Beauty & Health Tips

If you know me, you are wondering why I am giving beauty tips. I’m not saying I’m ugly just that I don’t wear makeup except mascara and my hair is usually in a bun so I don’t have to mess with it. I’m also not really fashionable. I’d rather buy kitchen products than clothes. But I have friends that share their beauty & health tips with me. I have a few friends I would call granolas. If you don’t know the term granola, it’s the hippies of the 21st century. They like all natural beauty & health products. Recently, I’ve come across some tips that this non-granola would like to share with you.

First off, when Dear Friend discovered she was pregnant she shared with me that she didn’t want that stretch marked postpartum belly. I haven’t had a baby so I haven’t had to worry about that, but I know that I have great results using coconut oil to keep my skin moisturized. And I read a long time ago that moisturizing your growing pregnant belly helps prevent stretch marks. So she would put coconut oil on her belly every time she showered. She happily reported to me yesterday that she doesn’t have any stretch marks on her belly. I recommend putting on other areas that maybe getting a little bigger while you are pregnant like your thighs. I understand that everyone is different, so I can’t guarantee that this will work for everyone. But since there are no side effects to using coconut oil, why not try it.

Coconut oil is also good for moisturizing even when you aren’t pregnant. I have such trouble in the winter with dry skin. I use coconut oil in the shower. And it helps with the itchy skin. When I run out of coconut oil, I remember why it’s so important that I have it. Itchy, itchy, itchy. It’s also a great moisturizer for your face. A granola friend who I call Granola Girl has had trouble with acne for a long time especially during pregnancy. She started using coconut oil on her face and hasn’t had trouble with acne since, even during a pregnancy.

In January, I got a cold. I did not have time for it. I had started working part time for a Realtor and life was just busier. Granola Girl gave me a recipe for a detox bath. I said heck why not. So I tried it out. Mrs. Princess let me take a bath at her house since our bathtub faucet isn’t working right and only provides cold water. The recipe for the bath is 1-2 oz ground ginger (about 1/4 cup), 1 cup hydrogen peroxide, and hot water to fill the tub. It sounds super weird, I know. But if you soak in the tub with these ingredients for 30 minutes, it will help to detox you. You will need to drink a lot of water during and after the bath. If you don’t, it could cause you to be sick to your stomach. For me, the bath continue to get hotter as I sat there. For others, it hasn’t done that. I rested and napped after the bath. The next day, I felt so much better. I was no longer tired and lethargic. I did still have some symptoms like a cough and runny nose. You can do this bath once a day. The person I got the cold from was sick for a month with it and I was only sick about a week. Again, I realize everyone is different, and this bath with work differently for everyone.

And my last tip is one that is a little uncomfortable talking about. But the ailment is even more uncomfortable. I have been using essential oils for a while. I mostly had been using them for migraines and in my lotion bars. But the rise in use of them has made me wonder what else I can use them for. A while back I had hemorrhoids for the first time. The over the counter medicine just wasn’t helping. I didn’t want to go to the doctor, so I turned to essential oils. I discovered that lavender essential oil works better than the over the counter medicine. You apply it like you would a cream. It will sting a little for a short time. But with repeated use, the hemorrhoids went away within a couple weeks. The constant pain was gone within a few days. I applied as I felt I needed.

Do you have any health or beauty tips that aren’t so conventional?

*I am not a doctor. All of the health tips are from my personal experience.