Beauty Spotlight: Lemons

Lemon can help skin, hair, teeth, and more.
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 I’m always looking for ways to incorporate natural ingredients into my beauty regime (not that it’s much of a regime, per se). For some reason, the thought of using nature’s pure ingredients to boost beauty appeals a heck of a lot more than buying some product with 5,000 ingredients that I can’t even begin to pronounce. Call me crazy, but that’s just how I feel.

We’ve already talked about the incredible benefits olive oil has for your skin. Now let’s get down and dirty with another natural ingredient: lemons! Besides cooking with lemon, you can also use it on your skin, teeth, and more. So, how does it all work? Check it out:

5 Crazy Spa Treatments

Traditional spa treatments include facials and massage.
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Spas seem like neat places; I’m not overly informed on the subject though, considering I mostly see them as places to go in the future, when I’m rich (of course). I think of manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, saunas and aromatherapy when I imagine spa treatments. I do not think of lava shells, getting muddy, burning sticks, suction cups, or scratching myself with a tree. 

But apparently those all have their part to play when it comes to spas. Check out these 5 crazy spa treatments.

Essential Home Remedies: Skin

We live in an age that spoils us with ease of access to medications, remedies, and much more. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not opposed to modern medicine—I’m just a big fan of using natural remedies whenever possible. Humanity got by for thousands of years before medicine as we know it today came along. And sure, some of the old “remedies” did more harm than good, but not all. The base for many of our modern medicines are based on herbal remedies—often just more optimized for the desired effect.

Rash? Try mineral water.

There are lots of ailments our bodies can present us with, from surface problems to internal ones. In this article, I’ll be covering some home remedies for skin problems like rashes, acne, and burns. So before you run to the store for that man-made medicine, try some of these out:

Rashes: European mineral water like San Pellegrino is a great way to get instant relief from itchy rashes, burns, and bumps. The minerals work like anti-inflammatories, so spraying a small amount onto affected areas of the skin can help provide instant relief.

Acne: There are lots of all-natural scrubs and masks that can be used to treat acne, but this is one of the simplest. Use coarse salt and neem oil to scrub (gently!) your face and afterwards use plain yogurt to make a facemask that stays on for 15-30 minutes. Salt is a natural antiseptic and neem oil is an antifungal. And the lactic acid from plain yogurt helps exfoliate skin and clear up skin blemishes.

Bug Bites: Most homes have a regular supply of aspirin, but it’s not usually used for bug bites. Aspirin contains salycilic acid, though, which is the main active ingredient in many acne medications Crushed aspirin mixed with water forms a paste that when applied to irritated skin can help relieve redness and inflammation.

Psoriasis? Eczema? Use olive oil to seal skin.
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Eczema/Psoriasis: Olive oil is a wonderful remedy for outbreaks of psoriasis and eczema. One teaspoon per square inch of skin can help seal skin and prevent it from cracking and drying out. Plus, you won’t have to worry about any added chemicals that might irritate skin further.

Burns: Most of us have burned ourselves at some point in time. Sunburns, curling iron burns, and oven burns all do the same thing to our skin—and it doesn’t feel good. But I bet you didn’t know that burns can be treated with tea! Black and green teas contain phytonutrients, which help reduce inflammation in blood vessels. To treat a burn with tea, just soak a dishrag with cold tea and apply it to the burned skin.

Next time you find yourself in need of a natural skin remedy, try one of these out. Next week I’ll cover home remedies for internal problems, like nausea and hangovers—so be sure to check back for more!

Remember that these are just suggestions to consider. Before treating yourself, be sure to consult with your doctor or other licensed health professional.

Home Remedies for Common Ailments

Bananas are a great source of potassium.
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 As the holiday season comes to an end, I find myself feeling run-down, tired, and under the weather. I’m still eating well and exercising daily, and I love spending time with friends and family—but after two weeks, it can become exhausting. Yesterday, I was at work when my eye muscle started twitching, one of the signs of potassium deficiency. This morning, I dutifully ate a banana before work. Then I got to wondering what other natural remedies can be used for common ailments. Here’s what I came up with:

Chicken soup is a traditional cold remedy.
Image: Bram Cymet via Flickr CC

1. Chicken Soup has long been used to treat the common cold. It provides a warm meal for the body, but some also claim it helps reduce white blood cell activity, which is what causes the respiratory symptoms of the common cold.
2. Clove Oil contains eugenol, which is both an antibacterial and a painkiller. Because of this, it can be used to treat toothaches when mixed with olive oil. However, be sure to look up exactly how to prepare the clove oil. It should never be used undiluted, put directly on broken skin, or taken in large doses.
3. Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda) is the main ingredient in most antacids. By mixing a teaspoon in a cup of water, you can easily treat an upset stomach (as long as you don’t mind it being a little salty tasting).
4. Whole Milk contains Monocaprin, which can be especially useful to those suffering from cold sores. Monocaprin slows the virus activity that causes cold sores to emerge and blister, so drinking whole milk can help promote healing when this happens.
5. Honey is probably my favorite remedy for a sore throat. Not only is it delicious, but also it is as effective as some cough syrups to suppress coughs and soothe sore throats. It can be mixed with lemon and ginger tea or eaten alone.
6. Vinegar is one of the best ways to cool sunburns when applied as a solution or pure via spray bottle.
7. Olive Oil, which I’ve spotlighted before as a natural beauty product, can be used to treat earaches when warmed. It soothes the inflamed eardrum and helps relieve pain in the eardrum, which is caused by a mucus blockage.

Honey is a delicious remedy for a sore throat.
Image: Shutterstock

Have you ever used any of these home remedies (or others) with success? Or are there any that you think don’t work? I’ve tried about half of the remedies above with success, but the other half is listed on the word of others. List any other remedies you can think of in the comments below! I’ll look forward to reading them!

Natural Beauty: Olive Oil Spotlight

Want silky smooth skin? Try a little olive oil in your diet & beauty regime.
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Ever wonder what natural products you can use to help with beauty? I hate putting chemicals on my hair and skin, so finding out about completely natural ways to cleanse my skin, wash my hair, and add to my daily routine always make my day a little better.

According to Lisa Drayer, RD, author of The Beauty Diet: Looking Great Has Never Been So Delicious, eating a diet rich in olive oil makes for less skin damage and wrinkling. Use it instead of vegetable oil when cooking or add it to bread instead of butter. Yum!

In fact, olive oil is so good for your skin that you can buy face cleansers made with water squeezed out of olives during processing. Extremely nourishing and super natural, L'Occitane En Provence Olive Tree Cleansing Milk couldn’t be much more nature-friendly.

Olive oil moisturizers can also be used to revive the skin around your eyes, which can often get puffy or develop bags. If your concern is other parts of your skin, there are also rich olive oil-based moisturizers packed full of vitamins available.

Moisturizers and soaps made with olive oil are
extremely nourishing and natural.
Image: Shutterstock

You can even get soaps packed with olive oil and olive leaf extract that make your skin soft and silky. If you need to exfoliate, try a body scrub in the shower. The olive oil in such scrubs will keep your skin from drying out and getting irritated like with so many other body scrubs that make skin feel tight and uncomfortable.

While I wouldn’t go around rubbing olive oil all over my body, I love that there are so many products out there that are composed with a mix of vitamins and oils that naturally occur in a simple food like olives.

If you are interested in purchasing some olive oil products, check out Health magazine’s list here.