Greetings! I've just returned from San Antonio, TX where it was between 104 and 108 degrees everyday! For a Maine girl, that's blazin' hot. The humidity was very low - desert like - and the wind rather strong at times. Like living in a windy oven if you happened to venture outdoors away from the airconditioned haven of your home or office. San Antonio is in the middle of a 1-year drought and everything is brown and crusty - green is a rare color, indeed.
I gained 6 pounds in 5 days while I was there, felt frequently dizzy, slightly nauseated, and severely constipated (sorry, but I'm being upfront here about the conditions). I'm assuming I was very dehydrated and my body was hanging on to everything I ate as well as all of the water I consumed. When I got home, my body normalized. What a hellish place Texas is right now!
Threats of heatstroke made the headlines on the news everyday with recommendations not to venture outdoors if you didn't have to, unless you were fully covered with clothing, sunscreen, and had lots of water with you. I'll tell you one thing . . . everybody needs some sunshine, but
when the weather is "Godforsaken" like it is in TX, a 5-minute daily exposure is probably all you need or should even contemplate getting. Too many health hazards associated with prolonged exposure.
Well . . . enough of my ranting about nasty hot weather. This blog will be Part 1 about the benefits of sun exposure to your overall health - yes, there are benefits, not just negatives.
A Little Sun Exposure Is A Real Good Thing
We've become a sunphobic society. Yet all living things - plants, animals, and people - need at least a little sunshine in order to survive and thrive. Certainly, overexposure to the sun is the single most damaging factor to your skin. It's not just a sunburn but also a suntan (and the associated skin dehydration) that represent damage to your skin, and that damage is cumulative over a lifetime.
Yet sunshine feels good on your skin and helps your body absorb calcium by causing your skin to produce part of the vitamin D complex that strengthens bones. Sun exposure also aids in healing eczema, acne, psoriasis, and poison plant rashes; helps reduce stress and blood pressure; balances hormone levels; and increases the body's production of feel-good serotonin.
Thirty to 45 minutes of daily unprotected exposure to sunlight in the early morning before 8:00 or 9:00 am or very late afternoon, after 4:30 or 5:00 pm, can help preserve your sanity and the health of your bones and skin. If you live in the north, where sunshine is sometimes limited in the winter and temperatures can be quite cold, try to expose your face and hands for at least 15 minutes daily. Many health professionals have observed a rise in the occurrence of osteoporosis, spontaneous fractures of the small bones of the feet, vitamin D deficiencies, skin diseases, mood imbalances, and SAD (seasonal affective disorder) not only in this country, but also globally because our lives are increasingly sedentary and spent indoors, with long car commutes between work and home. Increasing our sun exposure slightly can affect the incidence of these conditions in a most positive way.
In the next few blogs, I'll continue this "sun exposure" series as well as share a few of my sun care/skin care natural formulas with you and list a handful of my favorite chemical-free sunscreen brands for you to try. Until then . . . be well, be happy, and be careful in your daily travels.
NOTE: This blog was written by Stephanie Tourles and adapted from one of her many books, "Organic Body Care Recipes", copyright 2007, Storey Publishing. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of Ms. Tourles. She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Natural Cellulite Treatments - Part 5
Greetings Everyone! Summer's almost here in Maine. The garden is finally planted (that is . . . if the crows will stop stealing my winter squash seeds)! I've had to replant the squash rows 3x already! This morning I applied cayenne pepper powder over the soil and installed rows of string tied with shiny yellow flapping ribbons to hopefully scare them away. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
With all of my gardening work, I find that I don't need to do my regular "structured exercises" anymore and my "winter flabbiness" is firming up! That's a good thing! Hope all of you are getting in shape, as well. Today, is the last in the "Natural Cellulite Treatment" series (I think), and I will share with you a herbal bath treatment recipe that you can do at home to help tone and tighten water-logged skin tissue - works great on jiggly thighs! Please give it a try.
Herbal Anti-Cellulite Bath Treatment
NOTE: Avoid using this formula is you have kidney problems, are epileptic or pregnant.
The base oil, plus the rosemary and lavender essential oils in this formula pamper and condition your skin, while the juniper, cypress, grapefruit, and atlas cedar essential oils exert a diuretic action, helping to reduce water retention. The salt aids in toxin elimination and muscle relaxation.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons almond, avocado, soybean, jojoba, or sesame oil base oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vodka, gin, or rum (80-proof)
2 drops juniper essential oil
2 drops cypress essential oil
2 drops atlas cedar essential oil
3 drops grapefruit essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops rosemary (chemotype linalol) essential oil (this the the most skin-friendly rosemary)
1/2 cup Epsom salt
To Prepare The Bath: Blend the base oil of choice, honey, and alcohol, and essential oils in a small bowl. Set aside. Start the water running in the tub and add the salt; stir it around until dissolved. When the tub is full, pour in the oily mixture and swish around with your hands to blend.
To Use: Soak for approximately 20 minutes. With your hands, massage the cellulite-afflicted areas while you are soaking to help break down fatty deposits. Then get out and briskly dry your skin using a thickly napped towel. Follow up with an application of body lotion or body oil to which you have added one drop of each of the essential oils in the ingredient list. You may partake of this bath up to 3 time per week.
Yield: 1 treatment
In the next blog, I'll be discussing an important summertime skin care topic relating to sun exposure. Until then . . . be well and enjoy the warm temps!
NOTE: This blog was written by Stephanie Tourles and adapted from one of her many books, "Naturally Healthy Skin", Storey Publishing, 1999. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the Ms. Tourles. She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.
With all of my gardening work, I find that I don't need to do my regular "structured exercises" anymore and my "winter flabbiness" is firming up! That's a good thing! Hope all of you are getting in shape, as well. Today, is the last in the "Natural Cellulite Treatment" series (I think), and I will share with you a herbal bath treatment recipe that you can do at home to help tone and tighten water-logged skin tissue - works great on jiggly thighs! Please give it a try.
Herbal Anti-Cellulite Bath Treatment
NOTE: Avoid using this formula is you have kidney problems, are epileptic or pregnant.
The base oil, plus the rosemary and lavender essential oils in this formula pamper and condition your skin, while the juniper, cypress, grapefruit, and atlas cedar essential oils exert a diuretic action, helping to reduce water retention. The salt aids in toxin elimination and muscle relaxation.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons almond, avocado, soybean, jojoba, or sesame oil base oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vodka, gin, or rum (80-proof)
2 drops juniper essential oil
2 drops cypress essential oil
2 drops atlas cedar essential oil
3 drops grapefruit essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops rosemary (chemotype linalol) essential oil (this the the most skin-friendly rosemary)
1/2 cup Epsom salt
To Prepare The Bath: Blend the base oil of choice, honey, and alcohol, and essential oils in a small bowl. Set aside. Start the water running in the tub and add the salt; stir it around until dissolved. When the tub is full, pour in the oily mixture and swish around with your hands to blend.
To Use: Soak for approximately 20 minutes. With your hands, massage the cellulite-afflicted areas while you are soaking to help break down fatty deposits. Then get out and briskly dry your skin using a thickly napped towel. Follow up with an application of body lotion or body oil to which you have added one drop of each of the essential oils in the ingredient list. You may partake of this bath up to 3 time per week.
Yield: 1 treatment
In the next blog, I'll be discussing an important summertime skin care topic relating to sun exposure. Until then . . . be well and enjoy the warm temps!
NOTE: This blog was written by Stephanie Tourles and adapted from one of her many books, "Naturally Healthy Skin", Storey Publishing, 1999. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the Ms. Tourles. She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.
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