Doing Yourself Healthy Natural Hacks, Solutions & Substitutes

It was nice browsing through information I found on other sites when I did the Do Yourself Beautiful post. So nice that I kept browsing through last night's insomnia. I thought I would pass along some things I found to address problems with dry skin and hair, wrinkles, dealing with other common healthy and beauty problems - in the most natural ways possible. (NOTE: when I speak of "natural" hair, I mean the hair african-american, bi-racial or other people who have naturally kinky-curly hair.) Here we go:

Treating your skin

• For eczema and dry skin
• Methods for treating wrinkles
• Ways to shrink pores (BTW, you can apply to write for this site)
• Beauty hacks for pretty lips
• Getting rid of blackheads
• 16 beauty hacks to try

For dry or damaged or "special needs" hair

• Damaged hair care
• A DIY protein treatment for natural hair
• Homemade treatments for various hair issues
• No (sham)poo cleansers for hair
• DIY hair conditioners
• DIY leave-in conditioners (especially for natural hair)
• Store bought, sulfate-free conditioners for natural hair

Inside Out Healthy (some lists to consider)

• 15 things about nutrition
• 23 ways to "eat clean" (warning: slideshow format w/annoying ad pop-ups)
• 10 healthy "superfoods" you might not know of (slideshow w/choice to view as a list)
• 20 healthy foods (listed by season)
• 8 healthy foods to eat every day
• 50 healthiest foods on the planet
• Top 10 healthy foods
• Another "Top 50" list of the healthiest (hmmm)
• 7 healthiest

(I think I'm going to compare all the lists & pick the foods that show up more than twice. Because, apparently, everyone has an opinion!)

Some Random finds

• Bunch of categories of remedies around the kitchen
• 5 beverages to substitute for sodas
• And if you just have to have soda, try these (in that annoying slideshow format)
• Deodorant alternatives (why oh why these slideshow things that I hate?!)
• Substitutes for white sugar
• Recipe ingredient substitutions/baking hacks
• Alternatives to potato chips (yes, another slideshow)
• More chip alternatives (and no freaking slideshow!)
• And more chip alternatives - with recipes (I really love this list)
• Reasons to find a chip alternative (and some tips) Like this one too!
• Best food & drink for healthy kidneys
• This thing about Matcha that has me applying right now to review some

Well, that ought to keep us all busy for a while, right? BTW, I'm not kidding about the Matcha powder. I just applied to try a few different brands, but I will probably start by picking some up locally. When I get a chance to try it out, I will do reviews for you guys. So stay tuned, and do let me know if you try any of the listed hacks and recipes. I want to know what you think.

Peace

--Free

Do Yourself Beautiful (Naturally)

So many things to do with some of the products I get a chance to review. A friend of mine came to visit today and we were sharing and exchanging beauty products. She fell in love with the organic coconut oil I shared with her. She was telling me about a sugar & coconut oil skin treatment she's been wanting to try. All that talk of beauty products and recipes got me to thinking about putting together this post.

There are a lot of yummy-sounding recipes for and ways to use Coconut Oil, Argan Oil, Lemon Oil and some others ingredients. Here are some of the ones I've run across that I really like the sound of:


Coconut Oil

• Homemade hand scrub
• A face cream also using Shea Butter & Tea Tree Oil
• A non-toxic eyeliner
• Some beauty tricks using Coconut Oil

Argan Oil

• A hair serum treatment
• 3-ingredient customizable facial oil
• Cuticle oil cream

Lemon Essential Oil & Lemons

• 43 uses for this oil
• 10 uses for it
• 11 beauty uses for lemons
• Household uses for lemons
• Uses for lemons "that will blow your socks off" (love the title)

Other Essential Oils

• Always good to know cautions of using essential oils
• And to know surprising uses for them...
• A ton of ways to use essential oils in almost every way

Good stuff, right? 

I will do more posts on using some of the other products I have either reviewed or just run across in my daily life. 

By the way, many thanks to all these sources for some good and useful info! If any of you have more DIY stuff that you like or have heard about, please share with the rest of us.

Peace

--Free

**TrueSol Moroccan Argan Oil

Argan oil is one of the richest and most versatile of all the oils I use. I love it. I really like when one is good quality. This one is of great quality and feels marvelous on my skin:

This is 100% pure Moroccan Argan Oil by True Sol Nutrition.

I have used this on my skin, nails, feet, and hair. I judge the quality of it based on the fact that I can just straight apply it to my face and hands and get instant relief from dryness - without an overly oily residue. (Although, I do lightly blot my face when I'm going to be applying makeup afterwards.) When I use it on my feet and hands, I get almost zero residue. Guess that tells you about the state of my feet and hands...

Paraben free

This is one of the 2 oils I used as a carrier while using the tea tree oil I am also beginning to love. The Argan oil is rich enough to protect my skin from the straight tea tree for spot treatments while the odor-free factor allows me to use it with my fragrant essential oils.

Once again, to go over the general benefits of Argan oil:

• Moisturizing for dry (and even acne prone skin)
• As a makeup remover and skin cleanser (rub in and wipe off with a towelette)
• Improving skin elasticity (which could help with stretch marks)
• Soothe chapped lips, and
• mix with tea tree to make a lip treatment, or
• mix with an exfoliant to make a lip scrub
• Mix with an exfoliant to make a face/body scrub
• Help soothe razor burns
• Treat dry scalp and hairline
• Use on nails and cuticles
• A hot-oil treatment for hair (and for the skin - especially good on feet!)
• Tame your flyaway hair
• Add shine to hair
• Use as a leave-in hair conditioner
• Fade sunspots on the skin (I've heard it can possibly heal sun-damaged skin)
• For dry facial skin, you can add a bit to your cosmetics
• The oil is high in anti-oxidants

And the list goes on and on and on.

This brand is really good. The one drawback for some might be that the price is higher than for other brands. I counter that with the fact that this oil is of a really good quality (and that makes a big difference). I used this on my face and was happy that it didn't clog my pores or leave a nasty residue. I wouldn't be as picky for an oil that I was going to slather on my feet or knees, but when it comes to my face, I prefer quality over quantity. The other thing that I noticed was that the website listed on the bottle is no longer working. By ordering through Amazon, customers will be protected with the standard Amazon return policy.

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.

Where Are You? A Child's Book About Loss

**UPDATE** I found out that it was my dearest and best ever friend, Barb, that sent this for DJ. That's the kind of friend she is: the best. Ever.

I owe some sweet person a very sincere Thank You.

Along with all of the adults in our family, we have out little one (DJ) who is also dealing with the loss of his "Auntie Mike".  I just checked our mail and found this beautiful surprise - addressed to DJ in my care:

Where Are You? A Child's Book About Loss

This book is a sweet and thoughtful creation by the author, Laura Olivieri (illustrated by Kristin Elder) that captures everything that a child must think when someone they love is suddenly no longer there.

Until I find out who sent this for DJ, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to... whoever you are. God bless you.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Pure Body Naturals Fractionated Coconut Oil

No, this isn't the first time I have reviewed a fractionated coconut oil, but I like doing reviews of similar products by different brands. Fractionated coconut oil is kind of a big thing right now because, I think, it's a very versatile product and comes in large enough sizes to last a while. This is why it's important to pick a fractionated oil that lives up to a certain standard. I have a few things that I want in this product: that it's fresh, that it's pure, and that the price is good. This one passed the test.

This is a 100% Pure Fractionated Coconut Oil by Pure Body Naturals.

Let's look at the whole 100% and "pure" thing. When I first discovered how much I like fractionated coconut oil, I kept an eye out for some whenever I was shopping around town. I won't mention names of the store, but I found some on the shelf at a local place. I can't remember what the exact price was, but it was about half the cost of this one for an 8-ounce bottle. The product was mostly hidden by the label but, when I got it home and tried it, I could tell that I had an inferior oil. For one thing, the oil was really cloudy - which made me doubt the purity. All the other good oils I've used have been crystal clear. It was the odor that let me know I couldn't trust the product. There was a slight "off" smell to it.

This oil by Pure Body is right up there with some of the best, but it is rather pricey. However, if you catch it when it's (or have Amazon Prime), it's the best in my opinion. There is no second-guessing the purity claim.

Of course, this one can be used as a carrier oil and in all the other ways that fractionated oils are being used for. I did try this one in a couple other ways and one of my favorite uses is as a hot oil wrap for my hands and feet. Just slather on the oil, wrap your hands and feet in some cling film, then wrap them in a warm (or even hot) wet towel and relax. This really works nice when you are a few days past a manicure or are getting ready to step out in some sandals. (And thank goodness it's just about time for sandals!)

I was recently gifted with a manicure and the promise of another one. I'm the kind of person who straightens up the hotel room before the maid comes. Before my next manicure, I'll do a hot oil treatment prior to the appointment. The oil is really good on dry cuticles.

The most popular way to use fractionated oil is as a carrier for other products. I am going to experiment with using this with my tea tree oil and my homemade fragrance mixes with Sweet Orange and Myrrh. I use the Myrrh on my hair and scalp, so I need a good carrier oil that won't interrupt with the scent.

The other important thing when buying any product is, of course, whether the brand stands behind the quality. Pure Body Naturals has a "no quibble" guarantee in place. I also like that they list their contact address on their site. Nice. I have used several Pure Body Natural products and they have always been quick to respond to questions, and they have responsive customer service people.

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.

**FAMILY** This is (just some of) My Big, Beautiful, Crazy Family

As the song says, "The Storm Is Over Now", as far as the worst part of my grief. A lot of people might not understand what a blow it was for us to lose Mike, but I have such a big and crazy and beautiful family that I decided to steal and share some of our photos. Now you know.

This is just a tiny teeny bit of the photos I am sorting through (ahem, stealing) to put together a family slideshow later. It's going to be a loooong job... You can tell that we are strong on serving our country, loving our kids, and putting up with each other through thick and thin. #Blessed

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Cool Whip & Jello Rainbow Cake (and bragging)

This was one of my mother's and my sister's favorite recipes. All the chicks in the family learned to make it except for me. Until the other day. My first one was a disaster because I made a couple of rookie mistakes. My niece, +Gabrielle B (who should have her own bake & crafts shop!) walked me through it over the phone and I finally #nailedit.

Here is the recipe (with notes from my own experience):

Ingredients:

1. 2 boxes white cake mix
2. 2 (or more) different colors of Jello gelatin
3. Big tub of Cool Whip

Also needed

1. 2 cake pans - each large enough to hold a full cake mix*
2. Parchment paper (to line bottom of each cake pan for baking)
3. Enough extra oil and some flour (to dust the pans)
4. Coffee straws (for poking holes in cake)
5. Skewers (or toothpick-like items to anchor the cake for frosting)
6. A children's medicine squirter, if you have one. 
7. Make sure to have room cleared in fridge to hold cake pans later.
8. Make sure the fridge is very, very cold.
9. Leave your Cool Whip in fridge (not the freezer). Makes it easy to use later.
10. Have a plate ready for later. The cake is tall, so...

Instructions:

1. Mix and bake cake (one box for each of the 2 pans). Don't forget to line bottom with paper.
2. Once cakes cool to normal, put them in fridge for AT LEAST 8 hours.
3. Just prior to removing cake pans from fridge, mix your Jello, keeping colors separate. (My mother would use half the water required for making the Jello. Give more intense flavor.)
4. You're going to leave the Jello in its liquid state. Set it aside.
5. Take out your cakes (and leave them in the pan). Poke holes in the cakes from top to bottom. This is where you are going to be injecting the Jello. (You want to space the holes so that your Jello colors won't glob together, and you don't want to make any too near the edge of the cake.)
6. Use your medicine squirter to inject your different colors of Jello into the holes. (Don't put the same colors close together; spread them around for a pretty effect when the cake is sliced.)
7. Put the cakes (still in the pan) back in the fridge. Try to wait at least several hours. I left mine in for about 8 hours.
8. Remove one of the cakes from its pan and put onto cake plate. This is the bottom layer. Duh.
9. Frost the top of this bottom layer of the cake with your Cool Whip. You will want to go heavy with the frosting here. Don't worry about the sides of the cake yet.
10. Remove your other cake from it's pan and place on top of the first layer.
11. Use something to anchor the two layers. I had a problem with the top layer sliding when I tried frosting it. Also, this will help steady the cake later when you're cutting slices. (Trust me, anchor the cake!)
12. Frost the rest of the cake. (I like to go heavy with the Cool Whip.)
13. For extra prettiness, you can run lines through the frosting across the top of the cake and down the sides. Add a little of the Jello and let it run down the lines.

The cake needs to be kept in the fridge in between servings (if it lasts that long!).

It's a pretty easy and inexpensive cake to make. Plus, you can use the leftover Jello and Cool Whip for more snacking later.

By the way, this is what happens if you don't get the right size skewers & they stick up too high:

But that's better than when you don't have a cold enough fridge, get impatient about letting the cake set overnight, and make all the other mistakes I did with the first one:

And this is what happens when you're a baking queen like my niece!

And I'm not kidding when I call Gabby the Queen of All Creative... Here are some of what she has done - while holding down a full-time job and going for her Masters... Stiff competition in the family to pursue your dreams. (Gabby lives in the Dallas Texas area, and she is available for custom cakes and creations of all kinds for parties, baby showers, etc. #pluggingmyretirementplan!)

Everything has a function

Jazzing up some plain chairs

Nintendo cookies for a family birthday

fiesta hats

Our uncle's M & M birthday cake

DJ's tractor construction cake

Peace

--Free