homemade body scrub

(Easy recipes included ^_^ )


I enjoy trying out trusted recipes for homemade beauty products - the kind that I can put together in my own kitchen. Aside from getting to do something fun and new, I get a free, all-natural product for pampering myself. I like these homemade things because they're a lot less expensive than store-bought products; more importantly they have no chemicals or additives, and are safe on ultrasensitive skin like mine.

In the past few years, I've tried making different kinds of all-natural body scrub, facial mask, toner, lip balm and hair conditioner - all of which produced satisfying results.

Today I made some more olive oil body scrub. It's one of the easiest things to make. It moisturizes and exfoliates skin safely.

I get no allergic reactions from it. I particularly like using it on my legs and feet - it helps to smooth out those dry portions on my toes and heels. It's also safe to use on lips; it sloughs off dead skin cells and brings out a rosy glow.

Olive Oil Body Scrub

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 4 tbsp. salt (or sugar)
  

Combine olive oil and salt.
Store in an airtight container.

TO USE: After your bath, massage this onto your skin then rinse off. Use at least once a week. Go easy on the scrubbing; the salt or (sugar) could be pretty abrasive if you rub too hard. ;)

With this, you don't need to put on lotion after your bath (which works for me, since I'm allergic to a lot of lotions anyway), and you don't have to worry about poisonous stuff accumulating under your fingernails.

Another nice, easy-to-make-at-home scrub:

Oatmeal Body Scrub

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp. rolled oats
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 3 tbsp. sugar (or salt)
  
• Olive oil, coconut oil or any massage oil of your choice
  

Run the oats through a blender to mince them.
Combine oatmeal, sugar (or salt) and honey.
Pour in oil until it just covers the mixture.
Stir together.
Store in an airtight container.

SUGGESTION
Add a drop of essential oil to give yourself some aromatherapy. Try rose, lavender or vanilla if you want something relaxing. Use citrusy scents if you want it energizing.

This exfoliates and moisturizes, and nourishes skin. It smells yummy too.

Going back to our grandmothers' beauty recipes might be a good idea, now that we've become conscious of chemicals in commercial products - as well as the eventual harm those chemicals can do to our bodies and the environment. All-natural ingredients are SLS-free and they don't come in plastic packaging. They're non-irritating, skin-friendly and environment-friendly. ^_^

eight glasses of water a day

photo from here

drinking eight glasses of water a day:

• provides sufficient hydration
• aids circulation
• promotes healthier skin
• burns calories faster
• lowers the risk of heart attack
  
• aids weight loss
• regulates digestion and elimination
• lowers the risk of urinary tract infection
• flushes out toxins
• reduces headaches
• regulates body temperature
  
  

I'm pretty sure you've heard about it somewhere too. :)

(There have been some "researchers" though that say there really hasn't been any significant, measurable evidence that prove the benefits of eight glasses a day - still, I'm a believer in sufficient hydration. Besides, it wouldn't hurt anyone to drink water)

Recently I received an-email forwarded from a family friend, where she shared that drinking eight glasses of water a day helped to clear her cancer (She's cancer-free now). Of course she had other treatments, but proper hydration was a big factor.

Ive decided to take this eight glasses a day thing seriously since a few years ago when I was found to have a kidney infection. I've had a severe blood infection that affected the functioning of my other organs due in part to improper hydration. So far, I haven't had that again.

For the past year or two, I've been able to successfully increase my water intake and reduce sodas and caffeine (I've had to do it partially because I needed to get more sleep, and also because the meds I take for my BMD tend to overwork the kidneys). I've developed more liking for water, and have decreased my appetite for corn-syrupy or carbonated drinks. And it feels great.

I'd rather not drive myself crazy by keeping a precise count of how many glasses, but I just have an idea of the approximate amount . It helps to have big glass nearby when I read, work or watch the telly. It's also a good idea to have a handy-dandy drinking bottle when traveling.

A nice idea:
I got this idea from a book I read, about how this lady kept count of her water intake by leaving a stack of eight coins on her desk every day. Each time she drank a glass, she'd move a coin over to the other side of her desk.

Drinking lots of water is very helpful and healthful these days especially when we're in the middle of a tremendous heatwave. There have lately been a couple of deaths due to dehydration and heat stroke, and I just want to make sure we aren't part of that statistic.

Another nice idea:
Don't wait until you're thirsty. Just drink up.

And uh, yeah, it would be very wise to have clean, accessible restrooms at all times. All that water intake would be useless if you didn't flush it out.

chocolate fix

I've always loved chocolate, but lately I've been craving like crazy. How have I enjoyed one of man's most delightful discoveries this week? Let me count the ways.


1. Chocolate dipping

This has got to be one of the most brilliant party ideas ever. I recently attended a younger friend's birthday recently, in which we were served fruit and sweets and scrumptious dipping chocolate for dessert.

I happily pigged out

My favorite thing to dip was the gigantic marshmallow. Uber yummer.

death by chocolate

If you don't have a fondue thingy, you can serve chocolate dip in a bowl. I tried it with a bunch of kids once, and it was an absolute hit.

CHOCOLATE DIP

• Melt chocolate cubes in a double-boiler (I prefer it dark ;) ).
  * If you don't have a double boiler, boil water in a regular pan, and place a smaller pan above it; melt the chocolate in the smaller pan.
• Stir in cream.
• Voila!
  
  

DIPPING THINGS
(serve with skewers or toothpicks)

• Marshmallows - always a crowd favorite!
• Strawberries
• Slices of other fruit (banana, melon, etc.)
  
• Dried mangoes
  
• Pretzels
• Potato chips - kinda weird, but it's wonderful!

2. Chocolate cupcakes

An older lady-friend of mine runs a small cafeteria, and lately she has been experimenting with baking. The other day my dad bought three cupcake samples from her; he left them lying around so I ended up sampling them all (hee hee).

My verdict: She could still improve on the presentation, but the taste is A-one.


3. Iced Milo

I usually prefer rich, hot chocolate eh, but these days it's too warm for hot chocolate.

I'm not particularly a fan of Milo (because I think it tastes like watered-down cocoa), but I once bought an iced Milo on my way to see a movie, and I loved it.


This evening, I noticed that we had sachets of Milo at home and decided to fix myself a treat.

ICED MILO - MY WAY

• Empty four Milo sachets into a tall glass (the extra sachets make up for the watered-down taste :p )
  
• Dissolve in a small amount of lukewarm water.
• Fill the glass three-fourths with cold water and stir.
• Mix in a drop of vanilla.
• Add ice cubes.
• It would be more fun topped it with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, but it's good with or without.

photo mosaic meme (really cute!)

Photo Credits: 1. Another world / Otro mundo, 2. happy valentines day - pink gerbera with a heart of chocolate!, 3. Waiting for the wind, 4. Orchid Shake, 5. Raindrops with the Refraction of a Green Jungle - Nature in my Garden, 6. alone in a crowd II, 7. Footbridge over Nam Khan river, 8. Bedruthan sunset, 9. Walking On a Dream

Directions:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker ( http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php). Change rows to 3 and columns to 3.
d. Save the image and post it here.

Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your favorite color?
4. Favorite drink?
5. Dream vacation?
6. Favorite hobby?
7. What you want to be when you grow up?
8. What/who do you love most in life?
9. One word to describe you?