I ran out of Bare Minerals bronzer yesterday and I can’t live without a bronzer. However, I am looking to save some cash so while I was at Target this morning I found some drug store makeup. It was a toss up between Maybelline MIneral Power bronzers and Physician’s Formula bronzer. Maybelline did not specify that it was 100% natural but when I looked at the Physician’s Formula, it clearly stated it was 100% natural. I was so pumped! For $12.39 I got the bronzer and it came with a bonus pressed poweder! It was super exciting because I usually use Mac powder which I wasn’t really fond of because it is very comedogenic. It is no good for your skin at al, not to mention expensive. So I would have normally spent around $40.00 for those 2 itens total. Today I walked away with a GREAT buy, 2 ALL NATURAL priducts for $12.39. YAY. It’s my lucky day!!! PS In the skin care isle at Target a noticed they sell a TON of Burt’s Bees products now! I am super excited because that’s what we use on our little lady for her bath and now we use the shampoo, body wash, and lotions. I love it! Soon we will be using the hand soap, I didn’t get a chance to look and see if Target sold it. I have only seen it in small little boutiques not too close to my house.

As I have posted before, I am currently taking Biotin to promote hair growth. About 2 months ago I got a haircut that I was not please with. It was cut much too short and I am trying to get the length back quickly. I was told to go to the store and buy Biotin supplements. I went to WalMart and found 5000 mcg pills. I must say they are working great! My hair is growing like a weed. My hair has grown almost 2 inches in just under two months!!!! The average hair growth is a half inch per month and mine has succeeded the average due to Biotin. Though Biotin is helping me get my long hair back, there is a slight downside. I noticed that when I upped the dosage from 600 mcg to 900 mcg that I was itching. My scalp and face were the most effected. I would just randomly start scratching my head and my face was getting red and blotchy. My forehead was very irritated and I could not stop itching. I lowered the dosage and noticed that the itching and breakouts stopped. Then I found the 5000 mcg at WalMart for a great price and couldn’t pass it up. I started taking those and I was still itching… not any worse, but I was still itching. MY face is also breaking out. The breakouts usually appear soon after I take the pill and they start by itching then form into an acne like breakout. They go away much quicker than true acne breakouts but it still isn’t fun. It has not gotten to the point where it is really bothering me so I still think the lon ghair is worth it. I have always had very clear skin so these minor breakouts are not that big of a deal since the rest of my skin is clear. Once my hair gets to a certain point I will stop taking Biotin. As for now, if works great with a small side effect that I am willing to endure for the time being.

If anyone else has had this side effect with Biotin would like to hear about it! Please comment… Thanks!

So as I have mentioned before, I am an advocate of things that are natural. I don’t necessarily go crazy and out of my way but lately I have really been thinking about the benefits of natural skin care and eating habits. As one of my few professions, I am an Esthetician. I work on skin. Facials, hair removal, and makeup application is what I do. I am so sick of all these “salon products” and “professional skin care.” So many of them contain alcohol and other harsh chemicals that is totally drying to your skin. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is in almost every single facial cleanser and body wash. That stuff if TERRIBLE. I am going to be completely honest here and tell you that I just googled the name because I know it is bad for you and did not know why… I stumbled across a website www.healthy-communications.com and found the reason. Basically it is a harsh chemical used in garage floor cleansers, engine greasers and other ridiculous things. I suggest you check out the site or just google Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. You will NEVER put a Bath and Body Works product on your body again. Don’t even get me started on that place. Every lotion, potion, and wash has alcohol in it of some sort. This causes your skin to dry out (even though you are using a moisturizer). It sucks your skin of its natural moisture and leaves you needing more… perfect tactic right? Not if people educate themselves and get smart about skin care. I have been looking around and so far I have come across a pretty good solution. For the money and for being at least 97% natural, Burt’s Bees has stolen my heart (and my skin). NONE of their products contain that ridiculous chemical and they are all at least 97% natural. I am trying their products little by little. Fairly inexpensive and very efficient, their face wash Soap Bark and Chamomile works great. I also purchased the Radiance moisturizer with Royal Jelly. I am loving it. So far so good!

Onto the food… don’t get me wrong I still LOVE to eat out or order a pizza but think of all the weird foreign chemicals that are in frozen pizzas and man made foods. It really makes you think. Trust me, if I am craving an Oreo or some boxed Jalepeno poppers, I will most likely snag 2 or 3 on occasion. But if you consciously think of these things, you will reach for those items a lot less. Any little change helps. The less crap you put in your body the better. As of right now I don’t have the will power to cut out foods like that all together, but my constant awareness helps me make better choices more often. When it comes to pop or as other areas of the US call is SODA, I love my Coca-Cola Classic. I know pop is terrible for you and there are tons of chemicals in it… but when it comes to having a Diet or Regular, you better believe I am gonna go for the regular. No fake sugar chemical garbage for me! I avoid artificial sweetners at all costs.

Hopefully we will all be more aware of what we put IN and ON our bodies. Have pretty thoughts today!!!!

I have always been very particular about my hair. I honestly have bad dreams about it being cut too short when going in for a trim. Well last week the unthinkable happened! I have been trying for a long time to have long hair at least down to the middle of my breasts. It was almost there and then Friday came along. I was in one of those moods. You know the one ou get in when you just want a “change?” Well I marched myself over to my cell phone and sent a text to a girl I work with that usually cuts my hair. Well the last few times she has not been doing that great of a job and always is making comments how I am too chicken to go shorter. I like my long hair and if I wanted it short I would ask for it. Anyways, I decided to let her cut about 3 inches off. Well it was 3 inches too much! I regret it totally. I can’t stand looking at it. I mean, it isn’t ugly it’s just not me. Who even knows how long it’s gonna take just to get back to where it was. I started taking Biotin supplements because I was told that it promotes hair growth but I also heard that it only works if they are over 2500 mcg. The ones I bought were only 300 mcg so I am taking two but that still isn’t enough. The other ones are prett expensive and I really don’t want to spend that on something I don’t know will even work. I also started taking my prenatal vitamins again that the doc had said to continue taking after I gave birth. I hadn’t really been taking them since my daughter was born but I am now in hopes it will speed this process along. Now it’s a waiting game I suppose and I will try and make the best of it. I really hate the length of my hair, it is in the middle of nowhere! Below the shoulders and above the breasts but it looks like it is floating in mid-air! Ugh!!! Well I guess I will start making the best of it now but not complaining anymore!!!

AHHH! I am 5 foot 2 inches and weigh about 90 lbs yet I have this little belly that makes me look like I am 4 months pregnant! I am 6 months post partum and my muscles are still sagging. I am working out doing ab work and I have seen an improvement but I have this thing called Diastasis Recti also known as abdominal separation. This causes my tummy to pertrude just below the belly button every time I eat something. I have been to my OB about this, a personal trainer, and a physical therapist. I cannot seem to get a straight answer out of anyone. They all tell me “you’re so skinny it’s not even that bad.” Just because I am small and don’t have loads of fat and flab around my post partum belly does not mean that “it’s not that bad.” They all think it’s not a problem because compared to a lot of post partum women my belly is not half bad. I will be the first to admit that it’s not. But it bothers me and it is not “normal.” There isn’t stretch marks, or loose skin like what is expected after pregnancy (thank God). This is a condition that does not happen to most people. I have been told that in time and with conditioning the muscles can get closer together… but that isn’t good enough for me. I want to know (without surgery) if the muscles will go back to their pre pregnancy place with lots of dedicated work and conditioning. Were the muscles ever attached by tendons? Or were they just close together? I don’t know because nobody can give me that straight answer. If they were attached somehow will they ever “grow” back together? I am not being petty or superficial… I am just a girl who wants to know if  I can ever wear a bikini again. I care because that is a part of who I am and who I have been for the past 26 years. I used to have a belly button that was so tight it had that little flap (some get that pierced) at the top. Now it looks like a deflated balloon. When I contract my muscles, it goes right back to normal which give me hope to believe that with more toning it will be ok. I have read other blogs and no I am not alone in this I just wish I could get an honest professional answer.

I am a big advocate in things that are natural. I am not saying I won’t use makeup that isn’t mineral makeup or take medication that isn’t a natural oil or herb but I believe that products that contain healing aides from nature are much more effective than man made chemicals. Vitamin K for puffiness and dark circles under the eyes, tea tree oil in acne treatment and shampoo, peppermint oil to soothe you feet and ease a headache… all of these things are great remedies.

Right now I am using tea tree oil on a swollen toe! I believe I had an ingrown toenail. I went to the doctor and was told that my toe was infected but there was no nail to dig out. She put me on antibiotics for the infection and told me to soak it in anti-bac soap and water 3 times a day. While the infection and redness went away, and most of the pain, my toe was still swollen and odd looking. I went to the doctor for my re-check and she told me that if it didn’t go away with soaking my foot and using peroxide that she would send me to the foot doctor. She told me that the foot doctor would put a shot in my toe and cut out a portion of my nail. I felt like saying, “I thought you said there was NO NAIL!?” But, I didn’t. I went home and immediately started to pick at my toe to get the nail so I wouldn’t have to get that shot. It has been almost a week and my toe looks the same. The other day I started soaking it in Epsom salt and applying peroxide. Yesterday I decided to buy some tea tree oil and soak it in that. I dug more of the nail out today (so I think). So far it is looking much better. I think the tea tree is really drying up the skin and making the swelling go down. Tea tree works as an antiseptic so it is also helping with any type of germs or infection that may enter the area. I will update in a few days and let everyone know if the tea tree has worked it’s magic!