8 steps to healthy skin, hair and nails

As dietitian Cindy Williams explains, beauty really does come from the inside...

Glossy hair, strong nails and glowing skin may be signs of a great beauty regime, but the importance of a great diet shouldn't be underestimated.  Food contains lots of beauty nutrients, which people have used for thousands of years, inside and out. Today we can wash our hair and moisturise our skin with honey, rosemary, rosehip, avocado or olives, to name a few. A French woman I know attributes her beautiful skin to the olive oil she rubs on her face and hands while cooking.

There's no magic food that will keep us looking forever young, but diet (and lifestyle and attitude) does affect how your skin looks and ages. Take these eight food steps to strong, healthy skin, hair and nails.
1.  Protein – the building blocks

Skin, hair and nails are mostly protein. These proteins – keratin, collagen and elastin – ward off wrinkles and provide strength and elasticity. Most of us eat plenty of protein from meat, chicken, fish, legumes, eggs and dairy foods. But remember the movie 'The Devil Wears Prada'? Miranda Priestly's assistant is desperately trying to lose weight and proudly describes her new diet: "Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint, I eat a cube of cheese." Chances are she was seriously low on protein and eventually her skin, hair and nails – the parts of the body she most wants to look perfect – would suffer.

If protein is so important, is more better? With serious burns or wounds, the body needs extra protein to repair the damage. And athletes in heavy training have higher protein requirements. But huge steaks and protein shakes don't build bigger muscles or better skin. If we eat more protein than we need, our body converts it to fat and stores it – usually where we don't want it.

6 simple homemade hair masks to treat your tresses

In 2013, Americans spent $11.4 billion on haircare products. That’s a lot of money spent on chemical-laden mystery concoctions that are potentially doing more harm than good. The U.S. EPA lists a number of unsavory ingredients found in the things we use in our hair, ranging from lead and sodium hydroxide to dibutyl phthalates and formaldehyde – with a host of associated health effects that are disconcertingly dire.

While we’re not exactly saying that your store-bought shampoo and conditioner are going to kill you, we are saying that it really couldn’t hurt to use things that are simple, clean and pure. Like, food! We’ve already covered the shampooing part; so here we have a list of one-ingredient masks using things from the kitchen to tackle a host of hair complaints. Not only are the following treatments safer for you, but they won't foul the wastewater, don't produce excess packaging and are much cheaper, among other benefits. Plus, it's fun to mash food into your hair.

Egg for all hair types

Eggs are magical little packages of protein, vitamins, essential fatty acids and antioxidants – they are great to eat and they are also great for slathering all over your head to make your hair look awesome. For normal hair, use both the yolk and whites. For oily hair use just the whites; and for dry hair, use just the yolks.

Apply about 1/2 cup of whatever part you would like to use (if using whole, beat them a bit first) to clean, damp hair. (For longer hair, you may need more.) Leave on for 20 minutes and then rinse with tepid water, and shampoo. Some experts recommend whole egg and yolks-only masks be used just once a month and the whites-only treatment be used once every two weeks; others say more frequently is OK. Since everyone's hair is different, experiment and see what works best with yours.

Beer to enliven limp hair

Just like a glass of beer can embolden the shy, so can it add pep and courage to insipid hair. Beer's yeast and vitamins can bring out the body and shine in otherwise limp hair; bonus points for having a new use for leftover beer.

There are several approaches:
Pour one cup of flat beer through your hair after shampooing (and still in the shower) and allow it to soak in for three or four minutes before rinsing with tepid water.
You can also put flat beer in a spray bottle; spray it on dry hair and leave it in for 20 minutes before shampooing.
 The messiest approach may be the best, however. Mix 1/2 cup of flat beer with a raw egg and a teaspoon of olive oil and apply to clean damp hair; keep on for 15 minutes. Rinse with tepid water and shampoo as usual.

Potato Beauty Tips For Any Hair Problem

Potatoes have been a basic part of everyone's eating methodology. These are a standout amongst the most broadly utilized vegetables that are found within very nearly every kitchen around the world. Considering the way that potatoes are the fourth biggest nourishment trims after rice, wheat and maize, they structure a vital piece of the world's food.

Does anybody know, potato is used for beauty tips? But it’s true. You can use potato as beauty ingredient. Let’s talk about it how you could use it hair beauty tips.
Some hair beauty tips of potato

1 - Take one potato, grates it, squeeze the water, keep it in a bowl, add one egg, curd, mix them well. Make a fine pack. Apply that on root of the hair and whole hair. Leave it for 20 minutes. Wash off with warm water, wash with normal shampoo. Do it once in 20 days for best result. This pack gives healthy and shiny hair.
2 - Peel to potato. Boil enough water in a pan and add potato peeling. Boil it for 20 minutes. Then strain the water in a glass or any container. Wash your hair in normal shampoo, rinse hair with that water. It helps to give natural black color to your hair. Do it every alternate hair wash. It’s a good and natural treatment for grey hair.
3 - Are you suffering from hair l
oss problem? I have a homemade beauty recipe for solving your problem. Take 3 tsp of potato juice,3 tsp of aloe vera juice and 2 1 tsp of honey. Apply that mixture root of the hair.Leave it for 2 hrs.Wash of with your regular shampoo. For best result, do it twice in a week.


Hope those tips help you :)

Source: http://www.housebeautytips.co.in