5 Best Home Remedies to Cure Dark Circles

Dark circles look unpleasant and concealing them with makeup is hardly effective.

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Most of the cosmetic products designed to remove them are expensive and laced with chemicals that can be harmful to the delicate skin under your eyes. However, there are certain effective natural remedies that can help you greatly in getting rid of these awful marks around your eyes and will also prevent its occurrence in the future. Here are five natural remedies for treating dark circles around your eyes.

Tomato paste
Tomato paste is one of the most effective remedies for dark circles. You can make it easily at home. Take one or two fresh tomatoes, one tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of gram flour and turmeric powder. Blend these ingredients nicely until they become a thick paste and apply it very gently around your eyes. Rinse it off gently with clean water after 10 or 20 minutes. Repeating this process twice or thrice every week will make your skin tone around your eyes lighter and will eventually make your dark circles go away completely.

Cucumber and Potato
Putting slices of fresh cucumber or potato over your eyes can help reduce dark circles to a great extent. It also provides your eyes a soothing touch which further prevents the occurrence of dark marks around your eyes. Besides the slices, you can also apply fresh juices of cucumber or potato around your eyes with the help of a cotton ball. It will better to apply the juices for entire night for quicker and more effective results.

Almond oil
Almond oil is another natural ingredient which is very beneficial for the delicate skin around your eyes. All you need to do is to apply a little almond oil over the dark circles before going to bed and wash it off with cold water the next morning. Repeating this for at least a month will make your dark circles disappear almost entirely.

Crushed mint leaves
Applying crushed mint leaves over your eyes will not only soothe your eyes but will also help you in getting rid of dark circles. Apply freshly crushed mint leaves all around your eyes and leave it for 5 or 10 minutes. Then gently wipe it off with a clean and cold cloth. You will feel extremely relaxed and will also get rid of under eye circles gradually.

Orange juice and glycerin
Regular application of orange juice mixed with glycerin is an effective way to get rid of dark circles. However, besides removing your dark circles it will also provide your overall skin with an inner glow and will make your skin around your eyes smoother and softer than before.

If you want to get rid of under eye dark circles without spending a fortune and without harming your skin, try these perfect homemade remedies. 

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Signs of ageing
Turmeric is an excellent exfoliating agent and can help you defeat the signs of ageing. Take besan (gram flour) and turmeric powder in equal proportions and prepare a paste by adding water. You may alternately prepare this paste in raw milk or even yoghurt. Apply it evenly on your body and leave it till it dries off. Wash it off with lukewarm water and scrub your face gently in circular motion.

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Consumers not responsible for meter theft, tampering, PSERC

Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has given relief to consumers. In case a meter was installed outside the premises of a consumer, he would not be held responsible for damage or theft to the apparatus or tampering with the seal. 

'Supply code' regulations have been amended after it came to notice that although the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had installed meters outside premises of consumers, theft cases were registered if seal was found broken or tampered with although the meters were consumers custody.

The clause in a new notification states that in case the meter was installed outside the consumer's premises, he would not be held responsible for damage to the meter or theft or tampering with the seal.

In the same notification, another clause has been amended wherein it has been provided that in case the cost of burnt meter was charged on the consumer, he must be provided with a investigation report giving reasons for the damage.

A third amendment has been made for calculating the penalty in case of 'unauthorised use of electricity' (UUE). The penalty under UUE is charged if consumer is found to be using some load for other purpose(s) or has extended the supply to other premises. In such cases, the PSPCL was charging penalty on the total load but now onwards it would charge only for the unauthorised load.

Fom now onwards the area lineman and junior engineer concerned would be liable to protect the pillar boxes to ensure no damage was done to meters. Most of times the PSPCL employees didn't seal the pillar boxes in which meters were installed outside the house.

Amended clause 21.2 of supply code
In case a meter is  installed outside the premises of a consumer the entire cost of installing the meter outside the premises and providing a display unit within the premises will be borne by the licensee. However, the cost of display unit will be treated as part of the meter cost while determining meter rentals. The display unit may not be installed by the licensee if the consumer so opts. In such an event, monthly rentals on this account will not be levied. In a case where the meter/metering equipment is installed by the licensee outside the premises of a consumer, the consumer will not be responsible for the protection of the meter from theft or damage to the seals/meter or tampering of the seals /meter."

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Affluent Indians develop taste for organic food

Nearly two-thirds of Indian households in the high income group have reported a substantial increase in consumption of organic food products in the past five years, reveals a new survey released here on Thursday.

There has been a major shift in consumer preferences for organic foods with purchases notching a hike of 95 per cent in the past five years, the survey by Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham) said.

The nationwide survey, 'Rising Demand of Organic Products in Metropolitan Cities', covered around 1,500 lead retailers selling organic and non-organic products. 

The spending patterns indicated a threefold jump, or 95 per cent in the past five years. The survey was carried out across the country, including Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Patna, Chandigarh, Indore, Kochi and Dehradun. 

The highest spending pattern on organic foods was reported from Mumbai (65 per cent), Delhi-NCR (61), Bangalore (58), Ahmedabad (55), Hyderabad (52), Chandigarh (51) and Indore (50). 

"Organic farming was one of the fastest growing industries last year, thanks to higher disposable incomes, rising health consciousness levels which have hiked the demand for organic foods," said Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat. 

Despite organic foods being 30-40 per cent more expensive than traditional foods, parents were more concerned about their children's health and a safe diet, the survey revealed. 

The organic food options were led by vegetables (68 per cent), fruits (52), fruit juices and pulses (51), foodgrains (50) and milk (45), besides packaged foods, tea and beverages. Source:TOI

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VEGGIE PRICES SOAR IN MANY STATES OF INDIA

It's not just the price of onion that is burning a hole in people's pockets, but also rates of vegetables that have touched new highs. Monthly budgets have gone for a toss and people say they have no choice but to tweak and prune their vegetable shopping list. 

Here Consumer Voice is showing you the actions and reactions of consumer's on this price rise in veggies of whole of India before we celeberate Independence Day.

 
JAIPUR: After onion, vegetable prices soar due to sporadic rain and low production.

RAJASTHAN: Nearly 60% vegetables arrive from outside Rajasthan. Five trucks of onions booked for Rajasthan dispatched to Gujarat as they pay higher prices.
 

RANCHI: Due to higher onion prices hotels, dhabas ans small eateries have replaced onions with radish. Due to rise in veggie prices Ranchiittes are opting for public transport and going without vegetables. Soyabeans and potatoes have replaced vegetables.

PUNE: Prices of onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, beans, ladyfinger and cabbage have touched a new high ranging between Rs: 40 and Rs: 80 per kg.

GOA: Failed crop and acute shortage    of onions responsible for steep hike which is selling at 60-70 per kg.
 
KOLKATA:Last Friday, onion was selling for Rs    40. On Monday, it was retailing at Rs 60 and the next day, it touched Rs 70 a kilo. Due to bad harvest at Nasik prices likely to rise further.

NEW DELHI: On Tuesday it ranged between Rs 60-80 a kg. Arrival in Delhi has gone down from 2000-2500 tonnes to 800-100 tonnes. Sheils Dikshit has written to agriculture minister Sharad Pawar to curtail export.

To read more log on to http://consumer-voice.org/

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Experts to test anti-theft locks for phone

The top prosecutors in San Francisco and New York say they are bringing in state and federal security experts to test the newest anti-theft features designed to thwart the surge of stolen smartphones.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Thursday the security experts will be in San Francisco to test Apple'siPhone 5 with its activation lock and Samsung'sGalaxy s4 with Lojack for Android.

Gascon says the experts will treat the phones as if they were stolen and try circumventing its anti-theft features to draw their own conclusions on its effectiveness.

Gascon and Schneiderman met in New York City last month with representatives from Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft, urging them to create a "kill switch" to render stolen smartphones inoperable. Almost 1 in 3 robberies nationwide involves the theft of a mobile phone, according to the Federal Communications Commission, which is coordinating the formation this fall of a national database system to track cellphones reported stolen.

"Together, we are working to ensure that the industry imbed persistent technology that is effective, ubiquitous and free to consumers in every smartphone introduced to the market by next year," Gascon and Schneiderman said in a statement.

Nearly 175 million cellphones - mostly smartphones - have been sold in the US in the past year and account for $69 billion in sales, according to IDC, a Massachusetts-based research firm.

Lost and stolen cellphones cost consumers more than $30 billion last year, according to a study cited by Schneiderman in June. In New York, police have coined the term "Apple-picking" to describe thefts of the popular iPhone and other mobile products like iPads. Phone thefts comprise 40 per cent of all robberies in New York City, authorities say.

Source: TOI

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Increase in price of vegetables pushes up packaged food demand

In the past ready-o-eat meals was purchased by bachelors and those who travel frequently. But, due to the rise in cost of vegetables more and more people  have turned over to this quick-fix solution to cut costs.

Economists still believe that home cooked would be more economical but the Assocham study maintains that the steep rise in prices of vegetables has over 58% middle and low income group families swiching over to pre-cooked food.

The study pointed out that with prices of kitchen staples such as garlic and ginger (Rs 160 to Rs 200) and tomatoes (Rs 40 to Rs 60) increasing, the demand for their ready-to-use version has shot up. And local grocers corroborated the survey's findings. Ashok L Mankar, a grocer in Vimannagar said, "Of late we have had to increase our stock of ginger-garlic paste and tomato puree." Kanahaiya Jadhav, another grocer said that in the last couple of weeks he has seen a rise in sales of products such as aloo methi, aloo palak, bhindi masala, navratna korma, gobhi matar.

Most ready-to-eat food products are priced Rs 35 and upwards and serve 2-3 adults. In fact, with the boom in the packaged food industry, many companies have launched products that target the middle income group. A walk in any well-stocked grocery store in the city throws up countless options - from readymade vegetable cutlets, methi vadas, theplas to aloo tikkis, green pea tikkis, and the all-time favourite, gobhi/mooli paratha, priced appropriately to suit the middle-class pocket.

Another Assocham survey says that consumption of such products is much higher in urban areas, especially metros, where life is fast-paced and stressful. The report says urban areas account for 72% sales of such products, with the north and west responsible for two-thirds of the sale.

The survey, 'Rising prices of fruits and vegetables', polled 5,000 people to evaluate the impact of rise in price of fruits and vegetables. Published in the first week of July, the survey was conducted in major cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Bengaluru. The maximum impact was felt in Delhi, followed by Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

Assocham's secretary general D S Rawat said the sudden spurt in vegetables prices had seriously hit the ordinary consumer, especially in metro cities. He added that consumers were now being forced to avoid fresh fruits and vegetables and turning to packaged foods. The study, conducted under the aegis of Assocham Social Development Foundation (ASDF), cited the rise in sales of packaged food, canned/dried processed food, frozen processed food, meal replacement products and condiments. Several households are stocking up on packaged juices, unable to afford fresh fruits (fresh apples priced anywhere between Rs 150 to Rs 180 a kg).

The last couple of weeks has seen a rise in sales of products such as aloo methi, aloo palak, bhindi masala, navratna korma, gobhi matar.

Most ready-to-eat food products are priced Rs 35 and upwards and serve 2-3 adults. In fact, with the boom in the packaged food industry, many companies have launched products that target the middle income group. A walk in any well-stocked grocery store in the city throws up countless options - from readymade vegetable cutlets, methi vadas, theplas to aloo tikkis, green pea tikkis, and the all-time favourite, gobhi/mooli paratha, priced appropriately to suit the middle-class pocket.

Another Assocham survey says that consumption of such products is much higher in urban areas, especially metros, where life is fast-paced and stressful. The report says urban areas account for 72% sales of such products, with the north and west responsible for two-thirds of the sale.

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