There is a new love in my life, and her name is Coco

Doing some of my carrier oil research led me to stumble upon the wonders of coconut oil. Coconut oil is good for all kinds of things, from hair and skin care, to cooking, to preventing diseases. It’s good for the teeth, bones, liver and kidney and is effective in treating certain infections, due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. Do I feel a 5 uses post coming on?!?

So, when I was getting my vitamins at the supplement/health food store last week, I decided to see what all the coconut hype is about. The first thing I tried it on was my skin.

The first thing I noticed when I dug a chunk out to use was the scent. It has a pleasantly delicate scent of coconut, that is almost non-existent, making it ideal as a carrier for other fragrances.

I was pleasantly surprised by the feel of it. Coconut oil has a lip-balmish consistency, but is not sticky at all. It is solid that melts at body temperature – it feels cool as it melts, but warms up to an oil worthy of any massage. It’s not too greasy, but hydrates skin immediately.

Next, I tried it on my little girl’s VERY curly hair. Of course, I melted it first. This can be done with your hands, like I did (‘cuz it feels so great!), or just put the jar in some warm water.

Not only did it make her hair super shiny, but it worked almost like a pomade. I even gave her ringlets! Naturally, I wouldn’t use it on straight or thin hair, and it should be used sparingly, at least until you get the feel for how it works in your hair.

Other things  that are awesome about coconut oil:

• It has a long shelf-life
• You can mix your favorite essential oils into it when it’s melted
• It makes a GREAT lip  balm – even all by it’s lonesome

I will definitely be coming back with more uses for this awesome carrier oil and more. There’s just so much…

Do you use coconut oil for anything around your home? Let me know – I’m ready!

Twitter surfing this afternoon has once again caused a sharp pain in my side.  Essence Magazine is holding an event today and it appears that Johnson and Johnson is a sponsor of some sort.  There’s a series of tweets under the #jbaby trend that have gotten me completely riled up in under 2.2 seconds.  There’s a speaker who has “educated” the women there on the benefits of incorporating baby oil and baby oil gel into their skin care and every day beauty regimen.

Somebody please catch me before I faint! Baby oil? For your face? Your hair and nails?! OMG please make them stop! Ok, ok, sorry let me calm down and give you some useful information instead of my angry ranting.

Quick facts you need to know about mineral oil RIGHT NOW:

1. Petroleum based – Mineral oil is a byproduct of petroleum, the same petroleum from which gasoline is produced.  As a byproduct it is of little value to oil refineries.
2. Inexpensive – Because mineral oil is petroleum byproduct it is significantly cheaper than oils based from naturally occurring elements (olive, safflower, almond, etc).  This makes its use much more appealing to larger manufactures whose bottom line more financially motivated than wellness motivated.  There is a plethora of other alternatives to mineral oil these companies could opt to use.  Please note the key work in that sentence is alternatives, not in addition to (See my thoughts on the use of Additional elements instead of Alternative elements)
3. Skin barrier – Mineral oil is not absorbed by the skin, it simply sits on top of it creating a sealant.  While sealing in moisture is of the utmost importance, preventing oxygen and other naturally occurring beneficial elements from reaching your skin is a surefire way to develop dry skin, wrinkles, acne, and even rashes.  You skin needs to breathe.

Mineral oil does serve it’s purpose in relation to use in and on the body.  It’s beneficial in the birth process to help ease the baby out of the birth canal, can be used as a means of cleaning your ears, and has in the past been used as a laxative (Wikipedia)  However, it’s use in skin and hair care products is certainly not in the best interest of your body’s needs.
Will using mineral oil kill you? Nope it won’t.  Will it impact your overall health? Depends on your viewpoint on your health.  If aging gracefully is of little importance to you, by all means, mineral oil is a great option for you. If persistent dry skin is a way of life that doesn’t bother you, feel free to continue your use of baby oil to achieve that “shiny” look you love. If brittle hair helps you achieve your fabulous look, then you are all set.
As long as you are making an informed decision on what you’re putting on your body, I stand back with my hands up and get out of your way.  Be informed, be educated, and decide based on what you know, not just what’s marketed to you. Please read your labels.

Smooth skin is a term I hear all the time, emblazoned across magazine covers and being promoted as something you can’t live without. Here’s my situation: I don’t have acne, and I rarely break out. But I have bumps that never go away, scarring and redness from previous blemishes that continue to linger, and I just lack an overall flawless finish. It’s really aggravating because I seem to have settled into this state with my complexion where I am not overjoyed at its appearance, but I’m not losing sleep over it either. But enough is enough. I have a few friends with flawless complexions, and nothing creates more envy in me than to see how beautiful and perfect their skin is. How do I get that too??

So I started browsing around and researching, and stumbled upon the wonders of zinc.  And I learned that if you are deficient in this mineral, your skin will never look as great as it could. Great. But isn’t that the same for practically every nutrient we hear about? How can we keep up with every single thing?
But desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Time to add this supplement into my diet. It is essential for skin repair, which I think is what I need. Zinc seems to be the band-aid my skin needs, allowing cells to properly construct and maintain their cellular makeup. A great way to get more zinc is to consume shellfish and pumpkin seeds. Shellfish once or twice a week and pumpkin seeds sprinkled on salads or by the handful should do it.
Other bonuses: zinc is a natural insect repellant and sunscreen. In order to protect your skin and get some zinc on a daily basis you can get some organic sunscreen containing zinc and use it as day cream to get the best of both worlds.
Let me know how it works for you!

Have you ever read the ingredient labels of your facial cosmetics? It’s like something out of a science fiction novel! With names like Para-Phenylenediamine and Butylated Hydroxyanisole, it’s not surprising that the ingredients in synthetic cosmetics can dry and dull skin. They have been linked to allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and some are even known to cause cancer.

Among the worst culprits? One of my personal addictions, eye makeup. Some VERY popular mascaras and eye liners can have some not-so-great effects on your health. Check out GoodGuide.com for information on virtually any retail cosmetic, cleaner, food or anything else you can think of.

I know, for many of us girls, it would be absolutely unthinkable to go out on a date or girls night out with out putting our “faces” on. The good news is you can be conscious of whats on your skin and look the way you want to, too! The full-range of cosmetics is available to you in all-natural form.

And where synthetic ingredients have negative effects, organic makeup ingredients many times actually benefit hair, nails and health. Many natural versions of mascara contain jojoba and other beneficial ingredients. There are no known negative effects for natural makeups.

Natural mineral face makeup, blushes and eye shadows are terrific for skin, won’t clog pores, minimize the look of fine lines AND have durability. They are ideal for any type of skin, even sensitive skin, because there are no perfumes or synthetic dyes.

Many people notice a more even skin tone after using mineral makeup for a little bit. This is because titanium dioxide and zinc dioxide (two common ingredients) have anti-inflammatory effects, making them ideal for people with problems like rosacea and acne.

The Mineral Makeup Blog has all sorts of information about mineral makeup, including informative articles, how-tos and product reviews.