What is shea oil? You’ve heard of shea butter – but have you heard of shea oil? Shea butter and shea oil both come from the same source, the nuts of the African Karite tree, also known as the shea tree. But unlike shea butter which is much more readily available and more popular, shea oil is much rarer and usually, can only be bought from wholesalers. What makes shea butter different from shea oil? And which of the two is better? We shall find out below. Shea Oil - Defined The shea seed or nut, from which shea butter is extracted, also contains a less known component – shea oil (where to get it). The shea oil Continue Reading
All-Purpose Shea Butter Salve Recipe
Salves are amazing skin healing preparations you can craft in the comfort of your own kitchen. Most salves can be used to soothe and treat a variety of skin problems from pesky bug bites to itchy eczema. Homemade salves are usually made with beeswax (or candelilla wax for vegans), plant oils - particularly herb-infused oils - and shea/cocoa/mango butters. These ingredients are the ones responsible for giving the salve its thicker and harder consistency compared to a lotion or cream. The main use of a salve is to heal skin and wounds while a lotion or cream is majorly used for moisturizing purposes. This shea Continue Reading
17 Natural Shampoo Alternatives for the Crunchy at Heart
Tired of product build-up? Or want to lessen the toxins in your life? How about trying to cut down your shampoo usage a bit or put a stop to it altogether and whip up some shampoo natural alternatives for your precious hair?! Why Use Natural Shampoo Alternatives For many people not using shampoo seems gross and unthinkable but folks, what do you think people long ago used to wash their hair? It definitely wasn’t the sudsy chemical-laden liquid we use today and they did have healthy and good hair! Here are a few reasons to ditch that bottle of store-bought shampoo or at least limit its usage now: All Continue Reading
Lavender Oil on Acne | Benefits, Effectiveness & Application
Lavender oil is easily the most popularly used oil in aromatherapy and is well known for its calming and relaxing properties and its effectiveness in promoting peaceful sleep. As many people turn to natural remedies for relief from common health ailments, we have increasing testimonials from people experiencing positive results by using lavender oil on acne. A closer look at lavender oil Extracted via steam distillation of lavender flowers, lavender essential oil (Lavendula officinalis) is a potent extract that contains many wonderful healing substances including: • Linalool (49%) – a naturally occurring Continue Reading
Bone Broth and Rheumatoid Arthritis
As of today, no cure exists in Western medicine for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system erroneously attacks the body’s joints and creates pain, inflammation and inflexibility. More than 1.5 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, with women being the majority. Rheumatoid arthritis can set in as early as age 30 and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (in teenagers and children) is becoming more common. It is a debilitating condition, which if left unchecked can cause irreversible damage to the cartilage and joint tissues leading to loss of mobility. Bone broth and Continue Reading