natural body lovin' part four

i'll give you a clue about this one...

 

roses!
pretty, romantic, fragrant. admittedly a beautiful combination of characteristics, but how are these supposed to help you heal your body naturally?
well after the petals fall away remains a seed pod, known as the hip, and from which oil is extracted.

the oil is known as rose hip oil, and is amazingly useful in terms of skin care (it's not actually your typical red roses that rose hip oil comes from, but they are pretty!).

rose hip oil is a literal gold mine of nutrients, including:

• vitamin a - which helps to manage oily skin, rehydrates dry skin, and assists in ironing out fine lines, wrinkles, even helping to smoothing out uneven skin tone.
• linoleic acid - this is vital for maintaining skin cell structure.
• oleic acid - helps to maintain supple skin, or return moisture to dry skin.
• linolenic acid - important for maintaining moisture and healthy cells.
• lycopene - protects your skin from free radical damage, preventing premature aging.
• beta-carotene - which is a source of pro vitamin a, and an antioxidant that helps to repair sun damaged skin.
• vitamin c- protects against free radical damage and plays a role in the formation of collagen (the main component of connective tissue in the human body).

it can be used by absolutely anyone, young or old, and all skin types (as it acts as a balancing agent). 
massage a few drops into your face and neck (or even just any problem areas) and rose hip oil can help to relieve the signs of premature aging, fine lines and wrinkles, scarring, stretch marks, eczema and psoriasis scars, hyper-pigmentation, dermatitis, burns, acne and chicken pox scarring, sun damage, dry skin, and improve skin elasticity, skin tone and skin resilience to the environment.

 i have been using it on dry patches and other bits and pieces (my skin often cracks if i haven't moisturised enough), and compared to before i came across it, my skins healing time is crazily reduced and my skin comes out beautiful and smooth after. i love it!

x

natural body lovin'

this post is going to be about exactly what it says it's about, loving your body naturally! i will be trying out and posting about all kinds of natural remedies for everything from common ailments like cuts and bites, to specifics like a natural decongestant for a chesty cough.
(i've even got, not one, but three natural hangover cures lined up to try out, which of course means that because i am a thorough, fair and honest blogger, i'll tell you that i don't drink all that much anymore! so i will be testing them on my man. he doesn't know this yet, hehe)


but to start us off, let's look at a few general items...

what do you think they have in common?
three of them are common household items that have secret identities! the fourth, rose hip oil, has been gaining in main stream popularity over the past few years, and i thought i'd throw in in for good measure. i'll be looking at all four of these natural health goldmines over the next few days, but for now...

let's start with garlic, just because if it were a man, i would be having a love affair with it. i love garlic. i love the way it smells, i love the way it tastes, i love the way that it flavours other foods it's cooking with. but garlic has a secret, one that makes it all the more loveable: it is a natural medicine chest all by itself!
i know that sounds like a bold claim, but garlic has well known antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. seriously, stop and take a moment to really understand all those 'anti's coming from a single tiny little clove!
if you can stomach raw garlic, eat it if you feel a sore throat coming on, or mix it in with some honey and you've got a sucker punch of natural cold fighting power right there. cook with it often, and recent studies are suggesting that you will be helping to lower your risk of getting cancer while simultaneously aiding your cardiovascular health by keeping your arteries clean and clear (as a side note, i am a scientist when it comes to these kind of claims; i like to see cold hard proof, which is why i have underlined the word 'suggesting'. however, i truly believe that living as natural a lifestyle as possible, eating a diet focusing on unprocessed foods will take you much closer to being disease free than someone who does not. it only makes sense, our bodies are natural machines, they need natural fuel to run).
as a home remedy though, garlic is wonderful for it's cold fighting powers and it's antiseptic nature. rub the exposed face of a cut garlic clove on small cuts and grazes to keep them clean and germ free, naturally. plus, if you're any where near me, i'll probably want to make friends with you.


*as a bit of a disclaimer: i am not a doctor. this post is based around my own personal experience, and research that i have done, so please use it wisely and do not use it in lieu of professional medical advice.
ta :)

x