Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Pro-Youthify Your Hands-Naturally



It can be a sad state of affairs when our hands start looking older than are. This is not neccessary! Our hands are exposed to everything far more often than our face. They are used for tools, have the nails bit off, and washed and dried out constantly.

We just need to take better care of them and they will pro-youthify themselves with a little help from their owners! 

I do not care for the word aging, or anti age or any other negative way you can hear when someone discusses aging. It is actually a beautiful process that we do not have to fight so hard, but enjoy the process along the way and if there is something we can do to have our skin and bodies keep up with or youthful minds, I say, " let's do it!"

It has taken me several months to test and experiment with different ways I could make my hands easier to look at.

Here is what they looked like before:
BEFORE


I had so many ideas from people and I took a little from each person and created a regime that actually worked for me. Once I had been on my custom regime for 3 months, I really started to notice a huge difference and my next project will be to remove the lingering age spots.

Here is what they looked like after the 3 months:
AFTER

Not too bad, right?

So, first key. Treat your hands with as much attention as your face,neck, and chest and take good care of them. They take a beating from us.

I got Retin-A from my doctor and some glycolic online. I like the Glytone brand. I will list it below. As far as retin-a, many drugstores creams use a very powerful derivitate of Vitamin A and it is powerful and almost as good as the prescription, Especially if you are not used to using, it, is better to build up to the prescription Reitn-a anyway by using its least powerful form-Retinol.




What I do is alternate one night with the Glytone and then one night of the retin-a or retinol. A great drugstore brand is this one:




The combination of these items will work on smoothing fine lines, even tone and texture, and removing old skin so the new skin can come to the top revealing new and healthy skin. 

I also added some fantastic Collagen plus C vitamins that work on strengthening the collagen and elastin in your skin making not only more firmer, but dewy and smooth as well. 
You can receive $5 or $10 off depending on how much you spend on iherb.com if you use CODE: VAJ631



The final 'skin' supplement I added was the good old Neocell Hyaluronic Acid pills which I know I sound like a broken record, but it is because they work. They plump out lines and creases on your face or anywhere else due to their ability to hold water in your skin, not your body. It moisturizes you from the inside out. If I skip it for a while, I feel my face starting to show deeper lines and my hands not looking as fresh. It works that well guys! You can also get this on iherb.com. Both of them will total will under $40 and that is not even including the coupon in this blog you can use. 


Last thing I tried and I got wonderful quick results with was b-12. Now,not all of you may be deficient in b-12. I was. The sublinguals from Trader Joes are inexpensive and work very well for someone who is not as deficient as I was. I recommend them! I finally had to go with actual b-12 injections to get me up where I need to be and one week later the veins in my hands flattened out. I was happily surprised! What I have been able to gather is that b-12 helps in the creation of red blood cells and they deliver oxygen to the cells throughout our body. It seems because of my deficiency this was not happening and my veins were popping out everywhere, Not anymore! 



**Even if you do not need b-12 for a deficiency, I highly recommend it  to keep your metabolism stable**

I hope you enjoy Pro-Youthifying Your Hands! 


Love,

Rae







Tuesday, July 30, 2013

D.I.Y Brightening and Exfoliating Facial-Get Glowy


How much are facials? $60? $100? Over a $100?? Yes, they can be pricey. But the way we feel after pampering our skin feels so good, right? Our skin needs to be pampered, if you love your skin it will love you right back- that is for sure.

Not everyone has the time or money to get facials once a week or even once a month. I know I am not able to manage that. That is why I do my facials at home. I want ingredients I trust and that I know actually work.

There are facials out there that promise to brighten or promise to exfoliate. How about a D.I.Y facial that does both?!

The one I am talking about combines the brightening properties of Chinese Pearl Powder, the moisturizing effects of hyaluronic acid, the exfoliating and brightening of rice flour and the softening of glycerin. You will love the results.




When I do this facial, I can see the results instantly, and better yet- my face continues to show results for up to week after I do it.

We all know how important it is to exfoliate our skin so that the dead skin cells get removed and new skin can glow at its brightest. As we get older our skin does not renew at the accelerated rate it used to, so we have to give it a little manual help. It is easy, cost effective, and quick.

Chinese Pearl Powder has been used for centuries and is well known for its healing properties as well as its beautifying effects on skin. Hyaluronic acid has the ability to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. Very good news for our face. Rice Flour is an age old remedy for brightening the skin, plus offers some natural exfoliating power as well. You always see glycerin in many of our favorite beauty products, correct? Why not get pure glycerin and make your own custom beauty products. Then you know exactly what is going on your skin and therefore being absorbed into your body. Glycerin really aids the repair of dry, damaged and dare I ‘aging’ skin.

We want to combine all of these amazing ingredients and use it to pamper ourselves. I purchase the rice flour from Whole Foods. I like the stone ground kind you can buy in a bag and the rest of it I purchased on iherb.com. I will list the discount code for $5 off below the recipe.

Brightening and Exfoliating Facial:

2 opened capsules of Chinese Pearl Powder

1 opened capsule of Hyaluronic Acid

1 TB of Glycerin

1 ½ TB of Rice Flour

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth paste is formed. Apply to your face, neck and décolletage in a thin layer. Rub in circles on your face and neck and exfoliate gently for about 1-2 minutes. Go even lighter on your chest. Leave mixture on for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water and follow with a spray of cool rosewater toner if you have it. Otherwise, cool water is fine. Put on a layer of jojoba or avocado oil, then your favorite moisturizer.

The code you can use for iherb.com is VAJ631 if you want to purchase any of the ingredients I listed.

Enjoy your glow!


Love,

Rae

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Make Your Own Coconut Milk






Yes, you can make your own coconut milk! It is so easy and so amazingly good for you too.

Coconut milk is the closest thing to mother's milk available. It contains lauric acid which converts to monolaurin in our body. It has antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal properties and is a very effective anti-ager as well. The fatty acids in coconut milk are stable and reduces free radicals in our body, which thereby reduce the effects of aging.

It naturally reduces lines and wrinkles on our skin and is also usable energy for our body! It is far better for for you than drinking cow's milk that contains hormones and antibiotics and whose know what else. I mean, have you ever thought about why they give antibiotics to dairy cows? It is to fight off infections. When you drink cow's milk, you are putting all of that nastiness directly into your body. Think about it. While you are thinking about that, think about this as well. What other mammals in the entire universe drink another mammal's mother's milk? Um. None. Except humans.

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk is another of my favorite alternatives.

To make a good milk substitute with coconut milk, you will need dolomite powder and some clean, filtered water. Dolomite powder is calcium and magnesium and the perfect supplement to add to your homemade milk. You can also use a little stevia powder for sweetness or any other of your favorite natural sweeteners.

Here is the link for the dolomite powder:


I like the light coconut milk from Trader Joes to use as my base.




Here is my recipe:

1 can of light coconut milk
1 can of water
1/2 tsp of dolomite powder
1/2 tsp of stevia

Pour all of the ingredients into a Vitamix or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

That's it! I told you it was easy.



Love,


Rae





Sunday, April 21, 2013

D.I.Y. - Purifoiying Detox Bath Salts

Everyone knows the healing benefits of natural bath salts. They have anti aging benefits both for the skin and internally, they are naturally healing, purifying and therapeutic, reduce inflammation and can even create an alkaline environment for our bodies which is vitally important to be lean, healthy, and strong. If you want to check out more benefits of having an alkaline pH, see my blog Alkaline pH=Great Skin!

I started creating my own bath salts so that I could customize the benefits I was looking for, while making sure everything I used was organic and of maximum benefit to my body and skin. I was also struggling with some pain in my back and stress, so I created this mixture and it has really helped me. It worked so well, that I wanted to share it with everybody! All the items I list in this blog are ones that I have personally used and tested and I am happy to report I feel like a new person and my skin even looks and feels better!



2 very important ingredients I wanted to incorporate were Dead Sea Salts and Sodium Bicarbonate. Dead Sea Salts are unique in that they have 27% more various salts than what is found in normal sea water. They have incredible therapeutic and purifying properties and will improve not only the way our skin looks, but the way it functions as well. They contain a high amount of magnesium which calms us down and naturally helps our bodies to reduce stress. Magnesium actually SLOWS down the aging process and the calcium in
">Dead Sea Salts
reduces water retention and keeps our bodies from being puffy both inside and out. Inflammation in our body can be disastrous to those trying get healthy and lose weight. We want to strive to keep the inflammation in our bodies as low as possible which is key is staying healthy and fit. Potassium which is found in the salts as well, is a crucial mineral to balance our skin moisture and keep us energized. Bromide eases our sore muscles after working out and sodium aids our lymphatic fluid balance which has a direct result on our immune system. Plus-there are NO side effects associated with this great healing agent.

Sodium Bicarbonate is actually a miracle to me. An Italian doctor had discovered that he could use it to heal cancer and was sent to prison for 3 years after SUCCESSFULLY treating a terminally ill man dying of cancer and he did it with sodium bicarbonate. I will not go into my strong views and beliefs in regards to pharmaceutical companies, but what I will say is that sodium bicarbonate creates an alkaline environment in our bodies and keeps our pH high which creates a hostile environment to fungi and has a host other benefits as well. It works perfectly at neutralizing high levels of acidity in our bodies. Studies show that people with an alkaline pH are naturally leaner and live longer than those with an acidic pH. I did not make this up. Do your research and try it for yourself and you will see the difference. I work diligently on keeping my body alkaline and I can with say with absolute confidence that I do not struggle with my weight or skin and generally feel pretty good. When I do not feel good, it is usually because I have regressed in some area in regards to keeping up my health routine. I have taken
">sodium bicarbonate tablets
for quite awhile now along with my green drink and have really seen and felt a difference.

My favorite Bath Salts creation to date is Dead Sea Salts or Pink Himalayan Crystal Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Organic White Thyme Oil and lavender that I grow at home. The Organic White Thyme Oil can be purchased on iherb.com and if you use code VAJ631, you will get a discount! White Thyme Oil has uplifting, empowering, and clarifying properties and when used with the other ingredients has a natural detox and purifying affect on us. This is important especially if we are trying to get fit and healthy. Our bodies want to purify and so adding agents that help it along are very much appreciated and our bodies will thank us by giving us the results we want, and faster. Lavender is calming to our senses and both White Thyme and lavender are a natural anti-inflammatory.

What I do is bust out my mortar and pestle and add the Salts and sodium bicarbonate tablets and crush them up fine. I then add my home grown lavender and crush and mix it into the ingredients. I use jojoba oil as a carrier oil for the White Thyme Oil and then add it as well. I pour it into the tub and soak for about 20 minutes. Usually, while I soak I bring in my natural facial ingredients and do a quick D.I.Y facial at the same time. I made a new facial that includes citrus, distilled rose water, and coconut oil. My skin glows the next day! If you want, I will write about that next time.



I am excited to share this with you and if you do not feel like making it yourself, you can purchase it from me. Just send me a message and I will make a special batch with love and ship it you.

Love,

Rae

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Superoxide DismuWHAT!?!? Anti-Aging









You are going to want to know about this enzyme! I thought I pretty much knew everything there was to know about supplements, nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes that were good for you and good for your skin. I have been passionate about this my whole life and spend my free time researching, studying and doing a lot of experiments on myself!

I had to go the doctor recently and he is most awesome. His first love is nutrition and his second love is medicine. We always have a lot to talk about.  He asked what kind of produce do I get at the farmers market in the winter and when I told him my list of regular items, he declared, “That is perfect! Superoxide Dismutase is in 3 of things you buy every week!” I was thinking superoxide dismuWHAT?

He said it is the one of strongest and most powerful anti-agers that exists and told me that they did an experiment on fruit flies (which I do not approve of FYI) and it was reported that the fruit flies with the most of this enzyme lived twice as long as ones with less of it.
Now, I am not really about trying to live long, but I would like to feel good and look good while I am doing it! Superoxide Dismutase is 3,500 times more powerful than Vitamin C and is a superior anti-ager and free radical neutralizer. We all know how important it is fight free radicals so that we can age gracefully and healthfully, right?

Another important component of taking care of your skin and body and looking good while doing it is keeping your system free from inflammation. This improves skin quality, keeps you lean, and is important for overall health. There are many anti-inflammatory diets and studies out there that are logical and realistic. Look them up! What is so fantastic about Superoxide Dismutase is that it is also a super anti-flammatory enzyme while also being a strong anti-oxidant. **By the way, green tea and cashews are awesome at reducing inflammation in your body. **






Do you want to know the 3 items I buy at the farmers market that my doctor exclaimed over? They are Red Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and Persimmons. These of course are in season during the winter so I will have to find out what I will be purchasing for the upcoming season so I keep my intake of this enzyme consistent.





Do your research and see what other fresh produce you can find that this extreme super enzyme is in and you will be saying, “what? aging? not me! I feel great, look great and my skin thanks me every day for taking good care of it.
See you at the farmers market next weekend!

Love,


rae

Monday, February 25, 2013

D.I.Y. Blackhead Destroyer


Finding time for professional facials is rough-not to mention finding the money! I do at home facials on myself to save on both time and money; which are precious commodities nowadays.

Once you purchase some simple products, you can do them time and time again and get that coveted glow. The skin on our face needs to be babied and pampered. Once you start taking care of it-it rewards you by looking clear, healthy, and luminous.

There are literally hundreds of ways to do at-home facials, probably even thousands. My niece Jessy, who is a facial specialist, gave me a fantastic recipe to clean out my blackheads using items I had right in my kitchen. Before we get to that, do the first step and wash your face with a facial brush. I use the Clarisonic Mia Brush and Cetaphil. Cetaphil is my every day, no matter what cleanser. The combination of a facial brush and this gentle cleanser work wonders and will keep your skin looking beautiful.



 

To get out the blackheads will take a couple extra steps. Here is what Jessy had me do.  I mixed lemon juice and sage and put it directly on my areas of concern. These two things really work on clarifying and sucking out the debris in your pores. After that, I neutralized the lemon by putting on a mix of baking soda and water and rubbed it into my skin gently. I then put on a great mask by Freeman. I used to use these all the time when I was teenager. You can buy them at any drugstore and they are not pricey at all. When Jessy reminded me of them, I was so happy, because they work so well and use natural ingredients! I have several of them, but for this facial I used the Avocado and Oatmeal one.

After rinsing off the Freeman mask, I cleansed again with my Clarisonic Brush and patted on some hyaluronic acid to get my skin plumped and dewy. I love the one from Japan. It literally makes my skin bouncy! I put on my favorite all natural face cream and was all done. The whole process took about 25 minutes and I was very pleased with the results. My skin was fresh, clean, very glowy and I was able to do it at home and not fork out any extra cash.
 

Give it try and let me know how it worked out for you!
 
Love,
 
Rae

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Chia Seed Pudding Recipe



(not edible :D)

I know you are thinking that chia seeds are for chia pets, but that is not all they are good for!

Chia Seeds have so many health benefits, you won't even believe it! Chia Seeds were used by the Aztecs and Mayans and they had a good reason for it. Aztec warriors used chia seeds as a main source of fuel for conquests. They are a complete energizing protein and also have both insoluble and soluble fiber in them when combined with liquid. It forms a gel which thickens the chia seed in size and weight and will keep you full for long periods of time.

This gel thickens up so much and so quickly and can then be used as a pudding or in smoothies to thicken them up. This gel aids in stabilizing blood sugar. Chia Seeds take on whatever flavor you want, so the possibilities are endless!

So, why do you want to eat them? They contain coveted Omega 3's which vegetarians and vegans could always use more of. We do not eat fish which contain them and flaxseeds get boring. (at least for me) They are a rich plant source of Omega 3's and research has proven that people who consume Omega 3's lose more weight on average than people who do not add them to their diet. Medicinally, this also works for anti- inflammatory properties and this is so important for a healthy body and to be able to stay active longer.

Chia Seeds are also packed with antioxidants for a healthy body and great skin. We know that antioxidants are age-defying, so this is an easy and cheap way to get plenty of them. Chia Seeds have calcium as well!

Chia Seeds can be ground up easily or used whole. The protein and complex carbs gives you energy and keep you going throughout the day. This will also help keep you full so you can lose weight if that is one of your goals.

I make a Chia Seed Pudding which I love. I make a bit extra and keep it in the fridge so I can have it for a quick pre or post-workout snack.




Only 4 ingredients




Rae's Cinnamon Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

3/4 c. Whole or Ground Chia Seeds
1/2 c. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl until completely mixed. Put in the fridge and let it firm up for about 20 minutes.

You can always add more liquid for a thinner consistency or less for a thicker one. Some people like to eat this instead of oatmeal.

That's it! This will be about 4 servings. So, you can split it up into 4 different containers and keep it in the fridge for easy access. It will keep about 4 days, so it works out perfect.

Enjoy!

Love,

Rachel