Skin Care

I really am against putting a lot of unnecessary crap on my skin.  Even some of the "natural" skin care stuff out there isn't very natural or good for your skin.  Your skin absorbs everything you put on it, so I try to be careful.  I wish I had been more prudent when I was younger, but better late than never I guess.  My routine for my face is pretty simple - my skin looks better than it used to, or at least I think it does.  I had started getting breakouts in my 30's after never really dealing with any of that, and that has cleared up. Small wrinkles are a little less, and a couple of dark spots I was getting are fading as well.  My skin looks and feels better.

I don't always wash my face at night.  I probably should, but I just don't.  I do take my eye makeup off usually though.  For this, I just rub a little coconut oil right on my eyes and wipe off the extra.  Easy and good for your delicate eye skin.  I also sometimes put a little shea butter around my eyes before I go to bed at night.  It's nice and thick and is a good moisturizer for the eye area.

I wash my face with a combination of liquid castile soap, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, castor oil and apricot kernel oil.  I mix it up and keep it in a small quirt bottle.  Doesn't dry my skin and all the oils are super good for your skin.

Sometimes I exfoliate using brown sugar and a little of one of the oils from my facewash above.  Just mix it in my  hand and circular rub it on my face, rinse and done.  Just don't use the toner after you do that.  You'll have face burn for like 3 hours...

If I use a toner at all, which isn't very often, I dilute a little Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and use a cotton ball to dab a little on my face.

For moisturizer, the only thing I use is a little jojoba oil.  It mimics your skins own natural sebum, so it's really good for you.

Apparently pomegranate is also good for wrinkles and your skin in general, so I may start incorporating a little juice into my cleanser and see if I notice any difference.

and that's about it.  Pretty easy.  I buy the oils from a health food store in town, a little more expensive on the front end, but the supply lasts me quite a while as I mix up enough for a 4oz bottle at a time.

I am also trying to switch the makeup I use over to an all natural.  I really like what I read about Miessence.  Still need to do more research... another post for another day.

The body butter I use is here and it is seriously the best stuff ever.  It's not a traditional lotion - it's creamier, thicker, oilier - but so good for your skin.  I slather it all on right out of the shower head to toe.

Enjoy - do some research and tweak according to what you might want or need.  Would love to hear if you try any of these out.

-M

Staying Healthy During Cold & Flu Season

Cold and flu season is upon us.  We are a pretty healthy family, but the occasional cold, ear infection, strep throat still plagues us every now and then.  For anyone who doesn't know me well, I try to stay away from over the counter drugs and medicines unless absolutely necessary.  The same goes for antibiotics. Most of it is way way way too overused and overprescribed.  And over the years I have found alot of all natural medicines/remedies that work for the majority of ailments.  So I thought I would share some stuff that works for us.  We also see a chiropractor regularly and believe 100% that our good health can be attributed to getting regular adjustments.  Before we started getting adjusted I would probably get 5-7 colds a year.  Now I get maybe 2, and they don't last as long and aren't quite so nasty.  So yes, I am a huge proponent of chiropractic care.  In case you are wondering, we see Dr. Antonio Marotta and we really love him!  So if you are local, check him out.  What have you got to lose right?  His fees are reasonable, he is great, and his office staff is awesome too!  And if you are wondering, yes our kids also get adjusted - it's a family affair.

Probiotics - we take everyday, sometimes multiple times a day.  Probiotics put good bacteria in your digestive tract which is where about 70% of your immune system is.  All the good bacteria helps fight off any bad bacteria that shouldn't be there.  If you have to take antibiotics for anything, I highly recommend also adding in a probiotic supplement.  Antibiotics tend to kill ALL bacteria good and bad. Do you ever notice that you sometimes get sick again, soon after ending a round of antibiotics?  It's because you have killed off all the good stuff in your digestive tract, and there is nothing left to fight the bad stuff off.  So adding in a probiotic really helps.

I take a flax seed supplement every day.  Flax seed is good for a number of things.  I'll let you google that.

Things you can do/take for colds, ear infections, sore throat etc.

Green tea is really good to fight colds - find organic
Braggs apple cider vinegar is great for so many things.  Take a little every day to fight stuff.  But if you are sick, you can mix just a little bit in your green tea with some honey.  Triple threat.
And you can take that as many times as you want - green tea does have caffeine though.

Ear infections/earaches - a piece of a garlic clove in the ear, and cover with a cotton ball.  Leave in for a few hours.  You can do this multiple times a day until the earache is gone.  A hot compress on the ear also feels good.  With my kids, I've found that the garlic works pretty quickly.

Pink eye - chamomille tea.  Works like a charm.  I brew a cup of the tea, and then use a cotton ball soaked in the tea to clean the infected eyes several times a day.  Don't use the same cotton ball on both eyes, you'll just be spreading infection between eyes.  This will usually clear up the infection in a day or two.

Sore throat - The green tea/apple cider vinegar also works for sore throats.  But what I always have on hand for sore throats is grapefruit seed extract.  It takes like junk, I'll be honest, but it works wonders on throat infections.  For really bad sore throats, you can put a drop or two directly in the throat.  Otherwise, just mix a few drops with a drink of juice and take this several times a day until symptoms are gone.

Lots of hand washing. - When the kids get home from school, they wash their hands first thing.  And multiple times through the day.  I have a nail biter, so she tends to catch more stuff, so lots of hand washing in necessary.

A note on the apple cider vinegar - you want the raw, unfiltered stuff.  Not walmart brand.  Go with Braggs.  It has all the beneficial stuff in in.  When you see floaties, that's a good thing.

Also, with apple cider vinegar - it makes a good bath soak.  If you've been achy from cold or flu, you can put a couple cups in a tub of warm water and soak for a bit.  It helps to pull toxins out of your body and you'll leave the bath feeling better than when you went in.

Of course, if you are concerned that something is very wrong, you should see a doctor.  I have just found that these things work for us, for minor ailments and infections.

I also make our own laundry soap, shampoo and I use a special facial cleanser that I make myself and a jojoba oil moisturizer... Just read the labels on stuff - totally skeeves me out.  Anyway, maybe I'll post more on all that at a later date.  For now, if you have an all natural remedy that you really like, I'd love to hear it.  Leave me a comment and let me know!

See you soon
-M