THE WHAT'S WHAT WITH SHEA BUTTER

    Many people are still confused about shea butter. So, here's a few things you should know. There is such a thing as yellow and white shea butter, contrary to what many blogs/people report.

Yellow and white shea butter are both from East Africa/Ghana, Africa.  White is the natural color of shea butter. Yellow shea butter is also shea butter; however, it is white shea that has some type of additive in it to change the color. In some cases, the yellow color comes from the root of the shea tree that has been added to the white shea butter or the manufacturer may have added a yellow coloring agent.

     Are you asking yourself why add color to it? Well, shea butter is much more easier to obtain than African/Kpangnan butter.  Because of kpangnan butter's rarity, manufactures add coloring agents to shea butter to give it the highly sought after golden color. White/yellow shea are from the Karite Tree and the African butter is from the Kpangnan Tree.

     So, the bottom line is, always check with the manufacturer to determine whether or not you're getting pure White Shea or white shea with a yellow additive in it.
     Below, you will find a picture comparing the color difference between white and yellow shea butter. If you would like to purchase some of our white shea butter, please follow the link below.

NATURES SERENDIPITY ORGANIC SHEA BUTTER

brown or white eggs

     So recently I was in my local grocery store to buy some eggs. To my dismay, they were out of the white eggs. Now, I was left with a decision to get the brown eggs or go home egg less. I decided to get the brown eggs. I did read other opinions and nutritional information that compares the two eggs. They are the same thing. So here is my opinion comparing the two:

Similarities:

• shape and size
• taste and smell
• when the eggs are peeled or cracked, the yolks and the whites are the same color

Differences:

• white eggshells are easier to crack and peel
• brown shells are thicker than white shells
• brown shells will break into smaller pieces when cracked or peeled

    I prefer the whites eggs simply for the "crack-ability." Do the test for your self and decide which one you like the best. Good news is, if my store is out of eggs, I can grab the brown eggs instead!

***HELPFUL TIPS***

I try to shop on sale and try to get the best quality food possible for my family. When I buy eggs, I prefer to get organic but, that can be expensive. The next best option is to get "cage free/ free range" eggs that are grass fed. But you can use this tip with any eggs you can afford. What I like to do, to prevent my eggs from spoiling fast, is to coat them with mineral oil. As soon as I get home, I will cover them in the mineral oil and date the cartoon. The longest my eggs have lasted is 2 months. The short time is due to eating them, however, they can last about 6 months or longer. There are other ways to preserve the eggs but I have not tried those. It is also said they DO NOT need refrigeration when coated. They can be stored in a cool place and will hold for months. I am to scared to try that for myself. If any one tries other methods or experiences different results, please let me know!

my lemon cleanse experience

     So, I'm sure most of you have heard of the master cleanse aka lemon cleanse. I was skeptical of doing a detox that prohibited me from eating because it is very difficult, especially when you still have to cook for your kids. It does require a lot of self control. I have started the lemon cleanse and after reading a personal blog about that person's experience, I decided to do the same. Why you may ask, because every one's body is different and there experience will also be different.

My goal: Although I am aware this is a 10 day cleanse, I am taking a day by day approach. If I fail or cheat, I don't want to discourage myself with the "I have to start all over again" idea. Its not about what you ate. My opinion is its more important to know what you did not eat. This is not about weight loss for me, its about cleansing and living a healthier life. If you change your lifestyle you will change everything else.

DAY 1: 4/23/2013
Today is the first day of the cleanse. I used my nutribullet to mix up the lemon instead of hand squeezing because I will get more yield/volume per lemon. I have played with different amounts of the cayenne pepper. I personally like mine peppery. I was extremely happy to finally find grade b organic maple syrup at Kroger grocery stores. I am also still taking my multi-vitamin. I refuse to give those up. I did not do the sea salt flush as recommended but I may do it tomorrow.

I also want to make a point in saying that today I have been experiencing headaches. I NEVER get headaches. Also, I have been experiencing body aches and pains. My face also started to break out. This morning when I woke up, I had one pimple, by the end of the work day, I had almost 5 on my face and some on my back. Call me crazy but it has to be attributed to the cleanse.

Otherwise, it was fairly easy except for the temptations of food, I did not get hungry. If I did hungry, I simply drank my juice. So far, so good. I also drank my smooth move organic laxative tea at night. I cheated and added a FEW DROPS of honey just until I get used to drinking it. I DO NOT LIKE TEA! But, the tea did not taste bad and it smelled great! Today I weighed myself and I was about 160.

DAY 2: 4/24/2013
Today I was a little lazy and did not do the s.s. flush. I have done it in the past and you spend the whole morning on the toilet until nothing comes out but water! ( a little scary) I don't have time for that, unless I wake up early. Plan for tomorrow! Otherwise, I woke up feeling great! I still have a slight headache though. I think I may need to drink more plain water. I weighed myself and I have only lost one pound.

By mid-day, my headaches went away and I did not have any body aches. I cheated a little bit and eat a spoonful of chicken salad. The chicken did not make me sick. However, when I had chicken with mayonaise, it gave me belly aches. I dont think I will eat mayonaise again. I also say this because I eat some almonds and raisins and I did not have any belly issues. Processed foods don't seem to work with my body now that it is cleansing. Good new is, I did not a lot of hunger pains today. I also drank the tea without the honey. I allowed it to cool down some and it was actually pretty good. I herbal tea has not made me use the bathroom.

Day 3: 4/25/2013
Today I did the sea salt flush. I used a tablespoon of sea salt and about 1cup of water. I found it easier this way to get the salt in my system first and because it taste bad. The more water used, the harder it was to drink it. Then I followed it 3 or more cups of water. The more water you drink the more you go to the bathroom. You will literally go until only water comes out. Problem 2: my stomach shrunk, so I threw some of the water up. It was too much. I will say that within 45 mins, I was using the bathroom. I felt really good and energized afterwards. drank the tea again. Unfortunately the tea is not helping me go to the bathroom. But I will continue to drink it because herbal remedies tend to take longer to work for some people. Today I was really bad. I cheated again but it was not because I was hungry. I had a piece of chicken breast. To make it worse, it did not taste that great. I will have to work out to burn off what I ate.

Day 4: 4/26/2013
Today I did not do the s.s. flush. I weighed myself in the morning and lost a total of 5 lbs. I so failed with this day because it was Friday. This is the day we eat whatever we want but, I did not eat as much as normal due to my shrunken stomach and my stomach would get severely irritated when I ate greasey or junk food.

Day 5: 4/27/2013
I weighed myself again. Today I lost a total of 10lbs. I also did the s.s.flush again Nothing came out but discolored liquid. I will also say that I failed again today. The weekends are horrible if you have no will power. So, I have stopped the cleanse until a later time when I am more mentally prepared for the cleanse.

***FYI*** I hope you all are more successful with going through with the entire 10 days. I also want to let you know that within 3 days, I did gain 5 of the 10 lbs back. But, I feel great. I have more energy and had more restful sleep. My mood also was restored to generally feeling happy and less irratible. So, my overal experience with this cleanse was great and I will recommend this to others to try.

Rotten avocado!?

     For some, this post may be completely stupid, but, for me I was not able to find any pictures about rotten avocados.  I recently purchased a avocado. It was very hard (almost like a rock). So, I let it sit at room temperature until it softened. The problem was I waited entirely too long to cut it. So, I wanted to be sure that I absolutely could not eat it. I did find a couple of sites that explained that if it was it would have a brownish to grey color. The site stated it would also have rotten smell.

                                                      
                             Both Halves a Rotten Avocado               Left: Good      Right: Bad

     When the rotten avocado was squeezed, it felt as though there was space between the seed and the skin. It did have a horrible color compared to the bright yellows and greens of a ripe avocado. I also tasted it. It did not taste as bad as you would think nor did it smell (in my case) but the texture of the "meat" was very paste-like. So the end result is, if it doesn't look right...then don't eat it! I hope this picture helps someone trying to figure out: "good or bad". Another helpful tip I learned about avocados are, they are good for your hair. Now, if I allow my avocado to spoil, even though I can't eat it, it can be used for my haircare.

Sea Salt Really Works for Pink Eye!

     With all kids, especially mine, they are always coming down with some sickness or infection. My youngest daughter came down with the dreaded Pink Eye infection. If you are like me and have very little money, you can use the sea salt remedy. Basically, you will make your own saline solution by using 1tsp of salt and 1 cup of warm distilled water!

     For anyone scared about putting this in your or your child's eyes, put your mind at ease because this is no different than going to the ocean and swimming with your eyes open! Okay, well maybe a little different. This is more sterile! Please be advised that there are different types of pink eye caused by bacteria, allergens, or viruses and each one should be treated accordingly! The pink eye my daughter had, appeared on its own with no warning! The saline solution made with the sea salt and distilled warm water simply flushes the eyes of germs that cause puss. When using sea salt, try to use the raw and unrefined salt. Regular table salt will burn your eyes because it has been processed differently.


          

   I am in no way telling anyone not to see a doctor for help, but this is a great way to soothe the discomfort of pink eye and will also aid in ridding you of the infection. Also remember to stay open minded when using homeopathic remedies because they take a little longer to be effective. In my daughter's case, it took about five days to see a major improvement in the infection. And her eyes had to be rinsed several times a day to keep the pus causing germs from building up in her eyes. With presciption treatment you still need to allow about 7 days but the frequency of using the drops is less.

***It is always a good idea to go to a doctor for a diagnosis. If left untreated it can cause serious issues, but using the solution, either way, is no different than you going to the store to by an expensive eye drop to alleviate the symptoms.***

OMG! Cradle Cap is not just for Infants!

      I started this blog because I love to spread information and I love to share my knowledge. I have used hair grease to moisturize my hair all my life and have used it to moisturize my two daughter's hair as well. Recently my oldest daughter began to develope cradle cap (also known as sebborheic dermatitis)in her scalp. A few of you may be saying, "So what, whats the big deal. Thats common in infants and some toddlers". Well, the problem is, she is not an infant. She is six years old! This is very uncommon for children her age.
      When cradle cap first begins in the scalp it looks like dandruff. The severity can range from person to person depending upon the skin type and health conditions. If seborrheic dermatitis is left untreated, it can continue to accumulate on the scalp (face and diaper areas) or spread to other parts of the body!  In my daughter's case, she has dry hair and dry scalp. No matter how much grease I put in her hair, it always had a dull, dry look to it.
     The first step to "solving her dilema was to go to her pediatrician. I sat in the office for about two hours just for the doctor to refer me to a dermatologist. To make matters worst, the dermatologist was an hour drive away! I sat in the office for about one hour. All the doctor said was to use head and shoulders shampoo. I explained to the doctor that we were already using it and it keeps coming back. So, he prescribed a pill to "balance" her system assuming it was a viral infection and 1%hydrocortisone lotion for her hair and recommended the use of a special shampoo and to return in two weeks for a follow up visit. I followed the doctors orders with high hopes in curing my daughter's problems. The shampoo worked to remove the thick crust on her scalp but I had to wash her hair twice a week. But when I continued to use the grease on her hair it would come back. The lotion gave very little aid to the problem because it was not thick enough to moisturize her hair. During the second visit, the doctor prescribed hydrocortisone 1% ointment. This worked better than the lotion but when grease was put on the hair, the flakes and crust still returned.
     So, if you notice the trend here is to prescribe a drug and try it, prescribe another drug and try that. If I wanted to play a guessing game, I don't think a ph.d is required for that! I never went back to the doctor because he offered no cure and explanation to the cause. I sought out to diagnose the problem myself. What I found is that seborrheic dermatitis loves to eat oil. The more oil in your hair the more dandruff you have. Grease (petroleum/petrolatum and mineral oil) coats the hair and scalp to protect it. These molecules are too big to be absorbed by the skin and hair. When your pores are unable to "breathe" they become clogged. The result is dandruff build up! Once I stopped using grease, I no longer saw the huge flakes in her hair. It actually reduced itself to being alittle ashey. The true nature of her hair and scalp appeared, which was dry hair and scalp.

                  

  

******These pictures are actual photos of my daughter's scalp. You can see in these two photos that the dandruff has almost disappeared! Now it looks like "normal" dandruff. ******
                              

     Now what happens? I decided to go the all natural route for moisturizing her hair. And it has worked wonders. My daughters hair and scalp improved within a week! I researched the different types of oils that are good for hair and skin. I will go over the different oils and their benefits in detail in another post. What I used in my daughter's hair was coconut oil, sunflower oil, tea tree oil, olive oil and water.  Try to go organic or find cold pressed oils. You need to remember that you skin is an organ. Any toxins in the products you use eventually get absorbed into your bloodstream. Oils that have been chemically extracted have had the nutrients removed from oils!

     The mix I used was even parts per each ingredient (except for the tea tree oil), but you can change to your situatuion as these oils may not be suitable for everyone. I would recommend using a few drops of tea trea oil because of the strong odor it posseses. In my opinion, the strong odor of the tea tree oil is a good indicator of its potency. Skin type and health condition really play a huge part in what you can use to treat your sebborheic dermatitis. If you have oily skin, you might want to use something else.

     This is still a work in progess. When researching this condition it is stated that there is no cure because science doesn't show the exact cause. It can only be managed. Symptoms may go away completely by themselves.

Known Triggers:

     diet

     stress

     lack of sleep

     lack of water

     lack of vitamins and minerals

     over active hormones

     clogged pores

     dry skin and hair
***FYI*** You never want to scratch at the dandruff. If the skin is broken, it can cause the bacteria to spread and cause more infection to the scalp. So, you should soften the dandruff with cradle cap remover (which can be purchased at target or walmart) or some type of oil. Then, rub it into the scalp and take a brush or towel and gently lift the flakes off of the scalp. I wash my daughter's hair once a week. To maintain a healthy scalp I rinse the hair with Dr. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and distilled water (50/50 mix) and I use semi-hot, pure organic coconut and olive oil for a hot oil treatment.