Choose Foods That Maintain Your Body Beauty: Part Two

So let’s keep talking about those foods that maintain your body beauty. Green tea, nuts, cold-water fish, citrus…what else?

5. Rejuvenate your skin cells and keep your body in top form with tomatoes. Tomatoes are full of a red pigment known as lycopene, which appears to act as an antioxidant. This antioxidant helps to neutralize free radicals before they can cause damage and this can benefit good skin health; it can also protect the skin from ultra-violet (UV) stress. Tomatoes are also full of fiber, which also helps keep your body in great shape. Cooked tomatoes can provide access to more nutrients than having them raw but either way, cooked or raw, these fruits will do you a world of good. I cook tomato soup every two weeks. It’s so simple that you can even cook this soup with closed eyes—just throw (literally “throw”!) tomatoes and the other what-so-ever vegetables or meats into boil water, then it’s done!

6. Reduce your sugar consumption. Also known as "white death", sugar isn't really what our bodies have in mind when it comes to good nutrition. Sugar plays an unfortunate role in causing skin to sag and wrinkle; it does this by attaching itself to the collagen and elastin in the skin, causing it to become brittle and to break. Another beauty slam from sugar is the creation of dark, under-eye circles.

7. Reduce skin inflammation with cucumbers. Cucumbers are often used as the base in both commercial and home-prepared beauty products such as face masks, gels, and toners. Cucumbers have soothing and cooling properties as well, and their high water content provides a great source of hydration for skin that leaves skin looking softer and plumped.

8.Boost your immune system. Blueberries, goji berries, and other berries are also loaded with vitamin C and immune-boosting antioxidants that stimulate collagen production that keeps skin smooth and supple.

Be sure to get adequate vitamin K and zinc. These nutrients help your skin to repair itself and zinc is known for its ability to prevent acne and improve the immune system. Oysters are one high source of zinc.

Choose Foods That Maintain Your Body Beauty: Part One

Radiant skin, shiny hair, healthy skin and beautiful appearance suggests health and self-nurture, and gives you a sense of confidence when stepping out. Yet, nothing makes you as beautiful on the outside as feeding your inside with a healthy diet. Being the largest organ of your body, your skin deserves to be nourished with the right nutrients to sustain optimal health. There are a few tips to choose foods that maintains your body beauty.

(Extended reading: Natural Remedies for Dry Skin)

1. Rehydrate your skin and body and preserve your health with green tea. Even caffeinated green tea hydrates you, which helps keep your skin hydrated too. It is loaded with antioxidants (catechins), and these naturally protect your skin from the sun's damage (but you should still take appropriate protective sun precautions as well) and the antioxidants are a basic bodily defense against free radicals that age your skin and body. And green tea can help preserve your mind and slow its aging process, which in turn can help you to feel more beautiful because you're not struggling to remember things or fretting about dementia. I love drinking green tea very much, and I recommend you to get the benefits from it too!

2. Slow down the aging process with vitamin E. Vitamin E is an important anti-aging antioxidant and can help slow down skin aging. It can be found in foods such as pumpkin seeds, dry roasted almonds, other nuts and seeds, and small amounts of quality vegetable oils. I usually put nuts into Greek yogurt with some fruits—the blend just tastes delicious!  

3. Keep in top form with omega-3. Omega-3-fatty acids help to keep your face smooth with their anti-inflammatory properties and your hair shiny and in good condition. Omega-3 can be found in a range of foods such as: cold-water fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, sardines), flaxseeds, and walnuts.

4. Strive for skin that is more elastic. Oranges contain vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that mops up free radicals, such as those caused by overexposure to the sun, or those coming from the carbon monoxide released by moving vehicles etc. Free radical damage leads to premature aging of the skin and vitamin C is a great way to give your skin and body a boost. As well as oranges, other citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C or vegetables such as bell peppers.

Wanna know more about the list of foods? Let’s talk next time!

To be continued.

Homemade Hair Treatments: The Final Chapter

We’ve talked about some interesting and useful hair treatments in  the previous chapters. Which one is your favorite? I’ve tried the honey treatment to cure my dry hair. The effect was impressive. My hair has become smooth and shine with natural honey scent on it.:) 

Today we are going to wrap up the homemade hair treatment series. Hope you’ve enjoyed the way taking care your hair by natural foods!

To read the previous chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

For Frizzy Hair

Home beauty experts swear by avocado—and not just to repair damaged hair. Its oils (which are light and moist like our own natural skin secretions) and proteins boast the best combination of nutrients for smoothing and weighing down unruly hair.

To Use:

1. Mash up half an avocado and massage into clean, damp hair.

2. Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing with water.

3. Amp up moisturizing power by combining mashed avocado with 1 to 2 Tbsp of a hydrating ingredient, like sour cream, egg yolks or mayonnaise.

Treatment can be applied every two weeks.

For Residue-Ridden Hair

Nothing eats through product buildup like baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate essentially breaks down anything acidic.

To Use:

1. Mix 1 to 2 Tbsp baking soda with small amounts of water until a thick paste forms.

2. Massage into damp hair and let sit for 15 minutes.

3. Rinse with water, then shampoo hair.

Treatment can be applied every two weeks.

Homemade Hair Treatments: Chapter Three

Lots of my friends complain about their hair being dry and damaged in autumn season. Are you having this problem even after using bottles of conditioner?  We’ve talked about some interesting homemade hair treatments and scalp cares.  Today we are moving on to how to fix your dry hair and greasy hair by nature ingredients.

For Dry or Sun-Damaged Hair

Whatever your hair-dehydrating demon—hard water, sun overexposure, your trusty flat iron—nature's sweetener can help. Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and locks in moisture.

To Use:

1. Massage approximately 1/2 cup honey into clean, damp hair

2. Let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

That’s it. Soooo simple, isn’t it?  You can also add 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil to loosen the honey for easier application.

For extremely sun-damaged hair, trying mixing honey with 1 to 2 Tbsp of a protein-rich ingredient, like avocado or egg yolk, which will help replenish the keratin protein bonds that UV rays attack.

Treatment can be applied once a month.

For Oily or Greasy Hair

Used properly, cornmeal or cornstarch  is an inexpensive way to remove oil and grease.

To Use:

1. Pour 1 Tbsp cornmeal or cornstarch into an empty salt or pepper shaker and sprinkle onto dry hair and scalp until you’ve used it all.

2. After 10 minutes, use a paddle hairbrush to completely brush it out.

Treatment can be applied every other day.

Homemade Hair Treatments: Chapter Two

Last time we’ve talked about homemade hair treatments for all hair type and dull type. This time we are going to provide more recipes for hair care. You might be surprised that lemon juice could save you from itchy scalp and even beer can help you fix your hair problem!

For Itchy Scalp

To fight flakes—brought on by poor diet, stress and climate, among other factors—try a lemon juice and olive oil mixture in your hair. The acidity in lemon juice helps rid your scalp of any loose, dry flakes of skin, while the olive oil moisturizes the skin on your head.

To Use:

1. Mix 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp water

2. Massage into damp scalp. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and shampoo hair.

Note: Treatment can be applied every other week.

For Limp or Fine Hair

To add body to hair, reach for an unlikely beauty beverage: beer! The fermented drink contains generous supplies of yeast, which works to plump tired tresses.

To Use:

1. Mix 1/2 cup flat beer (pour beer into a container and let it sit out for a couple of hours to deplete carbonation) with 1 tsp light oil (sunflower or canola) and a raw egg.

2. Apply to clean, damp hair, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water. When the liquid evaporates, the remaining protein residue (from the wheat, malt or hops) continues to strengthen and structure hair.

Note: Treatments can be applied every other week.

Homemade Hair Treatments: Chapter One

We've talked about homemade honey yogurt mask. You know what? You can have homemade hair treatments by using exact the same materials! We are going to introduce these amazing organic hair treatments in several chapters.  

For All Hair Types

The  egg is really the best of all worlds. The yolk, rich in fats and proteins, is naturally moisturizing, while the white, which contains bacteria-eating enzymes, removes unwanted oils. For normal hair, use the entire egg to condition hair; use egg whites only to treat oily hair; use egg yolks only to moisturize dry, brittle hair.

To Use:

1. Use 1/2 cup of whichever egg mixture is appropriate for you and apply to clean, damp hair. If there isn’t enough egg to coat scalp and hair, use more as needed.

2. Leave on for 20 minutes, rinse with cool water (to prevent egg from “cooking”) and shampoo hair.

Note: whole egg and yolks-only treatments can be applied once a month; whites-only treatment can be applied every two weeks.

For Dull Hair

Styling products (as well as air pollution) can leave a film that both saps moisture and dulls shine—but dairy products like sour cream and plain yogurt can help reverse this damage. Lactic acid gently strips away dirt while the milk fat moisturizes.

To Use: 

1. Massage 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt into damp hair and let sit for 20 minutes.

2.Rinse with warm water, followed by cool water, then shampoo hair as you normally would.

Note: Treatment can be applied every other week.

More homemade hair treatments applied for different hair types will be exposed in next chapters.

To be continued..

Make Your Own Salt Scrubs

1.Find a jar to hold your salt scrub.

Almost any jar would be fine. Just be careful, a plastic jar will absorb any essential oils you add into the scrub, and that means that you can never use the jar in any other purpose. Make sure whatever jar you are using is clean. A plastic ziplock container will work well too. Even a little sandwich bag works too!

2. Choose a salt to use.

Almost any kind will do. Sea salt, epsom salt, kosher salt, even plain old table salt! Usually table salt is the cheapest, and it has smaller granules, which means you don't have to mash any big salt clumps found in the other salts. Once you have chosen your salt, fill about half of your jar or container with it.

3. Pick an oil. Any kind will do, but a few skin nutritive oils are almond oil, coconut oil, grape-seed oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, rosehip oil, sesame oil, macadamia nut oil, sunflower oil and olive oil.

However, you shouldn't have to go to the grocery store right now to buy these oils if you don't have them. Use whatever cooking or vegetable oil that is already in your kitchen! Even cheap canola oil, which is not fancy, works well too! But one oil you should avoid is baby oil, which contains mineral oil (a by-product of petroleum) because it doesn't absorb into skin and when it evaporates, this oil makes your skin feel even dryer than before. Also baby/mineral oil clogs your pores, making your skin look drab.

4. Fill the jar with oil until it is almost full.

5. Mix your salt scrub using a spoon.

6.Add a few drops of essential oils into the mixture.

Choose a scent that suits your tastes. Some great ones are lavender (relaxing), peppermint (energizing), orange, lime/lemon, sandalwood, and vanilla. Stir the salt scrub after you put add the essential oil.

7. Put your salt scrub near the bathtub, shower or sink.

Use your salt scrub while you are cleaning or soaking on particularly dry areas, like knees and elbows. This exfoliant works especially well on hands and feet too. Scrub skin in a circular motion using a loofah, shower puff, shower gloves, mesh scrubbie, washcloth, or even just your hands. Your skin should feel soft, moisturized, and exfoliated, with the hint of the fragrance you've chosen.
 

Honey Yogurt Homemade Mask

How about have a DIY face masks and facials? They’re cheap, fast, easy to make and 100% natural. They’re made up of simple foods you can find in almost any kitchen. Its ingredients have proven to be more effective in healing the skin than the harsh chemicals found in OTC facial products.

Yogurt honey mask has been considered one of the most effective homemade masks. Why?

Yogurt contains high amounts of Lactic Acid, an AHA proven to be successful in refining pores, exfoliating the skin and stimulating collagen production. Unlike most other exfoliants that are harsh (e.g. salylic acid), it gently cleans the skin and is suitable for even the most sensitive skin types. Plus, its thick and creamy texture lends a paste-like consistency that is ideal for any face mask.

Honey is an all natural humectant—it retains water to help keep the skin soft and moisturized. It also functions as an antimicrobial agent and can even be used to treat minor burns and cuts. An anti-irritant, it’s also gentle enough for sensitive skin. On top of it all, it makes a great binder for all the other ingredients in the mask.

It doesn’t matter what type of skin you have—there’s a DIY recipe out there for you that incorporates both of these miracle foods.

Moisturizing Mask

- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (the fattier the better)

- 1 tablespoon honey

- 1-2 tablespoons cooked & cooled oatmeal

Mix everything together until it forms a smooth paste. Spread over the face and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with a warm washcloth.

Why to choose organic natural products for your skin?

 

We have heard lots about organic products. But can you tell why to choose organic natural products for your skin?

• Organic natural products are better for your health

Organic beauty products are better for your skin because what you put on your skin eventually ends up in your body. Evidence abounds for the healing powers of handmade natural products, particularly when essential oils are included.

• Organic natural products work better

Think of skin care products like you would think of food. In today’s world, there are a lot of synthetic, or “fake” ingredients used in food processing.

But if you go to a high-end restaurant, you generally won’t find “fake” ingredients on the menu. Top chefs know that creating a top-quality meal requires top-quality, natural, fresh ingredients. They don’t use artificial flavors and powders in their cooking, because real spices and fresh herbs create a finer, more exquisite taste.Organic natural skin care products work better simply because they are made with superior ingredients.

•  Organic natural products are better for the environment

Organic natural skin care products are better for the environment because organic farming eliminates the use of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers. Fertilizers and chemicals all have a destructive effect on our water, soil and health.

Organically grown plants also do not have any genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as these may pose a significant threat to both human and environmental health. Therefore, through looking out for your own health, you’re also helping to protect our fragile ecosystem. That is what they call a “win-win” situation.