We all get them: puffy eyes. Whether it be from not getting enough sleep, eating salty foods, or having a long, rough day, puffy eyes are the worst. Here you will find simple holistic tips to help get rid of the puffiness under those tired eyes.

1. It may sound clichè, but cut up a few slices of cucumber and place them on your eyes for about 10 minutes. Cucumbers contain minerals that soothe irritation and puffiness.

2. Buy some green tea! The caffeine in the tea bags help restrict blood vessels, reducing your puffy eyes. All you have to do is brew two green tea bags, let them cool down, and place them over your eyes for 10 minutes.

3. Potatoes are also a weird way to get rid of swollen, tired eyes. The starch in the potatoes eases the irritation. First, peel the skin off, and slice two thin and wide strips of the potato, and place on eyes for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Place a cool compress on your eyes. You can use two spoons, an ice pack, or an ice cube. The coldness helps decompress the puffiness and tighten up the skin around your eyes, while relaxing blood vessels.

5. Strawberries! They contain alpha hydroxy acid that makes your skin look smooth and young. All you have to do is chill the strawberries for 30 minutes in the fridge, remove the tops and slice them into thick pieces, and place the slices over your eyes for 10 minutes.

Try any of these home remedies to cure your puffy eyes, and wa – la! Your tired eyes will disappear!

Now that winter is here, the temperature is dropping and our skin is becoming dry and flakey. Nobody likes their skin to feel rough and cracked. With these following holistic practices, not only will your skin start clearing up and your body start feeling better, but you will have a natural, moisturized, glow to your face.

1) Eat more veggies!

• Start with eating at least one vegetable with every meal. They help your body function more smoothly and provides it with the nutrients it needs.

2) Create your own homemade exfoliator

• At minimum, exfoliate twice a week. It is important to wash the dead skin off your face because it clogs your pores. In the blog below, you can find a way to make an exfoliator made of epsom salt.

3) Stay Hydrated!

• When we don’t get enough water, not only do we feel dehydrated and sluggish, but it also makes our skin look older and duller. Make sure to sip on water throughout your day, and eat foods that are hydrating like cucumbers. When the cold air is making our skin dry and irritated, make sure you have enough water to fight back.

4) De-stress

• Stress can be very detrimental to not only our overall health and self esteem, but our skin’s appearance as well. When we are more stressed, we create higher cortisol levels, which does all sorts of damage to our body. It causes acne and blemishes, so make sure to take a breather and de-stress throughout your day.

5) Get Active!

• Exercising is the best way to get your blood flowing to all the right places. It will give you that extra glow, and make you feel a lot better overall. It can also get rid of your stress, which as I said earlier will cause acne. Get at least 30 minutes of movement in each day!

  

Did you know that the epsom salt you keep laying around in your cabinet can actually be very beneficial for you? It does not cost much, yet has an amazing amount of uses that are taken for granted. In this blog post you will find five different ways that epsom salt can help you in your everyday life.

1) Soothe sore muscles

• epsom salt can soothe sore muscles, cramps, joint pain, and bruises. After you work out, take a bath with two cups of epsom salt in it. It will help you relax and relieve stress and sore muscles

2) Cleanse your face

• Exfoliating your skin is very important, and the grainy salt is a great way to do so. Simply put a teaspoon of salt in your hand and mix it with warm water. Scrub your face and rinse. This helps exfoliate, rejuvenate, and gets rid of those unwanted blackheads.

3) Kill Foot Fungus and Remove Odor

• All you have to do is soak your feet in a bucket filled with warm water and epsom salt for 10 – 15 minutes. It will draw out toxins and get rid of odor and foot fungus.

4) Treat sunburns

• Soothe your irritated sunburned skin by soaking in a warm bath with one cup of epsom salt.

5) Hair conditioner

• Epsom salt actually works as a great deep conditioner, and adds volume while getting rid of grease. Add the salt to your conditioner, and apply to hair. Leave in for 20 minutes, then rinse.

When people get headaches, the first instinct is to pop some Advil or Ibuprofen. However, these  over the counter products have long-term effects. After years, they start to have negative effects on the liver and kidneys. When possible, try and find some natural ways to reduce the headache instead of going straight to the painkillers. In this blog post, you will find five different ways to do so.

1. The main reason that people get headaches is because they are dehydrated. So first, make sure you drink water. Drink one glass of water first, then throughout the day continue sipping water. You are supposed to drink at least eight glasses a day.

2. Get a cold compress, like an ice pack or frozen vegetables, and put it to your head. This will numb the pain, help shrink blood vessels, and improve circulation to the area.

3. Applying heat to the back of your neck relieves headaches caused by stress by relaxing tense muscles and ease the throbbing pain. Taking a hot shower is one way to apply heat.

4. Lemon reduces headaches because it contains acid-alkaline which restores pH in the body . Cut a few slices of lemon and put it in a glass of water or water bottle and drink that throughout the day. Another way is to cut lemon crust, crush it until it is pasty, and apply it right on your forehead.

5. Apples and apple cider vinegar also contains acid-alkaline. You can eat apples to help, or add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. Adding honey and lemon will definitely help sooth the pain, too.

I hope these home remedies will be of use for you next time you have that throbbing pain in your head!

Coconut oil has so many different health benefits, it will have your head spinning.

Some of the benefits include:

~ hair care:  gives it shine, promotes hair growth

~ skin care: moisturizer, delays appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin

~ stress relief

~ cholesterol level maintenance

~ weight loss: increases metabolism, burns energy,

~ boosted immune system

~ proper digestion

~ regulated metabolism

~ boost energy level and mental alertness

It has also been shown to provide relief from:

~ kidney problems

~ heart diseases

~ diabetes

~ HIV

~ thyroid disease

These benefits of coconut oil are based upon it’s active ingredients: lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, and their respective properties: antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities.

Coconut oil is also known to kill off hunger, making it easier to consume less food. One study showed that six men who ate more coconut ate 256 fewer calories per day. After a few years, this number would increase and the overall health would continue to improve.

Coconut oil is used mostly in tropical areas such as Sri Lanka and Thailand, but you can buy some at your local grocery store. It is evident that those who live in tropical places are not overweight because they use coconut oil for cooking and eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts. Due to this, they are in excellent health with no evidence of heart disease.

One trick that most people don’t know is that coconut oil can also help with dogs allergies. Just by letting your dog drink/eat coconut oil, it will help nourish the dry, inflamed skin. It will also reduce the itching. Start with ½ a tablespoon a day and then work your way up to one tablespoon a day.

Basically, using coconut oil every day, at least in your cooking, will boost your overall health in so many different ways. Start putting it in your diet!

Waking up is one of the hardest parts of the day. But getting through the day is even harder. If you are looking for those natural ways to wake up your body, you have come to the right blog. The first step in waking up your mind and body would be reaching out for those foods rich in protein and carbohydrates, which produce energy. One place to find these would be in whole grains. Whole grain bread with peanut butter is a great source of both protein and carbs. Adding a banana to this snack is a huge plus, as well. The reason why these boost your energy is because they increase our blood glucose (sugar) in a sustained way. Whereas candy with glucose gives us a quick sugar high, leading us to crash later on. The most important time to eat a meal high in protein and carbohydrates is during breakfast!

A second tip in boosting your energy is to get your body moving. This gets your heart and blood pumping which wakes up your organs. Even 10 minutes walking outside or around the hallways is enough to help. Walking can help increase energy for up to two hours.

Lemon water is also a great way to wake up your body. Lemon will pack your water with natural electrolytes, instead of Gatorade which is filled with sugar. Electrolytes are critical for cells to produce energy. Keeping your body hydrated is key for a better mood. We become sluggish and tired, sometimes sick, when we don’t drink enough water.

A fourth (and probably the most effective) way to keep energy levels up would be eating fresh fruit. Fruit contains natural sugars that our bodies need. It provides a pick-me-up when we our day is dragging on  while keeping blood levels steady because it is packed with fiber. A smoothie is the best way to go when trying to wake up our minds and body. You can not go wrong when you mix blueberries (help with focusing), strawberries (high in vitamin C which turns fat into energy), and yogurt (the magnesium helps release the energy) together in the blender.

We all get acne, and we all want to hide from the world when we do. But it is completely normal and happens to everyone. There are multiple causes for breaking out: stress, clogged pores, not washing your face regularly, oils from your hair, the list can goes on and on. They are embarrassing, lowers your self esteem, and can definitely ruin your day. So what are pimples? Pimples are an inflammation of the skin in which oil glands become infected, swell up, and fill with pus (gross!). Instead of going out and buying expensive products to zap away your zits, first try looking around your house for these natural remedies simply lying right in your cabinets:

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera can help us with almost anything. Curing a sunburn, getting rid of rashes, growing our hair, and eliminating pimples. It cools your skin down, reduces inflammation and redness, and even removes the oils from your skin.

Toothpaste

It sounds weird, but toothpaste is a great resource for getting rid of acne. It is effective because it contains silica, which is the same substance that can be found in bags of beef jerky to keep moisture out. Therefore, toothpaste dries out and reduces the size of your pimple – overnight! Dab some on the affected area before bed, and then wash it off in the morning. You will be surprised by the improvement in just one night!

Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil, like Aloe Vera, can cure almost anything. Like honey, it contains antibacterial and antifungal properties. Studies even compare tee tree oil to the acne medication benzoyl peroxide, showing that it is just as effective. Apply with a q-tip or cotton ball onto pimple.

Honey

Honey is great because it is antibacterial and antibiotic, reduces redness, and makes your skin feel soft. The stickiness also helps remove dirt and other impurities from your skin. You can even use it as a full face mask if you wanted: mix two tablespoons of honey and half of a lemon, apply to face. If you want to use it on just one affected area, apply lightly with a q-tip and leave on for half an hour. Wash off with lukewarm water.

The first step in getting shiny, healthy, voluptuous hair is to start at the scalp. Most people think oils are bad and gross. However, our natural oils are very healthy for our hair. It is recommended that we only shampoo three times a week at minimum. Shampooing takes away our natural oils, which is good for promoting hair growth. It sounds disgusting, but going a month without shampooing and just using water and conditioner will do wonders for your hair and scalp. Another tip for healthier hair would be to stop brushing hair when you get out of the shower. Brushing wet hair is very damaging to it, so try and brush your hair before you shower or wait for it to dry.

There are also foods that help promote hair growth and the overall health of your hair. Eating vegetables and fruits, more specifically greens, enrich our bodies with vitamins and minerals that are necessary to keep our bodies balanced and functioning properly. They are also great for our hair! No surprise there. Any healthy food contributes to healthy hair.

There are some natural home remedies that you can use to help your hair be more shiny and healthy. Massaging natural oils or treatments into your hair is great to stimulate growth cells. The massaging part is most important because it gets the scalp’s blood moving. Aloe Vera will make your hair soft and shiny while taking care of dead ends. Coconut Oil and Olive Oil will make hair soft, a little greasy, but will make your hair grow much faster. You want to massage these oils into your hair for at least five minutes, and then leave to soak in for 45. Wash out with water and just a little shampoo so your hair does not look greasy. You will notice a difference in one use!

Being stressed out is not uncommon. In the world we live in, there is something always going on, and most of the time it is uncontrollable. Work, children, school, there are endless stressors that factor into our lives and can really begin to overwhelm us. In this blog post you will find ways to reduce your stress levels anywhere you are, even if you are trapped in your office.

First, take the time to write down whatever is bothering you. Let it out on a piece of paper so it is not bouncing around in your head causing migraines. We have to learn to accept the stressor, and not try to avoid it. It will still be there even if you try to forget about it. So write it down, acknowledge it, and accept it.

The next step is breathing. Sounds easy because we do it all day every day, but there is a style of breathing that benefits us more than just keeping us alive. Most of us take shallow breaths, but here you want to breath deeply and slowly. Expand your stomach and chest when inhaling, and then slowly exhale. Even go outside and get fresh air. Begin to count your breaths, and let your mind wander away from whatever it is that is bothering you. Deep breaths help lower your blood pressure, and relaxes your stress alarm system.

If you are at home, take a warm compress and wrap it around your forehead or shoulders. Close your eyes and breath. Maybe put on some of your favorite songs, or light candles if it helps. Studies show that aromatherapy can be a great way to relieve stress. Lavender scent has been consistently shown to help ease tension.

Another technique to lower stress levels is to exercise. You do not have to run, even walking or yoga will help lower stress levels. Studies show this helps ease depression and anxiety by helping the brain release feel-good chemicals and by giving your body a chance to practice dealing with stress. A short walk around the block will help, even stretching – anything to get your body moving.

What was once underrated and seen as a monk tradition, yoga has become a very popular form of exercise in the United States. If incorporated into our everyday lives, yoga can be extremely beneficial. The main purpose of yoga is to connect the mind and body, creating harmony among them. It is a never-ending practice no matter how good at it you may be. Our bodies have the great ability to heal themselves, and yoga can be part of this process.

There are over one hundred different types of yoga, but most are focused on meditation and breathing. Our breaths are supposed to connect our minds to our bodies and bring awareness and enlightenment. Some benefits of yoga are:

• increased flexibility

• increased muscle strength and tone

• maintenance of a balanced metabolism

• weight reduction

• improved respiration, vitality, and energy

• cardio and circulatory health

• protection from injury

As you can see, there are countless ways that we can benefit from yoga. These are just the physical benefits; one of the best benefits of yoga is how it helps a person manage stress. Stress has devastating effects on our bodies and minds, and is very unhealthy. Incorporating meditation and breathing into one’s life helps a person increase the ability to cope with stress, creates a more positive outlook on life, and improves the mental well-being. When practiced regularly, yoga creates mental clarity and calmness, relaxes the mind, even sharpens concentration. It is a great way to get in tune with your body and your inner self.

“Yoga takes you into the present moment, the only place where life exists.”