Face masks are a great way to show your skin some extra care, and address issues like breakouts, dryness, sunburn, and general concerns such as slowing the aging process.
Ideally, it is good to use a face mask at least once per week, and up to several times per week in your skin care routine.
Two of my most favorite natural skin care ingredients to use are raw honey and lavender essential oil, the most soothing ingredients in this DIY face mask, which also incorporates unrefined virgin coconut oil.
What is better than an easy to make DIY face mask that is anti-aging, soothing, healing and all-natural?
See the recipe below followed by more information on the skin soothing ingredients.
Matcha green tea has become very popular in recent years, and I'm sure you've seen matcha lattes at your local coffee shops. Green tea usage dates back over 800 years, and matcha is the most potent and nutritious green tea on the planet as the entire leaf is ground into matcha powder to be ingested. Many key nutrients are typically thrown away in the process of making regular green tea as matcha is the only whole leaf version that maintains all the leaf's fiber, chlorophyll, and vitamins.
I find that the energy from matcha is less of a spike and more of a sustained boost throughout the day. Matcha contains the amino acid, L-Theanine, which combined with the caffeine in the tea, is absorbed slowly by our bodies to provide a steady 3-6 hour energy boost without your typical "caffeine crash". L-Theanine is also associated with improving mental clarity on top of increasing natural energy. Moreover, matcha contains high amounts of antioxidants (up to 137x the antioxidants of regular green tea) compared to other fruits and vegetables (hello, anti-aging benefit).
It's an expensive habit to purchase matcha drinks out every day. Also, when buying your drinks out you can't control the ingredients and make your latte exactly to your taste and health preferences.
Hence, I knew I needed to figure out my own healthy DIY matcha latte to make at home each morning before work. I wanted mine to include powerful adaptogens to increase the balance within my body as well as my energy.
Below are my favorite versions of a healthy homemade matcha latte followed by some more information on the ingredients I'm using. These recipes take only 10 minutes or less to make, and are delicious.
PMS symptoms have affected all of us ladies to varying degrees.
Cramps and pain in the lower abdominal area are some of the worst symptoms, so we wanted to share an easy to make DIY anti-cramping and pain oil blend. This can be applied topically by rubbing onto your abdomen to reduce cramping and other PMS symptoms.
Below are the recipe and steps to make this oil blend, followed by the benefits of each ingredient.
Winter is coming, and that means dry hair. In this coming season, we want to combat dryness and improve our hair's strength, growth, and appearance.
So, we started with this easy-to-make, invigorating and nourishing DIY hair mask that we wanted to share with you all. Below is the recipe and steps to make this hair mask, followed by the benefits of each ingredient.
Anne and I both love yoga for its many physical and mental benefits, and our mats can get very sweaty and dirty after practice.
YogiApproved.com writes “When you roll the mat onto the floor, and roll it up again later, you’re rolling whatever mystery goodies (or not-so-goodies) up with it – rolled onto the side that you put your hands and feet and face on too.” Additionally, they note “In a lab test conducted on several different yoga mats, some of the mats were found to have Staph, yeast build-up (a form of fungus), fecal matter, allergens, and millions of bacteria, to name just a few of the findings.” Seriously gross, right?
We know cleaning our yoga mats is essential, but the problem with most yoga mat cleaners is that they may contain harsh or toxic ingredients one should avoid touching and inhaling (even the “all natural” sprays & wipes may contain questionable emulsifiers, chelating agents, surfactants, and preservatives), can be expensive, and waste resources if they come in a non-reusable plastic container (among additional packaging).
I say skip those overpriced and potentially chemical filled store-bought yoga mat cleaners and make your own natural cleaner in 10 minutes with these easy DIY recipes below - all with items you can reuse.
When ordering business cards for the blog, we were happy to learn about a new alternative to business card paper. We found business cards made entirely out of 100% cotton scraps discarded by fashion companies.
The company MOO.com is offering a new line aptly called “Cotton Business Cards” that are made from 100% cotton t-shirt scraps (a.ka. leftover fashion industry waste).
According to MOO’s website, “The world loves T-shirts. But the process of making them creates a lot of leftover fabric. So we decided to put those scraps to good use and make Cotton. Our first tree-free paper.”
We ordered these cards, and they look beautiful.
Since they are made from white t-shirt scraps (not used or recycled t-shirts) they are bright white and feel great to the touch.
Check out the photos below of our new cotton cards made by MOO.
Our largest organ, our skin, the barrier protecting us from the world, eats. Now “eats” isn't exactly correct, but I want to emphasize that our skin absorbs what is put on it.
According to the American Journal of Public Health, our skin absorbs an average of 64% of total contaminants. I've read other reports that state absorption is closer to 70% of what is applied to our skin.
Therefore, any contaminants in our lotions/perfumes can enter our bodies and have systemic effects on our health.
We want to avoid toxic chemicals and additives in our skin care, just as we do with our food, given the majority of what is put on our skin is absorbed.
A good moisturizer is one that you can feel safe about having absorbed into your body as it contains no harmful natural ingredients, chemical additives or harsh preservatives.
The easiest way to ensure you have a healthy, nontoxic body moisturizer is to make it yourself.
That is why I am excited to share one of my favorite DIY body moisturizer recipes below.
My dirty little habit for about 10 years was drinking a Starbucks latte every day (venti chai latte with soymilk or venti vanilla latte with soymilk).
On days where I had a lot of work to complete and low energy (due to poor diet and sleep), I would drink at least 2.
A couple years ago, I switched over to an expensive but delicious cold brew coffee and almond milk juice from Owen & Alchemy. Unfortunately, they're now permanently closed. During that time, I would still rotate Starbucks into my daily routine.
I had to find a solution that allowed me to prioritize my health and avoid Starbucks altogether (for health and ethical reasons).
Luckily for us, I found it: