I wanted to share one of my favorite mindset quotes to remind you just how great you already are. It’s time to throw out the garbage thoughts and level up your life!
I know this way of thinking is sometimes easier said than done, right? Just like any hobby, class, or new job it’s going to be work but the results are so worth it.
Here are 3 of my favorite mindset tips to create greatness in your life:
Level up the folks in your inner circle
You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time around so if you find yourself around individuals who aren’t striving for more in their personal, financial, professional lives then it may be time to find a new crew. Not sure where to find them? Revisit your networks or go and find a new crew that is interested in similar things as you.
Find a mentor whose already where you want to be
Having someone who can push you and hold you accountable for taking daily action steps towards the things you wish in your life is huge! This by far was one of the best things I ever invested in. Finding a mentor who has already accomplished things you wish for yourself continues to keep you in a high energy state of awareness to know that anything is possible for you as well.
Invest in personal development
Have you ever noticed how many of us are easily willing to invest in education for a degree that affirms our ability to have learned stuff in a book but freak out about investing in growing ourselves personally? This was me for so long but what a mistake that was. If you want greatness in all areas of your life you need to be able to have the mindset for that level of success even before it has fully presented itself. You can start by grabbing a personal development book by any of the greats (Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, Napoleon Hill) or find an amazing Podcast that speaks to you.
No matter what, if you don’t believe in you then who will? Never forget you were born great so let that ‘ish shine!
When I think back to my skincare routine in H.S. I could just cringe at the lack of knowledge I had about maintaining healthy skin.
I used to rely heavily on products that always seemed to dry my face out, leaving me on this constant hunt for moisturizers that would fix the trick.
After being diagnosed with Rosacea in 2017 I realized that healthy skin really starts within. So in addition to healing my gut (for tips on where to start that journey check out my blog on the benefits of MSM or the benefits of bone broth), increasing my water intake, I embraced a more holistic routine using essential oils to enhance my skincare routine.
Essential Oils & Skincare Routines
The concentrated aromatic liquid from various parts of plants, the naturally occurring constituents in essential oils have been used in cultures for centuries. Their natural properties have been shown to brighten, smooth, and moisturize the appearance of skin (which let’s get real is a woman’s dream)
4 Essential Oils for Your Fall Skin Care Routine
As the leaves change in fall so should our skincare routine. Here are 4 of my favorite oils to add to my skin care routine to keep me feeling pampered and pretty!
Geranium: this gentle oil is great for all skin types but really great for those with oily and dry skin. I love it to help smooth and even skin tone.
Frankincense: This oil has such a historical presence for healing as well as beautification and rejuvenation of the skin. It is a popular one for moisturizing and smoothing out the skins appearance.
Lavender: A daily skin care regime must have, lavender is not only known to provide a sense of calmness and relaxation but it is also a gentle oil to help nourish all skin types.
Manuka: You may be familiar with manuka honey but now we’re talking about Manuka essential oil. I’m not going to lie, I personally was extremely hesitant to use this in my skin care routine simply because I cannot stand the smell however this little gem did wonders for providing me with a bright, even, and fresh look!
How Should You Safely Use Essential Oils in Skin Care?
Since essential oils are highly concentrated it’s important to remember that everybody may respond differently and some individuals may be more sensitive than others. I always start with one drop in non toxic facial moisturizer and do a test patch first on the inner elbow just to see how my skin responds before using it on my face/neck. (**citrus oils or blends with citrus can be highly photosensitive)
Most importantly make sure you are using quality essential oils in which the company manages and distills on site and has their own farms so that the quality control and purity standards are tighter. There are too many brands on the shelves with tons of synthetic fillers in them which can be quite harmful.
Now go out there and strut that glowing, beautiful face of yours!
I honestly had no idea how bad allergies could get until I was in college. While many suffer all year long, where I live allergy season kicks in most during fall and spring, usually resulting from grass and tree pollen, air pollution, even mold under fallen leaves.
I’m happy to share some natural remedies that have helped me alleviate the itchy eyes, sneezing, and chronic runny nose that I suffered from for 12 years. I must remind you that this journey won’t result in instant relief but once you get a handle on these methods you too can enjoy being less symptomatic too!
….But first let’s share a little PSA about what causes allergies.
What Can Cause Allergies?
Your gut is the cornerstone of health and when it comes to allergies it has everything to do with the response from your immune system. As foods, environmental factors etc enter your body it creates a reaction. If over stimulated the bodies natural response is to act as if there is an intruder and try to expel it from the body.
How to Treat Seasonal Allergies Naturally
Probiotics
Allergies are usually due to imbalances in the immune system function and there is strong evidence that improving the bacteria in the gut can reduce the incidence of allergies.
How I use this: I love to eat fermented foods such as Kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut to boost gut bacteria as well as ingest daily high quality, probiotics with live cultures and a slow release capsule. These truly have made a massive difference for allergy relief.
Neti Pot
So this one weirded me out for a long time because I’m not really trying to see something go up one nostril and out another. However after trying it prior to adding some of these additional options I can say the benefits were evident.
How I use this: Use distilled or previously boiled water (warm water is ideal) and add a pre-made saline solution into the pot. While standing over the open sink pour the solution thru one nostril, letting it drain out the other side, lightly (and I mean lightly) blow your nose and repeat thru the other nostril. Although I no longer have allergies enough to use this method here is the pot I used to use.
Honey
The scientific evidence for raw local honey and allergies is a bit inconsistent, however many swear by it and I myself did see benefits from taking it daily despite not being a lover of lots of sweets. The idea behind this is to ingest a spoonful of local raw honey that is collected from an area close to where you live to help you manage the environmental allergens you are more often exposed to.
How I use this: About 3-4 weeks prior to allergy season is a great time to start this method. If you can find a local farm that supplies raw local honey in your area, take a teaspoon a day.
Dietary Changes
Dietary changes are a huge factor into removing inflammation in the gut and helping relieve allergy symptoms. Look to reduce and remove inflammatory foods such as sugar, dairy, gluten, soy, and corn.
How I use this: Adding in bone broth, more leafy greens and vegetables, and more natural herbs and spices helped me tremendously to reduce inflammation and allergy responses. For more info on bone broth check out my blog here.
Using Non Toxic Home Cleaning Products
This by far was one of the biggest game changers for me and my allergy relief and it way too often overlooked as the focus often remains on outdoor allergens. Let’s be clear-you’re indoor environment is just as or more toxic than the outdoors. Using plugins, aerosol sprays, bleach, greenwashed cleaners, and retail brand disinfecting wipes have known side effects to your respiratory system, hormonal system, and even your skin.
How I use this: After tons of research I ditched all my spray cleaners, candles, bleach based products, and cleaners for one household cleaner that is exclusively plant based and safe for all surfaces as well as a diffuser with high quality essential oils so my home smells fresh while helping my respiratory system. Total game changer! Make sure to start that ditching process so your home remains your sanctuary!
These were just a few of the most effective methods I used to get full allergy relief. For another tips take a sneak peak at my blog on MSM. The benefits were tremendous in helping heal my gut, allergies, and clear up my skin issues!
Growing up as a young black girl my idea of beauty revolved around long haired women with flawless skin! Little did I know that struggle to have that in my own life would be a long journey full of mistakes and trials galore.
Years of high stress, poor diet choices, and excessive medications for chronic allergies and sinus issues lead me to having massive gut problems and being diagnosed with Rosacea.
That was when my true quest for healing began and I learned about the benefits of MSM. This may not be the solution for everyone however the benefits are tremendous and worth a try!
What the heck is MSM?
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a naturally occurring compound which provides a natural source of sulfur. Sulfur plays a key role in daily cellular functions and is known to help reduce inflammation, help with gut lining, improve allergy relief, and help with joint pain, skin, and nail growth.
How does MSM work for Hair, Skin, Nails, and Allergies?
Hair and nails are made up of mostly keratin. According to this article “MSM may donate sulfur to keratin, which could help strengthen the bonds between keratin molecules in the hair and nails”.
For allergies MSM helps detox and eliminate free radicals as well as improve the cell permeability of the gut lining. MSM can also stabilize pH balance, preventing overproduction of stomach acids.
Skin and anti aging concerns are tremendous for many women and MSM enhances antioxidant usage by reducing free radicals which can accelerate the aging process. MSM also slows down the breakdown of collagen beneath the skin. Sounds like a win win right?
How did MSM change my life?
Honestly when I first started taking a recommended MSM and Wolfberry based capsule I didn’t see any changes (but I also wasn’t using it as directed). However after 4 months of consistently taking the capsules as designed, altering my eating habits, and taking a high quality probiotic not only did my nails grow like wildfire but my hair grew thicker and longer and my Rosacea fully cleared up!
Is MSM right for you?
MSM based supplementation can be phenomenal to add into your daily wellness routine and help with your hair, skin, nails, GI system, allergies and even joint health! It’s a great must have tool in your arsenal of holistic wellness tools that can provide you and your family amazing benefits including increased energy.
In my journey to reverse my Rosacea and chronic sinusitis I had no idea how important it would be for me to learn more about the liver. In fact, for years I never even put the two together that my skin issues and nasal/respiratory concerns could be rooted from problems in my liver and stomach! That saying 'The more you know, the better' is true! The liver plays a vital role in your overall health and ability to remove the body from all the toxins, so let's talk about it!
The Lowdown on the Liver
The liver plays a role in hundreds of functions so ensuring that it is able to remove toxins efficiently can drastically help improve your overall health.
The main function of the liver is to filter toxins so that they don’t pass into the bloodstream. Another major role the liver plays is in regulating blood sugar and converting nutrients that are in your diet into something your body can use. This is a big deal because everything you ingest will eventually pass thru the liver.
Heed the Warnings!
There are many signs that can help you identify if it may be time to detox your liver but here are some of the common examples:
Irregular digestion
Sluggish and Fatigued
Negative emotions like anxiety or depression
Hormonal Imbalances
Weight gain
3 Common Things to Avoid
Alcohol: Avoiding social drinking can be a hard one to swallow (literally). Trust me, I love a good glass of wine but limiting intake was helpful in my reversal of leaky gut syndrome. Alcohol is processed similar to other toxins by the liver and although it sounds easy, it is quite taxing on the liver. Excessive alcohol abuse can cause destruction to the liver cells and lead to liver disease as well. Try to limit your intake if you do indulge.
Sugar: We’re talking mainly refined sugars (including high fructose corn syrup). The liver mainly uses fructose and eventually converts it to fat, however too much can create fatty deposits leading to liver disease.
Processed Foods: The pesticides, chemical additives, and artificial ingredients often found in processed foods can be very taxing on the liver so aim for non GMO, organic food options instead.
3 Common Things to Consume
Fruits and Veggies: This is an easy one for me but not for some. There are many fruits and vegetables that are great sources of antioxidants and also help reduce inflammation and encourage detoxification of the liver. Some examples include: sweet potato, beets, carrots, avocado, broccoli, bok choy, and banana.
Tumeric: With its amazing anti inflammatory and antioxidant healing properties, turmeric is great to help protect the liver. The main property in turmeric, curcumin, has so many healing properties that this is a great one to add into your diet. I prefer to use organic tumeric and add it to food.
H20: And I mean LOTS of it! Water is crucial to flush out toxins but it’s important to recognize the source of water you are drinking as well so you don’t ingest more toxins in the process. Aim for filtered and purified water. If you aren’t a lover of water consider adding fresh lemon to it-lemon is known to help detoxify the liver! I carry water with me almost everywhere I go and love my Corkcicle insulated bottle-it’s a perfect fit to also add fruits in to have infused water on the go!
This is just the basic beginnings on some things to avoid and consume to help support your liver. Adding supplementation into your diet, including healthy omega-3 fatty acids, is another great way to help support liver function. Regardless of what you try first just know consistency and quality of products/foods matters so start slow and keep going. You’re liver will not only be happy but you will also feel great and find yourself more energized!
For more tips on natural ways to help increase your energy go on and check out some ideas here.
