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BODY ODOUR
Baths for Skin Care
A bath is an effective beauty therapy. It is important not only for cleanliness but also for the proper maintenance of the skin. If you are using soap, do not use very hot water as it will damage oil glands. Fresh, lukewarm water is best for a bath. Apply soap on the exposed parts of your body to remove dirt and dust particles and do not stint in the amount water you use. Towels should be clean, soft and fluffy. Wipe with a towel by dabbing and then rubbing gently, and do not rub a towel on tender parts like the face, neck, chin, and stomach, otherwise wrinkles will appear.
In case of any skin disease, use a medicated disinfectant. In summer, a bath twice a day is essential to wash off sweat and grease, even if some vital materials are destroyed in the process of having a bath. In case of dry skin, the use of soap should be discontinued for a few days. If at all soap is to be used, use glycerine soap, but avoid perfumed or caustic soda soap. Remember, soap is necessary only for cleanliness of the body and not for beauty care. Start soaping the body from the head, then come down to the face, neck, shoulders, underarms, arms, waist, thighs, legs and face. A bath can be taken in running water, standing water, in tubs, under a shower or with steam. Bathing in running water is very beneficial but tub bath is more fashionable than beneficial. When we sit in a tub, all the body dirt dissolves in the water but sticks on the body again, thus defeating the very purpose of bath cleansing. Bathing under tap water or a shower is good fore removing dirt which softens and peels off with the flow of water. It is advisable to apply a sandalwood paste on your body which shall keep the body mildly fragrant and refreshed throughout the day. For this, take sandalwood powder, mix it in rose water to make a paste and then apply a thick coat. Leave it for fifteen minutes, let it dry and then have a bath.
Here is home remedy to lighten a dark complexion: Tie oat flour in a kerchief or a napkin. Dip it in unboiled ( raw) milk and rub on the body on alternate days when you have a bath. You will see a miraculous change after a few days. Slowly the skin acquires a lighter tings. If you have a excess unwanted hair on your body, scrub with gram flour ( besan) before a bath.
In Western countries, steam baths are very popular and there are public steam bathrooms at many places. In our country, it is becoming popular among people who can afford it though it is not within the reach of ordinary people. More and more health clubs with steam bath facilities are opening as a steam bath is effective for reducing fat, though it has not practical utility as it does not clean the skin. On the contrary, very hot steam may leave an adverse effect on the heart as blood vessels expand permanently due to steam, and sweat glands become overactive.
Sunbathing is very popular in Western countries and men, women and children exposing themselves to the sun on beaches in hotels and in health clubs is a common sight. In India, however, it is not possible to relax in the sun in public for lack of time, and of course, the traditional narrow outlook! Moreover, since our climate is not cold all through the year, a sunbath is not a necessity.
A Soviet scientist, Nicholas Salus, has established after research that sun-rays affect the white cells the most. For a healthy and clear skin, sun-rays plays a significant role. Without exposure to the sun, harmful foreign matter will accumulate under the skin. Sun-rays are also essential for animal and plant life as no plant can grow without the warmth of the sun, no flower can bloom, nor any fruit ripen without it. In a recent experiment when a man was kept away from the rays of the sun for a couple of months, he developed skin abrasions and boils. Sun-rays also give a protective shield to the body which increases resistance to diseases. For pimples and blackheads, sunbathing is recommended. It is good for all skin diseases though long exposure to these rays is harmful and too much exposure to the sun can cause wrinkles and falling of hair.
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