Becoming la niña – Page 8 – Love, Life, & Natural Beauty

Gardening With Mom

Last weekend my mother and I decided that we needed to stop putting off the gardening we’ve been talking about for months. We just wanted to make the entrance of their home less cluttered and low maintenance, without spending too much money.

We transplanted some grasses from the back yard to the front, and bought some flowers which will eventually fill in the space nicely.

We also got a great workout. Shoveling dirt is hard work! Did you know that general gardening can burn up to 272 calories per half hour, depending on your weight. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests gardening as a great way to get some of the 2 1/2 hours of the minimum weekly activity recommended for health.

I know it’s winter, but if you live in warm climate areas, take time to enjoy the outdoors and while beautifying your outdoor space at the same time.

Anti-Aging Eyes

As promised, I’ve come up with an eye serum that I really like. It’s a simple recipe to make and you’ll love the results.

As always, my favorite natural beauty ingredient plays a major role in this recipe. Organic extra virgin olive oil softens and protects the skin. It is rich in antioxidant phyto-chemicals and essential fatty acids.

Vitamin E oil is rich in antioxidants to keep fine lines and wrinkles away. It’s also functions as a natural preservative, keeping your home-made concoctions fresh for up to 12 months.

Avocado oil is a rich semi-fatty oil. It is rich in beta-carotene and vitamins B, D, and E.

Grapeseed oil is rich in omega-6 and vitamin E. It helps nourish and regenerate the skin.

I also used orange essential oil for its scent and it’s anti-inflammatory properties.

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp vitamin E oil

1 tsp avocado oil

1 tsp grapeseed oil

4 drops orange essential oil

Combine all the ingredients and shake vigorously. With just a drop, apply around the delicate eye area, making sure not to stretch the skin. Use it day and night. Enjoy!

Eggscellent Eggshells – Tea

There are so many things you can do with eggshells, and I’m not just talking about using them as compost.

Last weekend my father was very ill. He must have picked up a stomach bug. Needless to say, he couldn’t keep anything down. My mother made him a home remedy passed down from her mother – eggshell tea. My father wasn’t very happy about drinking it, but he did. Within a few minutes, his stomach settled and the vomiting stopped. I don’t know why this works, but my grandmother use to say that “even though you can’t keep anything down, you should alway be able to keep this tea down. If you can’t keep the tea down, you must immediately go to the hospital, there is something more serious going on”.

So, if your ever feeling sick to your stomach, and can’t keep anything down, here is my grandmother’s recipe for the tea:

1 cup water

1 eggshell (cleaned inside and out)

whole allspice or anise to taste

Bring the water to a boil, then add the eggshells and allspice. Boil eggshells for five minutes. Strain the tea and serve. It doesn’t really taste like much, but if you need a little more flavor, use a pinch of salt instead of sugar, as sugar will upset your already sensitive stomach.

I hope this works the next time you’re feeling a little under the weather. Enjoy!

Vitamin E Oil

My new favorite natural beauty ingredient is vitamin E oil. For a while now I’ve been searching for an effective treatment for the delicate skin around my eyes. Eye creams are the most expensive creams out there, and I haven’t yet been able to come up with a home-made treatment that I like. However, vitamin E is an essential ingredient in anti-aging moisturizers, especially eye creams.

Vitamin E oil has some inherent qualities that enable it to provide protection to our skin from the harmful effects of free radicals. Vitamin E oil is a naturally occurring oil. It acts as an antioxidant and prevents the formation of free radicals on the skin cells. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Due to presence of these essential qualities, it is good for the skin.

Vitamin E oil has an amazing anti-aging effect on skin. It reduces the appearances of the visible age spots, fine lines or wrinkles and gives you a younger looking skin. I’m using it undiluted around my eyes, but it may also be mix in with any light oil or your favorite moisturizer. It is a bit thick, so use it sparingly. Vitamin E oil is also great for scars, sunburns, and stretch marks.

I’m working on an eye oil using vitamin E oil which I will share with you, hopefully soon.

Natural Beauty Basics 101: Tamarind

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Tamarind is a legume-like fruit. It is an oblong-shaped pod enclosing a soft acid pulp and several hard-coated seeds. It grows from a large shade-producing tree that can live over 200 years. In the Dominican Republic tamarind is mostly used to make tamarind juice and sweet treats. However, tamarind has a lot of health and beauty benefits.

Tamarind is rich in vitamins and minerals such as, vitamins A, B, iron, copper, potassium, magnesium, calicum, and zinc. Not only does is contain vitamin C, it also protects against vitamin C deficiency. Tamarind has powerful cancer fighting antioxidants and it may help ease digestion issues. It’s juice also great as a fever reducer and sleep aid, and helps ease sore throats.

The tartaric acid in the tamarind serves as an antioxidant which helps the look of fine line and wrinkles. Tamarind pulp can be used as a facial scrub to help exfoliate the skin, removing dirt and leaving the skin soft and supple. Alpha Hydroxy Acids in the tamarind will reduce blemish spots, resulting in skin which look brighter and younger looking.

Here is a simple face and body scrub using tamarind:

3/4 cup tamarind pulp

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp baking soda

Mix all the ingredient together. Using cicular motion, light pressure, spread the scrub over your face and body, making sure to avoid the delicate eye area. Rinse with warm water, pat dry, and apply moisurizer. This scrub will leave your skin soft, supple, and radiant. Enjoy!

No More Product Build-up

Healthy Hair

Product build-up on our hair is something we all deal with. Almost everything we use on our hair causes build up, even our shampoo, which is supposed to cleanse our hair. Most clarifying shampoos remove product build-up, but they contain harsh chemicals that strip our hair of the vital oils it needs to stay healthy and shiny.

Using natural shampoos will help alleviate product build-up. But if you already have a favorite shampoo at home, here is an easy remedy for your product build-up.

1 tbsp shampoo

1 tbsp baking soda

Mix the shampoo and baking soda together and shampoo your hair with the mixture. The baking soda will remove the build-up from your hair and will rinse away easily. This natural ingredient is easy to find, affordable, and will not damage your hair… and you probably already have some in your pantry. To keep product build-up at bay, use this mixture once a month.

Nail and Cuticle Oil

Nail care is extremely important because your nails are always visible and we abuse them regularly. We bite them. We rely on them to peel fruit. We pop open cans with them. That’s a lot to ask of something smaller than a postage stamp and made from the same type of protein as our hair. Our fingernails are made of a protein called keratin, and there’s more to them than meets the eye.

Nails are complicated little bits of protein, and if we overlook them, things could potentially go wrong. The most common complaints we have about our nails is that they are brittle, they’ve developed an infection or we’ve injured them. But, you don’t need to rely on a mani-pedi to keep your fingers and toes looking good. This simple recipe will help keep your nails healthy and looking great.

1 tsp. jojoba oil

1 tsp. almond oil

1/2 tsp. vitamin E oil

Mix together all the three oils. To keep your cuticles soft, soak your nails in warm water for ten minutes, then massage a small amount of the oil treatment onto nails and cuticles to lock in moisture. Store the oil treatment in a clean, sealable container.

Healthy Nails (dailyglow.com)

Beauty Basics 101: Pineapple

In my opinion, pineapples are one of the most delicious fruits. However, they are more than just delicious.

Pineapple juice is anti-inflammatory and is rich in antioxidants, such as AHA (alpha hydroxy acids), which is anti-aging. Pineapples are packed with nutrients, including vitamins A and B. They have enzymes called Bromelain, which acts as a gentle exfoliant and helps remove dead skin cells, dirt, and oil. Eating pineapples is also good for your heart, kidneys, and aids in digestion.

Pineapple Exfoliating Mask

1/2 cup ripe pineapples (or about 4 large chunks)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mash the pineapple with a fork or in a food processor, until smooth. Add the olive oil and mix well to combine. After cleansing your face with a mild cleanser, apply the mixture to your face, avoiding the eye area. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water, pat dry, and apply moisturizer.

Using this mask regularly will increase skin hydration and elasticity, remove dead skin cells, help heal acne scars, and give you a radiant glow.

Vinegar – What Else Do You Need?

Everyone has heard about the versatility of vinegar. It’s uses are endless. Every household should keep a bottle of it in stock because it will eventually come in handy. Here are a few of the ways I use this pantry staple.

Vinegar is a great disinfectant. Mix equal parts of vinegar and water and use it to disinfect counters, clean windows and wipe down blinds. Or, wet a cloth with the solution, wring it out, and wipe down your computer, fax, and printer.

The pungent smell of vinegar is an indication of its strength. Did you know that vinegar is so strong it could unclog and deodorize drains? Using a funnel, pour a half a cup of baking soda and then one cup of vinegar into the drain. The mixture will foam up and unclog your drain. Once the foam is gone, run hot water down the drain. After five minutes, run some cold water.

Don’t you hate getting water rings on your wood tables? Mix equal parts of vinegar and olive oil, and apply with a soft cloth over the stain in the direction of the wood grain… No more rings!

Dandruff can sometimes be caused by excess yeast growth on the scalp. The acidity of apple cider vinegar changes the PH of your scalp so yeast can’t grow. Mix equal parts of the vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on your hair and scalp and wrap your head in a towel for 15 minutes. Do this twice a week to avoid the harsh chemicals found in dandruff shampoos.

Mixing equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water in a basin, and adding the juice of two lemons, along with 1/2 cup of sea salt, not only makes a great foot bath for a pedicure, but also kills the fungus that causes athlete’s foot. It will also get rid of skin and nail discolorations, flaking, rough areas, and unpleasant foot odors.

As you can see, vinegar has many uses. It’s a good idea to keep some handy because you never know when you’re going to need it.

What’s In Your Mineral Make-up?

I love mineral make-up and I use it regularly, so I found this article from OrganicAuthority.com very informative and thought I’d share some of it with you.

“There are about a zillion ‘mineral’ make-up lines out there, but they’re a far cry from all the same. The beautiful thing about good mineral make-up is its ability to create a smooth, flawless canvas and add vibrant color while calming irritation and providing some measure of sun protection due to the natural reflective qualities of the minerals used. While many can claim to be mineral based, most actually can include a variety of fillers and additives that simply don’t need to be there.

If you look at a few labels, you’ll quickly realize that many brands have ingredient lists nearly a mile long. A clean mineral makeup also takes a long list of potentially harmful ingredients out of the equation, providing a simple product with a short ingredient list from readily identifiable sources.”

“While mineral makeup has become very popular over the past few years, many companies add a variety of fillers to cut costs and make their product go further. Adding unnecessary fillers can cause skin irritations and increase the appearance of fine lines and imperfections in your skin, clog and enlarge pores, and at their worst, can increase cancer risks common in women.

Just as all mineral makeup lines are not equal, neither are all minerals. Of greatest concern is talc, a mineral, yes, but one closely related to asbestos, which has been linked to ovarian, endometrial and lung cancer.”

“Look out for preservatives such as parabens, and the commonly used filler bismuth oxychloride, which is used to cuts costs by adding bulk to the product and may cause sensitivity in some individuals. For those concerned with animal derived ingredients, be sure to look for magnesium stearate, carmine, silk powder, gelatin, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin A, all of which can be animal derived.”

“So, the next time a vibrant shade of pumpkin, evergreen or cobalt calls your name, or you feel compelled to even out a blotchy complexion with a quick pass of powder, read the label and opt for a true mineral product.”

To read the full article go to OrganicAuthority.com.

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