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Sunday, April 12, 2015

**RECIPE** Oven Baked Chicken & a Salad (with coconut oil)

I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging. My energy level is at an all-time low right now. I think it's a combination of having one cold after another since December and stress/grief.

The matcha tea that I am trying out is helping some, but I could probably be eating better. Never underestimate the power of good nutrition, right?  But it only works if you're consistent. Lately, my diet has consisted of coffee, water, and those crunchy almond bars I get from Walmart.

Yesterday was the first time in a couple of weeks that I've actually spent time fixing a decent meal for myself. Before I take this next couple of days off from here, I'm going to share my recipe for no-fry, crunchy chicken wings with you. Mind you, I came up with this on the fly, using whatever I had in the kitchen at the time because, well, um, no energy to go to the store! LOL

This is for the chicken and a salad on the side

INGREDIENTS: (everything optional except, of course,  the chicken)

  • Chicken wings  (I separated the wing from the drum so that I had smaller pieces, but they can be left as whole 1-piece wings)
  • Garlic cloves
  • Liquid Smoke
  • Olive Oil (opt)
  • Coconut Oil
  • Emeril's (or some other type) of seasoning*
  • Panko breading
  • Salt and Pepper
  • For the salad, I used Spinach,  mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and baby potatoes, but you can use whatever you have. 
INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Pre-heat oven to about 325-350
  • Boil the chicken in water seasoned with the Liquid Smoke, salt and a little bit of olive oil
  • While the chicken is boiling, peel the garlic cloves, slice the onions into rings or strips, and cut the baby potatoes in half. Save the slicing of the tomatoes til ready to assemble the salad later.
  • When the chicken is boiled to tender, drain on paper.
  • Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with a little olive oil
  • While the chicken is still warm, rub on some coconut oil and then season with the Emeril's (or other seasoning mix). Now coat the chicken with the Panko and arrange them on your baking sheet, leaving a little room on one end for your potatoes and garlic
  • Put your garlic cloves, mushrooms and potatoes in a packet of foil with a little bit of the coconut oil and some of the seasoning. Set this on the baking sheet. 
  • Pop the baking sheet into the oven
  • Check chicken, potatoes and garlic every 30 minutes for doneness. Move the chicken around if you need to keep the pieces from sticking to the foil.
When your baking items are done, arrange your salad greens, tomatoes and onions in a bowl. Add the garlic, mushrooms and potatoes to the top. Your garlic will be very buttery and spreadable. Delicious.

This is just a nice, simple meal that is savory and healthier than frying chicken in oil. The salad is a little unusual, but I have a thing for those little potatoes and they are so good when mixed with the salad. You don't need any dressing because the seasoning mixed with the coconut oil is perfect.

And that's one of my lazy homecooked meals. 

*Seasoning is optional. You could mix some garlic powder, onion powder, curry, salt and pepper to make your own.


Now, I am going to go and take a bath and get some sleep. I'll be back with some reviews day after tomorrow or the next...

Peace
--Free

Friday, April 10, 2015

**REVIEW** Fractionated Coconut Oil by Radha Beauty

I've done reviews on a lot of fractionated coconut oils and this is the latest one:


You'll get an eBook after purchase

This is the 16-oz therapeutic grade fractionated coconut oil by Radha Beauty

I like this one just fine and it is a great quality oil. It's one of the better ones that I have tried, but the price is quite high (about double what some others go for) unless you get the Prime pricing. If you do snag the Prime price, this becomes more affordable than other quality brands - way more affordable. This one has no fillers or additives and that's a plus. The biggest plus: Radha Beauty offers a Lifetime money-back guarantee. Can't beat that, right?


Another thing to mention about this brand: There is a "no harm to nature" seal on the label. Not only should we be concerned with using natural products that are good for us, but it's nice that we pay attention to the environment.


Now, because of the super-affordable (Prime) pricing, the large size, and the high quality of this oil, you can splurge a little when using it. I've already done multiple posts talking about the benefits of using fractionated coconut oils (FCOs), so let me tell you a new method I've come up with for using it in my skincare routine.

While I've been using most of my carrier oils in combination with fragrant essential oils (as DIY perfumes, for instance), on my skin or hair (as moisturizers), and the like, I came up with a different combination this time. For a scrub. Or, actually, several types of scrubs: for face, lips, and hands/cuticles. I came up with the idea after using some solid coconut oil, baking soda and peppermint oil to brush my teeth. Here are the "recipes" I've been using for the various scrubs using the FCO:


For Lips:

In the palm of one hand, combine about a 1/2 teaspoon of FCO with about 1 teaspoon of baking soda and mix it to a paste with one finger. Brush this across your lips (gently) with your finger. RInse your lips and apply some balm or another (heavier) oil to keep them soft. (By the way, I've been reading about people using a little peppermint oil as a natural lip plumper, but I didn't want to put the peppermint on my lips right after doing a scrub.)

For Face:
Using a little bowl, mix about a tablespoon of baking soda with enough FCO to make a paste. Dot your face with a couple drops of a heavier oil (I like using argan or castor oil), then dab on the paste and massage (again, be gentle), concentrating on places where you have dry or scaly patches or blackheads. You don't need to overdo the massaging. Rinse with slightly warm water to make sure all the baking soda is gone then pat dry. Apply a little bit of argan, castor or rosehip oil if you want. What's nice with this is that the oil left on your skin will be warm and moisturizing. Personally, I avoid my eye area. Also, I don't know if this would work if you have skin that's in breakout mode. I have sensitive skin and I haven't had any problems. I like doing this before bedtime so that whatever oil I use afterwards can work overnight to keep my skin hydrated.

For Hands/Cuticles:
I use the same mix as I do for my lips, but I like to add a little bit of lemon oil or tea tree oil. Also, I'm a little more aggressive in massaging my cuticles and hands than I am with my lips or face. When you rinse your hands, you might like letting them sit for a while in warm water before blotting them dry.

Just play with the different combinations. The nice thing is that you don't have to worry about chemicals or other additives. I can't wait to do a foot treatment using the FCO/baking soda mix. I might add some peppermint to the mix when I do that.

So, this fractionated oil by Radha is really good for all these consistent uses. Plus, there is the best thing about fractionated coconut oil - that it doesn't stain fabrics. No reason not to slather it on after a warm shower or bath to lock in some moisture. I haven't used it yet for brushing my teeth, but I might give it a try. At any rate, the price  and the size kind of takes away any excuses you might have for not pampering yourself more often. And that lifetime guarantee just tops the cake.

Be sure to check out other products by Radha Beauty.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Thursday, April 09, 2015

**REVIEW** Caribbean Roots Black Castor Oil by Aveya Beauty

Remember back when your mom or grandma made you take a spoonful of castor oil every so often? No? Okay, maybe that's just me. And I will never forget how I hated seeing that spoon coming at me!

If you are too young to remember stuff like that, then I have to tell you something: no matter how I hated it, I have learned that Mom and Grandma knew what they were doing. Castor oil is one of those things that is good for you, inside and out. My elders used it as a moisturizer, a "hairdress" (treatment), a lip balm, and a remedy for constipation. Being young back then, I wanted nothing to do with it. It tasted horrible and, besides, I preferred the cute little tubes for my lip balm.

Flash forward all these years and I'm back on the castor oil. I still haven't gotten a taste for ingesting it, but I have discovered the benefits of using it externally. I'll get to that in a minute. For now, let's talk about this:

Aveya Beauty produces this Black Castor Oil that smells better than what I remember from my childhood. Actually, I have tried a couple other brands of black castor oil since those days so I can compare this one to what I have used before. Looks like Aveya has some other quality products I'd like to try (I'm already trying another product of theirs).

I'll cover some more castor oil info in a moment, but about this one:
  • There is the faintest of scents to it (you'll see why this matters to some folks in a moment)
  • It's one of the first "heavier" oils that I've been able to use right out of the bottle without having it just sit on top of my skin. It soaks in so quickly that I carry it in my purse use it during the day. If I wait just a few moments, it has absorbed enough that it doesn't smudge papers or clothing.
  • I love what it does for my hair. Applied to damp hair, it seals the ends so that I don't get so much frizz once the hair is dried.
  • Because of the nice absorbency, I can use this on my face without getting a lot of buildup. Best thing is, it makes a really nice oil cleanser if I mix in a little bit of fractionated coconut oil and use wipe with a baby wipe.
  • After I had been using it as a hand moisturizer, I noticed that my nails and cuticles were getting a lot of the benefits. At their driest, the sides of my nails get that ashy white look from the dead and damaged skin because I wash my hands a lot. I'm planning to do a cuticle scrub with this oil, using it and a little bit of baking soda and an old toothbrush. Then, I will re-moisturize with the oil. Can't wait.
  • Speaking of scrubs, I have been using sugar and another oil to exfoliate my lips. After the next lip treatment, I'm going to balm up with this castor oil. I plan to do a heavy coating of the oil and let it rest a while before I smooth it into my lips.
  • Because I am noticing that it doesn't take a lot of this oil for regular uses (even the above lip treatment shouldn't take much), I'm happy with the size of the bottle. At first, I was wishing it had come in a little bit bigger size for the price, but it's working out to be a good value after all. (By the way, the label even instructs users not to use more than needed. That's a nice change from the old "wash-rinse-repeat world" method used to keep consumers coming back for more.
There is one gripe I have, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. It's the printing on the label. Other than the front, all the other print is so small that I actually had to use a magnifier app to read it... Seriously. And the label includes some good info - such as suggestions for how to use the oil and/or mix it with other products. 

To save you some squinting, here are the benefits listed on the label:
  • Increase hair growth
  • Thicken hair that's starting to thin
  • Reduce and prevent hair breakage
  • Eliminate dry hair
  • Make hair fuller and shinier
  • Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp
  • Prevent dry scalp
  • Boost your hair's overall growth.
Some of that is a bit repetitive, but it matches what I have been reading about the benefits of castor oil. One other thing I'd like to point out is that I don't personally find there is much difference in benefits between a good "regular" castor oil and a good JBCO. That's just my opinion though and other people might have a different take.

If you are buying via Amazon, Aveya discounts a limited amount of this product on a monthly basis, so there's your chance to give it a try. (The Aveya site offers what they call an "iron clad, bullet-proof guarantee".)

Now here goes some more general information about castor oils:

If you have checked out castor oil recently, you might notice that there are a few popular types out there:
  • Castor oil - has a yellow-ish coloring unless it's filtered to a clearer shade.
  • Black castor oil - gets its dark color from the ash of roasted beans
  • Jamaican black castor oil - I don't know for a fact but, since not all JBCOs come from Jamaica, the name comes from the process, which is, I am guessing, a Jamaican invention. (This Aveya black castor oil, for instance, is a product of Haiti.)
 By the way, Black Hair Information offers up a wonderful history and some info on castor oil & JBCO. Glad I found BHI, which is now bookmarked.

The big difference in castor oils, other than the color, is the smell. The JBCO has a odor that a lot of people don't like (I do). BHI describes it perfectly as having the scent of burnt seeds.  "Regular" castor oil has a faint, well, oily scent, in my opinion, but lots of people claim it's odorless. Even though the JBCO does have a smell you might find unpleasant, I found that the odor dissipates very quickly. As for ingesting castor oil, it's not my favorite thing to do but, like I mentioned at the start, my elders were big on getting a little bit of it into the body for, um, cleaning things out... LOL

Here are some links to more info:

Sure hope I gave you some good info - or lead you to it - if you have been thinking about using a castor oil in your beauty routine.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

**REVIEW** Lifeguard Mini 1 Portable Charger

Cellphones. Agh! We've chained ourselves into having them, using them, and never being able to be without them. They are convenient and, for some of us (me!), they have replaced landlines and radios. And if it's not our cellphones, it's our tablets, right?

Convenient, convenient, convenient. Until the batteries runs down. Agh!

For the longest time, I carried a plug-in charger with more care than I do my checkbook. I actually had a cute little cosmetics bag just to hold my charger. Having a cellphone battery run down is not even that big of a deal in most cases. I repeat: In. Most. Cases.

This is the charger next to the laptop Spacebar.
However, in some cases, I have ended up 1 - looking selfish (running over someone to beat them to a free outlet in an airport boarding lounge); 2 - looking crazed while baby-talking the charger to "charge faster, faster" so I can dash away as soon as my boarding group is called or; 3 - just about having a nervous breakdown when I realized I am boarding a flight with my phone only charged to 12%...

Now we have portable chargers. Ahhh...What a relief.

This is the second charger I have tried out and 1 of 4 or more that our family has around.


That right there is the Lifeguard Mini 1. It's small enough to share a cosmetic case with my lipsticks. Nice. Real nice.
(And, yeah,  sorry for the angle... Blogger is acting a fool & not placing photos in their original orientation).

The first time I charged it (out of the box), it took just over an hour and a half. That seemed like a long time, but this is a portable charger that's supposed to hold a lot of juice. I read that some people let theirs charge up overnight, but not me. Too impatient.

Next test, charging up my tablet that has been completely dead for about three weeks. How'd the charger do? Well, I had intended to time how long the charge-up took, but I fell asleep. Next morning, my tablet was charged to 100% and the Mini1 had enough juice left to charge my phone (from around 86% to full).

Wow, right? And wait - there's more!

My bad photo.
This comes with a USB connector
and instructions
After juicing up my dead tablet and my almost-full phone, the Mini1 still brought my bluetooth headphones from a Medium charge to High. There was more juice left (according to the lights), but I can't tell how much...

Now, because this charger is so awesome and packs so much juice, I am not really bothered by the one thing that could be considered a negative. That one thing is that there is no display on the Mini1 to show what percentage of charge it's holding. The indicator on the Mini1 will show Red when it's plugged and being charged up for use. When it's full, the light goes out. Once you plug the Mini1 into your phone or other device, the indicator light shows Blue.

Do I wish that there was a better/quicker way to know how charged up the Mini1 is? Of course. But does that bother me much? No sir. See, another portable charger I have used does have the display to show how charged up it is. That's nice, but the other charger doesn't pack the charging power of the Mini1. I'll take more juice over a better indicator any day. Anyway, the work-around is simple: just plug in the Mini1 to see if the Red light indicates needing a charge. Or, better yet, just make sure to always keep the Mini1 charged and ready to go. That is pretty much the point of any portable charger...

So, even though the Mini1 is slightly heavier than another charger I've used, it's about the same size (fits into a pocket or tiny purse, etc.) and yet it packs a ton more charging juice. And that really is the main point.

The only thing I would change about this is the color I got. I now wish I had gone for the pink or silver one. That's the chick in me.

Now, to get to get to the nitty gritty, this comes with an 18-month money-back guarantee. Notice on the product page that you can choose to get the Mini1 that includes a lightening cable or not (for a few dollars price difference).

This is a charger that packs a lot of power, so out of the 4 that are being used in our family, this is the one that I like best so far. Just that pesky little no-display issue...

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

*REVIEW** Skinology Argan Oil for Hair, Face, Skin & Nails

There are lots of argan oils out there (and I've tried a bunch of them), but this was the first one labelled for such specific use:

 This is Skinology's "Pure & Natural Certified Organic" Argan Oil for hair, face, skin and nails.

Now, to be honest, I believe that any argan oil can be used for the hair, the face, the skin, and for the nails. That's what most beauty consumers do use the oil for in the first place. Though I'm sure there are other uses I don't know about, so far, those are the only uses that I do know about.  (I have heard of people taking the oil internally, but I won't be trying that for myself.) I think the main thing that separates one argan oil from another are the same things that separate any type of products: quality and purity. At the end of this post, I will look at some of the terms used on the label but, for now, let's just talk about how this oil worked for me. (And, by the way, heed the product warning of not using if you are allergic to nuts! Not a ha-ha, but seriously...)

I really liked that this oil absorbed so well - not just coating my skin with an oily residue. A bigger test of how well it absorbs was that I was able to use it on my (kinky/curly) hair and it didn't weigh it down. (I applied it lightly to my damp hair, especially the ends. I'm going to keep using it this way once I trim my ends to see if it helps the condition of my hair.)

Like I said before, all of the argan oils I've used have been for the same purposes, but I can tell that this one does work better than some others.When I replaced my Solar Oil by using the Skinology on my nails and cuticles, I was able to get a lot of moisture out of the tiniest dab of the argan oil.

The other ways I tried this out was to moisturize the edge of my hairline. I tend to get a lot of dryness there since it's a spot I don't concentrate on when I use face creams in general. That gave me the idea of using the argan oil on my face after doing a mask treatment. I just applied small dabs of the oil (especially around my eyes, on the chin and on the forehead), patted it on and let it rest before I rubbed in my regular moisturizer. You know how dry your face can get after doing an exfoliation or mask, right? This method of moisturizing worked so well, I'm going to make it part of my routine.

So, while I'm generally skeptical of elaborate claims on product labels, I have to admit that the Skinology lived up to my highest expectations for an argan oil. Not only does it work really well, but the Prime pricing is great. On top of that, there is a full, no-questions asked, keep-the-bottle, money-back guarantee. By the way, I have used other Skinology products and they have all been of the same good quality.

Now, here is that other info I promised. Try not to nod off while reading it. If you use oils in your beauty routine, this is good stuff to learn about.

The part of the product description for this oil that interested me the most was the "Triple Extra Virgin Cold Pressed" statement. Let's break that down a bit. I couldn't quickly locate information specific to argan oil, but I'm looking at how the USDA (pdf file link) defines terms for olive oils.

  • Virgin olive oils are the oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, including thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation, and filtration...
I didn't find any mention of "triple extra virgin" at that source. When I looked for definition of "cold pressed", I checked out the Wikipedia article on olive oil for an idea of what it means for that oil to be cold pressed:

  • Cold pressed or Cold extraction means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 27 °C (80 °F)) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation".[43] The difference between Cold Extraction and Cold Pressed is regulated in Europe, where the use of a centrifuge, the modern method of extraction for large quantities, must be labelled as Cold Extracted, while only a physically pressed olive oil may be labelled as Cold Pressed. In many parts of the world, such as Australia, producers using centrifugal extraction still label their products as Cold Pressed.
Okay. So there you go. If any of you know anything about oils (especially that whole "triple virgin" thing) please share!

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Do you Chaga?

Today*, when I visited the Center (Farmers') Market of Alaska-grown products in our Sears Mall, I didn't intend to spend a penny. Actually, I was only at the mall to pick up a few grocery items from Carrs-Safeway... Yeah, well. Send me near a mall and watch what happens, right?

I'm glad I got detoured and took a look at what the vendors had to offer. I discovered something interesting. This:



These are both nectars made from the Chaga mushroom/fungus. Apparently, this is something that grows all over Alaska (and other places, of course) on birch trees. 

I've been in Alaska almost as long as I have been living. Why did I not know about this?

Chaga is something that many indigenous people use as part of their diet and natural medicinal needs. Native Alaska peoples are very aware of the Chaga mushroom and its benefits. Okay. I not only have lived here most of my life, some of my family is Native Alaskan.

Once again, why did I not know about the Chaga mushroom? Well, probably because I didn't pay attention to everything that this dear woman tried to teach me while she was still here on earth:

In her 60's, she would walk for miles like she was 15 years old!

That's Marie. She's the grandmother to some of my nieces and nephews. I should have listened to her That woman could go for walks from one end of town to the other, just because she could. She could outwalk a teenager! Anyway, Marie, I am paying attention. Finally.

So, about the Chaga mushroom, tea, nectar, etc. There are many benefits. Here are some links for more information:

I haven't looked through all this information myself, but I did get an overview of the benefits from a couple of the vendors at the Farmers Market. I didn't get any of the tea because I wanted to start with the nectar. The vendors explained that I can add the nectar to my tea, coffee and cereals. That's an easy way to get started with something I wanted to ease into using.

Since am fighting immune problems, I decided to invest in a jar of the nectar from the first place I stopped at. Then I ended up getting upset with myself for not checking a stall further down. Different shaped jar, but same amount (just around 5oz) of the nectar for half the price. What I realized a few days later is that the more expensive nectar was also much thicker in texture and had a richer taste. I suspect it had more Chaga than the cheaper brand...

Now, about this Ch-ch-chaga. (You knew I had to do it. And I'm silly from being sleep-deprived. Forgive me.) As with anything, we have to be careful to check with our doctors to make sure that something we ingest doesn't interact badly or interfere with any prescribed medicines or medical conditions. That said, I'm not thrilled with the last doctor I saw and I am looking for a new G.P., so I've gone ahead and used the nectar. I haven't had any negative reactions that I can tell and I've had a couple of labs done since then to check my blood and urine.

Before I get to the various pieces of info I did check out online, let me give you my take on the taste of the 2 nectars I purchased. 

The $10 nectar is plain and sweetened (I can`t remember with what, but here is their Facebook page, if you want to ask). It`s pretty yummy. When I taste-tested it on a spoon before I bought it, I expected it to taste like a flavored honey. At room temp, it looks just like honey but with heavier caramel color. It has the texture of honey. I was surprised that it tasted so much nicer than honey. To me, the taste was sweeter and richer. Like the difference between whole milk and cream. When the vendor was suggesting different ways to use it (in coffee and tea and on my oatmeal or cereal), I remember thinking that I could just keep licking it right off of a spoon. (And I have done this a couple of times since I got the nectar.)

The $5 nectar is with honey and ginger.  It has the same room-temp constency (maybe a little thinner than the other nectar) and it`s lighter in color. You can taste a hint of the ginger and lemon flavor, but they are not overwhelming. (I actually accidentally used it in my coffee and, surprisingly, it was fine.) I have also eaten this one right off a spoon. I`ll get to that whole "off the spoon thing" later.

When I commented before about the differences in pricing, I hadn`t had a chance to notice the nectars after they had been refrigerated. The more expensive nectar was thickened 5-fold. The less expensive one was about the same consistency it had been at room temp. It was a tiny bit thicker, but not nearly as much. I don`t know why this is, but I am going to do more research. I mean, is it because there is more Chaga in the $10 item? Or is it because the other item has ginger and lemon added? Curious, right? (By the way, my nephew - who is half Alaska native - told me that this is because there was more Chaga extract in the thicker nectar. Get what you pay for, yes?)

I have learned a bit from digging around online and talking to a person I trust.
The person I spoke  with (I will call her "May") is a Native Alaskan who respects her heritage and has been practicing the use of natural resources from the land. She told me that her people have been using Chaga since forever. They appreciate the antioxidant powers and healing aspects of the Chaga Mushroom. It still amazes me that this nectar was made using a mushroom that I have grown up seeing yet never paid mind to. I have family members who are natives of this land and this is the one thing none of them ever brought up. I realize now that I probably was just not paying attention.
May explained that the Chaga she uses grows on the sides of Birch trees. She said that they are odd-looking and easy to recognize (hard to mistake, as with some other fungi, berries and plants). 


She described them as looking a little like they have a beard. This is when they are ready for picking. And, weirdly, the mushrooms are hard like wood when they are picked and stored. When you hear "mushroom", you`re probably thinking soft and spongy. (When I saw one of the mushrooms displayed by a vendor, I did think it was just a strange-looking piece of wood. That`s what it looked and felt like. If I had been more coherent, I would have noticed that the item was one of the mushrooms the nectar had been made from.)

I forget the rest of what May told me, but she did advise that I could pick my own Chaga Mushrooms and make my own teas. (I will be talking with her later so I can take notes and update this post.) I also am going to speak with a good friend who will probably be able to help me with making nectar from the mushroom.

From searching around online, I have learned that Chaga is not any kind of a mystery to any culture who does pay attention to nature and its benefits to health and wellness. Note some of the info in the links I provided earlier.

I have learned that you can ingest Chaga as a tea or a powder (to add to food and drink); you can add the nectar to almost anything that you want to sweeten. Now that I know I like it in general, I'm going to give the tea a try. By the way, I saw the Chaga items flavored in many ways: root beer, lemon, ginger, peppermint, etc. (I will stick with my lemon-ginger and the plain sweetened flavor for now.)

What I can tell you now that I have been using this for a couple of months, this stuff did increase my energy. I was having one of the roughest weeks of my life and was just ragged out with fatigue. Coffee only works until you get all jittery and sick of it. The nectar was something that I could eat right off a spoon or add to some tart juice (think Cranberry) and it gave me energy that felt more like a second wind than a caffeine hurricane. It didn't give me the shakes, irrita-bitchies or make my heart raise. I just felt like I could get through the next few hours. Of course, I had to crash at some point, but I really appreciated the little boost when I needed it.

NOTE: I first started this post way back in, I think, October. I had to update some of it so forgive me if the post is disjointed. Also, I have since gotten some of the tea in a concentrated form. I add a couple teaspoons of it to my green teas, coffee, or I just make a hot Chaga tea and add some of the nectar to sweeten it. Right after Mike's passing, I wasn't eating for several days at a time and I think drinking the green tea and Chaga kept me from just dropping on my face.

Peace
--Free

Sunday, March 29, 2015

**REVIEW** MeasuPro Blood Pressure Monitor

Couldn't wait to do the review for this, but I have to tell you up front: This post is just for people who have to be serious about monitoring their blood pressure. 

Unfortunately, I am one of those people. Due to my genetic history, my illness and, partly, my previous lifestyle habits, I have crazy blood pressure. At one point I had readings with numbers that looked like they were indicating the amount of people who are irritated by Kanye West. (Just kidding, K.W. Don't sue me.) Thanks to good docs and some lifestyle changes, I am more often running numbers in the range of almost-usually-normal. Unless I spend too much time around certain people!

All joking aside, I did have systolic readings in the high 200's. Seriously. Almost dead seriously.

The best thing about my getting this nasty sarcoidosis (other than living through it) is that it forced me to get medical care. Part of my care includes being treated for my blood pressure issues. My part of that care is to regularly monitor my BP in between doctor appointments. This is a machine that's going to make that a lot easier:



Official name: BPM-20A Digital Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor and Heart Rate Monitor by MeasuPro.



Big name for a seriously good monitor. Here's some of what it features:
  1. Provides accurate measurements of your blood pressure and pulse rate.
  2. Records for 2 separate users.
  3. Has a bright LCD display with separate touch buttons for each individual user. 
  4. Records up to 120 blood pressure readings (60 readings per user) with date and time memory recall. 
  5. Graphical readings are classified in five different levels.
  6. Displays are color coded to represent the reading's level of hypertension. 
  7. It also calculates and averages your blood pressure based on the last 3 readings and detects irregular heartbeats and any arrhythmias.
  8. Arm cuff fits upper arm circumference of 23-32 cm. 
As soon as I unboxed this, I was impressed by how solid and sturdy it is. It's not uncomfortable heavy, but it doesn't slide all around when you sit it on a surface to use it. Also, the cuff is made so well - good fabric and design. For anyone who uses a digital BP monitor, you know how annoying it can be to have the hose disconnect, right? Well, this one attaches securely in a twist-lock fashion.



Of the 8 features I listed, the ones I like best are -

  • #4 because I'm forever losing those little BP record-keeping cards the doctors have me use
  • #6 because, for some reason, I pay more attention to the colors than I do the numbers, and
  • #8 because, well, that's just freaking awesome and it's not something my math-stupid brain would do on its own.


I've decided that, since no one else in the house monitors their BP, I'll use the 2nd-user function for when my meds change or something. Of course, I'll still also record as User 1 to keep the averaging functions straight.

Like I said, this is a monitor for someone who needs to be serious about tracking their BP. Because of all the actually useful features, it's a much better buy than other monitors I've gone through in the past couple of years. One of those other machines was so annoying that, during a prednisone rage, I threw it against the wall when the air hose kept pulling loose. (I'm not proud of that, but I'm honest!) The dang thing was so lightweight that it didn't even damage the wall... 

I forgot to mention that this came with batteries.


There is a spot on the back to connect a DC plug, though the machine didn't come with one. No problem. One of the old machines I'm discarding has one I can use since the plugs are standard.

Basically, this is the best monitor I've used. A lot of times when I review a product, I'll like it a lot with no plans to purchase in the near future. This is one time that I can say that I'll always want to use this particular product. I notice that the brand also has a wrist monitor BP reader. That might be interesting for people who can't use their arm for a reading. My sister, Mike, has a fistula and that would have been a better choice for her. Bottom line though, this brand has truly impressed me with the quality of the monitor they let me review.

As for the price, I've paid the same (or more) for other monitors and they didn't have all the features and weren't anywhere near the quality of this one. So, it's worth every penny of the non-Prime price, but if you do have Amazon Prime, it's a must-have.

Once again, the link to the product is here and it comes with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty. 

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

**REVIEW** Invivo Fractionated Coconut Oil

This is another fractionated coconut oil (FCO) that I got to try out. I love trying various brands of the same kind of product, just so I can compare them. I've lost count, but I think this is the fourth FCO I've used.

pretty plastic bottle
By now, you all know what I like about FCOs: that there's no fragrance, don't have to worry about staining clothing, and that it makes a great carrier for other essential oils. FCOs are so multi-use in skincare and beauty routines - not to mention that some people love what it does for their hair.

mfg/shelf dates
Basically, when picking an FCO, the only thing to worry about is quality and price. Of course, like with anything, you can expect to "get what you pay for", and there have been some poor quality oils out there. However, FCOs are not generally expensive anyway. This particular brand does have the qualities of a good oil: it's clear and pure of additives. By the way, InvivoEssential website offers a 100% money-back guarantee. (And, of course, via Amazon, customers get a standard warranty with anything unless otherwise noted.)

So then, the last thing I came down to with this one is the price. With my Amazon Prime membership, I would still be paying almost 3 times the price of a comparable oil (also with the Prime price).

Bottom line, this is a good quality oil, but there are other FCOs out there more in my personal price range.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Wonderpiel Konjac Sponge

The Konjac sponge is one of the trends in skincare. I've tried more than a couple and, while I like the idea, I was concerned that the quality can vary so greatly. Some of the sponges are great, and some of them are basically garbage. That's what happens with a type of product that gets trendy real fast: too many of that item come out with a lot of speed and a loss of quality.

The WONDERPIEL Konjac sponge is one of the best. The main thing that makes it stand out is that it's so pliable and soft. I tried one other sponge that was much to dry and rough-feeling for my preferences. Another plus to this one is the size, which is perfect for face care and fits well into my hand.  Also nice is the string that's attached so you can hang the sponge closeby in the shower. By the way, this sponge is infused with activated bamboo charcoal.

Dry sponge
 This product description says that the sponge is best for sensitive skin. I think that's true (because this one is so soft), but you still have to be careful not to use it too vigorously. The first time I used this one, I probably didn't realize how deep it cleans (again because of the softness). I kept going over the same spots on my face - especially my chin and nose. It wasn't until I finished and was rinsing my skin that I realized I'd rubbed some spots to the point that they were a little raw and sensitive. I have learned that I only need to rub the sponge over my face a couple of times (and with very little pressure) and still get the smoothing and cleansing benefits.

My elbows love the sponge. I notice that my elbows will get dry and scaly if I don't tend to them. My left elbow is the worst because I tend to rest it on the arms of chairs while I write with my right hand. When I finally thought to use the sponge on my elbows, I realized that it gets rid of the roughness without being really abrasive - if I don't over use the sponge.

Now on to the one thing that bothered me about this particular sponge: because it's softer than other sponges, it does tend to wear around the edges where I grasp it most. I had some little pieces of it start to break off after a while. Still, I'd rather deal with that and get the benefits of something that is gentle and works than to use those other skimpy, rough sponges that I've found.

Wet sponge. Ready to use.
All the pros of that sponge outweigh that one tiny drawback. Plus, the cost really makes it worth replacing (or getting a couple at a time). The price when I received mine was $10. And that's with a 100% money-back guarantee. Win. Win.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Friday, March 27, 2015

**REVIEW** North

This is probably my favorite of all the argan oils I've tried. I mean, it's my top favorite. I can't say much more than I did when I reviewed it on Amazon, so I'll cheat and (mostly) repeat:


Notice the "all-purpose" use

Not all Argan oils are created equal. Most of them do the job of moisturizing and relieving problems with dry skin, hair and nails but, I have tried so many different brands, that I am learning which ones seem to do the job best. This 100% Pure Virgin Argan Oil by NorthCoast Products is one of the best so far.

Like with most oils, this one claims to be free of additives (fragrance, color, chemicals, etc.), but because of how good it treated my skin, I believe the claims for this one.

And not tested on animals

My test is to apply the oil to the driest part of my skin. Usually, this is my hands. When I dabbed this brand on to the back of my hand, I could feel the moisture going to work as soon as I began massaging in the oil.The best thing though is how the oil absorbs completely so that I have the moisture without the greasy residue sitting on top of my skin. It moisturizes like a really good lotion without the mess of an oil.

I also tried this oil on my feet (my real problem area). When I applied it initially, the results were good, but not as much as for my hands. Since I have extremely dry feet (it's actually embarrassing how dry they can get so fast), I decided to do a soak in warm water and exfoliate them with a rough washcloth before I tested the oil again. This time - great results. Just like with my hands, I got a lot of moisture without the stickiness and mess. (And, yes, I have done the same test with the other brands. This one is still my favorite so far.)

A lot of Argan oils (the ones that do an adequate job) are not ones that I would want to use on my face. Maybe the ultimate reason I chose this as my current favorite is that I am able to use it on my face (even around my eyes) and get such good results. Some other oils tended to be too heavy (or, at least, they didn't absorb well enough) for that. I had to let this one "rest" for just a minute or so before I could apply makeup. It's really nice for night time use when I want to use a bit more around my eyes, on my forehead and on my neck.

The biggest factor in how well this particular brand of Argan oil works seems to be how well it absorbs. I'm assuming that it's because of quality. Now, it is on the pricier side - especially for the 4-oz size. I've almost used mine up because I do like it so much and use it more than the other ones that I have. That's probably a Pro and Con, depending on how you look at it.

By the way, they offer a 90-day Money Back Guarantee. Check out the North Coast Products website to look into getting discounts by joining their mailing list.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.