naturopathica:

Lavender Compress

This is great to wake up on those crisp mornings when getting out of bed can be difficult. The restorative, anti-inflammatory properties of lavender help soothe puffy eyes and calm irritated skin, while the floral herbaceous scent helps wake up your tired mind. In addition, the warm, steaming washcloth helps the essential oil penetrate the skin more easily.

Fill clean bathroom skink with warm water. Add 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil and swish water to disperse the oil. Soak washcloth in water, wring out, and apply to face. Inhale deeply.

nerdyfitnessmotivation:

Coconut oil, I’m absolutely in love with this stuff. Not only is it healthy, it’s a kick-ass natural beauty product.

While there’s been some myth about coconut oil being bad because of it’s high saturated fat content, the fact is about 50% of the saturated fat is made up of lauric acid.
Lauric acid converts to monolaurin in your body which help fights viruses and bacteria causing diseases like herpes, HIV, influenza, and cytomegalovirus.

Vitamin E and K and minerals such as iron occur naturally in coconut oil.

Health Benefits:
- Heart Disease: The lauric acid helps in preventing various heart problems (like high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure). The saturated fats in coconut oil aren’t harmful, don’t lead to an increase in LDL levels, and also reduces the incidence of injury in the arteries and can help preventing atherosclerosis.

- Weight Loss: Coconut oil is easy to for the system to digest and also helps the thyroid and enzymes systems function healthy. It also aids in increasing the body’s metabolism by removing stress on the pancreases hence burning out more energy and helping with weight loss in overweight/obese people.

- Digestion: Thanks to the saturated fats in coconut oil which have anti microbial properties to help with combating various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc. that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps improve the digestive system and can therefore help prevent stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. This oil also helps in absorbing other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

- Immunity: Coconut oil strengthens the immune system antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties.

- Healing: When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.

- Infections: Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, and such. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.

There’s a load of other organs it’s good for too.
As for beauty, it helps protect and repair damaged hair (leave on hair or hair ends for a extend amount of time), help skin dryness (lather it on your skin before bed and fall asleep, it will not stain sheets and you’ll wake up with soft skin), and can even be used as a make-up remover.

It’s also safe for various skin problems (including psoriasis and eczema) and can help prevent wrinkles, the sagging of skin, premature aging, and degenerative diseases due to it’s antioxidant properties.

 

naturopathica:

Herbal Skin Soother

This rich, nutritive body oil, fortified with soothing herbs and essential oils, will calm even the most aggravated skin conditions. When we alternately expose our skin to cold spring air followed by the warm dry air of central heating systems, the skin often becomes dry and itchy. St. John’s wort is an excellent herb for this condition. Rich, vanilla-like benzoin and earthy German Chamomile work synergistically for their anti-inflammatory properties while rose and sandalwood are antiseptic to the skin.

Makes 4 ounces

4-ounce glass bottle

1/2 ounce St. John’s wort infused oil

1 ounce avocado oil

2 drops rose otto essential oil

4 drops sandalwood essential oil

5 drops German chamomile essential oil

18 drops benzoin essential oil

2 1/2 ounces grapeseed oil

Fill the bottle partway with 1/2 ounce of St. John’s wort oil and 1 ounce avocado oil as the carrier. Add essential oils and shake well. Top off with grapeseed oil and agitate again. Apply to body as needed after bath or shower.

iamillumin8:

DIY Beauty Mask to reduce redness and improve skin quality. Tried & Tested. 

startwithaseed:

The bonus of eating whatever I want, when I want is that I don’t have any of these things bothering me. 

I’m going to totally ignore my latex allergy which makes certain foods I love difficult. I eat them anyway.

(Source: symphonyofawesomeness)

hqcreations:

DIY Beauty: Full Body Exfoliation Paste.

I musta seen a bajillion posts about using coconut oil and baking soda on Pinterest and Tumblr this winter. Personally, not into it. Rubbing straight up coconut oil just messes up my bathroom and greases up the tubs.

May I suggest an alternative:

— baking soda
— coconut milk (not juice or oil)
— a dollop of honey (doesn’t have to be chestnut honey. I’m using it for cosmetic purposes because I won’t eat it. It tastes like feet!)

Mix until you get a stogy paste. This spreads much more easily on the skin IMO.  Works great for me ~2X a week: face, body, even scalp!

queennofrockabxlla:

DIY Pumpkin Face Mask | MichellePhan.com on We Heart It - http://weheartit.com/entry/48716918/via/rockabxlla

girlonthescene:

For the best manicure, don’t forget to treat your cuticles! It makes a massive difference to the end result and it just looks nicer. The best one I’ve tried by far is the Badger Cuticle Care Shea Butter. 

milaamalia:

I tried. I loved. My skin approved. 

This is simply Power of a Flower. Made by a single mom who loves the mother earth as much as staying youthful the natural way.

Throw in your handbag Healing Hand Balm: Caster oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, vitamin E, grapefruit extract, liquid lecithin, evening primrose, carrot seed oil and tea tree oil

Always on hand Restoring Lip Balm: Calendula infused almond oil, beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, castor oil, vitamin E

Gentle and soothing moisture is essential for the winter months and these products have it.

elisakosonen:

I tend to line up my winter skin care switch up with Winter Solstice. So today I grabbed for the Couperose-C Serum from Éminence Organic Skin Care to reduce that cold-weather redness. Kelly Rutherford does too. Check it out.

trustmeitsgood:

Instead of drinking Bio-K+ Probiotic use it on your face as a mask! The good bacteria will slough away dead skin, reduce acne, and leave you with a bright complexion.

To diminish acne: Use the mask 7 nights consecutively. Apply the probiotic liquid to your face with an organic cotton…

heyfranhey:

I love these workout photosets!

(Source: tonetanned-fit)

coincidentalbeauty:

Beauty Review: John Masters Organic Bearberry Skin Balancing Face Wash

Retail 22.00 USD 4 fl oz

http://www.johnmasters.com/index.htm

I recently introduced this new face wash into my daily skin care regimen. I traded out my old faithful Cetaphil bar face soap for something more powerful. Cetaphil face wash is a mild, moisturizing soap great for sensitive skin. I like that it doesn’t irritate or break out my face and is cheap and easily accessible but it also doesn’t do anything to really improve and repair. So I was looking for something more and had never heard of John Masters Organics so I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this minimalistic brown bottle.

This pumps an airy, foam wash that has a cooling effect. I like this, especially in the morning to help wake me up. The scent reminds me of tea tree oil but less abrasive and I don’t think it contains tea tree, I am just using that as a reference. Does anyone use Paul Mitchell Tea tree soap or shampoo? It vaguely reminds me of this. This wash works up quite a lather, especially when used in conjunction with my Olay face brush. 22.00 may be pricey but one pump is all you need per application and I think this bottle is going to last me a long time. I love that it makes me feel clean and refreshed without leaving my skin tight or dry.

There were no product ingredients listed on the bottle so I paid a visit to the John Masters Organics website to learn more and discovered this is power-packed with 20 oil fighting extracts and 8 certified organic ingredients including:

Citrus Oils

Willowbark Extract from the Swiss Alps (antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, astringent)

Alpha Hydroxy (exited, because I needed an alpha hydroxy product to help exfoliate)

Organic Bearberry Extract (natural oil fighting/balancing)

AHA (speeds up skin renewal)

I give this wash an A. I wish it was as cheap as my Cetaphil but it’s definitely a good discovery and I hope it lasts a couple months at least. I can’t wait to try more John Masters Organics products! If anyone is familiar with this brand, please share your own review! I’d love to hear from you.

Also a quick note on Organic products: Be sure to look for the words “certified organic” to ensure your not falling for the schemes of brands who want bragging rights of using organics but also cram all kinds of harmful chemicals in their products. Be the eco-savvy shoppers I know you are, and share what works for you!

beautyidealist:

When it comes to beauty products, I would describe myself as being on the adventurous side! I remember using the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil, it was my first oil cleanser. I was so surprised at how soft it made my skin feel and how great of a job it did in removing my make up. However I always…