Natural Beauty Tips
Winter Care for Dry and Dehydrated Skin
Everyone knows skin is the body’s largest organ, but we sometimes forget it is also a vital organ; as vital to our overall health and well being as healthy lungs or a healthy heart. In addition to helping regulate the body’s temperature, one of the key roles of our skin is to act as a barrier, keeping essential nutrients, including water, in the body. So protecting our skin with effec...
Read more...Color Therapy—Pink Is for the Heart
Each chakra (or energy center) in our bodies is associated with a color. This week I went for an energy balancing treatment and the practitioner told me to “think pink” because my heart chakra wasn’t protected and was being depleted. So every morning and evening during my meditation, I have been thinking pink. Every time I see pink, I feel this rush of good energy into my heart. It all made sense ...
Read more...Smile—It Will Make Your Day Better!
Try to start each day off with a smile and positive thoughts and you’ll find that your whole day goes better than if you start your day in a grumpy mood. However, if you do find yourself feeling low around mid-day, try to think of a few things to be grateful for that make you smile. The good-feeling natural hormones that are released when you smile make you feel better! Jane Large
Read more...Eczema Be Gone!
If you are looking for an effective natural treatment for eczema and psoraisis, look for salves and ointments made with calendula, arnica, stinging nettle, and comfrey herbs as well as neem and tea tree oil. These herbs and oils have been used in dozens of countries around the world for centuries to treat many skin irritations. Avoid products that contain petroleum products, dyes, or artificial fr...
Read more...Smooth Lips
The change from summer to fall to winter can leave our skin dry, itchy, chapped, and cracked. The skin on our lips is extra-sensitive as it is thinner than the skin on your arms and legs. Lips can take a beating: burns from coffee, bitten from stress, chemicals in most cosmetics, etc. • Smooth your lips by first massaging them gently with an extra-soft wet toothbrush for a minute or so. • Then app...
Read more...Perky Eyes 101: Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera Gel Miracle Keep organic aloe vera gel in the fridge and apply to the eye area or entire face/neck area whenever you need a lift. Particularly great in the summer, but useful all year round! For other eye-refreshers, see my blogs about pomegranate and fenugreek. Jane Large
Read more...Perky Eyes 101: Fenugreek
Fenugreek Eye Mask Here’s another all-natural eye mask you can easily make at home. 1. Add water or yogurt to 1 Tbsp of fenugreek powder. Mix until smooth. 2. Apply the paste to the area under the eyes and let sit for 10–20 minutes. 3. Rinse off with some cool water and pat dry. Also consider perking up your eyes with pomegranate and/or aloe vera. Jane Large
Read more...Perky Eyes 101: Pomegranate
Need to perk up your eye area but don’t buy into the hype of eye cream? Try this! Pomegranate Eye Mask Everyone knows that drinking pomegranate juice or eating the fruit is good for our bodies because of the huge amount of antioxidants found within. However, pomegranate also works from the outside in. 1. Crush about ¼ cup of pomegranate pods and put between layers of cheese cloth. OR soak cotton ...
Read more...Lessons in Tragedy
Recently I found myself out of my element when a close friend’s father passed away. I realized that I had never before been in that position. Although I was not as close with her parents as I was with her, I felt as though someone very special had left. This feeling was augmented as I attended the wake and funeral as the common sentiment among the mourners was that my friend’s father was a very ki...
Read more...Making the Most of Life
The other day I decided to go for a bike ride, which was a big deal considering it had been raining here for the past few days. However, when I was not even halfway through, the clouds opened up and the thunder and lightning started. Now I don’t recommend biking in a thunderstorm, but I have to say it was refreshing to be outside even in the rain. This experience got me thinking that so many times...
Read more...Aging Gracefully
I hate the word “anti-aging.” In many ancient cultures it was the elders who were revered for their knowledge, skills and wisdom. From my own first-hand experience, growing in years has given me great experiences, a better perspective on life, more wisdom, and a better sense of self. So what’s wrong with that! And frankly, I think that many of us, women and men, get better looking as we age, possi...
Read more...Fun at the Farmer’s Market
I love markets—any type of market, really. I love the diversity of the smells, sights, sounds, and yummy treats to eat! The beauty of a farmer’s market is that it is an opportunity to connect with the individuals who have produced the items you are buying, be it fruits, vegetables, cheeses, clothing, pottery, jewelry, etc. There is nothing better than actually being able to meet the person who is ...
Read more...Making a Connection
The other day a friend told me a story that blew my socks off! She was going through the check-out counter and the cashier remarked my friend must be eating “the new way.” My friend is vegan and tends to purchase very few pre-packaged foods. That day she was buying fruits, vegetables, rice, and various other non-packaged items. When my friend asked the cashier what she meant, the cashier replied t...
Read more...Redefining Happiness
Are you happy? What is happiness, really? How do we find it? Where does it come from? Many people ask themselves these questions and believe that the answer comes from outside sources. They’ll tell you they will be happy when this or that happens, when such-and-such a person does what they want, or once they have something. I wonder to myself if those people will continue to wait and wait, never b...
Read more...Bugs Away!
If you are going to be spending any time at a cottage or camp where bug protection might be an issue, DEET-filled products are not your only option. Seek out a herbal bug repellant that contains lavender, catnip, rosemary, peppermint, lemon balm, and citronella essential oils. Natural bug repellants can often be found in a spray bottle or deodorant-stick formation. As always, if you are looking fo...
Read more...Natural Sunscreen Options
Every time I have ever used a chemically based sunscreen, my skin always feel greasy and slimy. I often breakout even if the product claims to be oil-free. Most conventional sunscreens contain not only chemical sunscreen ingredients but also paraffin wax, petrolatum, and mineral oil—all skin-clogging petroleum by-products that are not skin- or earth-friendly. These ingredients act as plastic-like ...
Read more...Beware Green-Washing
What never fails to amaze me is the number of companies that tout their products are "natural" when they still contain one, two, ten, or more harmful chemical ingredients! The phenomenon of "green-washing"—where a company claims a product is natural or earth-friendly when it is not—is becoming more common as green becomes more trendy. And green-washing exists everywhere—even at...
Read more...Global Skincare Secrets: Egypt
This series will chronicle my journey through different countries and cultures searching for the ancient natural secrets to skincare around the globe. My first destination is Egypt. In August of 2007, I had the opportunity to travel to Egypt. Not only was this journey a chance to rest, it was a chance to learn about a fascinating country, its people, and their traditional practices of beauty and p...
Read more...Set Yourself Free!
Setting yourself from from guilt, shame, and anger is easier than you think. Step 1—Taking Responsibility for Yourself The first and most challenging part of setting yourself free is actually taking responsibility for yourself and where you are. Blaming others, genetics (your mom’s fat thighs), your partner, or anybody else isn’t going to help you set yourself free. It’s your life and your choices...
Read more...Joy of Scent
Many institutions and businesses have banned perfume from their offices and buildings due to increasing allergies. What most people don’t know is that the allergy develops as sensitivity to the chemical and synthetic components of the perfume, not the scent itself. Traditionally perfumes were made from pure essential oils from flowers and herbs as well as flower waters and alcohol as a medium to c...
Read more...Listening to Your Body 101
In my last blog, I talked about what happened when I didn’t listen to my body. Be sure to listen to yours! • Take 5 minutes daily to sit or lie in a peaceful place and ask the question, “Body—what do you need today?” You might be really surprised by what comes to you then or later on in the day! A great time to do this is just before you get out of bed or as part of your regular meditation routin...
Read more...Your Body Is Trying to Tell You Something!
I think we can all agree that our bodies are marvellous biological machines! It amazes me how incredibly my body works to allow me to eat, talk, feel, and move. However, our bodies are not only skin and bone; our bodies have this wonderful inner intelligence that can give us signals that what we are doing, thinking or feeling is not conducive to our overall health and well-being. These signals can...
Read more...
