Natural Beauty Tips

We all know natural beauty comes from the inside, from treating your body right, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of sleep.. But, I've found some other natural fun beauty secrets that have worked for me. 

I received a free sample of this product from Lucky and Seventh Generation for use in connection with this blog post.  I don't like using a lot of skin products. I like the all natural look and the all natural feel, but I was really excited to try Seventh Generation's Hydrating Natural Skin Serum. This is my first product from Seventh Generation, but I'm impressed so far. I received the Serum and immediately washed my face to try it out. Awesome stuff. It smells amazing. It absorbs into your skin quickly leaving your skin silky smooth. I've been using it for a little while now, and I can't wait to see the continued results. I walked outside and greeted Sterling, he smelled my face and told me I smelled like a flower. I told him it was because I was fairy. 

It's actually because this lotion is made from passion flower oils!

It's free of parabens, phthalates and other synthetic fragrances.

It's hypoallergenic and is USDA- certified biobased.

As part of Lucky's All Natural Style Secrets Challenge with Seventh Generation I wanted to share some of my natural beauty tips. I'm not a huge fan of lotions and face washes unless I trust what's in it, so I normally like to stay natural, but I'm happy to be using this stuff. It feels nice and natural. 

 I decided to walk you through my nightly beauty routine! Warning, there are some funny pictures coming up, but other than whitening my teeth this is something I do almost every night!

1. Lemon Sugar Face Wash
This will make your face so silky smooth! It's best to use a fresh lemon and organic sugar, but I've used lemon juice from a bottle too. It works just the same. 
There are so many perks to using lemon on your face. It helps lighten and brighten skin, it helps remove black heads and dead skin cells. It's great as a toner for oily skin, it also helps fade age spots and acne scars. 
There are perks to using sugar and brown sugar too! It's a great exfoliant. Sugar is abrasive enough to remove old skin cells, but gentle enough to not harm your skin. 
Always use caution around your eyes and the delicate skin around your eyes, but don't worry if this gets in your mouth, it's delicious!  

First, pin your hair back so it doesn't get sticky. Then wet your face with warm water. Warm water helps open up the pores on your face.

This is what I would look like if my hair was long and I put it up! Fun!

Make a paste with a spoonful of sugar and enough lemon juice to make a course paste.

Now start scrubbing it tiny circles around your face, focus on problem areas that you know are dry or prone to blackheads. Once again be delicate around your eye area.

I scrub for about 30-60 seconds then rinse.
Your face is going to feel so awesome guys.
If you want, you can scrub some on your lips to keep them smooth too.
Remember to scrub very lightly so you don't hurt your skin! 

2. Coconut Oil Make Up Remover
I use coconut oil as eye make up remover. I put it in the vials with the dropper so I can use the dropper as a wand to put it directly on my eye make up. I put on enough to wet my lid, let it sit for a second, then wipe it off with a cotton ball. The makeup comes right off!

3. Activated Charcoal For Teeth Whitening
Activated charcoal is awesome stuff. It absorbs impurities and is fantastic for teeth whitening. It can be bought at any natural health food store. Create a paste by mixing charcoal with a bit of water. Dry your teeth and put it on. If you don't have a whitening tray you kind of just have to sit and smile for about 3 minutes. Awesome. What else makes you happy other than staring at yourself in the mirror with blacked out teeth. Laughing at yourself is good.. especially if it helps brighten your smile.
After 3 minutes rinse your mouth and brush your teeth real well. This stuff can get everywhere so make sure you wash it up. Sometimes you'll need to floss it out, but that's okay too.. cause flossing rocks.

Yep, blacked out teeth. No make up. Hi guys. I'm embarrassed. 

4. Vitamin E and Tea Tree Oil For Problem Areas

Sometimes I pick at my lips, or I poke at zits and get blemishes.. and I create even more problems! 

So, when that happens, or when I need some extra help I put tea tree oil, or Vitamin E on problem areas, or my lips. Well, especially my lips. 

This is my favorite brand, plus it's lasted me a long long time.

5. Seventh Generation's Hydrating Natural Skin Serum

If I don't use coconut oil or aloe as a moisturizer, this is my new favorite. Like I mentioned before, it smells great and feels great.  You only need a few pumps, a little of this goes a long way. 

And there you go. Nice clean glowing skin, teeth and lips. 

Help me win the challenge! Vote for me and share the links! 
Vote for my all natural look! 

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My Herbal Kitchen

About three months ago, I gave up medicine. 

No more asprin or pain killers for my headaches. 

I decided to go the all natural route when it comes to my health. 

Since then, my kitchen has sprouted with herbs and medicinal plants.

Making a tincture of Thyme for skin problems.

My vegetable garden, now moved into their new home in the back yard.

I've also put together an herbal first aid kit.

Vitamins, rubs, and oils.

Homemade ointments.

And my favorite herbs in capsule form.

I have been headache free for a very long time.

Headaches were a thing I would deal with nearly every day.

Which meant, taking medicine, every day.

One day, I decided to quit. 

Just quit.

The first 2 weeks were awful.

Lots of rebound headaches...

But, after that, I've felt great. 

Plus, I personally believe my house smells pretty great. 

(Minus Valerian, that stuff smells like feet!) 

Making The Switch

I've recently decided to make the switch.

THE switch.

I'm going organic.

It's not that big of a deal, 

but it is to me I guess. 

Just doing my normal thing on the internet,

(you know hitting the stumble button almost mindlessly)

when I seemed to get article after article about going organic,

switching make up, and tooth paste and shampoo,

switching to organic and natural food. 

I did my own bit of research for quite some time. 

Gathering facts, numbers and statistics. 

It didn't take long before I made my decision. 

I wrote to Brad, who was at work and said.

"I'm going organic with food, and getting more natural makeup products.

It's something I've always wanted to do.

But certain things wouldn't allow me.. like money, and relationships.

But I feel good about my decision. 

I got home and literally threw my deodorant and makeup away.

Anything that contained parabens. 

Parabens are a chemical compound found in everyday toiletry products including moisturizers, make-up, shaving foam, tanning lotions and toothpaste.

They are present in processed meats, and medicine.

They have found that parabens have been present in nearly all cases of breast cancer. 

That was enough to scare me, even if the link hasn't been confirmed. 
Parabens aren't the only thing that scared me..
Even looking into toothpaste scared me a bit.


"Ingredients that are used in the creation of engine degreasers 
and floor cleaners should not be going in to your mouth."

I went out and bought new makeup and toiletries

that don't contain harsh chemicals, parabens or sulphates. 

I went grocery shopping, and bought new organic food.

This switch won't be hard at all.

I shop at natural food stores for Gluten Free foods,

and I'm used to reading the ingredients of just about everything I put in or on my body.

Organic food is a bit more expensive.
Natural shampoos and conditioners are pricey.
But until I learn to make my own, 
and until I have a big enough space for a garden..


I'm sticking to it.
The first bite of that salad was enough to confirm it.
I've never tasted a tomato that was as tomatoey- and it's not even tomato season. 


Please don't think I'm paranoid,
I'm really not. 
(Though I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist.)


I didn't make any rash decisions, 
and it felt pretty good to throw out the cheap makeup.
It feels pretty good to go home and eat healthy.


"Although organic food is more expensive, you can’t put a price tag on good health. Besides, by buying less junk food, you will have plenty of extra money left over to put towards high quality organic food. Although occasional consumption of conventionally farmed food is not likely to do much harm, eating it at every meal amounts to an enormous amount of contaminated food that you put through your body.
Over the course of weeks, months, years, and decades, the toxins accumulate and the consequences can be drastic. If and when you reach the point of disease, you may wonder why you’re suddenly sick. However, it wasn’t sudden at all and maybe that’s something you should consider next time you’re buying food."
This except can be found here.


And the day I decided to switch, my friend Erica posted this. 

And of course I can't forget to post this..


"We will create medicine that will make them sicker and cause other diseases for which we will create yet more medicine. When their teeth decay we will fill them with metals that will kill their mind and steal their future. We will start early on, when their minds are young, we will target their children with what children love most, sweet things. When they give birth we will inject poisons into the blood of their children and convince them it is for their help. their true effect. Those they look up to will help. We will enlist them to push our poisons. We will teach them that the poisons are good, with fun images and musical tones. We must be ingenious in dispensing the poisons for they can see far. The poisons will be hidden in everything that surrounds them, in what they drink, eat, breathe and wear. From all this, their children will be born dead, and we will conceal this information. The poisons will be absorbed through their skin and mouths, they will destroy their minds and reproductive systems. The soft metals will cause them to lose their minds. We will promise to find a cure from our many fronts, yet we will feed them more poison. They will be blanketed by poisons everywhere they turn. We will use soft metals, ageing accelerators and sedatives in food and water, also in the air. We will use our knowledge of science and technology in subtle ways so they will never see what is happening. We will keep their lifespan short and their minds weak while pretending to do the opposite."


And if you are interested in even more stuff like that.. 
Check out this place.

I know that sort of thing is a bit controversial.. 
but thank goodness for freedom of speech.