Peppermint Tea

Warning: This post is about poop.

It's natural, y'all! Everybody poops.

I get so annoyed by people who refuse to acknowledge it/pretend it doesn't happen. Pooping is an important part of wellness, after all. I have to ask patients all the time about their poop. When did you last poop? What color was your poop? Was it hard, soft, formed, etc etc etc... I often even get to inspect it myself. Patients save it for me per my request and I get to document all sorts of things about it.

I live in the city and by law I have to pick up my dogs' poo every single time they go. I clean the cat litter box daily. I know the bowel habits of my furbabies and sometimes I even get a surprise like a foreign object or parasite.... important things to know, wouldn't you say?

So anyway my point is, pooping is normal and talking about it shouldn't be taboo. I know a married couple who've been together 6 years and don't even fart in front of each other. They never speak about poop and go to great lengths to hide their bowel habits from one another. I can't think of anything more pointless and exhausting! I'm not saying you should be disgusting on purpose, but come on. Be real.

 I recently discovered that peppermint tea is a wonderful way to get things moving. I've always enjoyed a cup here and there and never really noticed a correlation between it and digestive health, but lately I've been trying to cut back on coffee (which really doesn't seem to make me go like people say it does). So without really realizing it I was drinking at least 3 cups a day... and WOOOOOOW I felt like singing. I mean, there's nothing like eliminating toxins to make you feel brilliant, and peppermint tea is my go-to!

So if you are looking for a daily dose of detox, have a few cups of peppermint tea. I promise you will feel .... regular.

Tea Tree Oil Zit Zapper

As great as coconut oil is for oh so many things, it's not perfect. For people with oil/acne prone skin, it can mean a nasty break out. After I used coconut oil to remove my eye makeup (and carelessly getting some on my cheek) I woke up to this bad boy:

Yikes! I used to be uber self-conscious about my enormous pores, but I don't even think about them anymore. I wouldn't mind finding a natural way to shrink them a bit... but that's another post for another day.

Forget the big pores. This angry zit is all I can see when I look in the mirror! So I applied a few drops of tea tree oil via Q-tip and this evil monster healed pretty quickly with no squeezing/picking/drying out/flaking. Day two was hard only because I REALLY wanted to pop this guy, but I refrained.

And today, day 3, I'm much more comfortable with this... and thrilled I didn't follow the same pattern of destroying my skin with drying agents and picking and squeezing.

Kinda just looks like one of my freckles! I can't believe how well tea tree oil worked to hasten the healing of this enormous zit!!

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner: A Review

Man I love Trader Joe's.

This conditioner is 3 bucks. It smells fabulous, it is organic, cruelty free, and it makes my hair soft. My scalp loves it.

The "tingle" is very mild, so don't expect to feel like you're washing your hair with Listerine. The peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus ingredients make for a really pleasant fresh fragrance that guys won't think is too girly and girls won't find too masculine.

I use it as part of my curly girl method routine in conjunction with Shea Moisture Restorartive conditioner (as a leave in). The one thing I learned about adopting this no poo/ curly girl lifestyle is that you really have to experiment to figure out what works for you. Be patient and talk to your girlfriends. If you can find a hair twin, use her wisdom!!

I feel like Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle is one of those products that will work great for a variety of hair types... and the price is right.

TWO THUMBS UP!!

Coconut Oil Eye Makeup Remover

I'm  a total coconut oil junkie.

I just discovered how fantastic it works to remove eye makeup and I'm just that much more obsessed! I luuuuuurv makeup. Thick winged eyeliner, smokey eyes, fun colors... I dig the dramatic eye. That said, I'm always struggling to remove all the war paint without tugging and stretching the delicate skin around the eyes. I've tried dozens of makeup removers and so called gentle cleansers. Owwwww they make my eyelids sting! I swear I have it all off and the next morning I look like a raccoon. ugh.

But not anymore!! With a tiny dab of coconut oil I barely have to wipe my eyes and bam... the makeup is gone baby gone. Simple. Organic. Safe. Cruelty free. Cheap. Already had it in my cabinet.

This was 3 swipes with a cotton ball and some coconut oil:

YESSIIIIRRR

*** Just be careful if you have oily/acne prone skin. If I'm not careful to keep the coconut oil just around my eye area, I will break out in a gnarly under-the-skin zit.

Think Before You Pink

A fellow crunchy nursing student recommended I watch the documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc.

I was so pissed by the time I was done watching it. I knew that Susan G Komen was an organization that I couldn't get behind. I participated in several Race for the Cures years ago and when I think about it I get pissed all over again. However I never put much thought in the pervasive "pink power" that has women buying pink flashlights and buckets of KFC.

As I transition into a greener, healthier lifestyle, I'm appalled by the pink shit storm I see everywhere. I pay attention to labels now more than ever and I'm outraged by the toxins in products that are made by companies that are so-called breast health supporters.

The companies pushing pink don't even have to give one penny to breast cancer anything. It's all a marketing bandwagon and it makes me want to puke.

I might piss people off with my ant-pink attitude, but that's OK. Maybe someone will set out to prove me wrong and learn for themselves that Revlon is up to no good.

THINK BEFORE YOU PINK

Curly Girl Method: The Dry Cut

I cut my own hair. When it's dry.

GASP!

I'd obviously rather have it done professionally, but my bank account says no way. Also, I've NEVER been to a stylist that was trained to work with curly hair instead of against it. Don't get me wrong, until very recently I felt like naturally curly hair was my dirty little secret.

Think about it, how many celebrities, politicians, models, or athletes can you think of that rock their naturally curly hair? (I have to let actresses off the hook because part of what they do is adopt new identities for a living.) From news anchors to governors to Miss America... from CEO's to the ladies that grace magazine covers.... even the knucklehead reality TV monsters... curly hair is just not seen as professional or desirable.

I've always done my own thing and not much cared for mainstream hoopla, but I realized I was a total sucker for the straight hair envy pushed on women in our culture. I still think straight hair is gorgeous and I love a great sleek bob, but I realize I'm no more a sleek bob girl than I am a small boned size 0.

I have wild hair. It's who I am. Hair identity is a REAL THING. It's powerful.

And I was hiding mine.

Now that I embrace my curls, I also refuse to destroy them with shampoo or have some stylist tell me I'm nuts for wanting my hair cut dry. So since I can't afford a stylist and can't find one that knows and loves the curly girl method, I cut my own hair. Dry. As needed, which is hardly ever. Need instructions? Allow me to introduce Lorraine Massey, the Deva Curl Queen....

There's Vodka in My Diffuser

It's true.

But don't worry... it wasn't the good stuff. It was just some cheap brand I've never heard of left over from who knows what.

I had a reed diffuser in my bathroom that smelled fantastic, but of course dried up in no time. My $8.99 impulse buy was a bust. No telling what kind of scary chemicals were in that stuff, anyway.

Rather than throw away the glass bottle and little wooden sticks, why not make my own yummy smelling concoction?

INGREDIENTS:

12 Drops of essential oils (I mixed lavender and tea tree this time around)
1/4 cup of a carrier oil (mineral, safflower, almond)
splash of vodka

Buycott App

I'm befuddled.

How is a crunchy girl supposed to navigate the murky waters of marketing and hype?

Most of my life I naively thought animal testing wasn't even happening anymore. I thought it was this archaic bonehead idea. So, so wrong.

I also can't keep straight fair trade, GMO's, organic, sweatshop labor, fluoride, MSG, Toxins, sustainability, etc etc etc etc....

If label reading has given you the kind of headache brought on by exasperation, then join me on Buycott. Its' free.

With this handy little app you can explore every cause near and dear to your heart and even some you've never heard of. Create your profile, then scan a product's barcode and voila! You are an informed consumer. 

Using Coconut Oil to Treat Pink Eye

OMG! Didn't you know that pink eye means you have poop in your eye?!

I've actually heard people say this. Adults. Sigh.

I've worn contact lenses since the 5th grade. I like to camp and swim in lakes and ponds and I ain't afraid to get dirty. I let my dogs & cat snuggle up on my bed. I love having my hands in the dirt whether it's to repot my houseplants or help my parents in their garden.

I also happen to be a neat freak in many ways. I wash my hands a zillion times a day, I wash my sheets twice a week, I groom my dogs weekly, I sweep daily, and I leave my shoes at the door. That said, I've still had the occasional conjuctivitis.

I most certainly do NOT get poop in my eyes. Pink eye is just inflammation of the membrane that coves the whites of your eyes and your eyelids.... which can happen because you slept in your makeup, you have an allergy, you got dust in your eye, or you have a virus.... just to name a few reasons. Anyhoo ...I got sidetracked defending my hygiene.

I didn't want to run to the Pharmacy and get antibiotics every time my eyes got irritated, but I didn't want to wait to see if it was indeed a bacterial infection with all the crusty glory and photosensitivity to treat it. I wanted to address the issue as soon as I noticed my eye was a little irritated.

And guess what? One of my crunchy cure-alls came to the rescue. Whether my eye gets a little pink or I wake up with full blown yuck, I just create a cool compress with a dab of my trusty coconut oil (after removing and cleaning my contacts). I apply this 3x a day, wear my glasses, and skip the eye makeup. Not only is it soothing, my eyes clear up within a day or two. No more crusty eyelashes and no more expensive/poisonous eye drops. YAY!

According to nutritionist and trans fat researcher Mary G. Enig, PhD:

The lauric acid in coconut oil is used by the body to make the same disease-fighting fatty acid derivative monolaurin that babies make from the lauric acid they get from their mother's milk. The monoglyceride monolaurin is the substance that keeps infants from getting viral or bacterial or protozoal infections. Until just recently, this important benefit has been largely overlooked by the medical and nutrition community. 

Child Abuse Awareness

April is child abuse awareness month.

Never did I think child abuse would be something that affected me directly, but it has. I was lucky; I  had an ideal childhood. My biggest worry was which brother was going to wipe his booger on me or fart in my face.

However.... some little ones that mean the world to me have been subjected to a terribly abusive caregiver and my heart is breaking in a million pieces for them.

This April I hope to spread the word that abuse isn't always physical, but it is always incredibly damaging.

Is Baking Soda on Your Skin a Bad Idea?

For me? YES.

Pinterest would have you believe that baking soda belongs in your deodorant, your hair, your bath, your face scrub, etc etc etc.

Growing up, my Mom always treated ant bites with a magical baking soda/water mixture that took the pain away (if you've ever been bitten by fire ants, then you know how essential this is to one's childhood). Many experts even suggest baking soda to help treat rashes and other skin problems.

Perhaps for some people, this works. Personally, baking soda has been a nightmare. When I first went no poo, I used baking soda to wash my hair for about a month. While I think it did clarify my hair from tons of buildup, it was just way too harsh to use long term (even with an apple cider vinegar balancing rinse).

Next, I tried it in DIY deodorant and even natural deodorant I bought on etsy. OUCH. At first I was thrilled with the effectiveness, but after about a week I was miserable. I searched for a reason for my discomfort and came to the conclusion that I had not waited long enough after shaving to apply. I applied ACV to balance the pH of my pits and went without the deodorant until the horrible rash subsided.

AAAAAAND we're back to square one. I was SUPER careful with the application of my beloved natural deodorant, but as I type this my armpits are aching. It doesn't take a genius to figure out RED, PAINFUL, SWOLLEN body parts mean your skin is trying to tell you something... kind of a big part of nursing assessment (duh)... but I was trying to convince myself I was "adjusting." Dumb. No. Absolutely not. Baking soda was destroying my arm pits, period.



I've never had sensitive skin; never even had razor burn under my arms. But this was brutal. Apparently this doesn't happen to everyone, but if you are planning to try out baking soda in any of your recipes, please use caution. I am just going to have to leave baking soda in the kitchen. After all, it's not some fancy all-natural cure-all that it's often claimed to be. It is used in the hospital and considered "medicine." I've seen it with my own eyes during my ICU rotation... Sodium Bicarb to treat metabolic acidosis. Granted, it wasn't the white powder; it was a hypertonic IV solution, but still. It's a chemical compound used in the hospital as well as a cleaner to scrub your toilets with. So it ain't to fancy hippie au naturale home remedy for body odor (in my humble opinion).



Without taking you back to basic elementary school chemistry, the stuff is too basic for your skin. Skin friendly treatments tend to be between 4.5 and 5.5. Baking soda is 8.3.




Bottom line? Don't believe everything you PIN. And beware of baking soda on your skin.