Alternatives to Shampoo

My last post was about commercial shamoos and the harmful chemicals in it.  It seems like these chemicals are in all the shampoos you find at places like Walmart.  So the only way to get a bottle of shampoo that doesn't have these chemicals is to get it at a health food or vitamin store.

Another option is to use products right from your kitchen.  I've tried one of these options.  I really wasn't expecting much.  But I was and am pleasantly surprized.  What's the home remedy?  Baking soda!  Sounds weird, I know.  But I made a paste with water and poured it on my scalp just like it was shampoo.

I liked the results.  But first, let me finish with the details.  After I rinsed out the baking soda I poured a glass of water through my hair that had about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it.  The recipe I had said to do this to make sure you got rid of all the baking soda residue.

My hair was clean and soft.  It was also shiny.  My scalp felt good.  This really works.

I can see where there would be times when this prodecure would be a little inconvenient if, say, you were in a hurry.  For times like that, you would want a "regular" bottle of shampoo in the shower.  This is where the shampoo from the health food store would come in handy.

I hope it makes my hair thicker.  Time will tell.  Till next time.

Does Shampoo Cause Thinning Hair?

There are numerous reports lately about the chemicals in our shampoos.  Studies are showing that these chemicals are causing skin and scalp irritation and harming the hair follicle.

Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are two ingredients that can be found in nearly every commerical shampoo.  They are defined as detergents and surfactants. 

Recent studies about the effect of SLS in particular have raised concern about this chemical and the harm it is doing to the hair and skin.  It irritates the scalp and causes rashes and allergic reactions.  It causes thinning hair.

But because of the foaming action of these chemicals, the shampoo makers consider it a vital ingredient in the shampoo.  The foaming action, or suds, makes people think a product such as a soap or shampoo is cleaning the hands or the hair because of the suds.  But this is not the case.  The suds are just for show!

If your hair is thinning, or if regular shampoos seem to irritate your scalp, try a shampoo from a health food store that does not have SLES or SLS in it. 

You can also use household products to wash your hair like baking soda.  Yes, baking soda.  Those who use it say it works great.  Mix with enough water to make a paste and use just like shampoo.  You might want to rinse with a little vinegar to get all the baking soda out.  Just pour about a tablespoon into a glass and use as a rinse.

Beauty Secrets of Olive Oil

Olive oil is wonderful for our health.  It staves off hardening of the arteries, helps to prevent heart attack and stroke and so much more.

But it's also great for the outside of our body, namely hair and skin.  Some women use it as a facial moisturizer and say they wouldn't go back to their old moisturizers.  Try it on your face (a small amount, of course,) and see if it completely absorbs in about 15 minutes. 

It's wonderful to soften feet.  Here's something to try:  massage olive oil into your feet, put on socks and sleep in them overnight.  Your feet will be softer than they've ever been and look great.

In ancient Great Britain, Queen Anne had a beauty treatment for her hair that she liked so much, it was forbidden to be made public.  Her barber had created it for her.  When she died it was discovered that her secret beauty treatment was two ounces of olive oil and four ounces of honey.

Years ago, I put this on my hair from time to time.  It worked pretty well.  I remember that it made my hair very shiny.  It's a mess to wash out. 

Here are some more modern olive oil treatments:  try a teaspoon of olive oil in a cup of plain yogurt, mix well and apply to your hair and scalp after your shampoo.  Leave in five minutes and rinse out.  They say this is used in Italy a lot. 

Another recipe for the hair that sounds good is to put a teaspoon of olive oil in your favorite hair conditioner.  Of course, I imagine this would be hair conditioner that you rinsed out. 

This is food for thought (and inspiration):  At the age of 72, actress Sophia Loren was named the Most Beautiful Natural Woman in the world.  She had competitors like Catherine Zeta Jones that were half her age.  They asked her what her secret was for looking so young.  As you may have guessed, she said olive oil, as well as "love of life." 

What an inspiration! 

Benefits of Olive Oil

The health benefits of olive oil are nothing short of amazing.  It's been reported that olive oil can ward off cancer and prevent heart attack and stroke.  It can do much more.  Arthritis and asthma are said to be helped by it.  It's great for the liver, the gallbladder and stomach.

Olive oil has properties that protect against hardening of the arteries.  It can do this much better than seed oils, even though seed oils do lower cholesterol.

Olive oil is a staple of countries in the Mediterranean.  Although their diet is rich in fat, they have lower rates of heart disease than countries like the United States.  Olive Oil rreduces the risk of stroke, heart attack and blood clots.

It's great for cooking and frying.  It goes great with salads, vegetables and fruits.  Many people swear by it for beautiful hair and skin.

They say extra virgin olive oil is the best for health.  This is because it is the oil from the first pressing and the most natural.  Oil from the second pressing is virgin oil.

Keep your bottle of olive oil in a dark, cool place.  My next post will be about olive oil and beauty.

Watermelon and our Pets

If you read my last post you know that the water from a watermelon has amazing health benefits.  It is really not water, but plant serum.  It is a biological water that has been involved in thousands or maybe mllions of chemical processes that happen within living plant cells.

It is wonderful  for the kidneys.  It's good for arthritis and gout, too. Who knows what else?

What about our pets?  Do you think a spoonful of watermelon water in your pet's drinking water or food would be of benefit?  Of course, I'm going to check with a vet first.  Some things that are okay for humans are not so good for our pets.

One of my cats is about fourteen years old and I'm wondering if some melon water would be good for her.

I can't wait to find out. 





   

 

The Health Benefits of Watermelons

Watermelons are already in grocery stores and it won't be long till we can taste those delicious home-grown watermelons of summer. 

Did you know that watermelon has amazing vitamin and mineral properties?  The water in watermelon is not just water.   At one time I thought it was.  Scientists refer to the water in watermelon as "living water."  It is a biological water that has participated in the chemical reactions of the living plant cells.  These plant cells have went through thousands and possibly millions of chemical reactions.

In fact, the water is actually "plant serum."  Some experts say that nothing is as helpful to a person's kidneys as is this serum that is the water inside of a watermelon.

Minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium are in plentiful supply in watermelons.  It has many vitamins, especially C, B6, B1 and folates.

"Living water" helps your kidneys to remove waste material and toxins.  It helps any type of renal function.  Here are some ailments that it benefits:

Early state kidney failure - symptoms are fluid retention and scany urine output.

Kidney stones and granules - melons have an amazing alkalizing ability and they assist in the dissolving of stones in the kidneys.

Urinary infections - the "living water" in watermelons has an alkalizing effect that stops bacteria from multilying.

Watermelons also help arthritis and gout by fighting uric acid.

So plan on eating plenty of watermelon this spring and summer.  Hopefully, if enough is eaten, it will keep you healthy and get you through the winter months .

Cancer Prevention with Pineapples

Pineapple is delicious.  I like to get a can of pineapple chunks and eat it in a bowl with cottage cheese.  It makes a great breakfast.  Especially if you like to have fruit for breakfast.

But there's another reason to eat pineapple.  It might prevent stomach cancer.  It has a powerful enzyme in it called bromelain.  In 2007, medical journals reported this enzyme reduced tumors.

In fact, this enzyme from pineapples was found to be even better than a cancer drug that has been used for 40 years! 

You would think this would be big news.  Here is where you have to watch out for the pharmaceutical industry.  Bromelain is a natural substance.  Pineapples are extremely cheap compared to cancer drugs.  Is this why there are not numerous press releases about bromelain?

To get most of the bromelain from pineapple, it should be a fresh pineapple.  The canned variety loses a lot of the enzyme during the canning process, though it retains most of the vitamins and minerals.

Pineapple stops carcinogenic substances from forming in the stomach.  Especially nitrosamines.  These are carcinogens that are known to be one of the leading causes of stomach cancer.

So start putting pineapple on the grocery list.  It's delicious and you need it.