Apologies

I'm sorry for not posting any updates for a while, I've just been busy with life in general, been away recently also to see family. I really do want to start posting again on my blogs, but I feel my life and home needs some organising first, so I can start to think a bit more clearly insha Allaah (God Willing).

So no, I haven't disowned my blogs ;) feel quite sad they've been a bit neglected, but insha Allaah will start posting again soon. x

A natural solution for dry skin

Dry skin is most commonly prone to wrinkles and lines as it is unable to retain moisture and the sebaceous glands cannot produce sufficient amounts of sebum. This type of skin becomes often dehydrated and needs special care by continually moisturizing it. Masks for dry skin are made of chamomile, lavender, peppermint, bananas, avocado, honey, milk, yoghurt, tomato, egg yolk, butter, strawberries etc.

Dry skin can benefit a lot from periodical use of hydrating masks. They have many moisturizing ingredients that help the skin to have more balance. They may have plant extract, essential oils, and nourishing vegetable oils or milk derivates.

To make classic facial mask at home for dry skin, take 1/2 avocado and 1/4 cup of honey. Mash together these 2 ingredients for an easy face mask. Apply to your face and leave for 5 minutes before removing with a washcloth and some trepid water. You will definitely enjoy the smell and feeling of this mask on your face. Honey and avocado are particularly rich in moisturizing properties.

Generally benefits of avocado are numerous: it is filled with monounsaturated fats, Vitamin B and E, nutrients excellent for moisturizing and rejuvenating dry or tired skin. Use this fruit in the next masks too.

First recipe: take 1 avocado and 3-4 drops of almond oil. Peel and mash avocado and add almond oil until the mass is consistent. Apply to face while massaging it gently. Let it rest for 30 minutes and rinse off with warm water.

Second recipe: you need 1 avocado, 1 teaspoon of apple vinegar, 1 egg white, 3 teaspoons of olive oil. Peel and mash avocado and start adding the rest of the ingredients. Egg white should be beaten before you put it in. When the mass is done, apply to face and wash off after 20 minutes or so. This mask provides great moisture for skin, making it soft and elastic.

To prevent wrinkles, make a paste of bananas, yogurt and honey and apply it on the skin for 15-20 minutes then clean it with warm water. You’ll need 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 banana.

Refreshing tomato mask. You need 1/4 peeled and seedless tomato. Chop it. 3 teaspoons of yogurt, 1 teaspoon peeled and then grated cucumber, 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel, 3 teaspoons of oatmeal (finely ground). Additional ingredients are 2 mint leaves, fresh and crushed so the essential oils run out of the leaves. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Apply on the face and leave on for about 10 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water.

Popular milk mask for face. Take 1 teaspoon powdered milk, 1 tablespoon runny honey, 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel and 2 drops essential oil and mix ingredients well. Apply to face, let sit for 15 minutes, wash off with warm water.

Bedtime body care - Time to unwind

Better Baths

Being relaxed and de-stressed is essential for a good night's rest, so hop into that tub right now! "When you're in the bath, there's not much you can do," says Julie Lindh, an aesthetician in New York City. It's this nothingness that prompts your mind to unwind and ditch the worries of the day. Too busy to take a nightly bath? Lindh says that even a 15-minute soak in a tub filled with hot water, sea salts, and essential oils will deliver maximum benefits. "After five minutes your pores open up, during the next five minutes you start to absorb the ingredients, and after five more minutes you should ease off," says Lindh, adding that in a pinch a shower will do, too. Lather up with one of the new relaxing shower gels formulated with sleep-inducing essential oils.

Softer Hands and Feet
Just like on the rest of our body, the skin on our hands and feet gets dehydrated during the night, so don't forget to pamper them, too. If you have a bit more time, why not slip on a moisturizing glove or bootie? Many are lined with body heat-activated moisturizing pads. Enjoy their soothing feel for a few minutes before snuggling in.

Sleep Science
The very act of rubbing your skin with a soothing body oil can calm you. Fully inhale the scent by cupping your hands and taking a deep breath.

MSN Health: Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, November 2007

So organic

A nice website to check out is So organic , they are a UK company, and sell products for home, baby, beauty, men etc... They stock a wide variety of brand name products such as Ecover Eco cleaning, Neal's yard, Tushies nappies (gel free eco-disposable) among many others. Free gift with orders over £50.

Organic box delivery

I received my organic box on Tuesday from Abel and Cole, I actually thought I would have had it the previous Tuesday as I placed my order on the Monday, but realised that was too short notice, as they have to process the order, order the goods etc...
Well, delivery was nice early, the driver arrived around 8am and was friendly. I ordered the medium mixed box, which contained :

Bananas (x5)
Leeks(4)
Green cabbage(x1)
Clementines (x13)
Aubergine (x2)
Parsnips (x4)
Red onions (x4)
Carrots(x8)
Kiwi fruits(x7)
Potatoes(x6)

I was fairly pleased with the contents, the only thing being some of the vegetables we don't eat, and if I was to put them for the kids I doubt they would eat them (they're the fussy kind) so I ended up giving away the radishes, parsnips, and green cabbage to a friend. The box varies each week apparently, but on your online account you can add fruit/veg to your favourites and dislikes list so you will more likely end up with things you do like.
The kids seemed to enjoy the fruit, clementines I found were not as tasty as I would have expected.

Here's some pics that I took below:

The benefits of organic food for your health

Nowadays more and more people seem to be buying organic food, and I'm not surprised. We are always hearing about different diseases and illnesses being linked back to the food we eat, this is mainly due to all the chemicals and toxins which are present in them, these are used at the time of farming in order to produce bigger and more bountiful fruit and vegetables. But at the end of the day we're the ones who end up suffering, these toxins in the body can result in the person suffering from headaches and tremors among other things.

We know how important it is for us to eat sufficient fruit and veg, because it's healthy and contains much needed vitamins for our bodies, but all we're doing is poisoning ourselves bit by bit, scary thought huh? And what about our children? do we really want them to have these toxins in their bodies? and at such a young age? of course we don't, the option is to go organic and feed ourselves and our children with the best food we can buy.

Among the many benefits of organic food are :

• It is GM free - European law prohibits the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in any aspect of organic food and farming. This means that organically reared animals are not genetically modified in any way whatsoever, and their feed is free from genetically modified material.



• BSE free - The livestock neural disease Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which can cause the related disease Creutzfeld Jacob Disease (CJD) in humans, was caused by livestock feed containing animal proteins. As well as being unnatural, such feeding practices enable diseases such as BSE to be transferred between species.



• Fewer artificial additives - Antibiotics, growth promoters and other additives are added to non-organic meat during the animal's life and while the meat is prepared for consumption. Normal intensive farming methods mean that animals live in overcrowded, unhealthy conditions where disease would quickly spread through the herd were antibiotics not used. Although antibiotics are still used to treat organically reared animals, the healthier living conditions of the animals mean that antibiotics are used prudently to treat specific ailments, rather than as a preventative method. Once the animal has been slaughtered and the meat is being prepared for human consumption, additives are often added to it to improve the flavour, colour or texture of the meat, or to make it stay fresh longer. Organic food producers are prohibited from using additives that research has shown may be harmful to human health, such as sulphur dioxide or artificial colourings. But as our organic meat is reared more naturally, the meat has its own natural flavour, texture and colour, and does not need any artificial enhancers!



• More nutritious - organically reared meat contains far fewer artificial residues, toxins and additives and has no risk of diseases such as BSE, it also contains more naturally occurring minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.



• Better for the environment - Organic farming works in harmony with nature. Organic animal feed is grown without pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilizers, which means there are no damaging toxins released into the environment. Organic farming methods are sustainable - crop rotation allows the soil's fertility to recover naturally. No fossil fuels or other resources are used to create chemicals to fertilize the soil or treat the crops. The lack of pesticides also means that wild plants and animals can happily live in and around organic farms, encouraging biodiversity.



• Better for the animals - For a farm to be registered organic, it must comply with rigorous animal welfare standards. These ensure that the animals are not overcrowded, have comfortable bedding, have access to fields, and are allowed to express their natural behaviour patterns. Livestock are mainly grazed on herb and clover rich grass, rather than processed feed. Organically reared animals lead as natural and healthy lives as possible. Conventional farms treat their animals as a product or commodity, so being able to cram animals in, use cheap processed feed or speed the growth of the animal increases profitability. Organic farms are still, of course, run for profit, but recognise that some people are prepared to pay a little extra for healthier food from happier animals on farms that do not impact on the environment.



• Better for your taste buds! - Most people who eat organic food do so because they find it tastes nicer than conventionally farmed food. Organically raised animals eat herb and clover rich grass, which flavours their meat. They are given freedom to forage, graze and exercise. This makes the meat leaner, denser, less fatty and improves the texture and flavour. The animals are allowed to mature naturally, without growth promoters, which allows flavour to develop. And because the animals live more natural, stress free lives, damaging acids do not build up in the meat and the meat has a better texture. All the above mentioned benefits contribute to the great taste, so many notice when eating organic food.

What Exactly Is Organic-Why Is It Better?

Basically, Organic farming is a way of producing crops without damaging our environment and without the need for synthetic chemicals. Organic food comes from Organic farms that use traditional agriculture with modern techniques. Instead of using synthetic, man made pesticides to kill pests and disease, Organic farmers prevent pests by planting a diverse range of crops, by rotating these crops and using environmentally friendly approaches. Ultimately, this results in no artificial pesticides, herbicides, no hormones and no growth promotents. Organic Farmers aim to prevent pests and disease by using natural means, instead of a REACTIVE pest and disease management system. Organically grown and processed food and personal care products are allowed only minimal processing with a limited number of non-agricultural, but natural and traditional ingredients allowed. These processes allow Mother Nature to provide us with food the way it was meant to be. Why choose Certified Organic

Organic Processes are Good for the soil. A modern and scientific understanding of ecology and soil science is required , while also depending on traditional methods of crop rotations to ensure fertility and weed and pest control.
Organic Processes are Good for people , Organic based ingredients have been shown in a number of research studies to possess more vitamins, nutrients and cancer-attacking antioxidants than non-organic ingredients.

Organic Processes promote No GMO's Certified Organic products are required to be produced without GMOs, which are prohibited in the standards for organic food and farming. Organic Processes are Good for the environmentOrganic systems aim to reduce dependence on non-renewable resources. Organic production aims at all times towards sustainability whilst having best management of the environment and wildlife as a priority.

Organic Processes rely on No synthetic chemicals Organic systems & processes prohibit the use of artificial chemicals, pesticides and fertilisers.

Eric J. Smith is an Organic Gardener and passionate Environmentalist. He is dedicated to promoting the need for an Organic, Natural World. Find out more on Organic Personal Care Products here
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_J_Smith