Water is the most critical component for all organisms, and since 2/3rd of the human body is made of water, a person can hardly survive for about 72 hours without it. For understanding the impact of water in the body, it is essential to comprehend what it does. Right from helping in digestion to controlling calorie intake to regulating and maintaining body temperature to lubricating the eyes and joints, the functions of water are endless.

Dehydration can cast a negative impact on the body function since it causes electrolyte dysfunction. And the bad news is that most people can go unaware of this condition. Therefore, it is crucial to know about all the warning signs of dehydration so that you can take quick action and prevent yourself from further complications.

Poor concentration along with confusion: Since the human brain is 90 percent water, water deficiency can have a negative impact on a person’s thinking abilities and decision-making skills. Lack of water in the body manifests itself through forgetfulness, amnesia, difficulty in thinking and communicating. It has been found that dehydration can also pave the way for mood swings.

Dizziness and headaches: These are some of the most common outcomes of dehydration since it leads to reduced amount of fluids around the brain. This fluid is essential since it functions as a buffer that shields the brain from mild shocks. It can cause migraines and irritation headaches since it reduces the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain.

Dry mouth and foul breath: When you are dehydrated, your body is not able to produce enough amount of saliva which has antibacterial properties. This causes foul breath since there is bacteria attack in the oral cavity. Dry mouth is another important symptom of dehydration since water functions as a lubricant that keeps the mucous membranes in the throat, hydrated which prevents dry mouth.

Sudden cravings for food: People tend to mistake thirst with hunger, and they end up overeating. When you are not taking enough water, your body will send false signals to the brain that you are hungry while a glass of water is all you need.

Constipation and other digestive problem: The work of water is to hydrate all the tissues in the body, and the digestive system is no exception to this. Water can keep the gastrointestinal tract clean and supple which helps in regulating the bowel movement and prevent constipation.

Reduced urge of urination: If you feel that you don’t need to urinate after every few hours, your body may be in need of more water. Dehydration also contributes to change in urine color and in case you have dark amber colored urine, it means you should drink up more water.

So, whenever you notice such signs, understand that you have to consume more water regularly.

Celebrity gazing has taken epic proportions with people across the world spending hours every day looking at images of their favourite movie/TV stars. These images are everywhere - on your TV at home, your mobile screens and tablets and even the good old magazine has not remained untouched by this celebrity craze. The pouts are perfect, not a strand of hair out of place or a crease out of turn. So clearly, a lot of people and planning go into making our stars look fab every time step out into the public space. But hang on, there are a lot of crazy beauty routines too that make every frame picture perfect.

Call them quirks, if you will, but these beauty rituals are not what ordinary people would ever think of indulging in on a daily basis. Here is an article full of the craziest beauty routines followed by some of our favourite celebrities around the world!

1. Lady Gaga: A tape for removing make-up

Believe it or not, the American pop singer and songwriter uses tape to remove her eye makeup. Since glitter is specially very difficult to remove, using a tape does sound like a good option. Fabric tape is the most efficient and useful in this case.

Here’s a word of caution - Do not try this trick if your skin is sensitive or prone to redness. Stick to your makeup remover and remember the skin around your eyes is extremely soft and delicate. Any routine must be thought through, unless you are Lady Gaga herself!

lady gaga

2. Julia Roberts: A pan full of olive oil

The actress with the ‘million-dollar smile, Julia Roberts has been written about and revered for her acting as much as for her beauty. The famous Hollywood actress is known for hits like Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride and her performances in movies like Erin Brockwich have been critically acclaimed too. But did you know that Julia Roberts soaks her hands in olive oil to improve the moisture content of the skin? In order to rejuvenate her skin, Ms Roberts is known to dip her hand in olive oil every week. Olive oil is rich mono saturated fatty acids and this make the oil a very good choice for moisturising dry skin.

3. Miranda Kerr: Lip balm for eyes

Australian model and the ex-wife of Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr has been one of the more popular angels of Victoria’s Secrets. Ms. Kerr applies lip balm as a shimmery highlighter around her eyes. A lip gloss helps clog our pores. Try dabbing some lip balm around the corner of your eyes and you will know how this helps. Who would have thought of yet another crazy use of the lip balm!

4. Denise Richards: Avocado and olive oil for hair conditioning

American actress and former fashion model is known for her lustrous hair and good looks ever since she hit the runway in America. Denise, who was briefly married to Actor Charlie Sheen, is known to combines avocado with a tablespoon of olive oil for deep conditioning results for the hair.

5. Sienna Miller: Ketchup to undo effects of henna!

Yes, that does sound bizarre. But if stories are to be believed, it is said that the British-American actress once accidentally used henna on her blonde strands. She wanted to get rid of the colour and the only way to do this, hold your breath, was to soak her hair in ketchup. That’s a new remedy to wrong hair colour.

6. Teri Hatcher: Red wine bath

American actress and star of TV series Desperate Housewives, Teri hatcher uses red wine in the bath to soften her skin. Wine contains tartaric acid, an alpha hydroxyl which can exfoliate and give a boost to your skin.

Love getting the perfect pout for your selfie? Well, here’s a beauty tip from American actress and television host , Lisa Rinna. Add cinnamon oil to the lip gloss and the result will be a pumped up pout. You can thank us for this later.

We know that eating a variety of fruits is beneficial to the body. But, if you’re Catherine Zeta Jones then you wouldn’t stop at just eating these fruits. The Welsh actress is known to apply fruits on her teeth and rubs them to clean and whiten her smile. The juice or the pulp of various fruits contain malic acid which act as astringents and help lighten up the surface stains.

9. Nicole Kidman: Cranberry juice for the hair

Australian actress and star of many blockbusters, Nicole Kidman is famous for her magnificent red locks. Here’s the secret behind her ravishing hair. She pours cranberry juice after shampooing her hair to boost the shine and hair health.

It is not uncommon for us to feel sleepy at work every once in a while. You need to get an important assignment done, but all that you want to do is curl up and take a nap. We all have our days of drowsiness. But when it becomes a daily habit and begins to interfere with productivity, it is a cause for concern. Chronic fatigue and drowsiness can almost always be traced back to underlying medical conditions, such as low blood sugar levels or depression. There are many simple remedies for this issue that you can resort to if you wish to kick off your work days with a bang.

Here are a few tips for those days when you just can’t seem to make it through work:

1. Meditate: A few minutes of meditation before work in the morning can effectively make you more alert and engaged for the rest of the day. The point of meditation is not only to bring calmness and relaxation into your life but also to make you more mindful and active. Be sure to be sitting upright and breathing properly while you meditate.

2. Eat right: Having poor eating habits could be making you drowsy at work. It is important that you eat just the right quantity of food for every meal because overeating will surely make you sleepy and lethargic. Avoid oily and rich foods and eat just as much as you need.

3. Sleep well: Your night time sleeping habits are probably at the root of your daytime drowsiness. Staying up late or not getting undisturbed sleep can leave you feeling agonizingly exhausted at work. It is of utmost importance that you get enough sleep every night.

4. Peppermint: Peppermint is a natural stimulant and will surely leave you feeling fresh in the morning. Brush your teeth with peppermint toothpaste and sip on a cup of peppermint tea in the morning to knock the drowsiness right out of yourself.

5. Move around: When you feel sleepy, your first impulse is to take a nap. But often the solution to that problem is to engage in physical activity. Pace around and do some stretching exercises in the morning to get your blood circulating and you will be amazed at how refreshed you feel.

Follow these simple methods and in no time, your productivity levels at work will shoot right up.

In today’s world, most of the work that you do, is on your computer. With an increasingly digitized world, computers can’t be replaced. Though they have made your work easier, they do come with certain disadvantages as well. The rays emitted by a computer screen can be harmful to your eyes, if exposed for an extended duration.


It is important that you take certain precautionary measures to protect your eyes:

1. Wash your eyes: Wash your eyes on a regular basis; it facilitates cooling and relaxation of the eyes. Make it a routine to wash your eyes at least 5 to 6 times in a day.

2. Get computer glasses: Use computer glasses to protect your eyes as they help to minimize the effect of radiation from the screen. If you work for long hours in front of the computer, then you should consider getting a pair of computer glasses.

3. The position of your screen: The screen should ideally be positioned at an arm’s length and the viewing angle of the monitor should be around 35 degrees. Make sure you position your chair accordingly, keeping these tips in mind.

4. Eye exercise: You should exercise your eyes to reduce the strain and relax your eyes. Follow the 20-20 rule wherein after working on your computer for 20 minutes, you redirect your gaze to an object that is around 20 feet away. This helps your eye muscles to relax and thus, improves your eye health.

5. Don’t work at a stretch: Take breaks in between your work sessions to reduce fatigue in your eyes. Constantly staring at a screen for an extended amount of time can cause problems in your eye. Take 2 minute breaks for every 30 minutes you spend working on your computer. This helps to reduce the strain on your eyes also helps to release tension in the muscles of the neck and back.

6. Blink more than usual: Blinking moistens your eyes and causes tear production which does not allow the eye to suffer from dryness. It also prevents eye irritation and helps in clearing out dirt from the eyes.

Have you been noticing that some parts of your skin have turned dark and dull recently? Do you have ugly blotches and spots developing on your skin that keep on worsening? These may indicate that you have been affected by a medical condition known as skin darkening. Also known as hyperpigmentation, it is commonly caused by the overproduction of a pigment known as melanin. Although skin darkening is not a harmful condition, it demoralizes an affected person.

Types of Hyperpigmentation:

There are several types of hyperpigmentation or skin darkening. They are:

Lentigenes: This type of skin darkening refers to on the dark brown or black marks on skin surface.

Solar Lentigenes: This type of skin darkening includes sun spots, age spots or liver spots. These are spots, which are caused due to exposure to the sun.

Melasma: This type of skin darkening, also called as mask of pregnancy, occurs due to hormonal changes of pregnancy. Some areas of the facial skin become blotchy and pigmented.

Causes of Skin darkening:

There are several conditions, which may lead to the occurrence of skin darkening or hyperpigmentation. They include the following:

Hereditary factors: Some inherited factors present since birth may be responsible for the change in the skin complexion and the development of patches.

Skin disorders: Several skin disorders may cause the darkening of the skin, resulting into the formation of blotches and the skin becoming thicker.


Vitamin deficiency: Insufficient consumption of essential vitamins such as vitamin A, E, C and B complex may result in darkening and roughening of the skin. Vitamin deprivation also makes the skin look dull. Liver disorders: Certain liver disorders are also responsible for hyperpigmentation. A dysfunctional liver may lead to darkening of the skin.

Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes within our body and during pregnancy in women may also cause skin darkening.

Exposure to UV rays: Overexposure to the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun may lead to skin tanning. This causes overproduction of melanin, which in turn results in skin darkening.

Prevention:

There are several ways in which you can prevent skin darkening. They include the following:

Avoid exposing yourself directly to the rays of the sun.

Try to apply sunscreen every time before you go out in the sun.

You should drink plenty of water and always keep yourself hydrated.

Try to abstain from consuming too much of spicy, oily and rich foods.

You must intake a lot of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in vitamin A, B, C, and E.

There are many options for treating the hyperpigmentation, from skin lightening peels to lasers. A properly planned customized skin care routine and treatment options can minimize, the pigmentation on your skin dramatically.