Post 3. Acne and Bacne - Natural Remedies

I am back this week with natural and home remedies I have used for my spotty skin. Last week I mentioned a few of the products which I have purchased and used, some of which worked and some which were a waste of money.

(Check it out)

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/post-2-acne-and-bacne-products-i-have.html

When I first use these different remedies, it makes a huge difference but after a while, my skin becomes immune to it so it does not have the same effect as it does in the beginning. Nonetheless, these do work a treat and everyone's skin is different. (Plus you need to use these remedies regularly which I fail to do)

After doing research on how to get rid of acne and the marks, I came across an everyday ingredient which is stored in every South Asian household.

Turmeric Powder

I use this in the powder form which my mum uses in her cooking. If you do decide to use it, please be careful not to mix it up with the deep red powder which is infact Chilli powder. (I have been close to applying chilli powder to my face before)

Turmeric has been used for a long long time especially by South Asians for many reasons. 

It is a herbal medicine which is good for sore throat, a good food supplement, can help with diseases and cancers and a face mask. 

Asians have used turmeric on their skin for a while and I have now come to understand why this is applied on a traditional bride a night or two before the wedding.  It makes the skin glow and it looks radiant and clear. 

I decided to use this for a while to help my acne scars and to give me a glowy face. I even used it on my back before I showered. (It used to leave me looking like a Simpson but you just have to wash it off really well)

How to make Turmeric face mask

2 teaspoons of turmeric powder

1 teaspoon of honey (honey has anti bacterial properties and leaves skin soft)

1-2 teaspoons of milk

Mix until it is a paste which is not to liquidy but not too dry, apply on face and leave for around 10-15 mins. Then wash off. 

Honey and lemon

After realising the turmeric mask wasn't so effective on my skin anymore (it has done wonders on my friend), I started to use lemon and honey on my face and back. I would slice a lemon and put honey on it and rub it on my skin

Lemon is like a bleach - it helps lighten scars. (Be sure not to go into the sun with the lemon on your skin) This helped a little and I still do this time to time. 

Make sure to wash this off. The honey is sticky and a little messy. 

(I occasionally rub lemon juice on my skin before sleeping without washing it off.)

Toothpaste and salt

I came across a youtube video for spots which said toothpaste and salt was good for acne, so I tried it. I mixed a teaspoon of salt to two teaspoons of toothpaste and smurred this all over my face. 

A word of advise for my fellow beings...

DO NOT TRY THIS!!! My eyes stung from the paste and it was burning my skin. I think I even went blind for a few minutes. On the plus side, my face was left minty fresh. 

My favourite

My all time favourite remedy at the moment has got to be the use of oats and other ingredients!

Oats is a good scrub and it leaves the skin feeling soft and fresh. 

I make a facial and body scrub using oats in various ways. 

It is actually good for dry skin, flaky skin, spots, marks and eczema. Basically, I recommend this to people with sensitive skin (unless you are allergic to oats).

I have actually replaced shower gel and soaps with this oat scrub. (Except when I am in the gym.)

When making the scrub, you do not want it to be too pasty or too dry.

I use either one of these mixes at least twice a week:

How to make oats face scrub

1. 2 tablespoons of oats (or the amount you desire), lemon 

2. Oats, water

3. Oats, water/lemon, baking soda

For a while, I used a baking soda and a water/lemon paste on my face for blackheads and spots but I felt this dried out my face too much. So I stopped using this. But mixed with the oats, it is not so bad.

Apple Cider vinegar

Before I sleep, I apply apple cider vinger (3 parts to 1 part water in a spray bottle) to my back and face as it is a good way of reducing acne scars. I have been using this for a while and it has made a change. I get less spots on my back and the marks are slowly getting lighter. (Again, make sure to not expose the skin to the sunlight while this is on) It has a very strong smell but beggars cannot be choosers ey. 

Apple cider vinegar has other benefits:

Good for cooking and cleaning, good for drinking to help maintain sugar levels, helps in losing weight (it tastes disgusting and you have to force it down you. I have only done this once)

Last but not least, I will end on the moisturiser I use on my body. The one and only...

Coconut oil!!!

This oil is my best friend. It is good for stretch marks (so people say. I personally haven't seen much change) good for moisturising, hair, make up remover, patchy skin and for cavities. 

Yes, cavities in the teeth. Coconut oil is an anti bacterial. Swishing a spoonful of it around the mouth for at least ten minutes helps prevent cavities and reduce the size of the cavities you may already have. 

So I have tried quite a few home remedies for my acne and the marks my spots have left behind. These are just a few of the many I have actually tried.
I am currently trying out Castor Oil. I will let ya'll know how that is working out for me.

This post was rather long, but I hope you enjoyed it and try out some of them. 

Follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

Post 2. Acne and Bacne - Products I have used

Eeeep!!! I apologise for not posting last week. I was super busy being lazy. Kidding. I had loads to do but here I am this week.

I will go through some of the products which I have used and whether they have worked. 

It's normally a blue pot

Creams I have used

I used to always use 'Astral cream'. This was the typical family cream. It didn't really effect my skin but it was quite greasy so I thought I'd change it about. 

I later started using 'Cocoa Butter'. Although it left my skin soft, it actually dried it out and I had to apply the cream a number of times throughout the day. 

I heard that 'Sudocrem' (the cream which mothers use on their babies bums when they get a nappy rash) was good for spots so I started using that. Every night I would apply it to the affected areas in a thick layer and every morning I would wash it off. No difference!!! It just left me looking pale. (It works on some people though)

I recently tried out a cream called 'Silk Cream'. It it made of natural ingredients and after seeing reviews from people which helped with fading acne scars, I invested in a pot which cost £15. Again, I didn't really see a difference. 

I won't even start on the prescribed creams I got for my spots. None of these actually worked. And I get quite impatient. I move onto different products really fast. 

Now, I've kept my creams to a minimum. I literally use Nivea sun lotion as my everyday cream as it helps to lighten acne scars and protects from the sun. 

Face Washes

Oh my Lord!!! I have tried so many face washes in my lifetime and I'm pretty sure I will not be able to name all of them. 

Let me start with Tea Tree Oil. I have used the face pads, wipes, the spot sticks, the face wash, face scrub and the ointment for my acne. As a teenager, hardly anything worked on my face as my acne was pretty cray cray and not even tea tree oil could help me out. I stopped using this and even today, it doesn't really work on me.

This works on a lot of people though so I would recommend it as I have seen the changes on my
sister.

I then started to use, Garnier face wash. This has zinc in it and I think this helped with the spots on my face. I realised my spots were calming down and I wasn't having that many breakouts. But I later found out that the Garnier brand was supporting Israel so I started to boycott it. Even their 'Pure Active' face scrubs were leaving my skin feeling good.

Finally the one thing which worked on me was not good for humanity. 

I then came across a bottle of Clean & Clear face wash which my cousin had left in my house. So I used that and again, my face felt much clearer and even my marks were starting to fade a little. However, this decent product is also a brand which supports Israel so again, I decided I will no longer use it.

Other face washes which I have used for the sake of using have been, Olay face wash, Simple face scrub and Lush products (which my kind friend gets for me). The face masks from Lush are very soothing and leaves the skin feeling smooth. The scrubs are good exfoliators but for acne prone skin, it doesn't help much. It has been more of a luxury to use Lush products than it
actually making a change on my skin. 

I have used spot wands, creams from different parts of the world, medication from the homopathy and many other products which will all probably add up to a huge cost. 

So as of last year, I decided I was going to start using home remedies. I have not bought face washes for a while now unless I have been away. 

Using products which I already have at home has been very effective financially as well as on my skin and with my acne.

Keep an eye out for next week's blog post where I will go through some of the home made and natural rememdies I have been using and what has been working on me. 

If you haven't already, check out last weeks post

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/post-3-acne-and-bacne-natural-remedies.html

and follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

Post 1. Acne and Bacne

It's Sunday and I will be talking about 'ACNE'!

When hitting my teenage years and going through puberty, I suffered from a severe case of Acne. I have not plucked up the courage to put any images of my past self on here because I consider my teenage face as monstrous. (According to the doctors, my case was not as bad as others)

Nearly all teenagers suffer from acne and I can totally empathise when you say it can lower your self confidence and made you feel like never leaving the comfort of your home where no one had to see you. 

I found it nerve wrecking when meeting new people as I thought they would think I looked horrendous but I was a cocky little git during my school days. It did not get in the way of my sarcasm and cheekiness so people probably thought I was full of confidence but if only they knew. 

Unlike advanced teenagers these days, I had no idea what make-up was, which make up to use and I could not even afford cover up. (At the age of 16 I went to school wearing concealer on my eye bags which was two shades darker than my skin tone) I am not your everyday MUA.

Till this day, I still struggle to cover up my spots and marks but unlike my teenage years, the outbreak on my face has calmed down. 

With age, the spots have decreased but occasionally I do get outbreaks depending on the food I consume. I used to underestimate the power of water but I tell ya, WATER is everything!!! It helps flush out the toxins in the body which can help reduce outbreaks and makes the skin look healthier and more glowy. (Nuts and other oily foods make my skin a bit eugh but I can't resist them)

As well as acne, I suffer from Bacne - Back Acne. This means I have to constantly cover my back and wear t-shirts and jumpers that reach my neck as I do not want people sitting behind me playing dot-to-dot. This actually makes my spots worse and marks reside and do not fade as fast as it does on my face but I have no confidence to wear cool tops. Thanks to my long hair now, it is a little easier covering my back when wearing low tops. 

Acne is genetic in my family. My father had it as a teenager and so did all my siblings.

(Darn be to my fathers genes. I even inherited his stubby features such as his height, chubbiness and small but fat hands and feet.)

Left & Right side of my face on a normal day 2015.

My mother on the other hand has always had good skin (touch wood)

From the ages of 12-14, I had the worst years. My forehead, chin, around my lips, my nose, neck, the sides of my cheeks and my back were all covered in pimples, blackheads and marks. And I cannot resist but touch them. 

At the age of 14 I fell ill but this helped the clear up of my acne for a short while. After this, I started dressing more trendy and felt more comfortable in myself. But... it didn't go completely. From age 15 till now, I suffer from bacne and am still trying to clear up marks on my face. I have now discovered make up to enhance my face and cover up some marks but my application does not do justice to my face. (I stare at people in amazement when they do make up on themselves) It all fades off within a couple of hours. But I always use minimum products on my face to allow my skin to breathe.

Like many other acne sufferers I have spent over a thousand pounds on a range of products, some which have worked for a short while and some which were a total waste. Scrubs, face washes, soaps, creams, natural remedies... I've tried most of them. 

Read my next blog post next Sunday to check out which products I have used and the changes in my lifestyle and whether they helped or not. 

I will also show some of the natural remedies I have tried out in the blog post after that (and maybe some before and after pictures)

But a huge shout out to Instagram and other photo apps which have filters. (I sometimes consider myself a catfish because of this)

Follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates.

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

It is us who have died... Poem

I am back!
I tend to do this a lot. I consecutively blog for a few weeks then I take a long ass break because I get caught up with everything around and then I make a comeback. 
For this comeback, I have a poem. 

This poem was inspired by my mother (and she doesn't even know it). 
A quick story: After my mother married my father at the age of 16 and moved to London, the younger one out of her two big brothers passed away. She received this news many days later as calling abroad was not common and letters took ages to send and receive. When she finally went back to her village a few years later, her elder brother said this. 'He has left this Dunya (world) but it is us who have died'. 
The death of my uncle left such a huge impact on people and many of them could not come to terms with his death even years later. 
With the current crises going on in the world now, I thought about writing this poem. 
It vaguely covers the crises in Nepal, Palestine, Syria, Bangladesh, American racism, Rohingya and other places in this world where these descriptions apply. 
I hope you enjoy this. 

Everytime they mentioned your death, 
it wasn't really you who died. But the world. 
You simply left this earth but it is we who had to mourn 
and endure the pain knowing you will never return. 
Everytime they mentioned your death, 
The poorer we became.
For yours was the soul infused with richness,
And when you went, the world was left in poverty.
You have had an easy escape from the torment of this horrendous world, 
leaving behind the evil bitterness.
Those of us who are alive will wake up everyday 
unable to get your image out of our minds.
How you were stuck under all that rubble 
and how you had become blind.
How you were shot when trying to go to school 
and how the phosphorus effected you and your child.
The image of you trying to swim to safety during the floods 
and you getting killed defending your religion.
Oh and that image of you being a black man one minute 
and no one but dead the next.
You may have left this world, 
and doctors may have announced the time of your death, 
But every second, it is we who are dying 
from the painful sound and scenes of your soul leaving the earth. 

By Salma Razia Khatun

Follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates.

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

I will be posting every Sunday hopefully!!! (For the next 4-5 weeks before I go away for the summer)

Health & Fitness - The Midnight Run

I am still in pain from a short run on Saturday night.
I underestimated the length and I though 'Ah 8km. I could do that in my sleep' but I was wrong!!!
It did not help that I hadn't eaten properly throughout the day and I didn't run with water as I normally do. The weather on the other hand was amazing to run in. Not too hot and not too cold.
Believe it or not, I had to drag my sister out of bed to do this run but she was one of the first to finish it.
I came first - backwards (Which means I came last)
There was only about 20 of us so not a big group at all. We started running at 11.45pm with stops here and there. We started of on Old Street and went through some of the iconic sights in London.

Stop at Smithfield Market

I did really well and kept up to pace with the group. The pace was faster than I had thought it would be but the stops we had allowed me to catch up with my breath. We had the pace makers run with music so it was pretty fun.

At around 6km, I felt my right thigh cramp a bit, but I thought NO SALMA!!! Do not stop.
Then my right calm cramped a bit and then my left. Before I could take another step, I actually had to sit on the ground and was uttering as follows 'oh F*** f*** S**t'. One of the guys had to come and stretch me out.

Stop at Tower Hill

I managed to jog a few more hundred metres before my legs gave in again. We were actually not so far from the finish
line which was back at Old Street. Unfortunately, I had to walk the rest of the way.
The problem was, I had not stretched out properly before I had even started and due to not regularly running or exercising, my body was not used to the sudden long distance (which by the way I am not bad at).
Even though I was not struggling with my breathing, I don't think my muscles were getting oxygen hence the build up of Lactic Acid.

If only you could
see the pain I was in

I felt so disappointed in myself for not being able to jog the last kilometre or so but this has motivated to try and do the next midnight run and to keep up with running.
To be honest, I think the London Marathon runners who ran 26.2 miles on Sunday, have recovered faster than I have.
Other than the cramps, the pain and the struggle of walking down the stairs, the run was fun and
London is a beautiful city at night.

Pre-Stretch, sort of

The run finished at around 12.45am (1.15am for me) and let me note the importance of stretching. STRETCHING IS IMPORTANT!!! there.
While I was in bed, after the run, my foot cramped up along with my calfs and it is bloody scary. I thought I had to amputate my leg but all I needed to do was stretch more.




It turns out the run was not just 8km but 9.86km. Neearly a 10km.
I would do this run again! (It happens every month by the way) and I would recommend ya'll to do it.

Peace out!

Follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates.

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

More blog posts will be coming your way soon. (Next one will be on acne)

Health & Fitness Day 18 & 19

Friday!!! (Well Saturday morning now. I did say in one of my previous blog posts that I am a night blogger)
It is my last blog post on my 'healthy eating/ no carbs/ low carbs' journey.
(slash junk food journey)

It's been easy yet hard and challenging. Easy at the beginning which was three weeks ago and it got more challenging as I ran out of creative ways to cook and eat.

An overview of my past three weeks:
Week 1: (Days 1-7) No carbs at all!!!
Week 2: (Days 8-14) Some carbs and a bit of junk
Week 3: (Days 15-21) Some more carbs and a bit more junk

Though I have been eating carbs, I have tried to substitute white colours with brown such as brown rice and... that is the only main carb I have had to be honest. Oh and sweet potatoes (and when I have been totally weak, a few chips/fries). I have had a fair share of chocolates but I have stayed away from crisps. (I have forgotten what cheese and onion crisps taste like)

I have felt healthier than previously and more energetic. I have always been sporty but a kinda lazy sports person. I have done a half marathon previously and I know I can push my body to doing at least 9 miles without stopping but my lazy mentality stops me from doing more than two laps around the park which is less than 1km.

Tomorrow night there will be an 8km night run and I am going to challenge myself and try finish it without stopping. It is a pretty last minute thing so I have done no training for it whatsoever.
People normally do 5-10km in the gym but I remember the days when I used to actually train for my 5km runs.

Anyway, without further ado...
Day 18 (Thursday)
23.05.2015
Breakfast
Porridge & a cuppa tea. (Nothing new there)

Lunch
Cod fish in batter (which I grill) with a side of Salad. (Again, nothing new)
I did say, I have run out of creative things to eat. However, I did add something different.
The usual, cucumber, tomato, sun dried tomato, feta cheese, beetroot and something a little different.
I added sunflower seeds which are high in magnesium and vitamin E and some other nutrients which are good for you. I also added a herb called Za'atar which is often used in Arab cuisine. So a twist to my Salad. I suggest you try it.

Dinner
Four fried chicken wings. Getting my typical London fast food in there. (Just kept to the protein. LOL. As if that is any healthy)

Day 19 (Friday)
24.05.2019

Breakfast
Low fat Greek yoghurt with kiwi and honey topped with Milled Linseed which is a nutritious and wholesome cereal topping but I am a rule breaker!!! Oh yeah! (and a cuppa tea).

Lunch
Due to be being up in my room doing my 2500 words essay I didn't realise how fast the time went. So I missed lunch. (Often when I miss a meal I claim that I am wasting away but really and truly, the amount of food in me, I could last a whole year without eating - maybe... I should try it one day)

Dinner
Fried chicken breast on a bed of Salad made of rocket leaves, spinach, feta cheese and sun dried tomato. I had onion chutney sauce which was quite nice.
So, Fried chicken two days in a row after a whole month.

That's that. The end of my blog posts. I have day 20 and 21 to go through. We'll see how that goes especially knowing that I will be doing a night run.
My body image has not changed but my health certainly has. It's not all about the numbers on the weighing scale.

As a kid, I suffered heavily from asthma especially during the winter when the cold would make it harder for me to breathe. I found it hard to run and do sports as I would run out of breath really quickly. The doctors had to write out prescriptions for two inhalers- a blue one which is a reliever for when I felt my chest would tighten and a brown inhaler for which would help decrease the risk of having an asthma attack. (Luckily I have never experienced a severe asthma attack.)
But from the age of 17 till now, my asthma has cleared up a lot as I have been doing more exercise. (Even though I have barely moved for the past year). The doctors have even stopped prescribing me from getting inhalers.
There are certain illness which we often think we cannot get rid off but with a healthy lifestyle, we can actually fight it. Even diabetes. I have heard of many cases where adults have actually managed to fight diabetes completely by exercising and having a good diet. I wish my parents could do the same but rice and curry dominates in their lives.

I have received some feedback from people on FaceBook and Instagram and I really appreciate the positivity and motivation. It is not always easy talking about health and fitness to an audience but my readers have made me feel confident in doing so. So thank you for all your support.

My blog posts will not stop here. I will give an update on how the run went and how well or bad I did. If I 'hit the wall'. I will post about other health issues such as acne, which I have suffered from and a few general posts. So do follow my Instagram page for updates.

This is Salma Razia Khatun and this has been my journey through health & fitness. (This sounds like the end of a documentary)

Peace Out

Check out Day 16 & 17
http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/health-fitness-day-16-17.html

Instagram:

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma