Sea Buckthorn Oil: If It’s Good Enough for the Tibetans….

Recently while strolling through Whole Foods with my mother we both complained about how dry our skin is this time of year. Not to mention that I’ve been plagued with black heads again and I felt like it was related to my lotion. The helpful lady in the skin section overheard my mom mention that she uses Pond’s and made a noise that sounded a lot like pearl clutching. She expressed that with all of the petro-chemicals that she would never put anything like that on her face. I whole-heartedly agreed and she then made us some lovely samples of face products to try. Some cream for my mother’s face and some oil for me. She also indicated that a woman should never moisturize at night. Something about your face going through a cleaning cycle, etc… For my overly sensitive and uber oily acne prone skin she recommended Sea Buckthorn oil. She said that oil counteracts oil and would clear my skin right up. Having tried the olive oil experiment before and deciding that for my skin it really is best used only as eye make-up remover and under eye moisturizer due to the clogged pores that quickly developed I expressed my concern. She reassured me and noted that Dr. Oz said it’s just fine. She gave me a sample and I tried it out. The first day or two it did seem to make my skin soft, smooth and moisturized. However, again the build up began. Within a week I had oily clogged pores all over my face. Then the irritated white heads grew. My pores increased in size and my face powder began to look dirty and feel like sludge by noon. So, after three weeks I have given up. It wasn’t a costly experiment (only about $13 for a bottle), but unfortunately another failed attempt at using oil as moisturizer. I’m sure for some women this is just the natural product they’ve been looking for, but for my skin it just doesn’t work. I love that it’s cruelty-free, organic and natural, but none of that matters if it doesn’t work. I’ve given the bottle to my husband to use on his painful eczema as the Sea Buckthorn Berry has been traditionally used on many skin conditions throughout the Himalayas. I’ll report back on whether or not he has any better experiences with this wonder fruit. Have you tried the newest organic cosmetic sensation? If so, what was your experience?

Stuff I Love: Paper Made from Poo!

Yes, you did read that correctly. I am referencing paper recyled from excrement. Ewwww…. Well, The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company has a cute little slogan that reads, “We take the OO out of Poo”. This paper has been crafted from the undigested plant fibers left behind by elephants. It’s allowed to dry, cleaned and then made into paper. According to their website, they can make 25 large sheets of paper from a single elephant dropping. In addition, their website gives great elephant facts, including this one:

Did You Know? – Surprising Facts About Elephants

~ Elephants eat 300 – 600 lb (130 – 270 kg) of food per day – 60% of that food leaves the elephant’s body undigested.

 I love this product because it’s unique, sustainable and helps endangered elephants while creating a useful and attractive final product. The line of safari and sea life paper products are adorable! The best thing is that by developing the recycled poo paper industry they are contritubting to the welfare of elephants:

 

Basically, our sustainable cycle works like this: as with all creatures on our planet, elephants need a clean environment and a good diet. With these needs met, an elephant produces a lot of dung, which we collect and use to make our products. We work with various conservation parks (and mahouts) to gather the dung (which is full of fibrous material and makes great paper). We then process the dung into paper sheets from which our productsare made. The more we sell to customers like you and to stores across the country and around the world …the more we can contribute as a portion of the profits from each item you buy is contributed to elephant welfare and conservation programs!

What a great cause! They also offer fundraising for clubs, associations and environmental groups. So, embrace the poo, it may just be the paper of the future.

Flourless bread? Yeah, I ate it….

As I was strolling through the freezer section of my local grocery store I looked up and saw a stash of bread and bagels and thought to myself that it was a bit odd and because I’m me, I immediately decided to investigate. As I craned my neck to see this unusual bread in the freezer I noticed that it was made from sprouted grains and flourless. Now I was really intrigued. I had never heard of flourless bread. I know that I’ve read that sprouted grains are good for you.  In fact I have  a friend and co-worker who eats sprouted brown rice on the regular, and she seems to like it. Well, this seemed like an excellent opportunity to try the sprouted grain bread and see if it actually tastes like real bread. The bread and English muffins were both made by a company called Food for Life. What was most interesting though was that the packaging made reference and was named after Bible verses. It reminded me a bit of Dr. Bronner’s soap when I saw it. I grabbed both books of the Bible, I mean types of bread: “Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain” and the “Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain & Seed Bread”. I got one bag of muffins and one loaf of bread. I took them home and put them in the refrigerator as instructed and the very next morning popped out a muffin, toasted it and put a little pear spread. OMG, it was delicious! I can’t say that it tasted significantly different from your standard English muffin, but I do love English muffins. It tasted a bit more like wheat or other whole grain breads. It was hearty, a bit chewy, a little earthy and little bits that had a tiny pop when you chew. Overall I’d say that I really enjoyed it and I’ve had one every monring for breakfast for the last week and I’m just as happy with them today as I was the very first morning. The best part is that it leaves me feeling very full for the entire morning. I must insert here that I eat like a teenage boy, despite the fact that I am a 33-year old mother. However, in my defense, I do work out regularly, race mountain bikes and generally stay pretty active about town in a variety of pursuits. Typically I eat breakfast around 9am and then am looking for a snack somewhere around 10:30 before diving into lunch at 11:30. I’ve noticed that I’ve been holding off for lunch until closer to 12:30 and not even noticing my hunger. Even better, I haven’t been getting all shaky and weird like I do when I have a bagel for breakfast and then eat lunch later in the afternoon. Here’s a description of the muffin straight from the company website:

Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Products truly the Staff of Life!

Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Products are inspired by the Holy Scripture verse: “Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it…” Ez 4:9

We discovered when six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens: a complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. There are 18 amino acids present in Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain bread. Made from freshly sprouted organically grown grains, Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain bread is naturally flavorful and bursting with nutrients and is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and natural fiber with no added fat. Try it served warm to release its exceptionally rich nutty flavor.

A WORLD OF NUTRITION IN EVERY SLICE!™ 19 Grains & Seeds from 13 lands, there is nothing like this English Muffin! Moist, nutty, delicious and satisfying. Inspired by the Holy Scripture verse “And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yeilding seed; to you it shall be for meat.’”-GENESIS 1:29

INGREDIENTS: Organic Sprouted Whole Wheat, Filtered Water , Organic Malted Barley, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds, Organic Unprocessed Wheat Bran, Organic Sprouted Whole Spelt, Organic Sprouted Whole Kernel Corn, Organic Sprouted Whole Soybeans, Sprouted Whole Chia Seeds, Organic Sprouted Whole Barley, Organic Sprouted Whole Millet, Organic Sprouted Whole Rye, Organic Sprouted Whole Brown Rice, Variety 5-Grain & Seed Blend: (Organic Sprouted Whole Flax Seed, Organic Sprouted Whole Sorghum, Organic Whole Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Whole Teff, Organic Sprouted Whole Amaranth), Organic Wheat Gluten, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt.

For lunch yesterday I was finally able to get around to trying the sandwhich bread. I enjoyed a vegan bologna and cheese sandwhich on sprouted grain bread. Did you hear that? I ENJOYED it. I know, it’s crazy. I sound like some kind of new-age hippie. I find it hilarious, but it truly was a darn good sandwhich. If you have good bread and enough dijon mustard, I feel like you could put shoe leather on there and I’d love it so the middle bits of the sandwhich are hardly the important part. The sprouted bread however was again, very, very tasty. It was nutty and flavorful, chewy, hearty and darn good bread. Here’s a description of the bread from the Food for Life website:

Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain & Seed Bread

Based on the Holy Scripture verse Genesis 1:29, Food for Life brings you Genesis 1:29™ Sprouted Grain & Seed Bread. Made from exotic grains and seeds from around the world and baked into one extraordinarily nutritious loaf.

Teff from the highlands of Ethiopia, Black Quinoa from the mountainous regions of Peru, Barley from the ancient Holy Land, Brown Rice and Spelt from the Far East, Amaranth and Chia from Central and South America, Soy from China’s past, Flax and Rye from Northern Europe, Corn from Old Mexico, Kamut from Ancient Egypt, Millet and Sorghum from the plains of Africa, Sesame Seeds from the Near East, Pumpkin Seeds from the Mediterranean, Spring Wheat and Unprocessed Bran from Montana and Sunflower Seeds from the Dakotas. Food for Life understands few have access to these super nutritious grains from all over the world, so we offer you Genesis 1:29™Sprouted Grain and Seed Bread. We use only the highest quality organically grown grains and seeds and sprout them to maximize nutrition through enzymatic action and germination. The unique combination of seeds in Genesis 1:29™ Sprouted Grains and Seeds Bread and English Muffins provides a naturally good source of nutrition not found in ordinary breads.

So, I can say without a doubt that I really like this flourless, sprouted grain stuff. If it’s more nutritious than that’s an added bonus. Mostly I like that it leaves me feeling more full for longer periods of time, so super duper. I’ll definitely be adding this to my regular grocery list. My local Safeway carries it, but you can search for a local store right from the company website.

Have you ever tried sprouted grains, or sprouted your own grains? Tell me more about your experience with flourless bread below. Thanks and Enjoy!

Safeway is Heading Back to Nature

Fortunately I live in an urban area that borders on the suburban so I have tons of access to healthy, natural foods. However, many are not so lucky. As an example, when I go to visit my father who lives in a more rural area, it’s much more challenging to find vegan/vegetarian meat alternatives or healhty organic foods at the grocery store. Even in my daily life, while I do have access to Wegman’s and Whole Foods, they are considerably more expensive than my local Safeway, so I have to be far more selective with my food purchases than I would like. Luckily, Safeway wants your business and is looking to appease those of us who want healthy, natural foods, but don’t want to spend our whole paycheck. They have several brands including their own store label “O” which focuses on organic food products. These have been available for many years, but now Safeway appears to be adding a new natural foods brand called “Open Nature“. According to the website, “Open Nature” is “Food thoughtfully prepared and shared with care“. I love, love, love this concept. So many times I have wanted to be able to pick up a quick, inexpensive meal to go for my family and have left with just a salad or veggies to grill. Even more often when we’ve had friends over for a cookout, party or pot-luck I’ve been saddled with making a tough choice between buying inexpensive foods that run against my moral grain (I’m strictly opposed to factory farming and the heavy handed use of unhealthy preservatives, sweeteners and far too much fat in most prepared foods). While I may not choose to eat meat myself, I can still purchase and make good food for my friends and family and now I have even more options. The new Open Nature product line boasts that it is minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients and it’s 100% natural. How exciting!  Read about the new products, including natural meat and poulty products, their plans to expand to other product offerings like bread, pasta, yogurt and more. Finally, you can read more about why Safeway is moving to natural ingredients and humanely raised animals.

From the website FAQ:

What is OPEN NATURE™ Beef?

Under the OPEN NATURE™ brand, you will find premium quality beef that is graded USDA Choice. Additional product claims include:

• 100% Natural
• 100% Angus Cattle
• Raised without Antibiotics
• No Added Hormones
• All-Vegetarian Fed
• Guaranteed Tender
• Product of U.S.A.
• Certified Humane

What are the benefits of barnraised hogs?

The key benefits are animal health and meat quality. Because they are raised in a barn, the animals are not exposed to the extreme temperatures of the Midwest. It also allows our farmers to monitor their diet. Our hogs eat a controlled, 100% vegetarian diet and drink clean water that hasn’t been exposed to pesticides and herbicides. A healthy animal is a happy animal, and provides the best product quality for you and your family.

What types of feed are chickens fed and what is a vegetable diet?

We strongly believe that the flavor of the chickens comes from the feed that they eat. Our feed is made from high quality, nutritionally balanced ingredients. It is composed of approximately 70% corn and corn gluten meal and 15-18% soybean meal, with the balance of the diet made up of salt, vitamins, and minerals. The diet is called a vegetable diet because the protein and energy sources, corn and soybean meal, are all vegetable in origin. NO animal by-products or animal fat are used in the chicken feed.

While, personally I would rather everyone eat less meat so that we can raise cage-free, free range, healthy animals everywhere, I feel like this is still a step in the right direction. While I may choose not to eat meat for personal reason, I have many friends and family members who still enjoy a good meatatarian cookout and this will help me feed them responsibly. Thanks to Safeway for continuing to offer new varieties of healthier foods.

Etsy Shop Feature: Sweet and Dirty’s Emporium of Good Stuff

This next shop feature is special because we are both members of the same Team on Etsy: The Etsy Recycler’s Guild Team. However, I noticed and marked a few of their items as favorites before I even realized that they we were teamies. So, without further ado, it has been my pleasure to interview Sweet and Dirty’s Emporium of Good Stuff.

ICouldSewDoThat (Serendipit): First, let me thank you for taking the time out of your busy designer schedule for this interview. Second, let me say that I love your stuff. I’m so inspired by it every time that I browse your shop. In fact, the rowdy girls bag is on my wish list right now; I love it!

What is your inspiration for these wonderfully unique items?

SweetandDirty: I was always encouraged by family to make sure that I love what I do,  and I really think just knowing that I get to do that everyday.. wake up, be with my kids, and sew… that is all the inspiration i need to keep on keeping on. Of course coming across some good vintage fabric is pretty motivational too

ICouldSewDoThat (SerendipiT): Wow, that is so cool that you had so much support from your family and you get to really enjoy what you do; congrats! I love vintage fabric too, for many reasons. I typically use vintage fabric because it’s eco-friendly. Do you consider yourself “green”?

SweetandDirty: Very much. My entire shop is made from vintage/recycled/repurposed materials… it’s so nice to give new life to something instead of discarding it. It all carries over into my home life too – compost pile, garden growing (soon to be canning this summer), crazy recyclers.. it’s true, my husband has been known to go get and give recycling bins to those we know who don’t! 

ICouldSewDoThat (SerendipiT): So, now we know that you are an eco-friendly artisan, who enjoys crafting with your family, tell us a little more about yourself.

SweetandDirty: My name is Logan and I live in the wonderful mountains of Tennessee. I am a stay at home mom to two sweet babes (Harvey and Ruby) and wife to a super encouraging husband.  I went to college and got a BFA in painting, worked a silly retail job for way too long, then decided to take what I was doing for my loved ones and try to sell it to a larger audience… so far so good. It’s amazing to be doing what you love. In my ‘free time’ i can usually be found putting on impromptu dance parties and concerts with ruby, she’s two.. Harvey is only 5months so he hasn’t joined in just yet.  I also love to cook!

ICouldSewDoThat (Serendipit): Wow! Well you sound like one very well-rounded and equally busy lady who really lives life to the fullest; good for you! I always find talkign with other artisans who have taken their craft full-time to be so encouraging. I hope that one day I can too. There are so many great artisans on Etsy who really focus on the quality and good design; I find a new shop that I love every day. Do you have any favorites?

SweetandDirty: oh my goodness there are so many sellers i love, if you take a look at my favorites it justifies that!
a few off the top of my head…
http://www.etsy.com/shop/necessityisthemother
http://www.etsy.com/shop/spinthread ( i have one of her lovely necklaces and wear it all the time, love it)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/chelebert12
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ziazia
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sohomode
http://www.etsy.com/shop/blackbirdtees

 ICouldSewDoThat (SerendipiT): I will definately be checking those shops out; thanks for sharing! So, besides creating and shopping on Etsy, what else do you really love?

SweetandDirty: I love it when my little Ruby gives me random hugs, Harvey smiles my way, I get a date night with my husband, I find “new” fabric, seeing someone happy with something I have made, oh and a good batch of gravy and biscuits works real well too!

ICouldSewDoThat (SerendipiT): Well, you are a woman after my own heart. I lived in Tennessee for a spell myself and I have to agree that it’s the simple pleasures in life that really make each day special, especially time with loved ones and the chance to express yourself through craft. The biscuits always help too.

Well, to close out the interview I always love to get at least one totally random fact about each person that I meet. Can you share an interesting tidbit about yourself?

SweetandDirty: Let’s see… I can’t drive a stick.. I have an unhealthy obsession with sweet tea…I know the words to lots of obnoxious rap songs…and I can weld!

ICouldSewDoThat (SerendipiT): Those are some really fun facts; thanks for sharing!  I’ve always wanted to weld, maybe I can trade you for some lessons in driving a manual. So, now that we know how to find you on Etsy, where else can we keep up with you?

SweetandDirty: I do a lot of local festivals in my area.. the two largest being The Big Crafty in Asheville, NC (it’s in July and December) and Rhythm and Roots in Bristol, TN/VA (it’s in September). I’m looking forward to doing a lot more here this next year though!

Sweet and Dirty on Twitter, Facebook and Blog.

 Thanks again for sharing your story; I really enjoyed learning more about a favorite teammate of mine.

The ‘Buch is On!

I love, love, love kombucha. In particular I like GT’s Kombucha because it’s tart, fizzy and a healthy alternative to diet soda (which I also love, but doesn’t love me back). Unfortunately I can only buy it at my local Whole Foods and the convenience store on the bottom floor of my office building. While I am ever grateful that they offer it, I don’t enjoy dropping 5 bucks on it every time I have a hankering for tea.  I recall my grandmother and mother making mushroom team when I grew up and decided to sort out how to start doing it myself. Then I found this, the home brew kit offered by Kombucha Brooklyn. Boy, was I stoked; it’s only $30.  That means that even if I totally screw this up, and I might, if I only get 6 bottles of kombucha out of this, then it’s still an amazing deal. Even better, if I actually figure out how to make this work without killing it, think of the savings! I could even share my SCOBY (that’s the gooey, live bacteria that makes this tasty tea) with friends and family. While you can purchase just the scoby and use your own containers and tea mixture I was really interested in the kit because I wanted to make it just like they do at least once to get a good feel for the tea. Well, today was my lucky day because my USPS lady dropped it off on my front porch and I went straight to work. I opened the kit and it included 1 large glass container, in which to ferment my kombucha, 1 glass jar with a SCOBY inside, 6 tea bags, and organic cane sugar. The handy instructions were clear and easy to follow, so I brewed up a 1/4 gallon of tea, added the sugar, filled the fermentation jar and dumped in my SCOBY. It says to begin tasting my tea every 4 days and then it should be ready for bottling in 2-3 weeks, then on to the next batch.  I’ll post updates as I go, and give my comparison to the commercially bottled versions out there. My first batch is going to be plain, but after that I’m going to start experimenting with additives of dried fruit and seasonings, so wish me luck.  I’m off to ‘buch!

Thanks to Kombucha Brookly, here’s more information about kombucha tea and it’s benefits:

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that is both delicious AND health-supportive. Today, it is known around the world for its detoxifying and energizing effects. This elixir contains:

• Probiotics
• Polyphenols
• B Vitamins
• Vitamin C
• Organic enzymes
• Vital amino acids
• Organic acids

My Favorite App: Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”

Earlier this summer I finally upgraded my ancient cell phone after it finally stopped charging and couldn’t be repaired. As you may know from previous posts I jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, and I’m glad that I did. I’ve found a lot of really useful, fun and entertaining apps, but my current favorite is Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” app.

But wait…,”Who’s Mark Bittman?” you may be asking. Well, Mark Bittman is a reknowned cook and writer. He’s a columnist for The New York Times, jounalist and an author of many great cookbooks including:

Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times: Featuring 350 recipes from the author of HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and THE BEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food

and

The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living

In fact, his book, How to Cook Everything, Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Foodsells on Amazon for over $20, but now you can download the App for $4.99. I can tell you that it’s a real bargain. I love that it’s on my phone, so I have it anytime that I need it. Some of my favorite features include the Bittman’s picks, which lists his favorite recipes. These include: Top 100 Vegetarian Recipes, Top 100 Make-Ahead Recipes and the Top 100 Fast Recipes; all of which are super useful for meal planning. You can then select your favorite recipe and with the push of a button add it directly to your calendar. You can plan recipes for a week or a month, or for that next party you have coming up during the holidays. If you didn’t plan your meal in advance and you just want to work with items you have laying around in the pantry or fridge you can use the search option. You can search by ingredient, cooking technique, flavor or recipe types (fast, make-ahead, vegetarian or essential). One of my favorite tools withint he app is the groceries feature. You can add right from the recipes or type in your own selections. It lets you organize by aisle so that you don’t have to go back and forth over the recipe to find everything at the store. You can even email your shopping list in case you have another family member who can stop and pick things up for you. Last, but no least is the ability to favorite your recipes. Best yet, you don’t have to carry around a printed book or pages or recipes from the internet. This frugal and environmentally friendly app gives you access to over 2,000 recipes and you’ll never have to waste paper printing a recipe in this easy to read format. Everything is in one convenient place (your iphone), which you were going to have to carry around anyway. This app has revolutionized weeknight cooking for me and I wanted to share my thoughts on what a great tool this is for any cook. Enjoy!

Of ACV and POD

Where to begin, well…first, this is not an article about that band from the 90′s, it’s about Perioral Dermatitis (POD) and the homemade remedy that finally worked, Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). Next, you may find yourself asking, “What is Perioral Dermatits“? Well, to summarize, dermatologists don’t know exactly what causes it, although they do have a few theories. They do know that it occurs mostly in adult women, looks like acne, but acts more like eczema, and is linked to steroids. (no, I haven’t been juicing, they mean corticosteroids, ie. prednisone and other prescription medications). Where it gets tricky, it that many Dermatologists indicate that it isn’t serious, its akin to acne and it’s just us women being oversensitive and vain. I can tell you however, that it hurts! It burns, it itches, it stings, it hurts. I found it to be so disruptive to my personal and work life that I started to look for my own cure. It’s notoriously difficult to treat, but hat’s just because Dermatologists can’t agree on what it is, or how to treat it. I’ve heard everything from stop using fluoride toothpaste, to take oral antibiotics for a few months. They did all agree that I must immediately stop using any creams, lotions, face wash or makeup.  That’s right, just at the time when my face was covered all around my nose, mouth and chin, with painful, inflamed red bumps that were itchy, flaky shiny and generally awful looking, my Dermatologist basically said, just stop acting like a girl and being so sensitive. In my day job, I actually have to go out into public and talk to people. Most of my friends sympathized, but strangers stared at my face with mild disgust and concern. It wasn’t just uncomfortable, but it affected by ability to be effective at my job because people were freaked out.  I did find out that during an abdominal surgery that I had in October of 2009, I had an allergic reaction to the paper tape that they used to cover my eyes. (Yes, I know that it’s completely ridiculous that I’m allergic to paper tape, but none of my friends were really all surprised. They just sort of rolled their eyes and said, of course you are….). Anyway, my eyes swelled so large while I was under anesthesia that they gave me prednisone, yep they gave me steroids. Apparently, this was enough to get the perioral dermatitis ball rolling unfortunately. What started with a few small red bumps on my chin, that looked like any other pimple, began to ooze, itch and spread. Egads! Within a month or two my face was raw, red, angry and I was miserable. I used hydrocortizone cream, which made it temporarily better and helped to quell the itching, but then it came back x3! I kept covering it with lotion and cream to try to keep the flaking, itching and dry skin from looking so creepy, but it didn’t improve. Finally, after talking with a dermatologist and realizing that they have not a lot of information, but recommend tossing you on oral antibiotics for a few months anyway, (oh and by the way, it could come back at any time once you stop the antibiotics) I started doing some research… it’s very similar to seborrhoeic dermatitis, which I have in two small patches on my scalp. I learned that it is suspected that it is caused by a yeast that normally grows on your skin, but in some people can get out of control and the toxins that it releases cause irritation. Sounds reasonable, right? Especially in someone like me who is over the top allergic to everything and has incredibly sensitive skin. I thought, what could help re-balance my skin and kill yeast and increase the healthy bacteria that are supposed to be taking care of this stuff? Well, I came up with probiotics and apple cider vinegar. I already eat probiotics (greek yogurt, kombucha, good belly, etc) so I just bumped up my intake a notch to help get things in order. I then, started thinking about how I could kill off the yeast and get rid of the awful dermatitis. I decided to reduce my face washing and stick to only the most mild natural products to stop any further irritation. I used an astringent made with chamomile and cucumber to cool and help relieve the itch. (I never stopped wearing my make-up, btw…that will never happen). I did cut down on my make-up products to include just mineral powder foundation and blush and mascara. I stopped wearing lipstick, gloss and chapstick. Finally, I mixed up a batch of apple cider vinegar, diluted with a bit of water. I started using the ACV as an astringent 2x a day. I noticed immediately that it burned anywhere that the dermatitis was on my face, but caused no discomfort on the normal skin. I did try to skip wearing make up on the weekends and started swiping my face with the ACV 3x a day. After about a week I noted immediate improvement. In two weeks it was barely noticeable. After a month my skin was clear again. As my face healed the ACV burned less and less. (the weeping did increase for the first week, but improved as my skin cleared). I stopped the ACV and it did come back, so I continued using the ACV once a day. After two months my skin remained clear and I began to taper down the ACV to every other day. After 3 months I decreased it to 2x a week. I now wipe my face using the ACV once a week or so, but the POD hasn’t returned and my skin is great. I still get an occasional pimple once in a blue moon, but no clogged pores, and no POD. ACV astringent is inexpensive and all natural and make a great astringent. My only complaint, is that when used in the strength that I have been using it your face does often smell like boardwalk fries, which can be occasionally unpleasant. I notice it most often if I’ve been sweating, usually during and after a workout. However, it absolutely cleared by POD and cost only pennies and had no ill effects on my body or skin, which I can’t say the same about using oral antibiotics (I’ve had some pretty nasty experiences mixing antibiotics and my delicate digestive system). So, for me, ACV worked better than anything my Dermatologist prescribed and I didn’t have to suppress my vanity, risk cavities or gastrointestinal distress. In my humble opinion, apple cider vinegar is the best treatment for perioral dermatitis that money can buy. However, it still took months of discomfort before I looked and felt like myself again, so if your Doctor recommends steroids, consider the possibility that you could develop POD and ask your Dr. about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that option because I was unconscious when it was administered, so if that happens to you, just remember to start using the ACV before things have a chance to get out of control; it won’t hurt anything to proactively wash with vinegar. Hey, if nothing else you can reuse the olive oil that I recommend as an eye makeup remover and the apple cider vinegar that I recommend as an astringent and make yourself a nice salad

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap

Firstly, Dr. Bronner’s is celebrating their 60th anniversary! They’ve been making soap for a really long time, which means it must be good. I first learned of Dr. Bronner’s Magic soap some time ago, but I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I hadn’t actually tried it unitl recently. I think that in talking with friends and family that Dr. Bronner’s is most notable for their soap making, but they do offer lines of other products including hair care and cleansers. Some benefits of the soap touted on the website include: 

Fortunately for me, my local Target had a temporary price reduction on all of the soaps and I took this as a sign that I needed to finally purchase this soap. I chose the lavender for a  few reasons, but mostly because I love the smell. Dr. Bronner’s website has the following description:

DESCRIPTION:
A relaxing fragrance for tired and stressed-out souls lavender calms the nerves and soothes the body. Perfect just before bedtime or to start your day out with a tranquil peace of mind. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

INGREDIENTS:
Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Lavandin Extract, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Lavender Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
* CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS
** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin

This soap is Fair Trade, organic and not tested on animals, and packaged in 100% recycled plastic bottles, so I can feel good about buying it. More importantly the ingredients are proven to be good to your skin. Now let’s take a look at the ingredients individually:

The ingredient second to water is organic coconut oil. According to the website Organic Facts:

Hair Care: Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. Regular massage of the head with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs, even if your scalp is dry. Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.

Skin Care: Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care.

Infections: Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.

All of that information sounds good and I had no idea that coconut oil could be so useful. The next ingredient is used in making soaps and is essentially lye. It dissolves in water, which is why it is marked with a double asterisk and the note that explains that it is used to make the soap, but disappears once mixed in. The next ingredient present that is of significance is Lavandin Extract. What is lavandin extract exactly? Well, according to Snowdrift Farm:

Soapmakers love lavandin oil, and it is grown as a major commercial crop throughout Europe, though its origins are in France. Lavandin is an hybrid — a cross between Lavender officianalis and Lavender aspic or spike lavender. This cross-breeding provides the plant with the stamina needed to grow abundantly at lower elevations.

Most of the gorgeous deep blue and purple flowers seen in travel photos of the French countryside and attributed to growing lavender in France — is actually lavandin. Lavender grows well only at elevations of 1800 feet or greater. The heartier lavandin can grow at 1000 feet elevation and upwards. Snowdrift Farm imports our lavandin oil directly from the grower, near Grasse (France).

So, what’s the difference for you, the handcrafter? For starters, there are structural differences between the plants. Lavandin produces a 3-pronged flower-head, while true lavender gives a single “spike”. Scent-wise, the lavandin contains far more camphor, making it a “louder”, far less subtle note than true lavender. We prefer true lavender, such as Bulgarian lavender in perfumes, but do not discount lavandin when it comes to soaps and body care products. Lavandin has the capability of sticking around longer in soaps and lotions because of its chemical composition, making it the perfect oil for these applications. For more information about Lavandin, we recommend Julia Lawless’, “The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils.”

Further, according to Victoria Anisman-Reiner in her article titled, “Lavandin Not the Same as Lavender” she indicates that it is important to note that Lavandin extract does not have the same health benefits as lavender. However, lavandin extract is frequently used in soap, shampoo and cosmetics because the scent lasts longer and, “Lavandin is known to be highly antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial…Both lavandin and lavender are non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing to the skin”. Lavender oil is used in smaller quanitites in the soap though, so we’ll just go ahead and cover those benefits now.  The benefits and uses of lavender oil are many and varied, so I’ll return once again to Organic Facts for the details on this essential oil. You can read the details provided in the article by clicking on the link above, but here is a quick summary of the benefits:

• pain relief: muscle aches and join pain
• nervous system: calming scent that helps with stress, migraine headaches, anxiety, depression nervous tension, emotional stress and increases mental activity.
• respiratory disorders: colds, asthma, flu, infections of the throat and respiratory tract.
• skin care: lavender has been used to treat a plethora of skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, eczema, sunburn, wounds and more.

I’ve covered the benefits of olive oil previously and it has done wonders for my skin. Used alone it wasn’t sufficient to keep my face clear, but it’s super for removing eye makeup and moisturizing the under eye area. All of the oils used in Dr. Bronner’s soap are non-comedgenic and health benefits that range from moisturizing to antiseptic. They are mild and unlikely to cause skin reactions.

I have some seriously sensitive skin, so sensitive that  I can’t even use products with witch hazel becuase I have an allergic reaction ending in contact dermatitis, which is an extremly rare reaction to the herb. I’ve been using it for about two weeks now in the shower as a bath wash. My skin is clear, smooth and not oily at all. Given the good response that I’ve had to date I decided to expand my use of it to my hair and face. I washed my hair with it and it suddenly felt very, very weird. I can’t describe it exactly but it was like my hair felt heavy and didn’t separate easily. I’m not sure what would have happened had I washed with just the soap, but I immediately followed with my regular shampoo and conditioner to no ill effect. Phew, that was a close one! If I had read the FAQ’s section of Dr. Bronner’s website prior to washing my hair with the soap I would have read the following:

Can I shampoo and condition my hair organically?

1) Shampoo with your favorite Dr. Bronner’s soap. True soaps clean hair well but can leave a tangly look & feel; however…

2) Rinsing with our new Organic Shikakai Conditioning Rinse results in spectacular look and feel! Just stir 1- 2 capfuls of this rinse into a cup of water, close eyes and slowly pour while massaging into hair. Keep hand combing hair until hair feels entirely sleek (~30 seconds). Rinse out well. Repeat if necessary in extra hard water conditions or with longer hair.

3) After drying lightly with a towel, massage in Dr. Bronner’s new USDA Organic Leave-In Conditioning Crème for added silkiness and softness.

I’ll experiment with that on a weekend, but not before work.  I did wash my notoriously sensitive, acne-prone, combination to oily skin with it though. So far, so good. My face doesn’t feel oily, but it does feel very soft and smooth. It didn’t sting, tingle or feel weird in any way. I’m recovering from the witch hazel experiment, so I didn’t want to feel anything at all. I’ll report back on how my face handles the transition, but at the first hint of breakout I will jump ship!  So, while it isn’t likely that I’ll be doing all 18 suggested uses for the soap (listed in the FAQ’s and below), so far as a body wash it’s pretty excellent. It’s good for the environment and feels good on my skin; no complaints there so I feel as if it is money well spent and mission accomplished. I’ll continue to use Dr. Bronner’s and if I am feeling advertous enough to employ my soap for different uses other than skin care, I’ll be sure to report back.

The 18 Uses for Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap:

What are the 18-in-1 uses?

Dr. Bronner recorded the “18 in 1 uses” on his label, which we have left mostly intact since his passing in 1997; however, people have told us many, many more uses for it than that. Here is his version. A more paraphrased one follows.

Dr. Bronner’s version:

1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
2. Peppermint is nature’s own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
4. A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
5. Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
6. Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
7. Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
8. Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe – keeps cool!
9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
10. 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

Paraphrased:

• For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth-loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh & clean.
• For other uses, dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs.
• For shampoo, though we now recommend our new Shikakai soaps for this, many people are fond of using it as such. The method of application is to wet hair and scalp very thoroughly, squirt some soap into hands and work into a lather. Wash hair, then rinse well. Afterwards use our new citrus hair rinse and leave-in conditioners as directed.
• For the laundry, use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load; adjust as needed depending on hardness of water. I’ve been told that adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.
• For toothbrushing, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap, as you might start foaming at the mouth. Many people with sensitive or softer teeth like to use our soap as a toothpaste because it lacks abrasives.

What’s So Great About This Greek Yogurt Anyway?

My first exposure to eating Greek yogurt for breakfast came from my friend and coworker who swears by the stuff.  As a person with a laundry list of gastrointestinal issues I’m no stranger to yogurt due to the probiotic content. I’ve used plain fat-free yogurt in sauces for some time, but I’ve never really learned to love the taste of yogurt. Yogurt became just one of those healthy foods that I knew I had to eat from time to time like celery or seitan. I mean, it’s ok, but I wasn’t going to my list of favorite foods or anyting. So finally, I started poking around and asked, “So what’s so great about this Greek yogurt anyway”? Is it made from goats? Does it taste different? What’s going on here?  Rebecca answered that it was higher in protein. Now my interest was really piqued and I began to do a little online research. She was absolutely right, it is higher in protein. According to Healthy Cooking, Greek yogurt is made by straining out the whey (liquid) which makes a thicker, creamier yogurt. Even more fantastic is that unlike regular yogurt, you can actually cook with it and it won’t curdle or separate. This means that you can make healthier, lower-fat versions of some of your favorite creamy dishes!

“Plain yogurt can also easily be substituted for buttermilk or cream when stirring the wet-dry ingredients together, giving the recipe the needed tartness that buttermilk brings and richness that whole cream brings.Plain yogurt can also easily be substituted for buttermilk or cream when stirring the wet-dry ingredients together, giving the recipe the needed tartness that buttermilk brings and richness that whole cream brings.” Read more at Suite101: The Differences Between Regular and Greek Yogurt: How to Best Use Both in Recipes and as Ingredient Substitutions http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_differences_between_regular_and_greek_yogurt#ixzz0lepaIBMn

I decided to pick some up on a recent trip to Safeway and I purchased the fat-free, peach flavored version made by Chobani. Where has this yogurt been all of my life? This yogurt was so creamy and sweet and wonderful that it tasted like dessert, yet it had no fat and few calories (140), but lots of protein (14 grams). This is an excellent distribution of protein to carbs 41% to 59%; Amazing!  All of that protein means that you feel full longer and it is an excellent recovery breakfast on strength training days. So, Thanks Rebecca! As for the rest of you, check it out. It tastes good and it’s good for you, and that really is a rare treat.