Caulking may sound dirty at first, but is an essential and versatile component used in almost all homes and office buildings all over the world.

The word refers to not just the process, but also the material that is used in sealing up the holes or gaps between joints and seams in both structures and plumbing. This is mostly done using a special chemical sold in cartridges, which is loaded into a caulking gun and applied to the target area.

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Caulking vs. Sealant

Caulking is essentially sealing up holes and gaps in different material, but is a different process from applying sealant. While most people use them interchangeably, they do have a few important differences that you need to keep in mind.

The biggest difference between the two is elasticity – while sealant is specifically used for roofing and is supposed to be waterproof, caulk is more rigid and is used for sealing gaps.

Another difference is in the way they are applied. Caulking is usually sold in cartridges and applied with the use of an apparatus called a caulking gun, while sealant can be directly applied onto the leak from the container.

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Types of Caulk

There are many different types and varieties of caulk, each one with their own specific use. However, they can generally be classified into a few major categories. Some of the most common include:

• Acrylic latex – Also called “painter’s caulk”, this is one of the most common and cheapest types of caulk available, as it is meant to cover small holes and imperfections in surfaces for them to be painted on.
• Acrylic tile sealant – This type of caulking is the type used for sealing up bathroom tiles, and often comes in smaller tubes compared to most types of caulk. Acrylic tile sealant resists both mold and mildew, and will take a few years before the next replacement. 
• Silicone – The best way to seal a shower area or bathtub for good is by using a silicone caulk, which has a longer lifespan and works great on non-porous surfaces. However, it is really difficult to clean off and can have a bad smell when first applied.

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• Asphalt – Though mostly used to seal shingles, flashings, and certain roof areas that aren’t exposed to sunlight, asphalt caulk degrades much faster than butyl when placed directly under the sun.
• Adhesives – Adhesive caulks, also known as “liquid nails”, are used to glue almost any surface regardless of porosity and has an impressive lifespan. Though it can be cleaned up with water, the best way to dissolve it or clean it up is by using a solvent.  
• Fireproof – This specialty caulk is often used for insulation and sealing holes where plumbing or electrical wiring goes through, and contains a retardant that prevents fire from travelling through them.

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While there is a lot of great advice on the internet about what you should and shouldn’t eat, everyone has different dietary habits that work for them, and different people would require different quantities of certain foods in order to be healthy. 

A nutritionist’s main role is to help you achieve optimal physical health by offering information and advice on your food choices as well as how you can make the best ones.

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Here are a few reasons why you should see a registered nutritionist today:

1. You’re looking to lose weight.

If you’re not sure what you need to do to lose the weight even after making the healthy choices yourself, a nutritionist might be able to help you pinpoint the problem and tackle it with a customized diet for your specific needs.

Consulting a nutritionist to help you lose weight also keeps you from using unhealthy weight loss methods and reduce any risk of long-term damage associated with unhealthy weight loss.

A nutritionist can even help you break your habit of binge eating, an unhealthy way for managing stress that ends up in potential health risks if left unchecked (as well as help you find more constructive ways to deal with stress).  

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2. You’re experiencing irregular bowel movements.

Something might be going wrong with your dietary system if you find that you need to visit the restroom more (or even less) than you need to, as most doctors suggest that bowel movements need to happen at least once a day.  

To avoid the problem, consulting a nutritionist to know which foods to eat and which ones to avoid is key. A customized diet that is high in fiber can even help for a much easier, less painful time during restroom visits.

3. You have unexpected food allergies.

These are the foods in particular that make up most of the allergic reactions suffered by about fifteen million people in the world: nuts, milk, shellfish, fish, soy, and wheat.

If you find yourself allergic to food that you previously have had no problem consuming, seeing a nutritionist can help you look for alternative sources of the nutrients found in that particular food.

This is especially true with people who suffer from multiple food allergies, though these cases tend to be uncommon. Sticking to a rotation diet, also called elimination diet, will make sure that you don’t develop more allergic reactions to the remaining foods that you eat.

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4. You’re simply too tired to plan your meals yourself.

Being fatigued at work can drastically decrease your work performance, and this can be caused by a lot of things, such as certain foods. Consulting a nutritionist can help you pinpoint which foods make you feel a certain way so that you can switch to alternatives to feel more energetic.

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Singapore is a tropical country and we cannot do something about the heat. While the weather is a natural phenomenon, it is definitely taking its toll on everyone here in Singapore. As time goes by, we realize that temperatures are dangerously rising to almost unbearable levels.

With this, we are in danger of drowning in our own sweat. The worse threats are sweaty underarms and body odor – which is not pleasant at all. If in this case we are worried about our sweaty pits, we can implore the help of a good deodorant but for some, its use can lead to skin irritation.

Skin irritation is inevitable and it is crucial that we identify the root cause of skin irritation aside from heat. Here are the common causes of skin irritation:

• Shaving: If we are in the habit of shaving our underarms, we have to expect traces of razor burns which are characterized by redness and raised bumps. The razor can push the hair follicle in the wrong direction.

• Contact dermatitis: The most common cause of skin irritation is caused by an allergic reaction to a particular chemical or compound found in underarm products. To avoid this, we have to avoid products containing ingredients that can trigger allergies.
• Improper hygiene: When we are bathing, we forget to wash our underarm. We have to remember that the underarm area should be kept clean because of the accumulated dirt and sweat. Our underarms can harbour bacteria that can eventually cause irritation at the end of the day.

Now that we know what triggers skin irritation, we have to be wary of these things.

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