Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap

This is hands down my favorite all purpose soap.  I started using Dr. Bronner's a year or two ago and it has helped out with my eczema.  This soap does not leave that residue feeling like some soaps do. 

I purchase my Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Pure Castile soap from MOMs Organic Market.  They sell the 32 oz for $9.99.  

Check out their website for more information.

Peter Pilotto for Target

On Sunday Target will launch their new collection with Peter Pilotto.  I actually like this collection better than any of the previous collections. The pieces from this collection will also be sold on Net-a-Porter, this is the first time that a Target collection will also be sold on an outside retailer site.

The pieces from the Peter Pilotto collection for Target will range in price from $14.99 - 79.99.  There are definitely a few pieces from this new collection that I want.


You can preview the full collection on Target's website.

Solange for Puma

My girl Solange Knowles was named Art Director and Creative Consultant for Puma last year.  Yesterday, she posted pictures of her collection titled Girls of Blaze which is inspired by Brazil.  I actually like the sneakers she debut.  They are really colorful and girly.  You can tell she was actually involved in the design and not just by name as the sneakers really fit her persona.

Check out Puma's Girls of Blaze Disc Collection for a better view of the new line.

Pictures Solange posted on IG:

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

First, I would like to start off with saying how mad I am that I am just now finding out about this product.  The Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay is the business!  It is 100% natural calcium bentonite clay. 

I've used it three times as a face mask and once on my hair in place of shampoo.  This clay has helped to bring all of the white heads and black heads to the surface getting the impurities out of my face. When I used it in place of shampoo, my hair felt really soft.  Some people on YouTube have said that their hair felt dry and they had to deep condition afterwards.  I didn't feel like I needed a deep condition but I did anyway.

Another bonus of the clay is that it is cheap!  I purchased my container from MOM Organic Market for $6.49.  You can also order it online with prices ranging from $4-$7.

For my facial, I mix 1 tsp of the bentonite clay with 1 tsp of Bragg's ACV and a few drops of tea tree oil.  I apply the mixture to my face and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  I will warn you, your face will get extremely tight and after you rinse, you may experience reddening of the skin.

For my hair: I mixed the bentonite clay with Bragg's ACV, olive oil, honey, 4 drops of tea tree, lavender, and rosemary oil and 6 drops of lemongrass.  After I cowashed my hair, I applied the mixture to my hair and scalp and let it sit for 20 minutes.  Then I rinsed it out with warm water and followed with a deep conditioner.

Oil Pulling

I heard about oil pulling sometime in 2012 but I never really researched it. It wasn't until last month when Fran from HeyFranHey posted a vlog on the benefits of oil pulling that I decided to really look into it and give it a try.

Brief description of oil pulling: "Oil pulling is Ayurveda technique of swishing oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes daily to kill bacteria and prevent plaque"

I started oil pulling with coconut oil last month and immediately saw an improvement on my gums. I have also stopped getting tooth aches UNTIL I ran out of coconut oil. I went a week without coconut oil and then the gum area by my back left wisdom tooth started to bother me. My dentist called in a antibody to help decrease the inflammation and I got some more coconut oil. I noticed in the morning I would wake up with a tingle but as soon as I finished oil pulling it stopped. Hopefully, with the antibodies and the oil pulling the swelling will go down soon.

I wish I would have learned about oil pulling yearssss ago then maybe I would not have had to go through so many dental issues. If you are not oil pulling, I highly suggest you look it up and give it a try.

My routine:

• on an empty stomach, oil pull with coconut oil for 20 minutes
• rinse mouth with warm salt water
• rinse with warm water brush teeth (Due to my new dental health issue, I have also started oil pulling before going to bed)

Here are some sites reviewing oil pulling:

Wellness Mama

Clutch Magazine

Trina Holden

Also check out this video from Fran:

Ebates

I am always on the hunt for a bargain or ways to earn extra money (legally).  If it is free to sign up and I don't have to do too much then I am signing up.  This is why I signed up on ebates.com, you earn cash back for just shopping online. 

I started using Ebates right before Christmas.  I would go to ebates.com and then search for the online store I wanted to order from.  Once I click on the site name a new window/tab opened and I would shop like I normally would. 

I have already received a check back from my purchases made for Christmas and I have received a $10 Walmart gift card (which I used this morning).

If you are interested in signing up, please use my link below.  I will receive a referral fee if you use my link. Once you sign up, send your link to your friends and get a referral bonus as well.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment. 

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=EOkneSEwE%2F7ePJMvqWHhqQ%3D%3D

Lip Exfoliation - DIY

Last week I noticed my lips were starting to peel. There is nothing I hate most than to get that dreaded dead skin on my lips, especially because I love to wear lipstick.

I figured we exfoliate our skin why not our lips. So I went on a google and YouTube search.  After going to numerous sites and YT clips, I came up with a good recipe.

For my lip exfoliation, I mix the following together:

2 tbsp of sugar (white or brown)

1/2 tsp of olive oil

1 tsp of honey

I applied the paste mixture to my lips then rub it in a little. Then I took a toothbrush (new) and brushed my lips in a circular motion to remove the dead skin. Make sure you are being gentle when doing this step, you don't want to cause your lips to bleed.

Once I removed the dead skin, I rinsed my lips off, dried them off and applied a lip balm.

My lips were/are super soft. I will definitely add lip exfoliation to my weekly routine.