Of course you can always take vacations to get away from all the stress and relax, but really how many times a year can you feasibly afford a vacation? It’s not exactly the most affordable solution for stress which can sneak up, build up, and mess up your day.

So how do you get rid of stress without having to shell out thousands of dollars on expensive vacations?

Well keep reading because there are three natural ways of relieving stress so you get on with your day and lead a happier life.

Deep Breaths

It sounds natural and simple but it’s surprising how many of us speed up our normal breathing pattern when we get a little stressed.

Not only is this not healthy for you as it causes your heart rate to increase, but it also hinders your body from being able to rid the toxins it needs to rid to ensure you stay healthy.

Simply put, our bodies are hardwired to rid 70% of your body’s toxins through regular and natural breathing. So if you are breathing in short, shallow breaths, you aren’t giving your body the opportunity to stay healthy.

If you want to further improve your breathing, you should consider adding aromatherapy oils to your daily routine.

Impressively, there are certain aromatherapy scents that can bring about stress relieving reactions in your brain which help to ultimately relax and calm you down.

Try lighting some aromatherapy oils when you get home after a long stressful day. Some of the most useful scents to help relieve stress are: lavender, rose, and jasmine.

By simply lighting these oils or adding them to a hot bath they can help reduce anxiety, beat stress, and assist you in dealing with depression. A pretty good reason to have a bath if you ask me.

Work It Out Girlfriend

When you are stressed working out is probably one of the last things on your mind, however regular physical activity is an important factor in lowering stress levels.

Simply put, when you live an active lifestyle, your heart pumps blood faster which ultimately causes your brain to release feel-good chemicals which help us to feel better and fight stress more effectively.

If cardio or weight lifting isn’t your idea workout, try going to yoga a few times a week, go for a walk, or even give Pilates a chance. Each one of these activities are low impact but effective in helping to get your heart working, forget about your stress and all the stress-building factors that we can sometimes obsess over.

Try to do thirty minutes a day, five days a week, and you will not only feel better but you will start to look better as well!

Get Out There

While going out on the town is probably far from your mind when you are stressed, you may want to re-think just staying home and go out and meet up with your friends.

It might sound irresponsible, especially if you are worried about meeting deadlines, or even at-home stress, but getting out of the house for a few hours and connecting with your friends, laughing, talking, and connecting can ultimately help you work through your stress.

Socializing and meeting up with our loved ones and our friends helps to increase those feel-better mood enhancers which we all need, especially when we’re stressed out.

So get out there, catch up with your friends and laugh your stress away.

Finally, while we all have our own sources of stress and problems, if you put these 3 techniques to use you will help to alleviate your stress so that you can live a healthier, happier lifestyle. Without having to turn to a bottle of wine to do it for you.

Vanessa is a skincare bloggin’ babe for the popular website, BES Skincare, where she keeps her readers informed on all the latest skincare trends through Vivexin reviews, as well as reviews on other hot skincare products hitting the shelves. The best part about her job? She has awesome skin!

No longer do you have to pay for expensive salon treatments to fix up your dry scalp, limp, or even frizzy hair.

Simply by following these 3 easy-to-make at home treatments you can treat your hair with healthy, natural ingredients that will work to fix some of our most annoying hair dilemmas, all while staying away from the harsh chemicals that do more damage than good to our hair.

Itchy, Dry Scalp

We have all had our scalp get a little itchy and start to flake, especially if you live in an area where the air is quite dry. What’s more is that an itchy, dry scalp is possibly the most unsightly hair conditions to have as the more you itch it, the more your scalp flakes. However, you can fix it.

To get rid of a flaking scalp, which can be caused by stress or even a bad diet in addition to environmental factors, mix fresh lemon juice with pure olive oil.

While it sounds like a tasty salad dressing, this natural solution to a itchy and flaking scalp helps to moisturize both the damaged skin in addition to the newly exposed skin on your head from where the skin has flaked off.

Simply mix 2 tablespoons of natural lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of pure olive oil, as well as 2 tablespoons of water, and massage the mixture into your damp scalp.

Let the mixture sit on your head for 20 minutes before rinsing it out and then shampooing your hair. While you should only do this treatment twice a month, you should start to see a reduction in flakes after approximately your second treatment.

Limp Locks

Fine hair can look fragile and limp. Not always the best look for us ladies. However this common hair condition is easily treated with beer. Yes, you read that correctly. Beer isn’t just for drinking anymore.

Interestingly enough, beer amps up the body in fine, limp hair thanks to it’s high concentration of yeast.

Simply mix half a cup of flat beer with 1 teaspoon of light oil, such as sunflower oil, one whole raw egg. Stir your mixture until it’s combined well and apply it to clean, damp hair. Let the mixture sit in your hair for about 15 minutes before rinsing it with cool water.

Rinsing this mixture out of your hair with cool water is important because if you use hot water you run the risk of cooking the egg in your hair, and well, that just wouldn’t be pretty.

What’s great about this treatment is that once the liquid in the beer starts to evaporate out of your hair, the protein that is left in your hair is what starts to strengthen it, ultimately adding some serious lift to your limp locks.

Just make sure you don’t use this treatment on your hair more than twice a month or you may find your hair getting a little unruly.

Fighting Frizz

Bad weather or just a simple bad hair day is no longer an acceptable excuse for frizzy, out of control hair. At least, not if you have avocados in your fridge.

What’s great about avocados is they are full of moisturizing oils that are very similar to the oils in our personal skin secretions. And in addition to that, the proteins found in them make for one powerful combo of nutrients that can help fight the frizzies.

Simply mash up one half of an avocado and combine it with 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Massage the mixture into your clean and damp hair and let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing it out with warm water.

As always, make sure you don’t use this treatment more than twice a month or you could find you end up with oily hair, and that’s a whole other issue.

Luckily, hair that looks like you just stepped out of a salon doesn’t have to mean an empty bank account. Just make sure to stock your fridge with the ingredients mentioned above and embrace your inner hair stylist.

Vanessa is a skincare bloggin’ babe for the popular skincare website BES Skincare, where she reviews all the latest skincare products such as Vivexin. The best part about her job? She has awesome skin!

But what about the ladies who would prefer to stay away from the painful needles and expensive surgeries.

If you are one of these ladies you are not alone. There is a growing number of women who prefer to opt out of the invasive procedures and instead choose a more natural way.

I consider myself to be one of these ladies. Needles just aren’t my thing. Luckily I have discovered a new technique that helps me to love my skin, wrinkles and all, and combat aging through a series of targeted facial exercises that help you feel happier and look younger.

Resist The Wrinkle

Since discovering this way of combatting aging through simple facial exercises, I have been working on 2 specific exercises that I feel help to tone and firm up my facial muscles which can become weak over time.

To break it down, we have 60 different muscles in our face with only a few of them being used each and every day.

That means the muscles that aren’t being used as frequently can become weak and start to whither away. This is not something we ladies want.

Simply put, the muscles in your face are just like the rest of your body’s muscles. They require maintenance and upkeep. And just like the rest of our body, resistance exercises can be the easiest way to whip your out-of-shape facial muscles back into shape, helping you to look years younger.

Have smile lines you want to get rid of? No problem. Place your two index fingers at the sides of your mouth where your smile lines are.

Make sure you feel around for these muscles. Once you have found them you can start toning them with simple exercises that work against the resistance from your two fingers.

All you have to do is smile. Seems simple enough, right? Now just hold that smile of yours until you feel those muscles starting to work. It may sound easy but most women will think they have done enough ‘exercising’ after only a couple of minutes. Stick to it and power through that feeling and you will start to strengthen that muscle group more and more each day.

Dedicate yourself to this exercise each day for anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes. By sticking to this routine you will start to strengthen the muscles around your mouth area, lift your skin, smooth out your wrinkles and truly make you feel happier.

Not a bad little work out!

Learn To Smize

The area around your eyes is some of the most delicate skin on your face, is easily damaged, and unfortunately, one of the first places on your face to get wrinkles.

Fortunately, you can learn to harness your inner Tyra Banks and start smeyezing your way to more open, alert, and younger looking eyes by simply toning your Orbicularis oculi, otherwise known as the large muscle group that circles each of your eyes.

In order to strengthen these muscles you just have to think of moving your ears back and forth, or wiggling your ears if that makes it easier to grasp.

It may not be the easiest exercise to conquer but once you get the hang of it you can work that muscle group by keeping your ears back and your eyes alert and open for anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes.

This not only works your Orbicularis oculi but also works to pull the skin around your eyes back, gradually making your eyes appear younger, as well as more open and alert.

Even though these exercises seem to be easy, they are not an immediate solution, they take time. In fact in order to achieve any lasting noticeable results you have to commit to maintaing a daily routine for a minimum of 4 months.

However, once you dedicate yourself to this daily routine of doing these exercises for anywhere from 7-10 minutes, you should start to notice a change in the appearance of your wrinkles and your facial muscles toning up.

In only a few minutes a day you have a free and easy-to-maintain alternative to going under the knife that will help you to look younger and feel happier.

Vanessa is a skincare bloggin’ babe whose work can be found on various websites around cyberland where she reviews products such as LifeCell cream, as well as many other skincare brands. The best part about her job? She has awesome skin!

The calories taken have to be spent so as to avoid fattening. The diets are followed to maintain weight, or reduce weight. Dieting is sometimes done to increase weight. The increasing weight is done by athletes and other people to maintain a body figure and a perfect shape. The main types of diets are low calorie diets, low fat diets, detox diets and low carbohydrate diets. Dieting actually means taking proper quantities and calculated amount of respective nutrients. Dieting is the method of looking into the food amount taken in the process of eating. These dieting methods make the person know his quantity of food intake.

Nutrition and Weight Gain Diet

Weight gain diet is the food taken by naturally thin people or athletic interested people, who want to improve their body shape and gain weight. These people wantedly gain weight and work on the body mass. The proper diet makes them increase weight and put some muscle mass. The healthy muscles grow and make the body fit. Weight gain diet is taken in the form medical drugs, protein powders, or through healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, peas, fat contained food products. The main idea is to improve the weight of the person over a period of time. The time period may be three or four weeks or even two months. The main method in gain weight diet is by consuming more calories. The calories consumed stays in the body muscles and increase the muscle mass. High calorie products such as fats, carbohydrates are consumed. The main idea is to consume more than burning. The idea of weight gain diet is to gain mass through nutritious food. The calorie consumption varies with different people. One’s body conditions and his body type have to be studied before taking weight gain diet.

Diet Meal Plans

Dieting has to be done perfectly according to one’s body condition and wisely. Some take weight gain diets, some take weight loose diets and some take to maintain weight. These diets have to be consulted to authorized doctors or trainers. These dieting have to be taken from a nutritionist who prepares perfect meal plan for every person. Many take diets to maintain body figure and for body building. These dieting are done by well prepared diet meal plan. These plans are prepared by certified nutritionist and vary from person to person. The diet meal plan is available for a week, month or three months. These diet meal plans provide the nutritious food to be taken in at every interval. The timing interval and the quantity of the food are specified. These plans give the best effective outputs for required persons. These plans give healthy, nutritious diets and juices and meals. They provide low fat dairy products and concentrate more on vitamin, minerals and proteins.

Daily Diet Plans

People who wish to take a high concentration on their body and who want to reduce weight heavily has to take daily diet plans. These daily diet plan are plans of food intake prepared by nutritionist for the specified people for every day over a week or month. These daily diet plans should not have any excuses or breaks as it works well only on continuous basis. These plans provide the food intake plan per hour timetable and the amount of food intake. They should contain low fat, low carbohydrate, high protein and vitamin diet. They should provide food at regular interval in limited quantities and roughage, water and salt quantities have to be maintained. This daily plan doesn’t concentrate much on the calorie calculations and will now worry about the calorie consumption. These daily diet plans are very much important for people who work out daily, go to gym or exercise. They are much concentrated on their body and concerned about the figure and structure of the body. These are also very vital for people who are very fat and for people who has to reduce weight considerably so that they become normal to their body mass and height.

The Power of Pilates

Pilates, while inspired by a few basic yoga poses, is a complicated yet non-strenuous workout. It helps to condition your entire body, focuses on strengthening your core, while stretching and elongating your spine.

It helps to refresh your mind and body by focusing on proper posture and pelvic alignment. Pilates also trains you to control body movements, enhance your muscle elasticity, and joint mobility ultimately resulting in long and lean muscles, as opposed to bulky muscles you might gain through weight training.

What’s even better is that Pilates helps you achieve sexy, flat abs as well as a strong back, something all of us ladies would love I’m sure. On top of that, within only a few weeks of regular Pilates practice, you will start to feel more movement in your joints, increased flexibility, as well as better posture.

Not bad for a non-strenuous workout.

Yoga and you

Yoga is best explained as a lifestyle as opposed to a workout. It helps to not only strengthen your body but also achieve a strong mental state. It is a lifestyle that promotes not just physical activity but also a healthy diet, as well as meditation and proper breathing techniques.

It promotes the union of body, mind, and spirit and works your overall body as well as helps to relieve stress.

Yoga also works to improve your flexibility, lubricate your joints, and massage all your internal glands and organs. In addition to that it helps to detoxify your body, tone your muscles, and is said to be one of the best ways to guard your body against disease.

Makes for a compelling reason to adopt the lifestyle, don’t you think?

Which is right for you?

While each practice has it’s own benefits, it depends on what your overall goals are when choosing between the two.

If you are the type of gal who is detailed oriented, likes a choreographed workout, consider yourself an athlete, wants to increase your flexibility, strength, and ultimately gain those drool-worthy abs then Pilates is the practice for you.

However, if you consider yourself to be a lady who loves to explore poses, has good balance, wish to clean your body from the inside out, and protect your body against future harm all while conditioning and toning all over then get yourself over to your local yoga studio and sign up for a class.

Whichever practice you choose, as long as you stick to it you will reap the benefits of these low impact, high results exercises. And if the one you choose isn’t right for you, give the other a shot. You are sure to find a practice that works for you and your lifestyle. Namaste.

Vanessa is a lifestyle blogger for various websites around cyberland. When she isn’t blogging she loves to travel and work out. Her latest addiction? The Flex Mini!

Trust me, I know how you feel. I was the exact same way leading up to my nuptials.

Personally with each passing day before my wedding, and every new task I added to my I Do to-do list, I felt as though my skin was getting progressively worse.

I had always been one of the lucky ladies who was blessed with clear skin throughout most of my life, but it seemed the closer I got to the big day, the worse my skin got.

About 6 weeks before I became a Mrs I had enough. I decided I needed to take back control of my skin, get myself together, and become the beautiful bride I had always hoped to be.

The only problem was I didn’t have much time. So how did I go from a blotchy bride to a blushing bride?

Simple, I focused on 3 simple tasks that helped to ease my stress so I could look great in my dress.

Breathe, girlfriend, breathe.

It sounds so simple and automatic but you would be surprised at how many brides amp up their normal breathing pattern, taking short and shallow breaths when they get stressed. This is bad for your skin as short and shallow breaths ultimately lead to more stress, and therefore stress-induced skin conditions.

You see, deep breathing actually helps to rid your body of toxins. In fact, your body is rigged to release 70% of it’s toxins simply through breathing. So if you are not breathing properly, you are not properly ridding your body of the toxins it needs to release, which can affect your health.

So when you feel those anxiety-fueled, stress-inducing thoughts coming on, take a few minutes to focus on your breathing, calm yourself down and take a step closer to glowing, healthy skin.

Work It Baby, Work It

Most brides, leading up to the big day, try to shed those last extra pounds by skimping on their meals and going extra-hard at the gym.

While it is important that you stick to a regular routine of eating well and staying active, it’s essential that you do it in a healthy way, otherwise it can have adverse effects on your skin.

You should be sure to keep your fridge stocked full of antioxidant-rich foods such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and even plums. These fruits will deliver an antioxidant power punch to your cells, helping to protect them from damaging free radicals.

This is crucial to healthy looking skin because free radicals help to damage the membrane of your skin cells, which ultimately causes damage to the DNA of your skin cells.

By sticking to a diet rich in antioxidants, you are ensuring that your cells stay protected and your skin looks its very best right up to the big day.

Indulge Yourself

As the date approaches it can be even more important to take some time for yourself to do nothing other than relax.

Whether that means reading, yoga, meditating, walking, or even indulging in a luxurious massage as often as you like, make sure you spend some guilt-free time with just yourself.

These little indulgences will help to take your mind off wedding mania, reduce your stress, and leave you feeling happier than before you started. And when you are less stressed, your skin reflects that.

So go ahead, take a deep breath, snack on some berries, and indulge yourself. Your skin will thank you for it.

Jill owns A Bride’s Wedding Guide, a website where she blogs and vlogs about all things wedding, including unique destination wedding invitations. The biggest perk of her job? She gets to indulge her girly side each and every day!

Here are five natural alternative treatments that won’t cost you the earth, but will perform wonders for your skin.

1. Apply Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a natural emollient that helps to moisturize the skin while eliminating cracking, itching and flaking. Coconut oil is more readily absorbed compared to many other oil treatments which means it doesn’t leave a layer of grease behind. This tropical-island-smelling oil works great as a massage oil, or it can be used to make soaps, lotions and creams.

2. Apply Castor Oil

Castor oil, like coconut oil, is another fantastic oil for skin. Rich in antioxidants, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal are just some of the properties that make castor oil so important for our skin. Castor oil can be used to help eliminate acne, assist with anti-aging by firming, tightening and rejuvenating the skin and to repair dry skin by deeply penetrating into the skin.

3. Shea Butter

Shea butter, extracted from the nut of the Shea tree in Western Africa, is emerging as one of the most effective natural products for beautiful skin. Shea butter is a yellow waxy fat that, when applied to skin, has natural sun protective qualities up to a SPF 6 which helps to protect against sun damage. Applying Shea butter to your face will help you to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, blemishes and dry skin.

4. Cocoa Butter

Sticking with butters for skin, cocoa butter is another product that has been found to have incredible benefits. It is perhaps most publicized for its ability to prevent, and perhaps even reverse, stretch marks. It does this by moisturizing deep down and restoring elasticity to the skin. Apply cocoa butter several times per day to the affected area for maximum results.

5. Make Your Own Homemade Face Masks

The previous four skin care products have included just one ingredient. That’s great, but making your own homemade face masks is both fun and it allows you to use a multitude of natural wonders for your skin. Plus, you can create a face mask that’s perfect for your skin type so you can target real skin problems.

If you experience sensitive teeth, the first and most important thing you can do is to visit your dentist to determine the cause of the problem. Once you understand why it’s happening, there are several steps you can take that will make it much easier to live with your sensitive teeth:

• Ask your dentist about prescription or over-the-counter toothpastes and fluoride mouthwashes. Both of these can be very effective at treating the condition.
• Be sure to continue to brush and floss regularly (at least twice a day, and preferably three times a day). Brushing and flossing can help prevent gum disease, which can be a leading contributor to sensitive teeth.
• Use a toothbrush with soft bristles, and don’t brush too hard. Even though brushing and flossing often is good for your teeth and gums, excessive brushing or brushing too hard can make your teeth even more sensitive.
• Avoid eating too many acidic foods, like citrus fruits, tea and soda pop, since these can make the problem worse.
• Most women don’t need to know about this tip, but some men and teenagers should definitely be told: Don’t chew tobacco. Not only can chewing tobacco lead to cancer, but it can also make gums recede, leaving teeth ultra sensitive.
• Avoid using tooth whiteners too often. Many of these whiteners can contribute to sensitive teeth.
• Don’t get into bad habits like sucking on hard candy. This can lead not only to sensitive teeth, but it can also hurt the enamel of your teeth.

There’s no doubt about it—sensitive teeth can be painful if left untreated. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to avoid and alleviate the sensitivity. Remember to visit your dentist first to determine why the problem is happening in the first place, then follow these few simple guidelines to reduce the discomfort. Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying a candy bar or your favorite hot or iced beverage without even giving it a second thought.

Hear in HQ

If  you’re having a hard time trying to hear what your friends are saying while dancing at the night club, use only your right ear. The right ear helps you follow a conversation, plus, it is helpful when it comes to hearing low volume music.

Painless Shots

German scientists have found that coughing while being vaccinated helps ease the pain. When you cough, you build up your chest and spine pressure, thus inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.

No more Toothaches

Toothaches are among the worst pains our bodies suffer. Try rubbing ice on the back of your hand, specifically on the area between your index and thumb fingers. According to a research carried out in Canada, this method reduces toothache pain by 50% compared with using no ice at all.

Awaken the Sleepy

Some people don’t have a good blood circulation. If your hand or legs fall asleep while sitting in a strange position, try rocking your head from side to side. According to Dr.DeStefano, this technique will banish your needles and pains in less than sixty seconds. Many times compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck causes a tingly arm or hand; relaxing the neck muscles releases the pressure.

Breath under the Water

First, take many short breaths ¬basically, hyperventilate. It is not lack of oxygen what makes you desperate for a breath when you’re under water, but the buildup of carbon dioxide. This makes your blood acid, which is what tells your brain that something is wrong. Hyperventilation causes your influx of oxygen to lower blood acidity, which makes your brain think that it has more oxygen.

Prevent aging

Here’s an effective anti aging tip: before putting your moisturizer, wash your skin very well using warm water and a cleansing lotion. This will unblock your pores allowing your skin to fully absorb the moisturizer. If you apply cream on unwashed skin, you will be wasting your moisturizer and your time.

What are the symptoms of ingrown hairs?

Ingrown hairs occur when the hair grow sideways along the skin or backwards into it. The itchy and painful feeling you feel is when your hair follicle develops a slight infection. Ingrown hairs can result in an unsightly rash, itchy skin and pus forming due to an infection.

What causes ingrown hairs?

They occur when a hair is cut off sharply. The most common reasons for this occurring are shaving, using wax kits and wearing tight clothing. They can also be caused by blocked pores that result in the hair having no option but to grow sideways.

How do I treat them?

There are a number of different natural treatments for ingrown hairs that you can reproduce at home without the aid of a beautician. Applying a warm cloth or flannel can help to relieve itchiness or pain as well as opening the pores. If the hair is just below the surface, then using tweezers can remove it, although there is a risk of infection in doing this. If you do remove the ingrown hair in this way, then it is important to apply some antiseptic afterwards to prevent an infection. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to settle into a daily exfoliation routine and it is relatively simple to produce your own homemade exfoliating scrubs, using ingredients you can find in your kitchen cupboards. I have experimented with using a variation of components; oats, honey, vinegar, olive oil, fruit, salt, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar and green tea can be used in different combinations to produce a homemade exfoliating scrub that is not only kind to the environment but kind to your bank balance! After treatments, you should also avoid wearing tight clothing to allow the area to heal. For some people, ingrown hairs can be a frequent and uncomfortable part of everyday life. In more severe cases, electrolysis can be an option –albeit costly – as this can permanently prevent ingrown hairs.

How can I prevent ingrown hairs occurring?

Precautions can be made to prevent ingrown hair growth. It is so crucial to prepare the skin before any kind of hair removal. Using a good shaving technique is important, for example use a generous amount of shaving gel or foam, as it provides lubrication and stops you applying too much force. This prevents the hair from being cut lower than the surface of the skin. Keep to your daily exfoliation routine as strictly as possible, as it can ensures that your skin’s pores do not become blocked.

The conclusive fact is most people suffer from an ingrown hair at some point in the lives. Fortunately, there are a number of steps that can be taken to treat the area when this happens. Abiding to the age-old saying of “prevention is better than cure”, it is important to become accustomed to settling into a beauty routine that you will follow for your life’s entirety.