Mother Knows Best

My mom has the very best beauty tip for silky smooth shaved legs (which is a great thing considering the Parsons women are a hairy people). For as long as I can remember, she would go out on the front porch on a hot, sunny day and rub baby oil into her legs. She would let the the sun heat up the baby oil and then shave with a brand new razor. Usually, she had a small bucket of warm water next to her in order to rinse out the razor and wash off the oil.

My mom has been using this technique since the 1960's. However, in 2011, we now know that baby oil may increase the damaging effects of the sun's rays. Thus, I suggest that if you do put baby oil on and soak in the sun, you first slather on a healthy coat of sunscreen.

I realize that October may not afford many people the warm sun to help the shaving process. In the fall and winter I usually go into the bathroom and turn on a space heater, rub in the the baby oil, read a book for about 10 minutes to let the heat soak in, and then shave my legs. Voila! Instant sexy smooth stems!

Vaseline Tip of the Day

Vaseline has about a gazillion uses (generic petroleum jelly works just as well). I actually keep a very small jar of it in my car, purse, and travel bag at all times. I'll start periodically posting a "vaseline tip of the day" so that we all get our money's worth out of our gooey little container. I'll also post other "tips of the day" for many common household products.

Today's tip: dab a bit of vaseline where you place your perfume and it will last longer. I've tried this one out and it absolutely works. I dab a little vaseline behind my knee, my wrist, and maybe behind my ear and then put a little of my perfume on the aforementioned body parts. I don't use spray perfume because I never finish the bottles. I've been buying the smaller bottle that you smudge your perfume on with the dipper or the roll on tubes. I'm not positive how it will work with spray, but if you test it be sure to let me know!

And it case anyone (I'm talking to you beloved family) needs Christmas ideas for me, I've been lusting after the Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume (very small bottles, I never finish big ones).

My PCOS Survival Checklist

I am in recovery mode. Yesterday, I found my first gray hair. Immediately after discovering the offending follicle, I emailed my mother. I emailed her because (1) I tell her everything, and (2) because I blame her genetics on my premature graying (thanks, mom). To be fair, I blame the bar exam as well.

Of course I was horrified by the gray hair, but my horror went a little deeper. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Most of my symptoms began when I started puberty. Aside from likely reproductive difficulties, PCOS affects my physical appearance and my internal inter-workings everyday. My body produces too much of the male hormone. Thus, I suffer from hair growth on my chin and mustache line as well as hair loss on the top of my head. When I found out I had a gray hair, I thought to myself: "Self, you can't go around as a balding woman with gray top hairs and bill goat chin hairs."

My body also produces entirely too much insulin, but it doesn't use the insulin to convert food into energy. This causes weight gain because food turns to fat without ever being used as energy. My treatments include metformin to help my body use insulin and a low carb diet to keep carbs from being converted to fat. Unfortunately, the metformin comes with nasty little side effects, mostly nausea.

Because women with PCOS are at a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, infertility, and a host of other problems, I am trying to treat my PCOS naturally as well. My PCOS survival checklist includes:

1. Spearmint tea: Spearmint helps bind the male hormones in my body and helps prevent those pesky chin hairs.

2.  Ginger Tea: Ginger helps with the nausea. Sometimes I chew on a piece of ginger when I feel especially nauseous. I also drink diet ginger ale with extra ginger. Ginger is also a natural remedy against inflammation, heart burn, colon ailments, and ginger is an ovarian cancer preventative (something women with PCOS are more likley to develop due to the cysts on their ovaries)


*My ginger tea recipe: boil water with ginger root, splenda, cinnamon, lemon or lime, and apple cider vinegar. This tea can be hot or cold.

3. Sugar Free Spearmint Gum: also helps the nausea

4. Apple Cider Vinegar: ACD is good for everyone. Two tablespoons a day, mixed with liquids, can help a variety of ailments (sore throat. ACD helps control my insulin resistance. 

5. Healthy oils. Every day, I swallow 1 tbsp of a healthy oil (extra virgin olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil) These oils also help with my insulin resistance and give me a healthy heart.

6. Epsom salt. Soaking in epsom salt also helps my insulin resistance. The magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin and prevents blood sugar spikes.

September is PCOS awareness month, for more information about this syndrome that occurs in 5-10% of women please visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001408/

3 Cheers for Baking Soda

I know I have been lax about posting, but no need to worry, my bathroom still contains all the ingredients of a fine Italian restaurant. Lately, I have been using a lot of product in my hair. I have been experimenting with rope braids, fishtail braids, up-dos, and curly cues so much that my hair has become inundated with hairspray, gel, mousse, foam, serum, the swamp thing...you get the picture.

My tip of the day is to mix just a 2 teaspoons (and maybe a dash more) of baking soda with your regular shampoo to really cleanse your hair of all this product. I learned this little tidbit awhile back online and it absolutely works! I usually use volumizing shampoo, so instead of buying a separate bottle of clarifying shampoo, I just mix a bit of arm & hammer with my regular shampoo and VOILA!

Baking Soda is the most amazing product. A box costs less than a dollar and it works as a great kitchen cleanser, rust remover, dry shampoo, and clarifying agent. I'm sure it has more uses...I'm on a mission to find more.

A Pinch of Cornstarch in a Pinch

I have very dark and naturally oily hair. Previously, I had never been able to wash my hair the night before or skip a wash. If I did wash my hair the night before and didn't re-wash the next morning, by noon I felt gross. I was always jealous of those that could, because wet hair in the morning is a huge time drain when you need to get out of the door. My sister, has always been able to use baby powder to soak up excess oil because she has lighter hair. Unfortunately, baby powder made my dark hair look like ash. I also tried the Tresseme dry shampoo, but it absolutely did not work on my hair and I hated that it was a foam.

All this changed when Suave Professionals came out with their dry shampoo. It is heaven in $2.75 cent package. I still cannot believe how good it works. Somehow, it gets my hair clean, shiny, and bouncy all at the same time. The spray does come out a little gray on my hair, but it settles right in and I do not have the gray hair problem. Now I take showers at night and never have to worry about wet hair in the morning. The biggest problem I have is that one bottle doesn't last all that long because I use it so often. Thus, this morning, I realized I had run out of Suave Dry Shampoo and was in a pinch.

Knowing that I couldn't use baby powder, I went to the kitchen cupboard and deliberated between cornstarch and baking powder. I settled on the cornstarch and am so glad that I did. It works pretty well! It definitely soaks in better than baby powder and leaves a lot less of the ashy color (although Suave is still better). As of 1:00 pm today, my hair does not feel dirty, scratchy, oily, or gross. For those with darker hair, I definitely suggest the cornstarch.

"You Smell Like Fish 'N' Chips

You win some, you lose some.

I suppose I should have been prepared for food comparisons. After all, I am using things straight from my kitchen cupboards. For the past week, I've been rinsing out my hair, after shampooing, with apple cider vinegar. I've been using it to add shine and bounce. It is also suppose to help dandruff if you rub it into your scalp, although I haven't tried this quite yet. I haven't posted about the apple cider vinegar because I wanted to give it awhile to see if it worked or not. I can verify as to the shine. However, two days ago, I exited the shower and my husband boldly exclaimed: "You smell like fish and chips! Gross. Aren't you going to wash that out?" He then proceeded to hold his nose and run away from me. So, I've decided to still use the vinegar for the hair rinse, but only on days when he's out of the house. And if I'm out and about and do smell like fish and chips, I apologize.

Now for the winner...

I've always had trouble getting my makeup brushes clean. I've never felt like washing my foundation brush has been as effective as I wanted. Today, I tried a new method. Instead of using baby shampoo or the usual store-bought product, I used dawn dish soap and olive oil. The dish soap disinfects and cuts through the grime and grit and the olive oil reconditions. It is the perfect combo.

Pour some dish soap on a plate ( I use dawn that is suppose to be good for hands) and then add an equal part olive oil. Swirl your brush in the mixture and then work it through and back and forth on your hand. Run under warm water. For extra difficult grime, I pour boiling water in cup and swirl the brush part in the water. I'm careful not to submerge more than just the bristles in the boiling water, for fear that it will loosen the glue that holds the brush.

Cinnamon in a Day will Keep the Ants at Bay

I few weeks ago, my husband and I discovered we had been invaded by ants. They had created a little colony within the walls and baseboards of our guest bathroom. If that weren't bad enough, another colony of ants had taken over my begonia plant. Not wanting to spray toxic chemicals in the house, I looked online for natural alternatives.

Cinnamon works like a charm! I sprinkled some (by some, I mean a lot of) cinnamon in the begonia plant and worked it into the top layer of potted soil and the ants evacuated almost immediately. Getting rid of the ants in the bathroom was a tougher job. The ants had formed their little lines coming and going from the kitchen. I doused cinnamon along these lines to block the ants' from using their chemical trail. I also doused the baseboards in cinnamon. Thankfully, they left our walls. One day, I literally saw thousands of ants exiting (all carrying eggs) our home via a very small crack in the brick, right where the baseboard ended on the inside. So cinnamon saved the day!

Fried Chicken on a Sunday

Is there anything more homey than a Sunday picnic with fried chicken? David and I are off for an afternoon picnic in the mountains to celebrate our anniversary. For the occasion, I made the ultimate picnic food: fried chicken. A remedy to kick off picnic season.

I started with my seasoned flour mixture. I added salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder to my mixture. My semi secret is that I add a bit of turmeric and ground mustard for added flavor . Next, I dip chicken thighs into a buttermilk and egg mixture.  I usually use chicken thighs and wings for picnics because they are easier to eat. After coating, I rolled the chicken around in the flour mix I usually double coat, but I didn't today to save carbs. The big trick to good fried chicken is to fry it in a cast iron pan, have your oil scalding hot, and to resist the temptation to turn the chicken too often. The oil has to be really, REALLY hot. And turning the chicken too often will cause you to lose your flour coat.

I also made a German potato salad to go with our chicken. My sister turned me on to this delicious dish. I like to use blue or purple potatoes, but all Kroger had were baby reds. Heat some EVOO in a skillet, put in your potato slices and some onion. Add salt and pepper. After some time, I added some diced bacon to the mix. For something different, I threw in some brussel sprouts. I've never done this before, so it could make or break the dish. Finish by pouring in some apple cider vinegar.

Avocado Surprise

In an attempt to be as beautiful as I can be for tomorrow's big day (Our 1-year wedding anniversary), I decided to double up on the beauty treatments today. I had to go to the grocery store to get supplies for our anniversary picnic and picked up an avocado while I was there.

I found a recipe for both a hair and face. For the hair, I used 1/2 an avocado, an egg yolk, and some extra virgin olive oil. I mixed together. For the face, I used the egg white, avocado (it was suppose to be a half, but ended up 1/4 after I started spreading avocado on triscuits), fresh squeezed lemon juice, and oats. I kept the skin of the avocado, because I'm going to rub it around on my knees and elbows for extra moisture before bed.

I have to say, I felt really gross when I started putting the mixture on my hair and face. The lemon juice didn't feel so great after it started stinging parts of my face, but I did feel the mask tightening as I left it on. I left the hair mask on for 30 minutes and the face mask on for 20 minutes. If my face feels good tomorrow morning, I may use this face recipe again. Next time, I will probably grind up the oats in a food processor. I don't think they added anything extra in their original form.

The real winner of the day? The cucumber. I had never put cucumber on my eyes before, but the oldest trick in the book usually works. It felt fabulous! I have horrible dark circles under my eyes and this may be my new go-to daily trick.

Coffee Makes the World Go 'Round.

I woke up this morning and my face still feels moisturized from the last night's olive oil experiment. My hair feels soft and silky, but also a bit oily. I have naturally oily hair and I've almost never been able to take a shower the night before and skip the hair washing the next morning. If I do, by the end of the day, my hair looks and feels gross. With this new olive oil treatment, I can tell I will definitely have to wash the morning after...

On to today's remedy...I had heard that tea bags were great as an under-eye treatment (due to the caffeine) and decided to Google coffee as a beauty treatment. Apparently, coffee has a ton of beauty uses. I already use my grounds to fertilize my strawberry plant, and today I used my grounds to scrub my skin. Every morning I drink 3 full cups of coffee. Today, I mixed all my grounds from my morning coffee and mixed with honey. I jumped in the shower and scrubbed my face and body with the mixture and then washed it away.  I like the scrub treatment, but I'll do it differently next time. For starters, I added too much honey and the mixture lacked consistency. Next time, I'll probably add some Greek yogurt to the mix. The grounds were larger than my usual St. Ives scrub. Although, the grounds were still warm when I swirled them over my face, which I think helped open my pores. I had read that you should use the grounds within 20 minutes or they lose their effectiveness. I had more than enough grounds for my body and decided to pore the rest over my hair and then washed it out.

Be warned, this is a messy endeavor. It took me an extra bit of time to wash out the grounds from the tub. So, I think my St. Ives is a safe staple in my home for mornings when I'm too rushed for time to make up the coffee mixture.

Home (as opposed to a legal) Remedy

So, I'm a recent law school graduate and I'm looking for any distraction in order to keep from thinking about the impending bar exam. I'm also broke, which leads me to my current home experiment.

As of late, I've become more and more interested in beauty products. As a teenager, I rarely even washed off my makeup at night, but two years ago I noticed that my skin looked like it belonged to a tired law student. I started moisturizing, became obsessive about sunscreen, focused on the eye area.

I'm looking for inexpensive, but effective (and natural) remedies to add to my beauty routine. Tonight, I used olive oil. And judging by how great I already feel, I will definitely use it again.

I didn't want to do anything too fancy or complicated. I like simplicity and if I had to mix this and measure that, I doubt I'd ever try it again. I simply mixed some granulated sugar and EVOO into a paste and slathered it onto my face. I rubbed it around to sluff off day old skin and then I left it there for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, I rubbed about 1/4 of a cup of EVOO into my hair (I have above shoulder hair) and then combed it through. I had read that olive oil was good for adding shine to the hair, keeping dandruff at bay, and helping to regrow hair. I have PCOS and I've noticed in the past several years that my hair is thinning, so I hope this last part rings true. I wrapped my hair up in a towel and left it for 15 minutes and then washed it out with regular shampoo. I noticed as a exited the bath tub, that my skin on my legs and arms felt great because they had soaked in olive oil water. My face feels phenomenal. I cannot believe it!

On the down side, I had painted my nails about 6 hours before the bath and it looks like the olive oil is so effective that my polish is literally sliding off. Small price to pay.

I can't wait to try avocado and coconut on my hair next!

This picture is from the next morning. My hair definitely had extra shine. I didn't style my hair in any way. I let it air dry until almost completely dry and then used the blow dryer for about 10 seconds to seal the deal. I brushed and went out the door.