suffer cracked heels due to dry skin. Footwear too can cause ugly corns and calluses. Smooth hands and feet is not about applying hand cream ‘occasionally’ but is more about regular maintenance and care.
Wonder Nature
For natural products to tackle rough hands and feet, look no further than your kitchen. Nothing beats regular sea salt when it comes to sloughing off dead skin and giving you smooth hands. Rubbing salt and lemon solution on the hands can rid your hands of the awful tanned discoloration. The lactic acid in milk works wonders on the skin of the hands and the calcium helps strengthen fragile nails. All you need to do after a tough day is dip your hands in a bowl of warm milk.
Soak your hands and feet in warm water for a short while before you embark on the TLC. A good scrub cream or natural exfoliator will not only help slough off dead skin but also boost circulation. Try the sugar and lime juice exfoliator for hands as well as soles and heels of the feet. Works as a lightening agent too! Pamper your hands and feet with buffing and moisturizing often.
Hand and foot care products
Go in for products that contain jojoba and almond oils, evening primrose or Vitamin E. Shea butter or glycerin are other natural ‘moisture lockers’ enabling the skin on hands and feet to remain smooth and unlined. Don’t forget your hands and feet when you slather on your daily sunscreen. This would go a long way in protecting them from UV rays and looking old much before their time. Choose hand and feet creams that seal that oil in.
Give your hands and feet the care they deserve. A few simple tips to regular hand and feet maintenance:
- Wear gloves while working in the garden or washing up at home.
- NEVER forget your sunscreen on your hands and feet.
- Use a pumice stone regularly to slough off dead skin on the feet. Don’t attempt this on dry feet but instead after a leisurely soak in warm water and vinegar.
- Drink plenty of water as it keeps the skin well quenched and smooth.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories needed by the body to sustain itself. Body functioning by itself needs some calories. BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate is arrived at by factoring in your height, weight, age and gender. To calculate your BMR, check out our tool here:
Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy and burns calories. Dieting to lose weight is counter-productive as it leads to decreasing BMR. This makes the body conserve energy and very difficult to lose any weight. Instead a revved up metabolism is what will help you burn more calories. A regular exercise regimen helps increase the BMR so that your body burns more calories even at rest than it would if you were not exercising. Strength training also perks up the metabolic rate as it helps build muscles and muscles burn calories better than fat.
BMR is affected by other factors such as genetics and age. Women tend to have a lower BMR than men and it tends to decrease as we get older. Little wonder that we find it more difficult to stay slim as the years go by. Body temperature and glandular production can affect the BMR. Illness and stress can skew up your BMR calculations too.
The relevance of understanding your BMR is to be able to calculate your daily caloric needs so as to maintain the same body weight. This also helps you gauge the caloric needs when you want to lose a certain amount of weight. The Harris Benedict Formula gives you a table to determine your daily caloric requirements based on your lifestyle. Once you know your BMR, you can calculate your Daily Calorie Needs based on your activity level using the Harris Benedict Equation.
| Harris Benedict Formula |
| Sedentary |
BMR x 1.2 |
| Exercise 1-3 days a week |
BMR x 1.375 |
| Exercise 3-5 days a week |
BMR x 1.55 |
| Exercise 6-7 days a week |
BMR x 1.725 |
| Sports or physical job |
BMR x 1.9 |
Dont be afraid to try out various makeup techniques …. and arrive at tricks that work out best for you. Play around with colors and techniques to bring out the best in your features. Makeup after all is applied to reflect and enhance your innate beauty - not create an artificial layer. Look at your face as a whole when getting your makeup techniques. Take in the tone of your skin and the color palette that goes well with it. Makeup techniques differ according to the kind of look you want to achieve. Be it natural or formal, choose your cosmetics and color palette accordingly. Whether it is to bring out the allure of your green eyes or downplay problem skin, makeup tips are available aplenty. Always try out makeup products before using them. You need a light hand when applying makeup. Do not slather a lot of makeup. After all, often less is more!
Makeup Techniques
But whatever be the makeup techniques you use, what you need is a good canvas to work on - clear skin that exudes good health. Taking good care of your skin is the first step towards good makeup. With the right use of cleansers, toners and moisturizers, ensure that your skin is well taken care of. Do not forget the all-important sunscreen before you step outside.
Storing Makeup
Learning to store your makeup cosmetics right is just about as important as using them. Storing makeup correctly goes a long way in its life and quality. Once you have learnt to use a few makeup cosmetics, get yourself equipped with a good makeup bag to store your cosmetics. Once you have learnt to use a few makeup cosmetics, get yourself equipped with a good makeup bag to store your cosmetics.
Organize your cosmetics well within so as to be able to fish them out in a hurry - which is most of the time. Ensure that you keep out moisture and humidity. While you need not store your makeup cosmetics in a fridge, the bathroom is surely the wrong place to store your makeup. Many women swear by the use of Ziploc bags to store their makeup. They are also convenient during travel and prevent accidental spills onto your clothes. Do not use cosmetics beyond their expiry date. And a final word of caution with makeup cosmetics - Avoid sharing your mascara, lipstick and eye makeup.
