Where in the World is Elena?

Sheesh! I just realized I have not posted in over two weeks! 

I have been super busy with photographing weddings, wrapping up the remodel on my Mom's house [still a little bit to go], working hard, and planning activities for the Fall.

I was hoping to offer a couple of cooking classes in Longview/Kelso, WA in the month of August--we'll see how it goes.  If I do it will be the last offering of classes for this year altogether.  So, if you are local to Cowlitz county and interested, shoot me an e-mail. 

Meanwhile I am running off to work on more projects.  

Talk to you soon, lovely people! 

Home Remedies To Keep Your Skin Glowing In Monsoon.

Monsoons pose a lot of challenges to healthy skin. Hence it is very necessary to take care of your skin during this season in order to keep your skin glowing.

Here are some easy tips to maintain your youthful skin during this monsoon.

Exfoliate your skin by using a face scrub twice a week.

Make a paste of crushed almonds and two tsp of honey.
Massage on face for 5 to 7 minutes, rinse face and pat dry.

For dry skin during monsoon, apply a mixture of rosewater and glycerin on your face before you go to bed every night.

Take white of an egg and mix with one teaspoon each of honey and lime juice.Apply it once in a week.

Take off the grime and dirt in the humid season by using a skin toner.

For oily skin, use an oatmeal scrub or make a pulp out of pieces of papaya. Apply this on your face and then wash it off with cold water.

Mix 2 drops of strawberry oil,2 tsp rose water and fresh orange oil and apply on face and neck for 10 mins and then wash off.

Don't avoid the sunscreen lotion during the rainy season.Our skin needs protection from UVA and UVB rays.

For dry skin, mix five drops of chamomile oil with one teaspoon of milk. It soothes the skin without irritating it.

Home Remedies To Have A Fair Skin Tone With Lemon In Just Few Minutes.

Everybody in todays world is very much concerned about their skin color. Even people with fair skin people put their best efforts to maintain their skin color. A true method of lightening your skin is Using a good quality organic lemon juice as a skin lightener and also used for getting rid of freckles. It can be used for all types of skin problems. Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent that helps to reduce dark marks as well as lighten the skin if it is used for a long period. And it's cheap and easy to use. And the most important characteristic of lemon is that is is natural, plant-based so it won't block your pores.
The steps and procedure to ligthen the skin tone using a lemon are shown in the below video.

Remove Blackheads Without Any Pain By Using Toothbrush.

The technical term for a blackhead is an open comedone meaning that the blackhead is open to the skins surface.
Blackheads fall into the category of Acne vulgaris,this category also includes whiteheads & pimples, which is considered a mild moderate case of acne.They are nothing, but blocked pores that are filled with oil deposits and dead skin cells.Usually blackheads are the result of oily skin and blocked pores.
When an open pore becomes blocked with dead skin cells and sebum, this material is exposed to air and begins to oxidize. This causes the material to discolor and turn black, resulting in blackheads.They tend to be most prevalent on the skin of the face, neck, and chest
While there are many skin treatments, like laser therapy, which you can follow to get cured of blackheads, it is advisable to stick to natural ways.
There are many home remedies for blackheads, so before you go to an expensive salon for extractions, try some items that are available right in your own kitchen or bathroom...
If you are having problems with blackheads dont worry there is the easest remedy ever to get rid of them just take an super soft toothbrush get it wet and scrub away.
Scrubbing the face carefully with an super soft toothbrush is one of the best home remedies for blackheads. It should not leave scratch marks on your face; if it does, you’re doing it too hard. This should be done every other night on slightly damp skin with some foaming face wash on face and must be done very gently Use a baby toothbrush with extra gentle bristles for better results.
Toothbrush should be kept clean after use for reuse.

Home Remedies To Make Your Hair Silky And Shiny In Easy Steps

Rub amla paste regularly into the scalp reverses the process of greying or falling off of hair. 

Gooseberrie is cut to pieces and dried in shade. This dried pieces are heated in coconut oil till the matter turns into thick dark oil. It should be applied every day.

Combine equal amounts of rosemary and sage to 1 cup of water, and steep for 10 minutes, strain and use liquid for the colorant.

Ribbed gourd boiled in coconut oil is also an effective remedy for premature greying of hair.

Massage your hairs with coconut oil and Lemon everyday for at least 15 minutes.

Butter prepared from cow’s milk is beneficial in prevention of premature white hair.

Make a paste of 2 tspn henna powder, 1 tspn yogurt, 1 tsp fenugreek, methi seed powder, 3 tspn coffee, 2 tspn basil juice and 3 tspn mint juice and apply to the hair. Wash hair with shampoo after 3 hours.

Mix lemon juice, castor oil and henna. Apply the mixture evenly over the scalp, and bath after an hour using shikakai and ritha shampoo.

Taking sufficient amount of yoghurt daily and a tablespoon of yeast before meals is helpful in prevention and treatment of white hair.

Take a cup of strong black tea without milk, and to this add a tablespoon of salt. When cold, strain the tea and massage it on the roots. Leave it on for an hour, and then rinse with cold water. Do not shampoo it.