Ruvarashe: Organic

Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts

Mar 5, 2013

DIY Vitamin C Serum

With age comes wisdom and wrinkles. Wisdom I welcome, wrinkles... that's another story. Whether you have wrinkles or not now is the perfect time to incorporate something into your regimen to repair or prevent them.

The benefits of using a vitamin C serum far exceed wrinkle busting. Vitamin C increases cellular turnover and production of collagen. Collagen is the key substance that keeps our skin looking young, fresh and tight. It also helps to heal acne scars and brighten skin. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant so it fights free radicals that damage our skin cells.

Sure you can buy Vitamin C serums on the market but they can be quite expensive. Vitamin C serums also oxidize quite rapidly so the longer the shelf life, the less potent the serum is. Because of this I prefer to make my own vitamin C serums.

I make a fresh serum every week and here is my formula / recipe.

What you will need:

L-Ascorbic Acid Powder, you can find this at your local health food store or online here
100% pure Vegetable Glycerine, you can find at your local health food store
Distilled Water
Dark colored glass bottle / serum bottle, preferable with a dropper

Directions:

In a small glass mixing bowl add 1tsp of L-Ascorbic Acid Powder, 1tsp of distilled water and 1tsp of vegetable glycerine
Mix till L-Ascorbic powder is completely dissolved
Pour serum into glass bottle and keep in a cool dry place
I use my serum every evening, when I'm not lazy. :)
To use wash and/or exfoliate as you normally would, then apply serum, then apply your moisturizer

Tips:

Make a fresh batch every week
Vitamin C serum works optimally when combined with Vitamin E so I use Rosehip oil right after I use my serum (Rosehip oil is very high in Vitamin E)
Don't forget to consume vitamin C- oranges, tomatoes, red bell peppers, lemons, etc

** Please be advised Information provided on this site is for educational use only, and is not intended as medical advice. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. If you have any serious health concerns, you should always check with your health care practitioner. **

Let's Blossom!!!

Feb 26, 2013

Journey to my first love

Yes, I have been gone for quite a while but I am back now. My time away from blogging has not been in vain though. I've been thinking.... I started blogging because I wanted to create a platform to share, a platform to learn and grow in all aspects of life, and a platform to be inspired to be the best we can be. The vision was to create a platform for us all to blossom as the flowers that we are. I noticed however that a lot of my posts were not a true representation of what I wanted the blog to portray as a whole. I have spent some time reflecting and I have decided to return to my first love. I am reminded that in all things it is important to remain true to who I am and who I aspire to be... God's flower. . I am really excited about this and I hope you will enjoy Ruvarashe blog even more. So, the blog will include...

Scrumptious Health - you guessed it... healthy, scrumptious recipes

Home Décor - I love interior design and I am sure many of you do as well

Simple Beauty - I will share a lot of simple ways to stay beautiful and take care of our bodies

My Style - but of course... fashion

Giveaways - I am hoping to do at least one giveaway a month. It is more blessed to give than to receive
God's Flower Feature - I want to feature many of the lovely ~~flowers~~ ladies that I meet and have them share some of their tips
Wanderlust - I love to travel so I will talk about random lovely spots
Lovely Things - inspired by all things lovely, every week I will share lovely things that inspired me... quite random

A little recap of some of the things i've been up to- antiquing, Ruvarashe Vintage Boutique loading, shopping for my hubby, trips to the post office, eating healthy, time with friends and family....

Let's Blossom!!!

Oct 11, 2012

Radiant Clear Skin

In the name of curiosity I recently put aside my all time favorite facial scrub to try other products however I find myself always returning back to this product. It is natural, inexpensive and you probably have it in your kitchen right now... Sodium Bicarbonate, also known as Baking Soda. I love this stuff!!!

Baking soda has too many uses to mention, from deodorizer to carpet cleaner to teeth whitener. I use it as a cleanser/facial scrub and I love it. Sometimes I use it alone, sometimes I use it after I cleanse my face, and some people mix the baking soda with their cleanser. Like all things beauty related it all depends on what works for you. Baking soda is a naturally occurring chemical compound and I love that not only is it inexpensive but it is GREEN... environmentally friendly.

How does it benefit the skin?

Removes dead skin cells which helps skin to look more radiant
Removes blackheads and other impurities
Stimulates blood flow and cell turnover which is great for anti-aging
Clears dark spots from acne or pimples thereby evening out skin tone

How to use it?

Splash water on your face to dampen
Use wet hands to scoop out a palm size (I tsp) of the baking soda (I keep a little glass jar in my shower caddy)
Evenly distribute between two hands by rubbing together and concentrate the baking soda on your palms (this should create a semi paste)
Use your palm to rub in circular motions all around your face avoiding the eye area. Make sure to get your chin, forehead, around your nose, any areas with dark spot from acne/pimples. The key is to use your palms and to use circular motions.
Wash off with running water
Pat face dry or allow to air dry
This step is important... moisturize... pat moisturizer on to your face
I use this baking soda scrub as I see the need. At most I use baking soda 3 times a week. It all depends on your skin type. If your skin is sensitive you may want to adjust the amount of times you use it.
I prefer to do it in the shower so when I am done I can allow the water to run down my face and remove all traces of the baking soda.

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you. I always have instantly smoother more radiant skin when I use it.

Let's Blossom!!!

Oct 10, 2012

Deep Condition in Style

When I deep condition my hair I typically like to leave it in for at least 6 hours. There is debate on whether it is necessary but I find that it does my hair wonders so that is what I do. It's important to do what works for your own hair as opposed to jumping on every bandwagon. Deep conditioning is important for my hair as I have been protective styling for the past few months and plan to continue till the end of winter.

I don't use heat when deep conditioning except when I use my steamer. I find that if I wrap my hair/head there is enough body heat generated to get the job done. This also enables me to deep condition on the go and in style. No one would ever know that under my head wrap is a shower cap and hair full of deep conditioner and oils. :)

Jumpsuit, Speckled Cardigan - Vintage (similar in RVB soon)* Headwrap - Market in Cape Town, SA

Photos by - Chai Studio

Let's Blossom!!!

Sep 11, 2012

Detoxifying Plants

In the days of old people spent most of their time outdoors. They were constantly surrounded by trees, grass, plants, and flowers. Sadly today we spend very little time outdoors and we hardly get to breathe in fresh purified air. Particularly during the week, a number of people spend most of their time at work(indoors) and then home (indoors). This may not seem like an issue but for our bodies to function properly we need to breathe fresh air that is free of toxins. While we may not be able to spend most of our time outdoors, we can bring the outdoors into our homes and offices.

Some plants are known to remove toxins such as formaldehyde (which is known to be carcinogenic), benzene and carbon monoxide. Pick up some detoxifying plants and put them in your home, in your office or on your desk. Not only are plants a great way to decorate with but they will do wonders for your indoors. Below is a list of plants that naturally detoxify your home, plants that control humidity, and plants that improve the quality of air in your home.

Areca Palm, also known as Yellow Palm or Butterfly Palm, an Areca Palm releases moisture into the air, which regulate the indoor humidity. The plant is also rated consistently as one of the best indoor houseplants for removing indoor chemical toxins.
Bamboo Palm has one of the highest transpiration ratings of all indoor plants, meaning it will release water vapor into the air, which is important during winter months when the air is often dry from heating systems. Bamboo Plant is also one of the best known plants for removing traces of benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde within the home.
Boston Fern will require a degree of special attention - it must be watered and misted frequently. However, it is the best known plant at removing indoor air pollutants, in particularly formaldehyde. It is also the best known plant at adding humidity to the air through transpiration.
Dracaena Janet Graig is a slow growing plant which can survive low light conditions, and is the one of the best known plants at removing trichloreoethylene in the home.
Dwarf Date Palm surprisingly, is a tall plant. It grows very slowly, and in the right environment, can survive for decades. It is one of the best palms at removing indoor air pollutants, in particularly xylene.
English Ivy is easy to grow, and is excellent at removing benzene from the air. Note: English Ivy does not fair well in high temperatures.
Ficus Alii is a large plant which grows very easily and has a high resistance to insects. It is great at removing toxins to purify the air.
Lady Palm is one of the easiest indoor plants to care for. It grows slowly, is resistant to most insects, and is great at improving indoor air quality.
Peace Lily has everything a great indoor plant should have. It helps to regulate the indoor humidity level through its high transpiration rate. It is also particularly great at removing alcohols, acetone,trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde from indoor air.
Rubber Plant is over all an excellent plant for the home. It is a tough, easy to grow plant which can survive in little light. It has been tested to be the best of the ficus plants at removing indoor toxins, in particularly formaldehyde.

Other indoor plants not listed above which are excellent at purifying indoor air - removing Formaldehyde, Benzene, and Carbon Monoxide - are the following:

Agloanema Modestum, or Chinese Evergreen
Gerbera Daisy, or Gerbera Jamesonii
Dracaena Marginata, or Marginata
Dracaena Massangeana, or Corn Plant
Sansevieria Laurentii, or Mother-in-Law's Tongue
Chrysantheium morifolium, or Pot Mum
Dracaena "warneckii, or Warneckii

This information was obtained from www.ecohomeresource.com

Don't forget to spend as much time as possible in the green.

Thanks Lovelies! Let's Blossom!!!

Jun 14, 2012

Month in Retrospect...

Yep, I have been away for a month. I am such a bad blogger. I am busier at home than when I had a corporate job. I have really missed you guys though. I thought I would show you some of what I have been up to. Are you all enjoying the summer so far?

Enjoying the greenest block in Brooklyn on a lovely Sabbath...