**REVIEW** Isododecane

This is a cosmetic ingredient that I am using to "thin" out and moisturize some of my makeup:

The item is from Making Cosmetics, the same place I get my Wrinkle Blur from. While the Blur is easy to use, with this product,  I'm kind of experimenting.

Here is the description for Isododecane ("Iso" from here on out). This is straight from the product page:

"Description: Hydrocarbon that is most often used as an emollient and solvent in skin care products. Thanks to its low viscosity and density, it has a high spreadability. Colorless liquid. Water-insoluble, but completely soluble with silicones, hydrocarbons, isoparaffin & mineral spirits. CAS# 31807-55-3. INCI Name: Isododecane."  (my emphasis)

And some more info:

"Properties: Has a weightless feel on skin, enhances spreadability of products, helps prevent evaporation of water from the skin, excellent emollient and can be used as replacement to oils in emulsions. Compatible with silicones for imparting shine, slip, combability for hair care products, conditions hair & skin. Use: Can be added to formulas as is, add to oil phase, use level 2-15%. Storage: Stable when kept in a closed container at a cool & dry place. Application: Mascara, eyeliner, creams, lotions, hair care, conditioners, hairsprays, perfumes." (my emphasis)

What I plan to use it for is what a lot of laymen Cosmetics Kitchenistas seem to use it for. I'm going to be adding minute amounts to my foundations to help them spread better and also with my gel liners to help them not "clump". I also add a bit to the Vanilla-Grapefruit fragrance that I'm so in love with. I noticed that the Iso helps the scent "stay" longer. Maybe that's because of the whole evaporation prevention?

I will definitely not be using this to try getting more mileage out of my old and dried out cosmetics. It's not good to use old cosmetics - eyeliners and shadows, etc - simply because they can cause me skin issues. I won't try to tell you guys what to do with your old products, but I will suggest you be careful of them. I've read of people getting eye infections and having serious skin breakouts from working with their ancient makeup. LOL.

So far, I've had good results.

With my fragrance, I added the smallest amount I could manage. I put one drop into a 4ml vial of the fragrance.  As far as using with my makeup, I have some concealer that I use the Iso with. I will dampen only the very tip of my smallest makeup brush with the Iso, then run the brush across the concealer before applying to my skin. It really does help with diluting the concealer and making it spread better. This works for me because, even when I want more foundation coverage, I never want a heavily applied concealer. Pretty sure this might work for thinning out other creamy cosmetics. Haven't tried that yet.

The one way that I absolutely love using the Iso is when I have over-applied my mascara or get clumps on my lashes. I take a clean mascara wand (you can get these at beauty supply stores), dab on some Iso, then run the wand through your lashes to "clean" them up a bit. It also works to thin out heavy lipsticks. I have a couple of lipstick shades that I like to blend together on the back of my hand before applying to my lips. The Iso makes this easy.

I did have to get used to handling the Iso. It's very, very runny and it only takes a bit to work with. I find that best way to use it is with a clean dropper.

I haven't used the Iso with hair products yet. I'm going to experiment with it though. I know that I want to try thinning out some of the hair gel I use sometimes. What I'm thinking about is the moisture and evaporation factor. Wonder if this would help my hair retain more of the moisture I get from some products? Hmmm....

As you can tell, I'm still playing around with uses for this stuff. If any of you have used it before or have tips for using it, let me know. I'll try to keep you updated from this end.

Of course, there's a bunch of info online about the Pros and Cons of Isododecane. It's not one of the "natural" products, so I get that a lot of people might not like that. For myself, this is one of those cases where I'm going more for control of my beauty products - natural or not.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Super Enriched Honey

My brother and I were having a discussion about this one the other night:

We both like honey, but he is allergic to bee stings. I know that he eats honey, but I wanted to ask if he knew about any of the other by-products (?) of honey and if he uses them. He told me that he still loves and eats honey (and even has a friend who is a hobbyist beekeeper!). He did not know about any of the stuff that is in this product: pollen, propolis, and royal jelly.

Ingredients

Each of those things is in this enriched honey, but I wanted to break down what they are and how I could use them so I did some online research:

pollen

• Bee Pollen (according to WebMD) is basically pollen that collects on the bodies of bees and might also include bee saliva. I was surprised to learn that honey, honeycomb, royal jelly, and bee venom don't contain bee pollen. It is known to be used in skin-softening products and dietary supplements. It's not safe for pregnant or nursing women and, of course, could cause severe problems for people with pollen allergies. (I'm going to mention something about that in a bit.) Other sources mention that bee pollen is rich in amino acids and protein. (Here are some more claimed benefits.) 

propolis

• Bee Propolis (and, again, I'm going to steal straight from the info source) "is a resinous material that bees use to seal small cracks and gaps in the hive (beeswax seals the larger gaps). It’s made when bees collect resin from trees and other sources and mix it with a little bit of honey." Wow. I recently saw something about propolis being used to "accelerate" hair growth.

royal jelly

• Royal Jelly, according to WebMD, "is a milky secretion produced by worker honey bees." The "royalty" comes from the fact that it's used for the queen bee.

I find all that very interesting. One thing that alarms me a little is that I hear so many people talking about treating their pollen allergies with these bee products. I'm all about going natural and earth-central for healing and sustenance, but I also believe in caution and common sense. 

My brother is going to be checking this blog and doing some of his own research, but I have no known allergies, so...

Since I do care lots about my health, I budget out each month to purchase things that might be good for me. This enriched honey was one such purchase, but I almost got this one too:

The reason I decided not to get that one is because I can manage with the enriched honey for now. Maybe I will try that extract later. This is a comparison of nutrition labels:

propolis
extract

enriched
honey

Taste

Of course, nothing good for you will work if you can't stand using it. Good thing that I like the taste of this. 

mix of smooth and gritty

It's sweet, but not sugary-sweet. I'd say it's a nutty-flavored sweetness. The texture is a bit rough and gritty-like at first contact. Not bad, just not smooth like plain honey normally is. 

In general, I try to take in at least 1 tsp, three times a day. I'll generally do this just before I drink a lot of water.

Effects

Honestly, I thought that it would be a week or so before I would feel any of the energy I've heard other people talk about. That energy came on the first time I tried it. Maybe because I was a little bit tired when I took it? I probably wouldn't have noticed the added energy, but I was tired and dragging. I took about a teaspoon and a half, then drank some water. I'm not sure exactly how long it was - maybe half an hour - before I noticed that I was back up to speed. Actually, regular honey will give me a little boost, but this was a bit more intense. A nice surprise. 

I'm only on Day 3 with this, so I'll have to come back and update on whether or not the longer term effects are different. 

Because I have used honey on my skin (as a rinse-off mask) and hair (to heal damage), I want to try this out that way. I'm still debating with myself on that. The jar cost me about $11 at the local store. I'm not sure how much of this it would take to treat my face and neck. If I do try this out as a topical beauty treatment, I will sure post about it! LOL

I think I've hit my limit for honey products. I've tried it all at this point. Well, I haven't tried the Manuka honey and probably won't be able to afford to for a while, so... Maybe I will check to see if I can find the Manuka sold in tiny quantities. Oh well.

Peace

-Free

Disclaimer: I am not, of course, a medical professional of any sort. You should communicate with your healthcare providers and practice common sense and safety when using natural products. 

**REVIEW** Buram Flower Honey (with the comb!)

Okay, I have to admit that this isn't the usual type of 'review' but, since I do love honey, I had to share with you guys.

How can you not love this? I mean, if you like honey as much as I do.

Two things I don't know about this honey is what type of flower(s) it's from and how processed it is. I do know that this is an import from Turkey. From what I can tell from other online reviews, the brand is respected. From my own experience, I can definitely tell you that this tastes soooo good. (So, yes, +J.D. Hughes, I am eating the honeycomb! LOL)

You might remember that I talked about how super sweet Tupelo honey was. I only use it for certain things because of that. Funny thing is, this honey is just about as sweet as Tupelo, but it's a different type of taste. Tupelo is almost sugary-sweet and, to me, it has a wine-like taste. This one has a mellower sweetness. It's perfect for my honey-water drinks. Also, I finally tried it with some cheese. Nice. (I haven't done so yet, but can't wait to try this with goat cheese. Shout out here to one of my nieces-of-the-heart, Jamie!)

The whole reason I wanted to try this honey - because, Lord knows, I have enough stocked for now - is that it contains a piece of raw honeycomb.

From doing some general study, I know that honeycomb can be good but has to be eaten with some moderation. If you guys actually read my past posts, you know about the raw honey, honeycomb, and propolis.

I've had bits of honeycomb that come in the Really Raw honey that I buy, but I really love being able to break off a little gob of the comb and just.... Oh! It's tastes so good.

Some people in the Amazon reviews, questions and forums have talked about eating it all the time (and even swallowing it). I'm going to be more careful about that because of what I've mentioned before. What I've done since I got this comb is to chew all the flavor out of it, chew on the wax for a while (like gum), then spit it out.

One thing I've noticed since looking for honeycomb is that it can be pricey. That alone will keep me from eating too much. Plus, even a little piece of it is good enough. The fact that you get that crunchy bit of flavor is a nice morning pick-me-up. Chewing on the wax is soothing and I'm sure it's healthier than chewing regular gum. Since honey is so "anti" (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant...), I think of chewing on the comb and the wax as being really healthy for the mouth. Maybe? Probably?

At any rate, if you like honey - or have been wanting to try honeycomb - I can tell you that I am in love with this one. For price-sake, I think it's better to purchase honey with some comb in it instead of buying just the comb. I don't think that I will be going through the comb that fast.

Like I said, this isn't a typical review, but I had to share it.

Peace
--Free

P.S.: You all should know that you should never give honey to kids under a year old. I was taught by my mom that you didn't give honey to kids under TWO years old. I only recently learned the reason for that. It can cause infant botulism. So do be careful. Also, if you are allergic to bees or bee products, stay away from pollen, propolis and other products of that nature. Just saying.

**REVIEW** 3 Piece Set of Makeup Blender Sponges

This is what I have been using to apply my makeup:

Okay, I also had a sponge I picked up from a discount beauty supply when I was in Arizona.  It was a decent sponge and I use it just about every day (except, sometimes, on weekends). I had one other sponge but it began to fall apart after about a month. I don't remember what brand it was.

This is the set of sponges from Emax-Design that I was able to try out recently:

Ah...

I love these. First of all, they are a lot more pliable than my other sponge. Soft on my skin, but firm enough to hold up to pressure. I really like having this set. Before I got my other sponge, I basically used my fingers to apply my foundation. For the under eye area or for smudging my liner, I'd use those little foam tipped sticks.  Now, I just keep these sponges with my makeup to take care of everything. I feel like such a chick right now!

I know that everyone has their own routine for their makeup, but I try to keep things nice and simple: foundation, a little highlighting or concealer (depending on the day), eyeliner, mascara and lip stuff. (By the way, right now, I'm very much into stain-and-balm sets. More on that in a later post.)

Can I admit something here? Until now, I didn't ever think of wetting/dampening a makeup sponge. I was just using mine dry. Never did wet it until the first time I washed it. Anyway.

The big and medium sponge of this set was what I was dying to try out. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to use the small sponge for anything at all. But first, I wanted to see the difference in all three sponges when wet and when dry:

As you can see,  there is just the slightest plumping of the dampened ones.

Just so you can get an idea of the overall size of these, I took these shots:

The feel of them when dry is very firm, just as you'd expect. When dampened (wet and squeezed out), they are still firm, but there is a smoother texture to them. Live and learn, right?

largest

The biggest sponge is, of course, great for my foundation. I used the fattest end to do my cheeks and forehead, then I use the thinner part for my nose and around my mouth.

I was determined to give the smallest one a go and found that I really like using it for concealer/highlighting around my eyes. I learned a trick a long time ago of adding a touch of highlighter just above and below the brow line. When I look closely at my cleaned face, I notice that I have a natural lightening there anyway. The highlighting is to define (and even "lift") the brows. The blunt end of the small sponge? Perfect for that job. I use the tip of that sponge to smudge my liner so that it doesn't look too harsh and noticeable.

smallest

Depending on which foundation I'm using - and sometimes, depending on what mood my skin is in - I like to help "set" my finished face. I will either apply some of my Blur (from Making Cosmetics) or I just blot my face with a tissue. Well, that medium sized sponge is just exactly right for blotting. On the day that I applied Blur, I used the narrow end of the sponge (which gave me lots of control). When I remembered to test the sponge just for blotting (no Blur), I used the blunt end.

medium

I think I am now addicted to using sponges for doing my makeup. One day, I will have to try using brushes to do the job but, for now, I'm thinking that I like the control a sponge gives me.

I gave this set a 5-star Amazon review because of the versatility, the ease of using them, and the fact that they feel sturdy without being rough on or irritating to my sensitive skin. Now I want to get the 2-piece set so that I will have extras of the large size that I got in this 3-piece set.

So, it's official, I'm more of a girlie-girl in my middle age than I was as a teen. Go figure.

Anyway, I want to mention that I found another to-die-for foundation brand. I've been using these sponges to work with it. I'll review it in an upcoming post.

Now, if I could find makeup, a sponge - anything - to help with my attitude of late...

Peace
--Free



Disclosure: I received the items mentioned in the post at a discount or for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

**REVIEW** AMZ Review Trader (for businesses & reviewers)

For the longest time, Tomoson had been my fave place go-to spot to find products for reviewing. I still like Tomoson, but I'm fast becoming much more attached to another source: AMZ Review Trader.

AMZ is an Amazon Review Group. The products that Sellers/Businesses put out to be reviewed come from Amazon. It's perfect, really, because I love and use Amazon for almost everything anyway.


What I like most about AMZ is the ease of using it. Tomoson has gotten a little complicated and I sometimes find the businesses/brands are too particular. Some of them want a lot of work out of a reviewer in exchange for not very much return on that time investment. Still, I really discovered a lot of my favorite brands that I continue to buy from, separate from review obligations.

If you are a blogger, reviewer, "influenser" - or whatever label you use, you might want to check out AMZ. Let me run down specifically what I like so much about the site (as a reviewer):

• Easy to apply for review opportunities
• Opps are shown with a countdown to the expiration date
• Easy to track what you've applied and been accepted for (or not)
• Allows you to control whether or not to accept an opp up to the last minute
• Has lots of variety and categories
• Reporting problems is super easy
• Let's you sort the promotions in various ways
• Your obligation is very to-the-point
• Verifying your completion is so easy

Of course, every site or program has glitches. Until recently, there was no way to page back and forth between the lists of items. That was just fixed and adds another plus in their favor. Sometimes, the Search feature doesn't work well. You have to be very specific in searching or you pull up all kinds of non-relevant items.

There's really nothing big to go on a list of Cons and, when there is, it's due to a Seller or business and not AMZ. Even in the case of a problem like that, that reporting system is on point. I love that.

As a blogger, I try to learn from other product review bloggers. When I see that another blogger is structuring their posts in a way that makes it easier for their readers, I will copy that. No shame in my game. Matter of fact, that's one of the reason I started using numbered and bulleted lists. That's called flattery by imitation. I wish the product review groups and sources would learn from each other.

I have to say that when I check between the different sites. looking for possible items to review, I usually go with AMZ. Basically, they make it easy for the blogger to view and review items, then they make it even easier to verify the review. 

If you are interested in getting into doing reviews, I'll repeat what I've said in the past: start by building up your profile as a reviewer. Use Amazon to review things that you've bought and can speak about with reasonable knowledge. Find all the various places that want you to review things. Actually, there's really no system for getting started except to just start. Check out SheSpeaks, BzzAgent, Influenster, etc. (I've posted before about these different places.) 

By the way, most of the product reviewers I personally know of are female. Are there lots of men getting in on doing reviews? I hope so. If you don't know, there are a ton of products that would be of interest to almost anyone, regardless of gender. For example, I pretty much stick to cosmetics, kitchen and natural health/beauty items. Every day, I skip over a lot of cell phone accessories (though I have done quite a few of those), foods and beverages, clothing (maybe when I get back to my fighting weight!), gardening tools, work tools, books, automobile accessories, medical items and aids, and toys. Some lucky person got to try a counter-top washing machine. I saw the photos on Instagram and was just salivating for a chance at anything as cool as that.

Let me know if you know of other places. Let me know what you men think of product review.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** SoundPEATS vs LG Tone Pro (headsets)

This is LG HBS-760 Tone Pro headset that I got from AT&T. Current Price: $39.99 (I paid around $69.00 for the first pair 2 years ago and have been given replacements)

3 of 5 stars from me

This is the SoundPEATS Q800 headset I got from Amazon. Current Prime Price: $21.99 (I paid $19.99 last year)

4 of 5 stars and 1 heart = 5 stars LOL

When I wrote an Amazon review for the SoundPEATS (SP) headphones, my Tone Pro (TP) was still my favorite (even though it was broken, which I why I got the SoundPEATS). In comparing the 2 sets, I was team Tone Pro all the way. I thought the SB wasn't as nicely designed. Also, I thought the sound quality wasn't as good. I did concede that, for the low price, it was a decent headphone to use as a backup. (After the TP set kept breaking down, I was glad for the backup!)

I used to have the Tone Pro VERSION, then it went wacky. One earbud quit seemed to get a short and would work off and on, depending on how I positioned the cord. That got tiresome. I took advantage of the AT&T 1-year replacement warranty. The replacement worked great. For a while. The next time I had to replace it, the headset had been upgraded. I thought that was great. Maybe the new version would actually work for a longer period of time. Uh... Nope. And that's whey I stopped using the SP as backup and made it my full-time headset.

Funny that my opinion about the SP set changed so much when I was actually using it all day, every day. When I review products for brands, I make sure to give whatever the item is a good chance. I look at the Pros and Cons from every angle, then I make my judgement call. When I reviewed the SPs the first time, I tried them out for about half and hour (or maybe even less), and decided they were only good enough for a standby.

Once I had no choice but to use the SPs as my main headset, I paid more attention to the design and sound quality. This is what I should have done in the first place. (And, by the way, I did have a choice about using them, but I was too cheap and lazy to hunt down a new set,)

I've been using the SPs for about 3 weeks now. I like them so much that I take them for granted. I almost forgot about the old review I'd done on them. The other day, someone asked me what kind of headset I was wearing and I told them. I added that they had been so well-priced that I wish I had been using them all along. And that's when I remembered the old review.

My headset works so much better than the pricey LGs. The one thing I still don't like as much about them are the large buttons. I wish the ends were sleeker, but... I don't have complaints about the sound quality anymore.

I use these things constantly. I have a slight hearing problem and I also have trouble concentrating on one thing when lots of things are going on around me. With my headset, I can listen to (and focus on) my audio books, podcasts, and - most importantly - phone calls.

In general, I recommend that everyone should use a headset for using their phone. It sure makes driving a lot safer. Wearing my headset frees up my hands and allows me to keep my phone out of the way. Before now, when I would cradle my phone between my ear and shoulder, I came close to dropping it into dishwater. Now, I can keep my phone safely in my pocket, purse, or clipped to my clothes via a holster.

So I really want to back peddle on that first review. I wasn't being fair to SoundPEATS. Once I gave these earphones a real trial, I had to go back and admit that they are more than worth it for the price I paid.

I still have a fondness for the Tone Pro headset. When it worked, I loved it. I liked the look of it and the feel of the buttons. But I'd rather drive a hooptie that runs consistently than a Maserati that keeps breaking down.

Because the SoundPEATS work so well, I'm thinking of getting a second one. I have my current ones paired to both my phone and computer. Switching from one to the other is also another feature that works better with these than the Tone Pro. Still, I want to look at getting another color as a birthday gift to myself. Maybe this time I'll get a really jazzy color...

So, to the makers of SoundPEATS, I want to apologize for kinda, sorta slamming your product. I've gone back and updated my review. I gave this 4 of 5 stars on Amazon.

Peace
--Free

(Apologies to readers. I know that my grammar and tense constancy was horrible in the post. It's been a rough morning.)

**REVIEW** Natural Nail Polish Remover

Out of all the "natural" products I've tried or heard of, I never even expected to see nail polish remover. I guess, I just never thought of something strong enough to strip nail polish could be natural.

When I saw this being offered to reviewers, I applied mostly so that I could prove how awful it would be. I'm not always a big old ball of positive sunshine/ Go figure.

As soon as I opened the bottle, first thing I did was a sniff test. And... Nothing. I smelled nothing. Since I always have or am getting over a cold, I had someone else sniff this. They also smelled nothing.

Interesting.

Also interesting is that this looks and feels like an oil. Almost like a cuticle oil or some other very "thin" oil-based product.

Next test was to just try it to see if it would work. I was going to be putting this stuff to an extreme test by using my toenails. I was wearing 2 coats of polish that I'd done a couple of weeks before. Since the original coating, I'd been adding polish to the tips. (It's finally sandal-wearing weather, so...). I would guess that, all told, I had 2 coats in the center and at least 4 coats along the tips. I'm too lazy to re-do my whole nail more than once a month. Which is why I only tested the polish on one nail for the time being!

This is what I started with:

It might be time for a pro pedi!

I started with couple drops of remover on a cotton ball. Then I wiped at the nail a couple of times, like I do with regular polish remover. The ball picked up just a tinge of the color, but my nail was still fully polished. Huh. Maybe I was doing something wrong.

I was.

When I went back to look  more carefully at the actually look at the instructions on the bottle, I see this:

Ohhhhh..... LOL! I really do have to learn to pay attention to instructions.

Starting over, I added about 3 drops to a fresh cotton ball, then let it sit on the nail. Still, I didn't wait a full 5 minutes. I barely waited a whole minute. I think I lasted about 45 seconds before I started rubbing the ball across the polish, and... wow.

No drying, no ash/residue, no smell. The used cotton balls didn't even stick to me like when I use regular removers.

I have to say, I'm impressed. I used only 2 cotton balls (and ended up using a full dropper of remover) and managed to clean all the polish. I still never did wait as long as directed.

Not only is there none of the unpleasant odor if regular removers, this one had even more positives. For one thing, if you look at the photo of the cleaned nail, you can see that the surrounding skin looks more conditioned and moisturized. Because of the lighting, it's harder to see the effect on the nail itself, but it was also conditioned and shiny. My cuticles (which are naturally very dry) felt and looked better than ever. I haven't had a pro pedi since I was in Texas back in November. Regular salon visits are just not in my budget.

Let's go back and look at the label and what not in this remover (I highlighted the list with a red heart):

My next question, obviously, was how does this work then? I suppose the answer is: It's all about the ingredients. Those ingedients are:

• Methyl Oleate (see below)
• Palmitate
• Linoleate
• Stearate (magnesium or calcium, I don't know) ...
• and other "proprietary" botanical mixtures (Okay)

I can understand why brands keep parts of their ingredients secret. They are trying to sell you something, after all, and not give you the formula. Otherwise, a lot of folks would be mixing up their own Coca Cola in their kitchens. Maybe.

The biggest thing that struck me about this list of ingredients is that the first one is tied right into something I've been talking so much about lately. Apparently, Methyl Oleate, is related to a honey bee pheremone.

Anyway, this stuff really does work. As far as quibbling about what "natural" might mean, I'm not going to push it with this. Since the nail polish I wear is not exactly "natural", I can accept using a less toxic than usual remover.

This bottle should last about as long as the same size bottle of regular remover would. I guess it would really depend on how often you change your polish. After using this correctly (and more than once), I've decided that this might even last longer than regular removers because there's no evaporation like there is with

Finally, you should go over and read the entire product description for yourself. There's info about how this is rated with people who monitor chemicals and such. Also, notice that there is a "no questions asked" refund policy.


Peace
--Free






DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or at a discount using AMZ Review Trader. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**ApothaCare** The *Other* Honeys

When I started looking into the various types of honeys, I had no idea how far down a rabbit hole I was sliding. It's a nice slide. I'm learning more than I expected to.

Last post, I mentioned how pricey Manuka honey can be. I wanted to look at some other types of honey that might be just as healing.  One of the sites where I found so much good information is called Benefits of Honey. It's a pretty amazing source of information and it's where I first heard of these "medicinal grade" honeys:

• Tualang  (what it is, and compared to Manuka)
• Sidr (is apparently more difficult to find; this is a video comparison)
• Honeydew

I haven't found any of those at my local health food store, but I will mention them to the folks there. What I can find there is pretty varied, some of which are mentioned a lot in the online health communities:

• Neem (scroll down for it)
• Buckwheat
• Tupelo
• Sage
• Wildflower

And lots more, including those made locally (Fireweed is one I want to try).

Soon, I will get the chance to try out some actual raw honeycomb and even some Propolis Extract. Neither of them cost me anything due to a gift card, so... I can't wait to let you guys know all about that.

To close out this post, let me tell you how I have been experimenting with using honey lately:

• As a face wash: Mix a little bit of honey with a 1 or 2 drops of water. Rub between palms to warm. Apply to face (avoiding eye area). Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Rinse and use your usual moisturizer. I've done this for  about 3 days now after seeing it on Crunchy Betty. My face always feels good when I do a honey mask, but doing this every day gives some really good results. Don't know why I only ever did this on an every-now-and-then basis!
• As a lip healing salve: I get cold sores. Always have. I swear I think someone with a cold sore infected me as an infant! Mostly happens when I am stressed. I've been using really expensive (but highly effective) Abreva,, which I always keep on hand. The last time that I felt that itchy little tingle that indicates a sore coming on, I dabbed on some honey with a Q-Tip and just let it sit there like a sugary mole. Guess what? I never did have to pull out the Abreva as a backup. Hmmm.
• For intermittent/alternate day fasting: As I said recently, I need to fast more often. Since I got back to using the honey-water on a more regular basis, I discovered that I can fast for up to 18 hours every other day as long as I nourish myself with a little bit of honey. This is great because I had been fasting off and on, but never more than once a month (truth be told!). I guess all this discussion of my love of honey has inspired me. After the first couple of times, it gets easier to go for longer and longer periods. I started with 10 hours, then 15, then 18. Think about it, for around 6 hours of that time, I'm sleeping anyway. (I'll make sure to post more about this after I've been doing it for a while.) By the way, some people opt for setting aside days for "calorie restriction" instead of total fasting. Since I have, on some fasting days, ingested some light broth (in addition to my honey-water drinks), I guess I'm riding in the "calorie restriction" lane. You'll have to get in where you fit in, healthwise.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's been lucky enough to try some of these honeys. 

Peace

--Free

**ApothaCare** For the Love of Honey: Manuka Mania

In the last post, I talked about my love of honey and the various favorites I have. This post, I have to talk about one that I would just love to try:



Manuka honey is a prized type among honey lovers. While I do think it's a very potent honey (as far as its healing benefits), I've learned about other honey types that may be just as good. I'll be talking about those later. For now, on to Manuka and why it's such a big deal.

By the way, there is a bit of Manuka honey in the Antioxidant blend that I mentioned in the previous post, I don't know how much is in the blend, or how "active" it is. And by "active" I mean- Well, just keep reading and it will start to make sense.

The first place I looked for some info on Manuka honey and other types was WebMD, and this is what they had to say in part:

Looks like peanut butter, huh?

"But not all honey is the same. The antibacterial quality of honey depends on the type of honey as well as when and how it's harvested. Some kinds of honey may be 100 times more potent than others." (source)

Basically, it goes on to say that where most honey types are known for being protecting against bacteria and infection, as well as being anti-inflammatory,  Manuka honey (MH) and some other types of honey have multiple components that are beneficial.

As I mentioned in last post, I learned that one of the key components in honey is hydrogen peroxide.

Since I do love honey so much, I really wanted to see if I could find some that I could afford (like maybe in a sample size), and I did find some. One Seller on Amazon lists a reasonably-priced jar of Manuka, but... something about the wording on the label made me hesitate.

When I doubt, read the reviews! I'm really thankful to the other people who take time to review products online (whether "in exchange" for a product or not). When I checked reviews for the brand of Manuka I was thinking of buying, I noticed one that stood out. It was very informative and detailed. I'm not kidding when I say this reviewer did an amazing job of listing some things to look for when buying Manuka honey. I sure hope he/she doesn't mind my copying his comments to share because I love their reviews on the site (my emphasis on certain points).

1. It says UMF, MGO, or OMA clearly on the front of the jar
2. It says “Active” on it
3. It is packed into jars and labelled in New Zealand
4. It’s from a New Zealand company that is licensed to use the name UMF (which is actually a trademarked name), OMA, or MGO
5. It has the UMF, OMA, or MGO licensee’s name on the front label
6. It has at least a rating of UMF or OMA 15+ or more, or if it is MGO, then at least 250+
Apparently 16 is the highest rating that is naturally found. While there are manuka honeys rated above 20, I've heard that some companies artificially reach this lofty rating for marketing purposes, so I’m sticking with 16 and probably wouldn't go lower than that.
0 – 10 is pretty much just normal honey, and while ratings 10 – 15 are less expensive and have some beneficial properties, they don’t have as much as we’d like. I figure that if I’m going to shell out for honey that’s pricier than normal, I may as well go ahead and get the real good stuff!

 Now that is a super helpful review. It sure saved me from possibly adding the wrong item to my Shopping Cart.


You should definitely check out the full article on WebMD if you've been interested in trying (or learning about) Manuka honey. It even explains something else I was wondering about: what's up with the different types of ratings I've been seeing while browsing for Manuka honey. Remember what that reviewer mentioned about the ratings? Well, here's some clarification on that:

• MG =  methylglyoxal  which is an  found in most types of honey, but usually only in small quantities.In manuka honey, MG comes from the conversion of another compound -- dihydroxyacetone -- that is found in high concentration in the nectar of manuka flowers.The higher the concentration of MG, the stronger the antibiotic effect. 
• UMF = "Unique Manuka Factor" . To be considered potent enough to be therapeutic, manuka honey needs a minimum rating of 10 UMF.  (my emphasis)
• "Active" = Honey at or above the 10 UMF level is marketed as "UMF Manuka Honey" or "Active Manuka Honey."

When I checked around. I went back to the best source to explain the grading system for Manuka honey. If you're super-vigilant (or just nosy like me), you can go in and search for one of the many, many papers and reports written by researchers.

Of course, I can look lots of places for the claims about the power of Manuka honey, like here, but I'm still educating myself. I've contacted the UMF org for more information since using their search system for licencees was tricky. I'll keep you posted.

Now that thing is, I was really wanting to try the Manuka honey. Until I saw those Manuka prices at local health food stores and online. Yikes. If that honey really is as healing as is claimed, I'd need it to heal my pocketbook after buying any of it. I saw prices from $49 to $112 for anywhere from 4 to 8 ounces. Whenever I found a jar that was more in my price range (I saw one jar for around $30), I noticed that the rating was low (in the 5+ range).

I will wait until I can find a decent jar of Manuka that doesn't require me to go without any other groceries for a month! Probably, I will go ahead and get the same brand pictured at the start of this post. For one thing, I was able to check that Y.S. is one of the suppliers that is actually licensed and legit. For another thing, the price was decent for the 15+ rated honey.

Next post, I will talk about some of the honeys that might be as potent as Manuka honey. Stay tuned.

Peace
--Free