For the past several months, DC has basically been Antarctica. It seems like winter has been so long, so cold, so grey and so unending. At first I love winter, the holidays, the snow. But by February, I’m over it. I just want summer to be here. Especially because winter doesn’t do my skin any favors. It’s been so dry that it itches. Like, really itches. Keeps me up when I’m trying to fall asleep because it’s so freaking itchy. And it doesn’t help that I take a million really hot showers every winter just to warm myself up. In fact, that makes the whole situation way worse. Which is how I got the genius idea of making my soap super moisturizing. This is pretty much the easiest thing ever and I’m not sure how I didn’t think of it sooner. You probably have these items laying around your house,…
The Best Homemade Facial Exfoliant For Super Smooth, Clear Skin
I know a thing or two about bumpy, unclear skin. And by that, I mean I had horrible skin for a solid ten years. TEN YEARS. The worst part about having unclear is that it’s impossible to hide. Sure, you can add foundation and powder, but if you actually have pimples and not just a fleeting zit – you can’t truly cover it. It’s still there and it’s still noticeable and you still have to look people in the eye with a little bit (or a lot a bit) of insecurity because problem skin is freaking embarrassing. It took a huge toll on my confidence growing up. If your skin is like mine, you need to exfoliate regularly. At least four times a week. This is not recommended for most people, but if I don’t do it this often then I can see and see gunk in my pores starting to form. I have…
Mercury & Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie
So recently, you may have read about the dumbest thing I’ve done to my health. Then you may have read about how I’m detoxing from mercury. Well, while I was at the dentist, the doc also tested me for other toxins in my system and found that I’m harboring lead and aluminum in addition to mercury. Not so great, especially considering that we’re planning on getting knocked up next year. When I began this detox journey, I was taking a lot of pills, a lot of teaspoons of this and scoops of that. It was getting difficult to remember to take each supplement every day, which is why I came up with this smoothie. It doesn’t taste bad (though honestly, it’s not the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten either). The chlorella and bentonite are extremely effective at removing mercury, heavy metals, and other toxins. If you really want to…
Ten Ways To De-Stress TODAY
I always find myself looking at articles on how to de-stress. Stress is a killer. Unfortunately, more often than not the advice isn’t entirely practical. Sometimes, taking a vacation ain’t always realistic. And who actually finds getting their hair done to be relaxing? I certainly don’t. Sitting in those chairs for an extended period of time hurts my butt cheeks. Not to mention that these are things that need to be planned. Need to be paid for. Things that you can’t necessarily get done the day you feel you need to de-stress. So here are ten ideas on how to easily de-stress that you can do today. Ten Ways To De-Stress Today: Have sex. Sex is awesome. It’s fun. It releases tension as well as oxytocin. Oxytocin is nicknamed “the love hormone.” You guessed it – it promotes feeling of love and trust, thus revving up it’s anti-stress benefits. Sex…
The Healthiest, Most Detoxifying Green Smoothie
Most people do green smoothies completely wrong. They add a shit ton of fruit and little to no fat. This does two things: 1 – Spike your blood sugar. 2 – Ensures you won’t absorb any of the fat soluble vitamins that may be present – A, E, D and K. A lot of people also use smoothies as replacements for meals. For majority of people, I do not recommend this! Smoothies make a good snack, they’re a good option if you need to add more nutrition to your diet, or in my case, they’re sometimes a good option when I’m sort of hungry in the mornings but not really. Your smoothie should be loaded with healthy veggies (this is a green smoothie after all) but it also need to have fat. Fat will help you absorb the fat soluble vitamins but fat is also incredibly nutrient dense. Avocado and…
How To Detox For Pregnancy
Scott and I are planning to get knocked up sometime in 2015. Back in the day, like, way back in the day – the time of our ancestors – people actually prepared their bodies for pregnancy. They did not take it lightly and they did not consider it something that should be done randomly. They considered it sacred. So sacred in fact that there were even specific foods reserved for a couple trying to get pregnant and pregnant women. These foods were extremely nutrient dense and included things like liver, fish eggs and egg yolks. But the big difference between us and our ancestors is not just the food, it’s the fact that we are bombarded with a ton of toxins everyday. We need to take time to remove these toxins before pregnancy to ensure a healthy pregnancy, healthy birth and healthy baby. Here’s how to detox for pregnancy. Good…
Use This To Stop Period Cramps
As I write this, I’m sitting on my couch with a blanket over me and it’s after 2pm and I still haven’t gotten dressed. Or brushed my hair. Or put on makeup. BECAUSE I’M AN ADULT. Just kidding. It’s because I have some horrible effing period cramps. Throughout my teens, I had terrible periods. Extremely heavy cramping, heavy bleeding, back pain – the works. I now know that it was because my hormones were so unbalanced, mostly due to stress and a terrible diet. Since adapting to a healthier lifestyle years ago, my periods, while still pretty heavy, have been mild in comparison. The cramping improved, and even the cramping I’ve felt today isn’t as bad as what it used to be. But it’s still pretty bad, which happens once in a while for me. It could be due to a number of things so I don’t stress about it because…
Natural Hair Dyes AKA How To Dye Your Hair Without Toxic Chemicals
Natural hair dyes. We need ’em! Did you know that typical hair dyes are completely toxic? Probably. But did you know they’ve also been linked to cancer? According to the National Cancer Institute, Over 5,000 different chemicals are used in hair dye products, some of which are reported to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in animals (2, 3). Because so many people use hair dyes, scientists have tried to determine whether exposure to the chemicals in hair coloring products is associated with an increased risk of cancer in people…Over the years, some epidemiologic (population) studies have found an increased risk of bladder cancer in hairdressers and barbers (2, 5). A 2008 report of the Working Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that some of the chemicals these workers are exposed to occupationally are “probably carcinogenic to humans” (6). On the plus side, it’s completely possible to dye…
The Top Five Ways To Make Money Blogging
When I first started blogging, I wished there was someone or something to outline all of the profitable revenue streams and ways to monetize my website. I had literally no idea and had to figure it all out on my own from the beginning. When I began I knew that once I was certified I would start health coaching. I didn’t think about the fact that not everyone wants a health coach. Not everyone is interested in one on one coaching. Not every month would there be clients knocking down my door. Let me tell you: no one gives a shit about health coaching in December. Holiday parties, shopping and bulky clothes don’t exactly scream “I should hire a health coach!” I had to learn that the hard way. Anyone who wants to make money off of their website needs to diversify their revenue streams. You can’t expect to have…
How To Get Rid of Migraines and Headaches (Without Popping Pills)
Growing up, nearly every day my mother would say, “Ugh, I have a migraine.” Then proceed to pop a bunch of pills and sleep for hours on end. Which both annoyed me (because even as a kid I felt that there was something inherently not right about popping a bunch of pills for a headache) and also made me happy so that I could have time to myself without getting yelled at for making noise. The thing is, I grew up in a family of pill poppers. Got a cold? Pop a pill. A backache? Pop a pill. Can’t sleep? Pop a pill. Feeling bummed? Pop a pill. Tripped on the sidewalk? Pop a pill. By and large, we’ve become a nation that pops a pill at the first sign of anything wrong with our bodies. But there’s a huge issue with that. All of the symptoms we feel is the body’s way of…