DIY Cellulite Scrub

The dreaded word cellulite that us ladies NEVER want to hear. Well I hate to be a negative nancy but every woman will have cellulite on their body by the time they reach 40. Having a 'mom' body (where I actually have hips now) I joined the cellulite club. I've tried a couple expensive creams but they haven't done much improvement. I hate when people will just say to you "go work out." Um... I run 5 days out of the week on top of yoga multiple times a week. Guess what?! It is STILL there! Being in my mid 20's I was mortified but after doing some research I found it to be quite the norm.

Back to the store bought creams. First they are expensive. Second you go through them super fast! Third it doesn't work! It did reduce the appearance but as soon as I stopped using them it came right back. I wanted something that would permanently work to help at least minimize the appearance, or if it couldn't fully get rid of it. Then I came across this DIY cellulite scrub with simple ingredients and let me tell you, AMAZING! Ladies this works! And you can find these ingredients in your house. Cheap and effective, just how I like it! First I'll tell you how to make it and then afterwords I'll explain why it works.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Ground Coffee
1/4 Cup of Sea Salt
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil (Not coconut oil because at low temperatures it hardens)

Directions
Mix all the dry ingredients first. Then add slowly, while stirring, the olive oil. Put your scrub in a clear container; I used a mini mason jar (Click Here). Works out great! While you are showering, apply some of your scrub onto your upper thighs and bum in a circular motion. Then rinse with warm water. Do this about twice a week and you will see a huge improvement fast!

The importance and why fresh ground coffee works so well. Caffeine in the coffee reduces the redness of the skin. It also firms and tightens the surface of your skin through constriction, that is why it reduces the appearance of cellulite. Coffee even is effective for promoting circulation, preventing from cellulite to form. A lot of spas use coffee as apart of regiment. It is highly effective! TRY IT, what do you have to loose? Beside that cellulite!

Recipe credited to paluaparrish

A Natural Way To Correct Dark Spots

Summer is coming to an end (booo) and lets face it, I didn't wear enough skin protection. Did you? After pregnancy and the summer sun my face is suffering from a couple dark spots. First thing I did was go to a local thrift store and picked up a dark spot corrector. I've never used one of these before and thought this has to be simple. The smell was terrible! OMG. Which led me to look at the ingredients (thinking I was putting pure bleach on my face.) Little behold, it had hydroquinone in it. For those of you who don't know what that is let me tell you... In most skin lightening creams it is their most common ingredient. It has been linked to cancer and, ironically, ochronosis, which is known as SKIN DARKENING. Yikes! With a little research I came across a natural way to get rid of sun (dark) spots.

With two kitchen cabinet ingredients and about five minutes, you can start the skin lightening process to naturally reduce dark spots for good! Probably one of the easiest and simplest natural beauty DIY I've tried and it really works!

Ingredients
Lemon
Raw organic honey

Instructions

1. After you wash your face with your normal face wash, cut your lemon in half. 
2. Remove any of the sticking out seeds
3. Hold half of the lemon with your hand and rub the juice all over the sides of your face. (Avoid your eyes!)
4. Leave lemon juice on your face for 5 minutes or less. Much less if the stinging is too much.
5. Rinse off
6. Because lemon will dry your skin, apply honey. (You don't just want to reduce brown spots, you want to help fade the end-of-summer dry skin wrinkles too, right?)
7. Leave the honey on for as much as 20 minutes.
8. Then rinse off. 

Honey has antiseptic qualities as well, which means it helps to clear up breakouts. Bonus!! You will see a big difference after the first use, with how soft your skin will feel. I started to see a difference of my dark spots within a week. Depending on the damage it might take a couple weeks. Oh and try not to eat the honey off of your face... Just kidding! (But no, really, don't eat it). Hope this helps!

Resource credit to mommygreenest

Everyone Should Oil Pull!

This new thing called "oil pull" is becoming very popular and more people are hearing about it. But what they don't know is oil pulling is an ancient method for detox and rejuvenation. Very simple, with quite remarkable results! So what is this mystical and exciting vibe around it? What is it exactly? And what does it do? I'm going to tell you in a (coco)nut shell:

Oil pulling is not what you are probably thinking. It involves coconut oil. To oil pull, simply swish coconut oil in your mouth; similar to the way you would use a mouthwash. This can be done anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. The process attracts and removes bacteria, toxin, and parasites that live in your mouth. And also pulls congestion and mucus from your throat; which loosens up your sinus (which is amazing!!!) With the help of your saliva, all these scary undesirables bind with the oil, ready to be disposed of.

I'M NOT DONE YET! Pulling also helps re-mineralize your teeth and strengthen your gums by thoroughly cleansing the area. AND whitens your teeth naturally!

How to start? Scoop 1/2 to 1 full tablespoon of oil into the mouth; if it's cold, allow the oil to melt. Now push, swirl, and pull the oil between your teeth. Allow it to touch every part of your mouth except your throat. You don't want the oil getting in contact with your throat because it is now carrying somewhat toxic material. Do NOT gargle! Then spit into the toilet or trash can, not the sink; it can clog the sink!

You will experience a result after the first time you oil pull. You will be blowing your nose and clearing out your throat; you will be amazed how quickly this happens! I began pulling to benefit my gums and teeth. My gums strengthened, and teeth became so much whiter! In the past, no matter how much I would brush, or floss I would always end up with 'bad' teeth. The dentist hygienist actually recommended looking in to this. It has been about six months and the dentist confirmed how much healthier my gums are! The first week it did make my teeth sensitive but then quickly got used to it. Some actually help with the sensitivity, and some said it made there skin clearer and more vibrant. (Which my acne cleared up and haven't had an outbreak since.) Everyone MUST try this!

Resource credited to mindbodygreen

Homemade Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

Having a baby really changed my views on what chemicals we are using around the house and foods we are eating. Every time I would spray the 409 I would cringe thinking of all the chemicals my newborn was breathing in. Freaked me out! So I am slowly finding new ways how to make homemade all natural products. I want to share with you this natural all-purpose cleaner that is even safe for GRANITE OR MARBLE! Super easy to make and has actually saved us money. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup alcohol
3-5 drops of dish soap
5-10 drops of essential oils (optional)
2 cups water

Container
Spray bottle (you can get one at Walmart or Target for no more than $2. Or use an old cleaning product spray bottle, just make sure you thoroughly wash it out.)

Instructions

1. Add alcohol, dish soap, and essential oils to spray bottle. Swirl to combine
2. Add water and shake to mix thoroughly
3. Ready for use! Make sure you shake it good before use, just to make sure all the ingredients are mixed well.

So simple! My counters look great and I know my daughter isn't breathing in harmful chemicals.

***Tips*** If you are having problems with it drying, even after you wipe it up, try using 1/3 cup alcohol instead. Also, I recommend using a soft cloth instead of a paper towel.