A blog dedicated to natural skin care, chemical facts, home made DIY recipes, product information & reviews and other interesting, healthy, good for you, tidbits. Enjoy!
This is a lovely refreshing tea to have on a hot summers day.
There are a couple of steps to making the tea and it is best prepared a day in advance.
Step One:
1/2 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
6 cups boiling water
Boil the water and pour over the verbena and mint leaves. Leave to sit over night in the fridge, or a couple of hours. Or if you like a weak tea let sit for 10 minutes - before straining. Chill in fridge.
Step Two:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute, until sugar fully dissolves.
Step Three:
1 cup lemon verbena leaves
Blanch verbena leaves in boiling water for 1 minute then plunge into cold water. Drain.
Step Four:
When sugar syrup is completely cooled, pour into a blender. Add 1 cup blanched verbena leaves and process until smooth. Cover and chill over night.
Step Five:
If you've left your tea to soak over night (step one), strain your tea into a large pouring jug. Strain the sugar syrup through a fine sieve into pouring jug - adding lemon sugar to the tea mixture.
To serve:
Grab a tray of ice cubes and process in a blender or food processor into crushed ice. Fill high wall glasses half way with crushed ice and pour in lemon verbena mint tea.
Making love is a very natural thing and it doesn't cost a lot to do. A fun activity to do on a budget. I'm sure many of you will agree when I say foreplay is the bestest part.
Foreplay noun - sexual stimulation before intercourse.
Every couple or person has their own preference when it comes to foreplay, some like a lot, some like a little, others like role play or fun flirty games such as strip poker, spin the bottle, or even doing a strip tease.
These games can be played in a few ways. Instead of stripping during poker the winning hand might ask the losing hand to do something to them, for example give them a kiss, rub their shoulders, massage their ankles. This game can start off quit humble, leading to something much more awakening.
What ever the type of foreplay and love making you like there are a couple of products JOLI sell that are perfect for the job.
Massage oil for 1. With eight different custom scents to choose from you are spoiled for choice and it goes without saying that foreplay and massage oil go hand in hand.
Massage Oil - JOLI
Soothing Slave for 2. Yes that's right. Is there anything this salve can't do! The salve can be used for clitoral stimulation - yes I said the 'c' word ;)
Soothing Salve - JOLI
Skin Serum or Cuticle Oil for 3. Either of these products can be drizzled over breasts for a gentle massage and if need be, because you're out of massage oil, they can also be used on genitals.
Luscious Body Butter for 4. How nice would it be to have someone to rub moisturiser into your body and for you to reciprocate. Maybe they rub the butter on your your shins, your ankles, your belly. I'm in heaven thinking about it and this butter his perfect and sensual for all over body use. Not suitable for face or genitals.
Just to name a few: though I can't forget to also add Moisturising Lip Balm and regular Lip Balm. There might also be other products you've tried yourself that we could add to the list - feel free to share if you have.
I encourage you to get in the bedroom and fool around with the products listed above, maybe add some other products to the fun flirty list.
Foreplay can be a very under rated part of love making. Using JOLI products can make it all the more tempting to enjoy!
NOTE: responses may vary from person to person, test small areas first and stop if these items aren't doing it for you.
DIY Fanny Spray recipe ~ aka home made Vanilla Perfume
You will need:
125ml spritz bottle
100ml water
25ml vodka
5 drops vanilla scent
4 drops jasmine scent
Coffee filter paper or paper towel
Funnel
Glass jar (big enough to hold 125ml)
- Place all ingredients into a glass jar, shake well and place on bench top or counter to sit for two weeks. Shake daily. The alcohol in this recipe helps the scented oils amalgamate into the water. It also acts as a preservative. You can leave the alcohol out: if you do so you may have to shake contents before each use and the perfume won't last as long - store in the fridge to keep it longer.
- After two weeks place a funnel over your spritz bottle, place filter paper over funnel and pour in jar contents. Filtering helps remove excess oil particles that haven't amalgamated.
- You can have a play around with different oils and scents. Maybe you'd like to try coconut and lime.
- This perfume can be used to spray toilet paper before you wipe, or after wiping to clean and scent. It can also be used to spray onto groin or undies to freshen up the area.
It may surprise you to know that I wasn't always a natural skin care guru! Once upon a time I used the same dodgy stuff (i.e. chemical filled rubbish) as everyone else.
Once upon a time I was as naive as the next person when it came to personal care products being FULL of harmful chemicals. Without giving it a second thought I simply purchased these items and used them because: 1) TV and people told me to and 2) No-one advised me they weren't safe.
It's a simple mistake that many of us make. The TV commercials make it look all so enticing. Our friends use the products and swear by them. Our mum's give us products to use in our teens and we continue to use them as adults. Then we pass the same things onto our friends and children to use.
Much as teens and young adults (and even older adults) are doing today I was simply unaware of the dangers of chemicals in skin care. Chemicals in products was not discussed among friends or on TV. Even today with more hype about it than ever before there are still billions and gazillions of people unaware that the products they're using are harmful to themselves, the environment and their loved ones. (And some people don't want to know about the dangers that lurk in
their beauty products because it's easier to stay in the dark).
The above picture is of me cleaning my bathroom cabinet out a couple of years ago - and to be honest I really didn't have a great deal of nasty stuff, thankfully. Then again one could argue that even one harmful product is one too many.
Here is a list of chemicals to look out for. If your personal care (and cleaning products) contain any of these ingredients it's time for a fresh start! Aside from skin care, if you want to know of other safe brands to use let me know and I'll be happy to give advice.
When did you first learn about hazardous chemicals in skin care?
Have you done a clean out of your bathroom cabinet to rid yourself of these badies?
There is something about a really good anti pesto platter that makes me salivate at the thought of it. Especially if it's home grown organic produce. Olives, dips, freshly baked bread, grapes, dolmades... I could go on...
One of my favourite and Oh So Simple bread recipes is Beer Bread. Made with 375ml beer (any type) and 2 1/2 cups self raising flour. Told you it was simple! All you do is mix the beer with the flour really well, pour into an oiled bread tin and bake for around 35mins at 180c. After 35mins, drizzle some olive oil or butter over the top and bake for another 10mins. You can also add olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, capsicum and other tasty foods to the mix before baking.
Homemade bread & three dips
Hummus Dip
400gm chick peas (soaked over night) or tinned chick peas
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons chives (finely cut)
salt & pepper to taste (optional)
Drain the chick peas. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix into a paste. Add more olive oil and/or lemon juice if mixture is too thick.
Serve with crackers or smeared on home made pieces of bread.
Parsley Pesto
I have loads of parsley growing in my garden and this is a simple recipe to make good use of that fresh parsley.
A good handful or two of parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 handful of pine nuts
1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese
Wash the parsley well and shake off excess water. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix into a paste. Add more olive oil and/or lemon juice if mixture is too
thick.
Serve with crackers, smeared on home made bread, tossed through cooked pasta or as an accompaniment to any dish as a side, sauce or paste.
Olio Aceto
In a bowl drizzle equal portions of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil (about 1/2 a cup each). Make sure it's a good brand of vinegar and oil. If it's not a nice tasting brand it won't taste that good.
This is a really good dipping liquid for home made beer bread. You can also add some chilli for a bit of spice.
Emily Symon plays Marilyn Chambers in Home and Away. She is 44 years old and for all appearances looks to be in her mid 30's. She is a stunning woman who has looked after her skin well, she barely looks a day older than when she first appeared on Home and Away.
Emily Symon
Like the rest of us, Emily will become prone to those creases we get on our decolletage above our breasts. Sadly these creases are a natural part of aging and tend to show our true age regardless of how well we've looked after our skin. Primarily because our decolletage is a very neglected body part. It's also one of those body parts we shouldlook after the most!
How often do you ponder your decolletage? How often do you do anything beauty related to yours? Is it some long forgotten body part, sparing only a thought about what necklace to wear to cover it, or what top to wear to expose it? Or do you think of your decolletage and pamper it often?
look after your decolletage
Your decolletage is one of those body parts, like your hands and elbows, that shows your age long before your face does. Take notice of how many older ladies you know who have lovely skin, yet the skin on their neck and decolletage is wrinkled, dry and neglected. Consider also our decolletage is quite often, if not all the time, exposed to wind, sun, water - which has a dramatic ageing effect.
Here are some easy pampering tips for you to indulge in to keep your decolletage looking its best.
1. Exfoliate your decolletage frequently. Every 2nd or 3rd day or at least once a week. This ensures the dead cells that build up on the surface of your skin are scrubbed away exposing fresh radiant more youthful skin.
2. Apply Toner to your decolletage, either in a spritz or dabbed onto a cotton ball and wiped cross your skin. Toner tightens and refreshes your skin and cleans away daily grime. Do this often!
3. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! Very important. Cannot stress this enough! Moisturiser your decolletage (and neck) daily, even twice daily with a suitable moisturiser such as Whipped Cream to keep those creases at bay. Before bed is also a good time to moisturise this area.
4. When going out for a special occasion or a night on the town dust some silver mica (or mineral makeup powder) onto your decolletage. The sparkle gives you a glowing youthful look with a touch of glamour, and helps disguise the creases.
5. Keep your decolletage covered up as much as possible - either high collared clothing, a scarf etc. - to limit the exposure to the elements and only exposure your decolletage on special occasions.
Do you have any decolletage tips you'd like to share with us. Please comment below. AND remember the reactions buttons x
'You need to eat more,
you're so skinny, I wish I was tiny like you and, you can have some of my fat'
These are comments I hear on a daily basis. Exhausting just reading them is it
not?
Crohns Disease is my
daily affliction, it does not matter how much I eat. I am aware that I am
anorexic. I wish I was at a healthy weight. And, sure cast your extra weight my
way, I would most definitely welcome it!
These utterances do not
upset me as much as the actual glares and stares. I have heard larger ladies
often speak of the 'looks' they receive, tinier ladies also receive them, and
they are just as injurious to our self esteem. The remarks and looks of disgust
take an emotional toll on a person after a period of time. SO much so, that for
myself, I was agoraphobic for 4 LONG years. I did not want to egress from my
home. I felt disgust and compunction at my body and the glares would only
confirm the hateful feelings and thoughts I was having towards my body and
self.
If a person is
underweight or overweight, I think we should want to uplift them, mawkish them
if you will!
I am underweight, this
does not mean I hate food (in fact, I love food with a passion), it does not
mean that I do drugs (which is one of my personal favourite surmises) nor, does
it mean I have a mental disorder. It simply means I have a disease, one that I
have little to no sovereignty over. I am still the same person on the interior,
even if my exterior looks as though I have an eating disorder!
I am thankful for my
disease (most days), it has made me a stronger person, made me 'slow down' what
was a fast paced life, and really internalise and think about what is favourable
for myself.
I think you will find
most people with a weight issue have a genuine underlying medical condition and
cannot control their weight and mentally torture themselves enough, that it is
not warranted or needed by others surrounding them.
If someone is overweight
or underweight, does it really matter? Does it affect your life? Is it your
place to look on in disgust and an invitation for you to make judgements? No, it
most definitely is not.
Just like an overweight
individual might feel disgust with themselves, so do tinier people. A simple
smile, or kind word, can change that persons day, from one of despair and utter
hatred towards themselves, into making them believe in themselves and that it is
going to be a magical day.
Remember, everyone is
beautiful, and true beauty runs much deeper than any external appearance.
The curse, that time of the month, on your rags, Mr Red, flying the red flag, your 'friend' has come to visit, Aunt flo, iron drain, rivers run red, girlie time, red mayo, girl stuff, painter is in the house, riding the crimson wave, on the red, the red dragon, the red man, monthlies, out of action, have my girlies, 'it', fell on an axe, Mr P, ovaries exploding, I'm not pregnant this month.
What do you call your period? I'm sure us women have a list of names we've given to our monthly cycle. Feel free to share your names with us by leaving a comment on this blog.
A little while ago I read an article asking "Are you still using tampons and pads?" The article talked about the chemicals in these items, as well as the costs and the waste. Not environmentally friendly AT ALL! Not to forget to mention these items are taxed as a luxury and the amount of money we spend on these items over our life time is crazy - roughly about 6-10K.
Of course it got me thinking of green alternatives. So I purchased a Diva menstrual cup and reusable pads. I got the menstrual cup from eBay (around $40) and the menstrual pads (around $11-$15 each) from yourcheekymonkey.com.au and greenchickadee.com.au - though I found out after I purchased the cup that greenchickadee also sell them.
All items are washable and reusable so I can continue using them for a number of years which will save me a fair whack of money.
How do these items perform?
The menstrual cup plugs and catches discharge much like a tampon - without the toxins. If you do leak occasionally - the menstrual cup becomes full or it wasn't inserted correctly - the reusable pads catch leaks. The cup worked surprisingly well. I thought it was going to leak all over the place, it doesn't. There is a slight trick to inserting the cup (they come with instructions) and I put it in too far once, that was awkward and painful. When first inserted each time it would feel obvious and sometimes feel like it was going to fall out (though that could just be me), however after a while I would forget it was there and all would be fine. I did do some slight exercise too and the cup held up well.
The part I found trickiest to deal with is having to clean the cup. Once I had removed and emptied the cup over the toilet, I would have to waddle over to the sink with my pants around my knees (great imagery!) to wash the cup thoroughly, before waddling back to the loo to reinsert the thing. Like I said, that was a bit tricky.
The pads were slightly tricky in that they don't stick to the knickers like over-the-counter ones and thus move a bit here and there - backwards, forwards and sideways. However, leakage was minimal so this wasn't a major issue. I recommend wearing the pads with very tight underpants that will hold the pad firmly in place.
All up I'd say it's slightly more complicated than using mainstream pads and tampons, though this is partly due to us being so accustomed to 'easy' options. Both items worked very well, I didn't have any big spillages and, actually one thing I would say is, I didn't wake up in the middle of the with that "Oh oh!" feeling of having leaked all over the bed.
Have you made the switch to going green for your period? Share your story with us.
P.S. - Changing the menstrual cup in a public toilet is slightly awkward. They make a suction sound when being removed and this echos through the toilet, plus you can't go over to the counter to wash them in front of everyone (well maybe some could...), so it's a matter of tipping out the contents and reinserting.
This simple Tonic Water can be used for a number of things.
1. If you don't have any toner on hand use this tonic water.
2. To give your arm pits or 'good bits' a quick spruce.
3. Wipe over your Deodorant to refresh the surface of your roll on bar.
4. Give your feet a quick once over to freshen them up.
5. Cleanse your hands.
I'm sure you can find a number of other general uses for this tonic water.
The essential oils chosen have antibacterial properties.
You will need:
125ml bottle
125ml water
4 drops of tea tree OR orange essential oil.
Fill bottle up with water and add essential oil. Shake well before each use.
TIP: store your tonic water in a spritz bottle (above) so you can spray your face, as an aftershave lotion, under your arms, your chest, your groin, shoes, feet, and even your Deodorant roll on - for antibacterial properties.
For the past week I've set myself a strict routine of exfoliating, cleansing, toning and moisturising nightly (exfoliating every 2-3 days) whether I wore makeup or not. I'd gotten lazy and was thinking I it didn't matter if I cleansed and moisturised daily. But trust me when I say it does matter!
1. Started off dabbing some Whipped Cream on my face, rubbed the cream in, left it for a few minutes before washing it away with a wet face washer - use warm/hot water not cold. This is to clean away the makeup.
Use moisturiser to remove makeup
2. Did the same for my eyes using Fluffy Lime Eye Cream. Giving myself that punched in the eyes look (always attractive).
Removing eye makeup with Fluffy Lime Eye Cream
3. Exfoliated using Enliven Facial Scrub. This alleviates flaky skin, removes dry dead skin cells and clears the pores of potential blockages.
4. Cleansed using Facial & Body Wash. The essential oils in the cleanser (I use oily blend) control oil secretion and kill bacteria - a very important part of tackling blemishes and wounds on the skin.
5. The most important step is the one most people forget, ignore and don't do: TONER. A highly underrated step. Using Purifying Cleansing Toner rinses the skin clean, removes any left over residue of makeup and cleanser and closes pores, very important for having clean and clear skin.
Purifying Cleansing Toner - JOLI
6. Applied Skin Serum to affected areas to heal the skin, wounds and scabbing. Very important as this reduces scaring and wound/blemish time.
7. Moisturise to hydrate the skin and stop those pesky dry flaking bits of skin.
8. Lastly applied Fluffy Lime Eye Cream around my eyes to ward off crows feet.
9. Ok... lastly I applied a dash of lip balm because I love soft glossy lips and like to feel a dash of glamour.
Done!
If you're suffering through bad looking skin... try this daily routine for two weeks and see the difference it makes to your skin. Then keep your fabulous routine going!
* Note: Steps 1 & 2 were only done to remove makeup. When not wearing makeup move straight on to step 3 if you prefer.
Cleopatra VII was an intelligent and charismatic, enticing
and very alluring woman. It is said that she had the most beautiful
skin with a very comprehensive beauty regime.
The types of ingredients
she used for her skin care were sea salt, frankincense oil, honey, milk, apple cider vinegar,
clay, herbs, aloe and beeswax - just to name a few.
There was no agiraline,
propylene glycol, AHA, DEA, SLS, mineral oil or any other man made synthetic
ingredient and she looked amazing!
It is a myth that these new fangdangle
ingredients make products more luxurious or better for you and your skin. In fact the opposite
is true, when you use natural skin care the results are better and last longer.
JOLI want you to have the luxury Queen Cleopatra had, natural
skin care designed to have your skin looking amazing and you feeling luxuriously pampered!
Some products Queen Cleopatra would have loved to indulge in:
Winner will receive a gift box full of gorgeous goodies valued at over $100 (details below)
~ You might be familiar with the TV commercials where someone hands someone a wrap or burger (shows how much I'm paying attention) and the quotes are about making the best of a BAD situation; your newly single status, didn't get the promotion again, I took the credit for your work. ~
For this comp - Yes... you'll have to participate to WIN!! - JOLI would like you to tell us what bad (aka: can be seen as humorous/positive) situation you need congratulating, thank your, sorry for putting up with.
e.g. maybe you need it for:
Your baby's first poo smearing all over their room.
Your child pooing in the bath.
Your dog/cat urinating in your favourite shoes...
You get the idea - if not let us know and we'll help you out.
WHAT YOU WIN
250g Rose Milk Bath Soak [JOLI Natural Skin Care]
2 purple and black hand decorated scented candle sticks
a pretty large black bow hair clip with bun pouch
a pair of vintage pearl button stud earrings [Creative Mandie]
a pair of stunning handmade tan and silver dangle earrings [TTTreasures]
a pack of chocolate orange (bath) truffles [JOLI Natural Skin Care]
a large wash & care menstrual pad [Your Cheeky Monkey]
a pair of gorgeous extension lashes [Lash Republic / supplied by Brides on Main]
Entry Conditions.
1. Australian residents only. We do not ship overseas.
2. You canLike the pages contributing prizes to the gift box.
3. You canLike and share the gift box giveaway posts on Facebook (you'll need people to VOTE on the winning comment).
4. Subscribe to a little fortnightly Indulgence - & receive a product sample while you're at it.
5. you MUST post your comment on THIS blog (50 words or less). No need to have a google / blog account to do so.You can begin leaving your comment on the blog NOW.
Begins Monday 9th Sept - ENDS Friday 11th October
Second part of the comp is to get people VOTE on your fabulous comment/entry.
1. To VOTE click Reply under the comment you wish to vote on and write the word VOTE!
2. VOTES for a winner begin Monday 7th October and you have until the 11th October to get as many votes as you can.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED
NOTE: any comments with links to other websites will not be published.
You will need:
185g butter, chopped
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
200ml lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon rind
3-4 eggs, beaten, strained
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in top half of double saucepan or in heatproof bowl.
Stir over simmering water until mixture is fully melted, dissolved, thickened and mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour into hot sterilised jars; seal while hot. *Strain if there are any eggy lumps in mixture.
Makes about 3 cups (750ml) - Recipe best made a day in advance.
Recipe from: The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook
A general rule of thumb is: if it sits on a store shelf there is usually (always) something in the product(s) that make this possible. Usually it is synthetic preservatives and a mix of hazardous chemicals. At best it is a low lever alcohol or sodium based ingredient.
The main reason for these preservatives is so products can be stored (sitting on shelves) for long periods of time before being opened. Also so products can be stabilized (i.e. unaffected by heat, cold, bright lights etc) and shipped world wide; because the aim of the game with cosmetic corporations is world wide domination to increase consumer consumption.
JOLI Natural Skin Care products cannot be found in stores for this very reason, they don't contain all those skin irritating additives. Though you may be wondering does this mean JOLI products are inferior to store bought products. Will they not last as long?
It might surprise to you know that store bought products don't last as long as you think once opened. All skin care and cosmetics have 'use by / best before' dates (whether they're included on the labeling or not). And how one person uses and stores a product differs to the next which means these dates can vary from person to person. It all depends on how you treat your products. Sharing with a friend or using a product on an infection (conjunctivitis, cold-sores) for example can reduce the product shelf life.
General* period mainstream products last after opening:
Perfume - up to 3 years
Powders, eyeshadow, blush - 1 to 3 years
Foundation - 1 to 3 years
Sunscreen lotion, SPF cosmetics – up to 1
year [one season only]
Bronzer – 6 months
Lipstick, lip gloss – 1 year
Pencil liners, eyes, lips, eyebrow - from 6 to 12
months
Liquid eyeliner - from 3 to 4
months
Mascara - 3 to 6 months
Skin care products, moisturiser, anti-wrinkle,
eye creams, sealed container with dispenser - about 1 year
Skin care products in a jar - from 6 to 10
months
Nail polish - 1 year
Natural/Organic products – up to 6 months
*This information may vary depending on your source. Info from: checkcosmetic.net
You might have a mascara, eye liner, lipstick or
moisturiser that you've had sitting around for over 10years thinking it
looks alright therefore is still OK to use. To look at the product you
can't see any bacteria growing and that is the beauty (or not) of all
the chemicals added to skin care and cosmetics. All those toxins hide any signs of an ageing product.
JOLI products aren't any less superior than store bought products. JOLI products contain natural blends of herbal extracts and essential oils, as well as antioxidants, to preserve. Depending on how you use and store your products they can last for up to 12months, and if refrigerated products can last up to 3 years. Below is a Recommended Use By list for natural skin careproducts. These RUB dates depend on how you use and store your products, they also depend on you using the products as designed - i.e. daily, every 2 - 3 days, twice daily etc.
NAME
MONTHS
Bubble
Bath Crumble Bar
12
Bath
Salts Bliss
6
- 8
Bath
Salts Serenity
6
- 8
Bath
Salts Unwind
6
- 8
Deluxe
Bath Serum
6
- 8
Deodorant
Bar
8
Soothing
Salve
12
Enliven
Facial Scrub
6
Fluffy
Lime Eye Cream
6
Facial
& Body Wash
8
Fancy
Cuticle Oil
6
Hair
Styling Wax
6
- 8
Heavenly
Bath Milk
4
- 6
Light
Moisturiser
6
- 8
Lip
Balm
3
Luscious
Body Butter
6 - 12
Massage
Oil
6
Moisturising
Lip Balm
3
Purifying
Cleansing Toner
6
Rich / Whipped Moisturiser
8
- 12
Rose
Milk Bath Soak
4
- 6
Skin
Serum
3 - 6
Keep in mind if you still have products sitting around unused after a some time then you've either most likely not been using them in accordance with directions or you didn't like the product enough to use it often. Time to discard all those old out-of-date products and start afresh.
Recently I asked the question: "If you had cancer or thought you might get it what are some of the things you would avoid because you think they might cause cancer?"
I wanted to see the types of things people associate with cancer, especially after my little blurb about pink washing and the statement: "many of thepeople who attend or participate in these (cure for cancer) eventsUSEproducts laden with chemicals."
Here are some of the things people listed:
Bleach
Fire retardant products
Cigarettes
Air fresheners
Spray on cleaners
Dry-cleaning ones (trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, or PERC)
New no-iron linens and drapes (may release formaldehyde)
Processed meat
Obesity
Lack of ventilation in the home
Unfiltered water
Cooking (charcoaling) meat - it becomes carcinogenic
Chemicals in our food
Stress
Fast food
Package / ready made food
MSG
3 or more alcoholic beverages (a day / a week?)
Eating out of aluminum packaging
Eating / drinking out of plastic packaging - plastic bottles
Cooking in the microwave
Prevention:
No more than 3 servings of red meat per week (I've heard it should be no more than 1 serving per week)
Daily exercise
Low alcohol consumption
Low fat diet / keep weight down
NO cigarettes
Keep exposure to chemicals at a minimum
There are some very good points raised and many things people are aware of which is great. Air fresheners can kill pet birds and cause asthma so they can't be good for us to breathe in. Meat and even fresh vegetables contain chemicals and hormones. Drying cleaning chemicals are hazardous to our health, as are plastics and aluminum.
Interestingly... no one mentioned skin care or cosmetics which I find fascinating. Considering skin care and cosmetics are multi billion [1,000,000,000+] dollar industries, meaning we BUY AND USE HUGE amounts of these chemical laden products, I would hazard a guess that we expose ourselves to more chemicals via skin care and beauty products than anywhere else (though this is supposition, not fact).
Here is what our resident scientist explains about cancer:
"Every cell in the body has an oncogene that controls the rate and number of times that a cell can replicate. Each time a cell replicates, it loses a little bit of its oncogene, so the oncogene is like a fuse – when the fuse reaches zero, the cell cannot replicate anymore. Old age manifests itself when a sufficient amount of cells have ‘timed out’ and cannot replicate anymore.
Cancerous cells have a malfunctioning oncogene that allows the cells to replicate indefinitely at an uncontrolled rate limited only by the amount of energy the cancer cells can rob from the body. Often, these cancerous cells do not have a well defined form. For example, cancer cells growing in muscle tissue will not be muscle cells but rather an amorphous lump in the middle of the healthy tissue.
The problem with the idea of finding a ‘cure’ for cancer is that cancers are constantly evolving. Thus, even if a genuine cure was found today, it would be useless ten years from now (possibly even sooner). When healthy tissue undergoes a genetic change, this will only be an evolutionary improvement if it helps the healthy tissue to survive for longer. However, because cancer cells can already survive indefinitely (assuming an indefinite supply of energy and nutrients), any deformity in cancer cells will potentially benefit those cells by affording resistance to anti-cancer treatment. Therefore, not only is cancer constantly evolving, it can evolve faster than any healthy tissue, and faster than science.
Many have sought for the illusive ‘fountain of youth’, a substance or treatment that prevents the cells from aging (i.e. the oncogenes never time out). However, we already have the fountain of youth… it is cancer. Unfortunately this fountain of youth will kill by a means other than old age. What scientists should be searching for is not a way to stop cancer but a way to control it.
As for drawing a cell, it is like a round egg with a soft shell, filled with fluid (mainly water) with a mass of proteins and genetic material in its centre."
* * *
What things do you avoid so that you won't get cancer? What things do think cause cancer? Love to hear your views.
Skin Serum is quite good for treating blemishes and breakouts. Even though it is an oil based product the rosehip and other regenerative oils and essential oils aid in healing and reducing scars, flaking skin and scabbing.
When I say 'treating' I don't mean in the same way as Clearasil or tea tree essential oils treat acne. Skin Serum doesn't do all that germ killing, cleansing stuff. I save that for Facial & Body Wash.
Skin Serum is regenerative, replenishing and rejuvenating. Perfect for healing wounds quickly and that's what you want when you're in the middle of a breakout. Sure other products treat the pimple causing germs and that's fine however then you're left with a nasty red scar, skin flaking and scabbing and looking icky for a while.
Skin Serum heals quickly and allows your skin to be softened so that when you apply makeup it's not being applied to harden scabs and looking a little bit yukky.
Another thing you can do is mix Skin Serum with mineral makeup powder to make a cream concealer. It works a treat and heals while providing optimal coverage. BONUS!!!
Mix about a .5c piece worth of mineral powder with 3 drops of Skin Serum to make a nice paint effect (see above) and apply concealer to affected area.
Store in an air tight container.
Only make very small batches, as per above directions.
Use within 3 days.
Wash container and brush thoroughly after 3 days.
Make another batch when needed.
Clean your mineral makeup brush regularly.
As you can see from the above pic the coverage is really good which is exactly what you want.
A lot of the time I'm sad
to say the answer is NO. Many companies use words like nature, organic, botanicals, made with natural... etc. Quite often I'll be watching TV or
listening to the radio and some ad will come on claiming some brand is natural
(or thereabouts) when it's NOT, and I cringe when I listen to
these ads worrying that people are being fooled into believing what the ad is claiming. Ads by Garnier, Dove, Nivea, Herbal Essence... and ALL the rest...
A general rule of thumb is:if it sits on a store shelf it
is NOT natural!!!!
There is always something in the product (usually synthetic) that allows it to be left sitting on a store shelf for long periods of time.
Ok, so lets look at some
brands who claim to be more NATURAL than the rest:
~ It's worth a note that research shows Abonne use to
use parabens and propylene glycol. As you can see from the below product
ingredients none of those are in this product. It does contain
urea though, a chemical compound found animal urine, although is is also made
artificially. Urea is a preservative that often releases formaldehyde which causes joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Exposure also irritates the respiratory system; triggers heart palpitations or asthma, and aggravates coughs and colds. Other side effects include weakening the immune system and cancer. ~
Use methylparaben, propulparaben, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate. Not so good.
Jurlique aren't too bad. They use small quantities of SD Alcohol 40-A, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate and phenoxyethanol as preservatives ( which have a low/moderate hazard rating of 3-4 out of 10).
Sukin are pretty good, they use small quantities of phenoxyethanol as a preservative.
Use natural preservatives made from a blend of herbal extracts. An effective preservative that is 100% biodegradable and doesn't have the same adverse effects on your skin as other harsh synthetic preservatives. To be a clear and completely open book - the only product that contains anything remotely iffy is Facial & Body Wash (not made by JOLI) which contains .05% of phenoxyethanol. All other products do not contain anything synthetic, man made or potentially hazardous.
* * *
Like what you see here... follow our blog sign up for some Indulgence
Boil the water and pour over the verbena and mint leaves. Leave to sit over night in the fridge, or a couple of hours. Or if you like a weak tea let sit for 10 minutes - before straining. Chill in fridge.
