Posted on Leave a comment

Coconut Water & Green Phactor

image2.PNG

Fresh coconut water and dried vegtables mixed together makes a refreshing summer drink. Coconut water is a great source of electrolytes, such as potassium, necessary for proper hydration, while Green Phactor’s organic dried vegtables mixed in has many minerals, vitamins, phyto-nutrients, enzymes and micro nutrients.

Ingredients:


Coconut water: If you can’t get coconut water from a fresh coconut, make sure you are buying the coconut water from good packaged brand. Here are some things to look out for:

  1. Minimum pasteurization time: to remove bacteria the water only needs to be heated for a matter of seconds, but some brands will heat their water for up to 4 minutes, killing off many beneficial nutrients in the coconut water.
  2. No added sugar
  3. Avoid flavored coconut water

Green Phactor : this is a great addition to your diet. Make sure you are still eating tons of raw and cooked vegetables.

  • Ingredients: kale, wheat grass, spinach, alfalfa grass, broccoli sprout, parsley water, oat grass, barley grass, alfalfa sprout, spirulina, chorella, wheat grass juice, oat grass juice, alfalfa grass juice, barley grass juice, stevia extract, natural berry flavor.
Posted on 4 Comments

Essential Oil Perfume

FullSizeRender

I made my own personalized perfume with essential oils from Soapology located in the West Village, NYC.

Soapology has natural products including scrubs, soaps, candles, lotions, perfumes and a few more options are available. I also have their Walnut Polisher and find it to be a great light body exfoliant.

I decided to make my own perfume after finding out 95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and many other known toxins and sensitizers- capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. Its been a 5 months since I have been using essential oils instead of perfume. Now, when someone has too much perfume on, I am sensitive to the toxic smell.

It took me about an hour to come up with my own blend. I started smelling all of the different essential oils (they have about 50) and placed the ones that I liked on a side table. The two women working at the boutique store were very helpful in assisting me. The essential oils that I liked are shown in the photo. I finally narrowed it down to a Ginger, Yuzu, White Tea and Vetiver Blend. After choosing your blend, Soapology writes down the exact recipe saves it for future reference.

I made this blend two months ago in February and it still smells great! I have gotten compliments on it and use it often. This is a great light and sweet summer scent. Soapology also has pre-blended essential oil perfume options if you do not want to create your own. I bought the “Seductive” blend but the scent seems to have changed since I bought it two months ago.

After buying both perfumes, I learned that when making a essential oil blend perfume, you are supposed to use alcohol to preserve and meld the scents. A good alcohol option to use is a non-GMO spiced rum. Now that I have a blend I know I like, I might decide to buy these essential oils from a well trusted brand like doTERRA  and make it on my own.

Below are some benefits of each essential oil I used in my perfume:

  • Vetiver– A plant oil. Heave, earthy fragrance that is grounding, calming and stabilizing. An aphrodisiac.
  • Yuzu– a Japanese fruit with a citrus smell. Yuzu helps with anxiety, depression and nervousness.
  • Ginger oil– when smelt or when applied directly to skin, can help relieve aches and pains, as well as promote normal blood circulation and help with digestive problems.

There is a boutique store only a few blocks away from Soapology called Enfleurage in the West Village, NYC with many essential oils. This is a great place to buy essential oils if you wanted to make your own perfume at home. They do not blend essential oils here for you.

*With essential oils it is important to be buying them from a reliable brand to avoid a company including any type of fillers in the essential oils to lower their costs. It is also important to remember that “natural” and “organic” do not have any official meaning in the beauty industry when placed on products or verbally stated. To find out more about this see FDA on Organic Cosmetic Labeling. Also the term “therapeutic grade” is commonly used within the essential oil industry but also has no meaning and is also used for marketing purposes. It is important to ask questions to find out how the product is made and with what ingredients.  After doing my own research, doTERRA seems like a reliable brand. They have a lot of information available on their essential oils, where they come from and how they are made.  “Scientia Potentia Est.”

For more check out my instagram @nychamptonshealth

References:

“U.S. Food and Drug Administration.” “Organic” Cosmetics. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

Posted on Leave a comment

Natural Deodorant for Summer

FullSizeRender(13)

Ingredients:

  • Shea Butter (Organic)
  • Arrowroot Powder (Organic)
  • Coconut Oil (Organic)
  • Baking Soda (Organic)
  • Beeswax Pastilles
  • Witch Hazel
  • Activated Charcoal
  • Vitimin E
  • Essential oils.

Sandalwood is great for men and I like Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils for myself.

Directions:

  • Heat Coconut Oil & Beeswax on the stove.
  • Remove Coconut Oil & Beeswax off stove
  • Mix in all other ingredients

Why this is a great summer deodorant: Beeswax Pastilles preserve coconut oil so this deodorant is good for warmer months since coconut oil has a 72 degree melting point on its own.

When switching from antiperspirant deodorant to natural deodorant, ones pores start to unclog and function properly. Therefore, toxins are released and ones body odor may temporarily increase. This purging usually lasts about 2 weeks depending on the toxicity level in the body. Make sure to eat healthy and drink plenty of water to help the purging process be more odorless.