Green Bean aka Mung Bean Face& Body mask

Green Bean is famous for curing pimples and deep cleansing. It can remove the dirt in the pores, purify your skin and especially kill the pimples in the next day.If you suffer from acne scarring, hyperpigmentation, or simply want to exfoliate your skin, this homemade mung bean scrub recipe comes in really helpful.
 

Because of their amazing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, mung beans are often used in Asian cooking in cooling recipes.Interestingly, research shows that green beans work better than Vitamins C and E in improving skin pigmentation, freckles as well as spots.

Step 1: Buy Green bean powder from supermarkets. Buy the organic ones if you can afford it, i'm usually not that picky. The powder looks to be a mixture of white and green.

2. Dampen a face cloth in  warm water with a 1-2 drops of essential oils such as lavender or rose ( or just warm water will do). Lay the cloth over your face for 10-15 minutes to loosen dirt, grease, and debris on your oily skin. Remove cloth. To spare all this trouble, you can also do this after your hot bath in the bathroom.

3. Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of the mung bean powder and mix it with 2 tablespoon of plain unflavoured yogurt. Mix with your hand to form a mudmask-like texture. It should be enough for both body and face.

 4. Apply on face and body for 1 minute. Scrub face and body for 2-3 minutes. Wash it off. Make sure that you cleanse yourself thoroughly and properly.

5. You should feel very comfortable, skin should feel smoother, cleaner and brighter. This is especially good for oily and acne prone skin.

 Tip: Apply both face and body moisturiser within 15 minutes after the scrub and bath, when the body is 70% dry. This helps to lock in the moisture.

3 stepsSkincare regime

3 steps: cleansing, toning and moisturising. Is that a marketing gimmick whereby they make something unnecessary a need, or is it a real need?

There are many professionals who disagree; stating it really is an unnecessary step in your skin care regime unless you have oily skin or just love using a toner."Today most dermatologists agree toner isn't necessary. Its main purpose is to remove traces of makeup and residual cleanser, but a high-quality cleanser, even a creamy one, should rinse off easily with water alone. Some women like the fact that toner leaves their face tight and smooth. But that taut, tingly sensation actually indicates dryness." -- InStyle's "Getting Gorgeous"

Personally, i feel that it depends on your needs.
Toners with alcohol are like astringents, which are solutions that remove surface skin cells, soap residue and oil from the skin, which might be good for acne skin. But on the other hand, some acne is caused by dry skin, then this will actually worsen the condition.

A big misconception is that a toner will close enlarged pores, but actually it gives the appearance of minimizing pores as the toner irritate the skin and make it swell slightly.

A toner remove excess oil from the skin, whisk away impurities that remains after cleansing, which can lead to blemishes or breakouts. But if you cleanse properly, maybe the toner isn't even needed?

Different toners have different uses:

 1. Freshener - contain virtually no alcohol (0-10%), water, and a humectant such as glycerine. Humectants help to keep the moisture in the upper layers of the epidermis by preventing it from evaporating. A popular example of this is rosewater, or neutrogena lotion.

2. Astringents-
strongest form of toner and contain a high proportion of alcohol (20-60%), antiseptic ingredients, water, and a humectant ingredient. These are commonly recommended for oily skins as they are drying. e.g witch hazel.

I use Neutrogena myself, what about you?

One of my greatest woes is having dry lips.And the funny thing is, the more i apply lip balm, the drier it gets. i'll get momentary relief but after the balm is absorbed, the lips is twice as dry.

Sounds familiar? I tried and error many times, and this method very effective, especially if you have cracked and peeling lips, especially after your bath:

1. Apply a generous layer of lip balm, preferably oily ones like vaseline.

2. Fold a cloth into a few layers. Dip it in warm water.

3. Clasp the warm cloth over your mouth till you feel it cools or when the balm is absorbed.

4.Wrap the cloth around your finger and rub in gentle circular motion to exfoliate your lips.

I have personally tried and tested these lips balms in cold and dry areas up to -7 degrees in extremely dry conditions.
1. Brambleberry rose salve. Supposed to double up as perfume but i find the smell too horrible. Very effective as a lip balm and moisturizer tho.

2. MOST VALUE FOR MONEY - at nearly $5, the mentholatum medicated lip gel is a lifesaver when is was spending winter overseas. Not overly oily and yet effective. Can be found at watsons!

3. Kiehl's lip balm - effective but expensive

4. Body shop lip balm- Effective with a shimmer, suitable for work. But you have to use your fingers to apply.

Feel free to share if you know of more lobangs!

Pearl Powder

I'm sure some of you have heard the many wonderful benefits of using pearl powder. Is it real? Can pearl, used in prized jewelery, can actually be consumed?

Pearl has been used for medicinal purposes from China for over 2000 years. It has a reputation of being a medicine for treating certain diseases as well as preserving a youthful appearance.In traditional Chinese medicine Pearl Powder is taken internally and applied topically. 

According to some of the article, Pearl Powder is believed to have the following benefits when used internally: 

Detoxify the system; Clean and clear the skin; Calm the liver; Relieve stress from the mind; Adjust the nerve system; Regulate the metabolism; Improve eyesight; Treat insomnia, good for the lungs

It is also well known for the skin benefits, such as whitening, healing blemishes and maintain the health of the skin by participating in the metabolic activities of the skin. Pearl promotes the regeneration of new cells and makes the skin smooth, fine, elastic and naturally beautiful. 

My take?

I'm no expert, so I don't know if it's useful or not, or if there will be side effects. 

But it's being sold at respectable TCM shops like Eu Yan Sang, which means that it is approved by MOH. I did grew up with asthma, and I was prescribed to eat Pearl Powder on a twice a week regime by my TCM doc. So, to believe it or not, is at your own discretion.

In case you don't know, consumable pearls are different from the normal pearls that is used for jewellery. The ones in TCM shops are very small, of irregular size and texture. They are then grounded into powder for consumption.

There are many grades of pearl powder. Supposedly from what my TCM shop advise, the smaller the pearls the better, because there is less impurities and it is easier for your body to absorb. There are $5, $10, $20, $50..different ranges. Some ranges can be used for masks, some are suited for consumption. Personally, I would advise higher grade for consumption, you don't wanna kid around with your health.

But like all medicine such as panadol, you should not over consume. Once a month or twice a month will do. 

Home made Pearl powder cream and toner

For the lower grade pearl powder, you can use as a mask. Mix with milk and corn starch, and apply on the face. For me, I find that too messy. I also find consuming the pearl powder too costly to do it often. So i usually buy a $5 pack of freshly grinded pearl powder like the above, and pour into my 300 ml toner. You can also mix it with your moisturizer if you want.

I'll just shake it before use each time to make sure it's evenly mixed. If your toner is non alcoholic, you can even use the mixture as a mask to both moisturise and whiten. To me, this is cost efficient and convenient.

Note: For some of the pearl whitening creams, the pearlescent glow effect mainly come from the mineral components such as mica. Moreover the cream itself has moisturising properties, and your skin will naturally look plumper and brighter with well moisturised skin. I'm not saying they are not effective, but maybe not in the way you feel it does.

Purederm Eye Mask

I love this eye mask. Personally, i find it effective and cheap. If you buy it at watsons, it's 1.90 apiece, and around $5 bucks for a box of 6.

It's a gel mask, and can be applied overnight as well. For someone like me with dark eye circles (sinusitis and lack of sleep) and fine line in my undereye area, it is pretty useful. It's also not oily and would not cause oil seed, which i am pretty prone to.

Always make sure that the widest part of the mask (indicated by the red arrows) is at the outer side beneath your eye.

You can try it too! Please feel free to share other effective eye masks

How to wash your face

To keep your skin glowing and fresh, you need to follow a daily skin care routine of which cleansing forms a major part.

1. Rub a small amount of cleanser between your hands. After you create some lather, rub some gently onto the face with your fingertips and rub from neck up to your hairline in a circular motion.

Lathering or foaming is important because the action or rubbing helps to emulsify a quarter-sized amount of shampoo, which can activate the cleansing ingredients. This should be true for all soaps, such as shampoo and bodywash as well.

2. Rinse the skin with lukewarm water. Repeat this until you remove all cleanser. Splash cool water as a last step to help keep skin taut.

3. Pat the face dry with a thin, cotton towel. Then apply a toner to refresh the skin and a facial moisturizer to replenish natural oils.

Interesting Fact:

There is a big difference in the composition and formulation of a soap, cleanser and a scrub. Soaps and cleansers are both surfactants, but soaps usually have a vegetable oil source whereas cleansers are made from synthetic chemicals.

To read more, go here.

Wonders of Avocado

You might not like the taste (thick texture, coconut-ty taste, smells like a raw veggie)  but Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. It's an excellent baby food and it helps one's cardiovascular health by providing you the necessary and needed unsaturated fats.

Fats seemed to be this "untouchable" word for all, but not all fats are bad. For example, pig trotters (and i am referring to the trotters portion ONLY) have lots of collagen and skin, and these are not equal to unhealthy fats found beneath the chicken skin. These good fats help to moisturise skin and have health benefits too. Like virgin olive oil,avocado give you the necessary and good fats to give you that inner radiance and healthy look, both inner and outer. Personally, I think the most important is moderation- balance.

Here's a yummy recipe of mine, simple and healthy, with multipurposes:

Pick a avocado that is ripe enough. Select one that is slightly soft and of a brownish dark colour, as opposed to the dark green. Slice into 2.

 
Use a spoon to dig out the flesh. If it's ripe enough, the whole half will come out easily.

Slice the halves into smaller pieces and put it into blender. Add in Milk to make it easier for blending. I usually put in one cup.

Add in 1 tablespoonful of honey. Best if you have organic honey or Manuka honey.

Blend all together for 2 minutes or till it's well mixed and evenly blended. The end prdt is a beautiful jade green.
Face and Hair Mask: I'll scope one spoon to use as a mask. I'll simply apply it to my face, my elbows and last 15 cm of my hair. Oil in the avocado provides natural moisturizing elements for the skin and hair. Honey provides brightening and anti inflammatory properties for the skin, and brightening properties for the hair; and milk is moisturizing and whitening for the skin.

For face, wash off with water and soap after 10 minutes. Tone and moisturize as normal.
For Hair, wash off with some shampoo.

For Avocado milksahke: I'll scoop 5 big spoonfuls and add in milk accordingly (or yogurt if you like) to mix it into a texture which i prefer for drinking. Very nutritious breakfast or snack and filling too. I prefer it to be more watery.

I'll keep the other for breakfast the next day, and add milk to dilute it when i;m about to consume it.

Of course, you can also use avocado in place of your mayonnaise for salads, or you can add peanut powder to the avocado milkshake if you want to lighten the smell of the avocado.

Enjoy!

Aloe Vera for the Face

Disclaimer: To test if you are sensitive to any of these materials, please apply them on the skin behind your ears or the front of your hand (where you usually spray you perfume) to test. These areas are where the skin is the thinnest, if there is no bad effect within the next 6-12 hours, it should be safe for further use.

Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties and miraculous healing abilities, both when used internally and externally.

If you consume raw aloe, it helps to reduce stoke, helps with diabetics, has anti cancer properties and helps to enhance the immune system.

As extracted from the editor of naturalnews: "For starters, there's the fact that all succulents have self-repairing abilities. They don't simply store water in a giant internal "water tank" that leaks out if torn or punctured: Their internal gel repairs any cut or tear by automatically shrinking the wound and creating a new water-tight seal. This gel matrix is comprised of hundreds of different phytochemicals that not only store water and repair injury; they also grant notable medicinal effects to humans who consume them."

My aunts who are in their 60s have relatively good skin, and they don;t use any moisturisers or do facials. They introduced me to this wonderful plant. Whenever they feel a need to moisturise, or to soothe inflamed skin ( acne, pimples, sunburn, scars etc), they would bend a piece of the leaf and peel open the skin and apply to the affected area. Most importantly, it's easy to keep these plants and it's easy to use! Here's how:

1. Slice a piece leave from the bottom of the plant (the biggest one). Try to cut as close to the root as possible.
2. If you notice, there is a brown line on the left. that is because i used this leaf before, so the end will close up naturally due to the natural healing properties. Use a knife to cut the end, about 1 inch thick.


3. You'll see the succulent flesh inside, with the gooey juices flowing. Slice the piece into 2 equal halfshorizontally through the middle4. This is the end product. Open it up.
5. Simply apply in a rounded motion on your face, especially on the inflamed area as well as the areas under the side of your nose.
Please remember to trim the thorn like growths on the side of the leaf so they won't cut your face.
6. There are 2 ways this can be used.
As a mask: You can leave the gooey stuff on for 10 min, when you'll feel a tightening sensation on your face. Wash it off. Apply your toner and moisturiser after that.
As moisturiser: Apply, leave it on overnight. Wash it off the next morning. Please do not apply during the day as there were some claims that it will cause skin to darken under UV rays. To play safe, please apply before you sleep.

7. Tada! I felt that my skin feels tightened, pores reduced and also brightened

How to keep the rest of the aloe?

Usually one leaf last me 1-2 weeks. I'll keep the wrap end of the remaining leaf with a cling wrap. It'll close and heal by itself in abt 2 days.

Close back the piece of aloe you just used. It can be used again for the next 1-2 days as long as you keep the 2 halves clasped together. Keep both in a box, away from the sun.