The use of fragrance in cosmetics is as widely appreciated as its use in healing. Cosmetic applications essentially restore and rejuvenate skin and hair to an optimum order.

Therapeutic blends can be extended to cosmetic preparations as the fragrance can not only evoke pleasant feelings but also increase self appreciation.

FACIAL TREATMENTS:

The following treatments for the face need to be diluted in a carrier oil and are best used as a wash oil.

Normal skin

• Lavender - Major
• Rose - Major
• Jasmine - Trace

Dry skin

• Sandalwood - Major
• Rose - Minor

Oily skin

• Bergamot - Major (Beware - irritant oil, patch test)
• Juniper - Minor
• Cypress - Minor

HAIR PREPARATIONS:

These preparations too need to be diluted into a carrier oil - 24-30 drops of the blend into 2-3 tablespoons of carrier oil. The end product can be massaged into the hair and the scalp. A hot oil treatment by indirectly heating the oil.

Hair Loss

• Juniper - Major
• Lavender - Minor
• Rosemary - Minor (Irritant)

Normal Hair

• Cedarwood - Major
• Bay - Major
• Rosemary - Major (Irrotant)
• Rose - Minor

Dry hair

• Sandalwood - Major
• Rose - Major
• Lavender - Minor

Oily hair and Dandruff

• Ylang Ylang - Major
• Lime - Major
• Rosemary - Minor

Look forward to making home perfume soon!

Aromatherapy paves a way to better health and well being with its wide range of therapeutic blends. A therapeutic blend is simply put, a blend of essential oils of a certain nature for a therapeutic purpose. The blend may be mixed with a carrier oil, which helps to dilute the blend depending on the strength of its component essential oils.

I would like to introduce a few blends here, that will help in calming the mind, relaxing the body and cleansing both the body and the mind. I have given the composition of the blends - in terms of major, minor and trace and not in terms of exact measurements, as they have more to do with personal taste of the blender.

Few commonly available carrier oils are sweet almond, cocoa butter, olive, shea butter, jojoba. My personal favorite in terms of its consistency and lending itself to the blend with its natural scent is sweet almond. It also has a great effect on the skin visibly softening it.

CALMING

• Rose - Major
• Amber - Major
• Gardenia - Minor
• Carnation - Minor
• Camphor - Trace (Beware, its an irritant oil)

Instantly calming, this blend is best taken as inhalation - in a fragrance vaporizer preferably.

RELAXING

• Rose - Major
• Amber - Major
• Gardenia - Minor
• Eucalyptus - Trace

This blend very similar to the calming blend can be used in the bath due to its absence of any irritants and the pleasant fragrance of the rose.

CLEANSING

• Lotus - Major
• Frankincense - Major
• Amber - Major
• Cedarwood - Major

Purifying the body and soul (Frankincense), a cleansing bath with this blend would make all the difference.

More on cosmetic blends in ‘Looking Good’ soon!

This is the 2nd part of the post on Breakfast Ideas - Quick, healthy and tasty Oats.

For most if not all, the very thought of oats is synonymous with a sweet breakfast. When you are craving for something spicy and tangy, does oats fall short of your expectations? Of course it doesn’t! Let me help you in removing that misconception from your mind (if you do have it that is, the misconception, not mind) with the following 2 recipes

Tangy tomato oatsy-soup with buttered toast

This recipe can double up as a filling mid afternoon snack too.

What you need:

• Instant soup powder - thick and preferably tangy tomato - 3/4 cup (I’d recommend Knorr thick soups)
• Oats - 1/4 a cup
• Water - 1 1/2 cup
• Bread - 2 slices
• a pat of butter

How you go about making it:

• Get the water to boil.
• Add the instant soup powder and keep stirring till it has completely dissolved without forming lumps.
• After complete dissolution of the powder, add the oats and leave to boil for 5 minutes.
• As the soup is getting done, toast the bread and keep it ready.
• Once the soup is done, butter the toasted bread and dip in or eat along with the soup.

Since the soup is made with a good amount of oats, its creamier and keeps you fuller for long, as I had mentioned earlier. Couple this with a bowl of fresh vegetable salad and your day has already begun right!

Grandma’s oats upma

My grandma experiments with food and comes up with great recipes everytime. Oats upma is one of them. This recipe is mine with a few modifications to her original recipe. This recipe too will go down well in the afternoon

What you need:

• Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
• Tomato - 1 medium - finely chopped
• Garlic - 2 pods - thinly sliced
• Green chilly - 3 - sliced lengthwise
• Corriander - a little to garnish
• Curry leaves - around 10 leaves
• Mustard - 1/2 a teaspoon
• Jeera - 1/2 a teaspoon
• Groundnuts - 1 tablespoon (Preferably microwaved for a minute on high, as it saves oil)
• Oats - 1/2 a cup
• Water - 1-1 1/4 of a cup
• Salt - as per taste
• Ghee and oil - little
• Juice of lemon - as per taste

How you go about making it:

• Fry the oats with a little ghee till the colour changes and keep it aside.
• Bring the oil up to a medium heat and add the mustard. As the mustard starts to sputter, add jeera, curry leaves and groundnuts.
• Once the ground nuts have been done well, add the green chillies, garlic and onion and bring to fry.
• After a change in the colour of the onions, add the tomatoes and cook till they get squishy.
• Add water to the mixture wth salt and bring to a boil.
• Now add the fried oats and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, taking care not to burn it.
• Add a dash of lemon for the smacking tangy taste.
• Garnish with corriander.

You can have this upma plain, or with some curd and pickle.

Happy oatsy days to you!

Clutterless is stress less. Period. A clean workspace is a sure fire way to unhampered efficiency. Seeing a cluttered desk - be it your physical desk or your desktop, creates an imbalance, definite to cause a drop in your productivity.

Maintaining a clear desk may seem evasive enough even as you think about it. But conquering your mess need not and for sure is not that difficult or elusive after all. Think about it, its yours and you are certainly in control.

So how would you go about it?

• First, clear your desk of real trash - this may be an apple core, toffee wrappers, Styrofoam cup - just about anything that truly classifies as trash.Junk it this moment!
• Next, assuming that paper makes a large part of your clutter, there is but one way to clear this - Going through each and every paper in your desk.
  Form 4 bunches.Have three folders and a trash can handy.
  1. Bunch 1 - Papers that are currently being worked on.
  2. Bunch 2 - Papers that need to be saved for records.
  3. Bunch 3 - Papers whose importance in the near future is something you are not sure of.
  4. Bunch 4 - Papers you absolutely do not need.

  Now put bunch 1 in a folder and put it in the most accessible place, say at the topmost compartment of your draw. Put bunches 2 and 3 in the other 2 folders, probably in the last, which you are less likely to use.
  No prizes for guessing where bunch 4 goes - right into your trash can!

• Now that your desk mess is done with, wipe your desk down. Smells clean and looks good.
• Perform bunching in the same manner for your draw and clean up.
• As an incentive,get a flower or a plant on your desk - again looks good and breathes new life into your workspace.
• Wait, you aren’t done yet. Unless you run through the whole routine say once a week or at the least once in 2 weeks, be prepared to look at a messy desk again.
• The easiest would be for you to maintain it in this manner ever and how would you do that - A place for everything and everything in its place!

Don’t stop by applying this to just conquering desk and draw mess, but extend it to your desktop and pretty much anywhere else you work and see yourself getting super-productive!

So, now go on - declutter and perform better than ever!

More decluttering

• Leo’s workspace productivity hack
• Declutter your desk right now!
• Get back your productivity

A make-over on your feel-good to-do list? Start with the easiest - a haircut!

Well styled hair can give an instant lift to the face. Add in a dash of colour and you are great to go.

Your hair cut depends mainly on the type of your hair and its density. Hair types can be broadly categorized into fine, medium and coarse. The density is how much of hair you have on your head and is either thin or thick.

Hair types and haircuts:

1. Fine
   Fine hair has the lowest micron count of all the hair types - 50, which directly translates into the smallest circumference. Its weightless, flyaway and usually straight. Falling to perfection as a shimmering sheet when left loose, fine hair fails to hold style making it the most difficult hair types to style. In addition to its inability to hold styles, the absence of volume is something to be kept in mind when getting a hair cut.
   An ideal hair cut for fine hair would be short and one that would incorporate layers giving an impression of volume and bounce. A really chic look would be to have it shoulder length with the layers in the blow dried facing inwards and the layers in the back facing outwards - none too blatantly though.
2. Medium
   Medium hair is synonymous with normal hair, neither too thick, nor too thin - just right and anywhere between 60 and 90 microns. If your hair is of this type, consider yourself blessed. Trust me. The best hair type to have - holds styles real well, is of the right thickness and texture, which opens up an endless avenue of hair cuts for you to try.
   Although most haircuts look good on medium hair type, the best, in my opinion would be a medium length cut with subtle layers and soft curls, giving an unparalleled touch of femininity to your look.
3. Coarse
   Just as difficult as the other end of the scale, coarse hair is extremely difficult to maintain, much less to style! The weighing down of this type is an important factor to be taken into consideration when styling. A short to mid-length layered cut would look good for this type. Combine a deep conditioning treatment with your haircut appointment for the perfect results.

Of equal importance is the thickness of your hair, when deciding the haircut. As a general rule, go for layers and intensify based on your hair type.

In addition to the above factors, your face type needs to be considered too with regards to the length of your forehead and your jaw shape, when thinking especially of getting fringes.

More snip-snip help

• A definitive guide to hairstyles from hair-style-salon
• Visual make-over

Its been quite a long time since I have written anything, so I thought I would make it back with a double dose of my four-part series on essential oils associated with the signs of the zodiac.

The first part of this post will deal with aromatherapy specifics for the fire signs (as I promised in my earlier post) - Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

Aries

1. Rose
   The raw energy of Aries and a fully blossomed rose may not seem to go together, but imagine the intense blood red of the bloom and the its presence in this list is fitting. The rose’s therapeutic fragrance in addition to calming the mind and getting the body into a state of harmony, is a very strong love perfume
2. Pine
   Pine and my promotion of its clean fragrance may be getting a little too familiar for my readers. Keeping it short and sweet, pine’s fragrance characteristic of freshness and vitality, makes its frequent appearance well derved, indeed!
3. Lemon
   Lemon - Not a stranger to us, be it in terms of its refreshing flavour, both to the tongue and to the .nose. Since we are more concerned about the latter here, it has an interesting combination of being energizing as well as calming on the mind and body. Not only does the humble lemon work as a stimulant, it doubles up as a blood purifier too.
4. Cinnamon
   As I mentioned with pine, Cinnamon pops in here again with the fire sign of Aries. Its spicy and stimulating fragrance works on you as energizing tonic and a heady aprodisiac

Leo

1. Rose
2. Patchouli
   Patchouli does lend itself to the flamboyance of a Leo, both in terms of its colour (either of a light golden yellow or of a deep golden brown depending on the distillation method) and its rejuvenating fragrance.
3. Musk
   Musk is something I can very distinctly relate to a Leo’s sense of ’sweep-you-off-your-feet’ - intoxicating, exhilirating and extremely exciting. A very physical perfume, affecting your instinct deeply.
4. Lemon

Sagittarius

1. Pine
   (As I promised earlier, no more words from me on Pine, look up at Aries)
2. Musk
   Musk is as becoming on a fiery Sagittarius as it on a flamboyant Leo.
3. Muguet
   Relatively unknown and unheard of, muguet is a variation of the very famous lily of the valley. Its extremely rare, because it apparently grows only in a small area in France. As with anything rare, its priceless in its virtue. Think French, think sensuality and that is exactly what this embodies.
4. Myrrh
   Fiery Sagittarius and musty Myrrh go together awakening spiritual zeal within.
5. Hyacinth
   Sprouting from the blood of the ill-fated Hyacinthus, a lasting tribute to love and youth, the hyacinth works as a sedative curing insomnia and calming.

Air Signs

Now, getting down to the air signs - Gemini, Libra and Aquarius

Gemini

1. Violet
   Produced from both the leaf and the violet flower itself, the oil affects the body as much or even more than it affects the mind, which makes it an oil to be reckoned with. In addition to its calming properties, it is interestingly used to draw out introverts!
2. Lavender
   Calming, relaxing and balancing, lavender is essentially Gemini!
3. Heliotrope
   Marvelous in its distinct blend of scents, heliotrope is derived from Heliotropium arborescens, a flower originally from Peru. Heliotrope’s fragrance combines in itself a dash of the woody with the fruity and a hint of vanilla, exuding a unparalleled smell!
4. Mimosa
   Mimosa reminds me of a cocktail I had of the same name . Dreamy and ethereal, a fragrance leading to a starry world, rich in imagination. The perfume truly gets the creative juices flowing , what with all the imagination spurring and artistic thought awakening!
5. Frankincense
   Frankincense is prepared from the resin obtained from the bark of a boswellia tree. Frankincense is of supreme importance in religion (The three wise men in the Bible carried gold, frankincense and myrrh.) The perfume is clarifying and promotes a sense of awareness, which is of extreme importance in spiritual pursuits.

Libra

Calm, gentle and fresh - Just as these words personify Librans in all their glory, the 3L-oils manifest the same.

1. Lily of the valley
   Floral and fresh, Lily of the valley is a very soothing fragrance.
2. Lavender
3. Lemon

Aquarius

1. Jasmine
   Well known and well loved fragrances the world across, Jasmine’s stimulant and aphrodisiacal properties are not new to us.
2. Lavender
3. Patchouli
4. Lemon

I hope you have enjoyed this series on aromatherapy and astrology. Now that you know your fragrance, immerse yourself in!

Breakfast is easily the biggest meal of the day, and one that could do with a dose of health as much as taste. The tastiest breakfasts, not only need to be healthy, but also easy to make and quick to cook. The first breakfast food that crosses my mind as I write this is oats(Of course, that’s what I was going to write, my post title says so!).

I hope none of you are smirking up as you read this and even if you are, I am sure by the end of the post, you are going to be looking forward to eating oats.

First, a bit of background on oats. Did you know that only 5 % of the otas grown worldwide is used for human consumption? What about the rest - you ask? Its used for feeding horses! Thats right and here I am convincing you to eat more of horse food, hmm…

The health benefits of oats are innumerable and if it helps horses, no reason it shouldn’t help you. After all they say - As healthy as a horse (If you remember this from Ghost rider, you really need to get a life!). Oats are a great source of vitamin B1 and their dietary fibre, being rich in a component called beta-glucan helps reduce cholesterol. The carbohydrates in oats are absorbed slowly by the body, keeping you fuller for long, which makes it the perfect breakfast for people trying to lose weight, and it is established that oats help in long term weight loss.

If you still aren’t nodding your head in approval for oat-filled mornings, maybe the following recipes will help:

1. Oats and Muesli Super Crunch

   Necessity is truly the mother of invention. I came up with this when I was short on milk and muesli for breakfast.

   What you need:

   • Quick cooking oats (I prefer Quaker) - 1/2 cup
   • Muesli - 1/4 cup
   • Milk - 1 1/4 cup
   • Sugar - to taste

   How do you do it:

   • Cook the oats in milk adding as much sugar as you like. This should be of lesser consistency than the usual porridge oats and easy flowing.
   • Now take a serving bowl and 2-3 minutes before you are going to serve it, layer the bottom of the bowl with muesli and pour the oats on top and garnish it with some walnuts, or the healthier flaxseeds.
   • You are ready to go in 2 minutes.

   “As you dig in to the oats, finding the muesli at the bottom is a nice surprise and that makes the breakfast very interesting” said my husband and the effort (not a lot as you can see) is well worth it.

2. Good old oats with apples and cinnamon

   This is the best-ever pick me up on a lazy morning, and double the fun, if its a cold morning. I am a great fan of fragrances, and cinnamon is the right start to a great day.

   What you need:

   • Quick cooking oats (I prefer Quaker) - 1/2 cup
   • Milk - 1 1/4 cup
   • Sugar - to taste
   • 1 medium sized apple cut into fine pieces
   • Cinnamon powder (I like McCormick)

   How do you do it:

   • Cook the oats in milk adding as much sugar as you need. I have maintained the consistency of the earlier recipe as we are going to be adding a lot of apples.
   • After the oats is done, mix the finely cut apples, and some walnuts or flaxseeds if you wish.
   • Just before you dig in, generously sprinkle the cinnamon powder over and you are bang-smack at the start of a great breakfast.

Tangy tomato oatsy-soup with buttered toast and grandma’s oats upma on part 2 of Quick, healthy and tasty Oats!

More oatsy-oats recipes

• Mr. Breakfast’s American oats recipes
• Authentic oats - Hamlyns Of Scotland - Breakfast recipes
• CDKitchen’s breakfast oats recipes

Does your seemingly unending to-do list at work, make you stagger and rather wish you could stay at home (effectively making it longer!) ? Have you had, at the end of a day, a feeling of unproductivity, although you have kept your nose to the grindstone through the day?

If you have answered in the affirmative to either or both of the questions, I should warn you my friend, of an illness gripping you this very moment as you read these very words - Being unorganized! Be it work or home, a sense of structure is essential for you to have a calm and relaxed day (or at the least, as relaxing as it can afford to get).

One of the most invaluable qualities at a workplace is a person’s capability to perform their respective tasks in its order of importance. This is truly of inestimable value. But how do you get to prioritizing your tasks, if you are not even sure of what they may be?

• Start early

  Early, not as in early morning, but the previous night. Based on the work done at the end of the day, create a to-do list for things you would want to get done the next day, numbering them in their order of importance.

• Incorporate get-to-work changes

  Review your to-do list as soon as you get to work in the morning (like most of the world) and incorporate changes from tasks that may have come up over the night or early in the morning.

• Stick to it through the day

  Throughout the day, keep your to-do list at hand, and modify as necessary and as things come up.

I have been trying this out for the past few days, and I must tell you that the sense of direction and feeling of satisfaction as I tick an item off as done has been going down pretty well with me.

Look forward to more on Workplace fixes - Declutter and perform better!