Daily Beauty Regime

I've been wanting to write on this for some time since I have seen an increasing number of articles on how people switch from using regular face wash to natural D-I-Y options. I have been using 2 ways to wash my face:


Raw Honey

 I started to wash my face with raw honey 2 years ago and I never looked backed :D I soon noticed that my skin started glowing and generally looked much better. Over time, my skin looked good enough for me to not need to wear foundation and even when I moved the winter, my skin remained soft and glowing without moisturiser (y).

Oil Cleanse

This is my current favourite.Its done with pure castor oil and raw honey.

First, I apply castor oil to my whole face and then followed by the raw honey and a little of water. When raw honey comes into contact with water, it becomes a humectant and works better. Then, the best part, apply a steamed towel on the face (I soak mine in really warm water). I do this several times since I just love it :D I also use the towel to massage my face to remove any dirt/oil. The steamed towel helps open pores and allows the castor oil work to much better by pulling out more dirt/toxins. The origin of castor oil has been debated about a lot since many sources are known to be not safe and hence it's better to use pure, organic, cold-pressed castor oil, which can be found on amazon. This castor oil cleanse has made my skin really glowy and prevents and cures acne really quick.

Since, I have only positive experiences with using home made recipes an alternative to commercial face wash, I would highly recommend it. It's worth sticking to regime for at least 1 week to see obvious results.

As for using makeup, castor oil  and other oils such as Pure Coconut oil remove makeup totally and thats a plus point too as you won't have unnoticed leftover makeup on your face.

Weekly Mask:
Raw Honey and Pure Himalayan Sea Salt scrub

I just read about the healing benefits of Himalayan Sea Salt and how it contains many minerals. I then proceeded to do what I always do, and that is to try out the recipe. I first applied raw honey onto my face. I then took half a teaspoon of the salt and dabbed it all over my face and massaged my face. I apply the salt after the honey as I fine it easier then combing the 2 products first. I left the mask on of ragout 10  minutes and then washed my face. Results were pretty good since my face wash really smooth and looked brighter. I have only used this mask once and will only do so once a week as its still really cold here in Germany and I wouldn't recommend more uses as salt can be really drying.

So thats all I had to say today :D I will do a post on ice cream and how it can be made raw and healthy :D Its funny that its really cold outside and I, for some absurd reason, have been craving it for a few days now. I bought an Organic Mango Passion Fruit frozen yoghurt from Vitalia today but I am determined to make my own :D


Till then <3

Life Hacks the Healthy way

So I am back from a major, long hiatus. What have I been doing? Almost everything ;) Being the  usual university student in Germany, travelling, learning,growing(the right way ;) ) eating - healthier as the days go by and just.being.me .

I have come up with a few great Life Hacks since I have spotted so many editions sporadically appearing on my social new feed. I developed these entirely from my experience and trial and error. I must say I'm pretty pleased with these..So now getting on to the point, the first one and the one I'm the most happy about is shampoo. These are all about food and beauty in case you are looking for something else..

Citrus Castille Soap and Coconut Oil Shampoo

I have been for about a year now experimenting with using more natural and even raw shampoos. Unfortunately and everything turning out the unfortunate way, many of the products I tried were pretty much not up to my expectations. I first switched to using organic and more natural brands like Logona, Sante and John Master's Organics. Though they did improve the condition of my hair(not that it was that bad to begin with) , it was really hard to upkeep using such products especially since they were kinda pricey and thats not something you wanna deal with while at university. I also went on and ordered the starter kit of Morroco Method's( raw and vegan) products. I believe these products are good and do not contain any harmful ingredients but I suspect they need to be used for several months in order to see results.. At least that was in my case. I ended up hang hair that felt not clean and buildup :/ I then read several blogs and discovered the hype about Castille soap and coconut oil shampoo. And since then, my life has never been better ;) ..I released since the first use, that this recipe would be a keeper because this shampoo foams up  without the addition of nasty chemicals and leaves hair clean, moisturised and just really nice. I don't even use a conditioner since raw coconut oil is really moisturising and good for your hair.

Recipe:
1 tablespoon of Dr. Bronner's liquid castle soap
1/2 teaspoon of raw virgin coconut oil

Mix the 2 ingredients just before you need it - it takes a minute and there you go! Quality shampoo without spending a much money and time :)

The ratio between the 2 ingredients can be change depending on how moisturising you want your shampoo to be. I tried 1:1 but it left my hair a little oily and the above mentioned combination works perfectly for my hair. After drying my hair, I just use a tiny bit of the raw coconut oil on my hair to keep it moisturised and shiny especially in the cold.


Castor Oil Face Mask

I am just so impressed with this mask. I saw it in one of the video's of Cloudyapples( a beauty blogger on Youtube) and decided to go ahead and try it. It's quick and works wonders and the best part, you don't have to remove your makeup before applying it.

Just rub some castor oil onto your face and above it rub on some raw honey( what I use) or coconut oil. The purpose of the latter ingredient, is to prevent your skin from drying out since Castor Oil is very efficient in pulling out dirt from your skin. After that just put a steaming towel on your face ..you can repeat this for 2 o 3 times.And also rub off the oil with this towel and you'll have a clean face..better that many conventional cleansers in the market. This aids the castor oil in pulling out toxins from your pores.

I have been extremely pleased with the results since..int he morning I notice that my skin is really bring and that any acne has been reduced and by the second use, they are usually totally gone.

Stuff needed
Castor Oil(pure preferred)
Raw Honey/Coconut oil/any other preferred cold pressed oil

Steaming small towel( by wetting it in warm water)

I use this mask every other day ..you can use it everyday(depending on your skin's condition).


Raw Chocolate

I am always craving chocolate and every other person or basically everyone knows too much of chocolate isn't good for you especially if its laden with diary,gluten and artificial sweeteners and chemicals.

So what do you do ? Go make some raw chocolate and be happy & healthy.

Here's how amazingly simple it is. Mix some raw coconut oil and raw cacao( antioxidants and this helps release the happy chemicals in your body)  in a bowl. Raw coconut oil liquifies above 20-30 degrees so it best to maybe keep the jar in the cupboard if you live in a cold climate. You can add a sweetener of you choice say agave nectar/ raw honey or some goji berries ..basically anything to your pleasure.. Now you can pour the mixture into small cupcake trays( I prefer the silicone ones) and just pop them in the freezer and andddd guess what ? Healthy chocolate in minutes and the great thing is ? You can eat to your heart's content and not have a single worry about putting on weight and what not...


Raw body moisturiser

One thing. Raw coconut oil. You can rub this on your body/hair /face as a moisturiser an it it works wonders and doesn't require a late amount which means a jar of this stuff will go a long long way and you'll keep your wallet happy. Whats not to love ;)

Raw Honey Face Wash

I love this stuff. I use raw honey as a face wash and I add some raw sugar to it and sometimes even some lemon juice since lemon juice is a really go exfoliator. I have noticed that this face was has made my skin bright and I don't need to wear makeup daily( especially foundation) in order to beat dull skin. I usually just leave the house with some raw coconut oil on my face and maybe something on the lips. Pretty easy isn't it.. And it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare it. You can store it in a little jar for 2 to 3 days.. I wouldn't suggest longer though since its better to have everything fresh

Ingredients

1 teaspoon raw honey
1 teaspoon raw sugar
Juice from half a lemon

Mix it all up. You can add more sugar if you want a thicker consistency and this brightens and exfoliates your skin. Raw honey when combined with water is a humectant which means it locks in moisture and it also is antibacterial...which does wonder for acne-prone skin.

Thats basically it. I would definitely add more to the list if I do find more convenient ways. Now back to studying and eating some awesome chocolate ;)


Oh and an amazing mix I chanced upon on 8tracks. Great for studying and generally feeling happy & calm.

Its a rainy Thursday in supposedly sunny Bavaria..Oh well

Its a rainy Thursday. And its the end of May. And i'm in Bavaria. And isn't it suppose to be sunny or did summer forget to show up? But it still works for me :D

Reminds me of how much I love rain. Its really calming, peaceful, cold and makes me wanna retire to my bed with a nice hot chocolate(which im craving right now).

That's the vegan hot chocolate taken from Choosing Raw

I love the cold crisp air, makes me appreciate things more - I have no clue why. So i'm sitting here listening to Dreamer by Isbells hoping for a vegan hot chocolate to land infront of me and... I LOVE chia seeds :D 

Taken from ascensionkitchen.com

Blogs I follow

My journey to becoming vegan was especially driven by the many interesting and helpful blogs out there. I used to spend hours looking at recipes and this alone, strangely, made me very happy. I still spend a large amount of time reading and following some blogs.

Oh She Glows:

This is where I got my Chocolate chia pudding idea from and till today its may favourite breakfast recipe :)

This Rawsome Vegan Life :

I really like this this blog particularly since the writer, Emily is a uni student and I feel like I could relate to her better . Shes got amazing dessert recipes and although they all look really good, they are surpsingly easy to make. Heres where I got my Raw hot chocolate idea from and yes, I have it every night and sometimes in the day

Queen of Quinoa:

I began following this blog recently since I incorporated Quinoa into my diet. I srated training at the gym in March since I finally found some time and relised I was probably not getting enough protein into my diet. Since Quinoa is really high in protein and is also gluten free, its perfect for me ... and you ;) I eat 1 or 2 servings of Quinoa each day and I feel like im actually getting enough nutrients ( since i felt kinda hungry all the time in the past).

My everyday to-go breakfast

Breakfast is usually one of the most challenging meals for me to have or to prepare for since im not very good at coordinating myself in the morning, every morning. So i figured I have to have something healthy, vegan and filling ready for me every morning. So it's non other that a Chocolate Chia Pudding.

I look forward to this every morning ( who wouldnt want to be abe to eat something so chocolate-y, delicious & absolutely healthy ).

I cannot emphasise enough the benefits of chia seeds and when coupled with Raw Cacao( the superfood chocolate), it makes an amazingly quick,healthy & filling breakfast which gives me all the energy I need to go on through the day.

I started eating this chia seed pudding everyday in Singapore, before I moved to Germany and within a month or so I noticeed that I could do way more at the gym when I ate this. (so its energy giving poperties are true ;) ) Also, cacao, raw cocoa, is known to contain alot of antioxidants and make us happy :)


Cacao Chia Pudding

4 tablespoons of chia seeds
1 tablespoon of cacao (raw)
1.5 mugs of dairy free milk- I use organic oat milk but you can use nut milk

Here's a little intro about them :

Chia seeds are gluten free and contain no cholesterol. Also , they are content a high amount of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, protein, antioxidants and minerals, making in really nutritios :D Aztec warriors believed that a tablespoon of chia seeds are able to sustain a person for 24 hours ! Isn't that amazing? Plus 4 tablespoons a day is the optimum amount :)

It's like happiness in a cup. Can't be any easier ;)

Green Smoothie

I feel pretty good having 2 big green smoothies today. I had one in the morning just before heading off for class and ... here's the recipe:

2 handfuls of organic spinach ( I used baby spinach )
2 large bananas
A little water ( to get it blending)
10 grapes
Ice ( I usually use 1 tray of ice as I like it really cold)

Result: Really creamy, sweet and no taste of spinach. This made about 800 ml and made me feel really energized and I wasn't hungry till lunch.. which is an improvement since I usually get tempted to snack on something in the late morning.

I felt so good that it made me have another smoothie when I got back. This time I included 2 medium leaves of organic rommaine lettuce and instead of using grapes 1 blended it with 10 large strawberries.

I guess I'm almost meeting my target of having 64oz of green smoothie a day (about 2 litres) :D

Today's Green Smoothie

Since I'm in London now, I could finally go back to my rountine of making green smoothies with Organic Spinach and Kale. I couldnt find these 2 in Germany for some absurd reason, maybe they are not in season, so here's the recipe:

• handful of Organic Kale
• handful of Organic Spinach
• 2 stocks of Organic Celery
• 3 Organic Kiwis
• 1 tablespoon of Organic Raw Honey,
• about 8 ice cubes( it makes it taste better ;) )
• half a lemon( juice)
• 2 large bananas or 3 medium ones

I get the organic vegetables and fruits from Tesco's and they are surprisingly cheap. 

I was so happy to find organic, raw honey in Holland & Barrett's and it was only £ 3,90  for 340 g.  

According to the cover, its totally raw as its cold pressed, with pollen and fresh from the hive so it has all the good stuff in it :)