Month: July 2013
Home Made Coconut and Sage Hair Treatment Oil
Coconut oil is amazing! One of my favourite uses for coconut oil is as a hair treatment oil. I had been using coconut oil on my hair for a while when a friend asked me about natural ways to combat hair loss. I didn’t know too much on the subject to begin with other than the obvious diet related stuff so I decided to do some research.
What I found was amazing! Sage has so many benefits it’s incredible. It stimulates cell growth so its good for the scalp and amazing for combating hair loss. It helps the body control oil secretion which reduces oily hair. You can apply sage essential oil directly to the scalp too which increases blood flow to that area and encourages hair growth and minimises hair loss.
Even the word sage is derived from the latin word salvia which means to heal.
Now this hair oil is not just for those who are experiencing hair loss. This is a great hair treatment oil for anyone wanting to rejuvenate their hair.
Ingredients
- 300gram jar of coconut oil
- half a handful of fresh sage
- 30 drops of sage essential oil
Method:
- First thing is first, you need to remove as much water content from the sage as possible. This will stop the finished treatment from going rancid. To dehydrate the sage you can either use a dehydrator or alternatively you can use the oven on a the lowest setting. Use a blender, mini coffee grinder or a mortal and pestle to turn the sage in to a fine powder. It doesn’t matter if it’s not completely broken down because we strain the mixture later.
- Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so during the winter you’ll need to melt the coconut oil in a saucepan by double boiling it (just like when you make toffee) on a low heat in order to retain the integrity of the oil.
- Once the oil has melted add in the dried sage and keep stirring it at a low heat for about 15-20 minutes. In this time the sage will infuse all its herby goodness in to the oil. Take the oil mixture off the heat and stand it for 10 minutes so the oil cools down a little bit.
- Add in the sage essential oil and give the mixture a stir.
- Strain the mixture with a sieve into a jar and let sit to solidify.
To use the oil just melt the oil in your hand and coat your hair in the oil focusing on the ends. Ideally leave it on over night and wash your hair in the morning but if thats not an option just leave it in your hair for an hour or so before washing.
Your hair will be all silky and smooth!
Jess. x
Have an attitude of gratitude
Aside Posted on Updated on
Practicing gratitude can be really powerful. Your thoughts are things. What you focus on manifests so if you’re taking time each day to be grateful for the things you already have in your life then naturally you’ll find more and more things to be grateful for.
Each morning when I wake up I think about the things in my life that I’m gateful for. This allows me to start every day on a positive note. I then do the same thing before I go to sleep. No matter what is going on in your life you can always think of something to be grateful for.
In the morning i’ll usually think of things I’m doing that day to be grateful for. For example this morning I was grateful that I have a day off to soak in the bath and write blog posts and catch up on my cooking for the week, I was grateful for the friend I was catching up with that day and how much I value their friendship, and I was grateful for having the opportunity to educate others on health and nutrition through a phone consultation that I had scheduled in for the afternoon.
At night I’ll focus my gratitude on things that happened that day. So tonight I’ll be grateful for being able to share the gift of gratitude with you, I’m grateful for my grandpa for coming to visit and being his silly self, I’m grateful to have wonderful friends and I’m grateful that I’m able to be here for them to speak to when they need me. I’m grateful for the post man for safely delivering me some new books to read. I’m grateful for the knowledge I’ll gain from these books. I’m grateful to the authors of these books for their shared knowledge. I’m grateful for the cuddles I’m about to receive. I’m grateful for a warm bed and I’m grateful for the good nights sleep thats about to come my way.
Some people find it easier to use a gratitude rock. All you need to do is to find a rock, a pebble, or even a crystal. In the morning when you’re getting ready for your day pick up the rock and when you pick it up take a few moments to think of all the things you are grateful for and then put it in your pocket if you touch it throughout the day thing of something you’re grateful for, and when you get home, empty your pockets and hold your stone and think of something to be grateful for.
Namaste,
Jessica
Dream Interview with Tegan Steele
Dream Interview with Tegan Steele.
What a great interview with the incredible Tegan Steele. She is a great friend of mine and a true inspiration.
You can learn more about Tegan on her blog.
http://vegiegirl88.wordpress.com/
Happy Reading. xx
Champagne Love
Here are some sexy champagne covered new photos from a recent shoot with the always incredible Matt Hill Photography.
Photographer: Matt Hill
Assistant: Dave Quinn
Models: Bernard Opteynde and Jessica Griffiths
I’d love to hear any feedback so feel free to comment or email me- jessienicole30@hotmail.com
xx
SHOULD YOU EAT MEAT?
CLICK HERE to watch PETA’S amazing video on factory farming narrated by Paul McCartney.
Vegans/vegetarians/meat eaters could argue until the cows come home over this subject (hopefully for the cows sake they come home to a vegan/vegetarian) but in the end every person has a right to choose exactly what goes into their stomach.
We are both vegans, but our journey was a step-by-step process and we certainly didn’t wake up one day and just become vegan.
In fact both of us ate copious amounts of meat for over 20 years!
We would often have eggs on toast for breakfast, tuna sandwich for lunch, and steak and veggies for dinner. This is such a ‘normal’ diet regime, however sickness, illness, and disease have also become very normal. So the question had to be asked, if this path we are taking isn’t working for everyone else, then why would we follow it?
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Chocolate Banana Berry Breakfast Smoothie
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It kick starts your metabolism, keeps you from bingeing later on whatever is available when you finally get hungry, and it can even put you in a good mood. I usually start my day with a smoothie. This is one of my favourite recipes because it tastes no naughty but is oh so nice.
Smoothies are great for people who don’t really like having breakfast. They are quick to make and you can add all sorts of fruits, vegetables and superfoods to them to make sure you are starting your day in the best way possible. Because they are liquid they are also easy for your body to digest which makes it easy for your body to assimilate the nutrients.
Equipment needed : Blender
Ingreedients
- 1 ripe banana (this can be frozen for convenience)
- 1 cup of frozen raspberries
- 1 scoop of SuperGreens**
- 1/4 teaspoon of maca powder
- 1 tbs of raw cacao
- 1/2 cup of almond milk
- top with bee pollen for extra goodness! (optional)
Blend and enjoy!
For more information on where you can get the best SuperGreens on the market comment or email me at -jessienicole30@hotmail.com
11:11 what does it mean!?
Ever since last year I’ve been seeing 11:11 everywhere! It’s not just me either, I find quite a few people I know have also been experiencing the same thing and it always results in the same discussion. WHAT DOES IT MEAN!? So I decided to do some research…
From the conversations I’ve been having people seem to have lots of different theories on what 11:11 actually means. Some of the most common have been good luck, a spiritual awakening, guardian angels, a glitch in the matrix, warning of something bad about to happen, warning of something good about to happen, something to wish upon (like a shooting star), a reminder to think of all the good in your life.
The number 11 is thought to be a “master” number in numerology where it is also said to represent impractical idealism, visionary, refinement of ideals, intuition, revelation, artistic and inventive genius, avant-garde, androgynous, film, and fame. It is said to carry psychic vibrations and is a sign of psychic awareness and sensitivity. The negatives of 11:11 are treachery and betrayal from secret enemies.
Others believe that 11:11 is sent to us by “lower angels” who are there to guide us to leading a more spiritual life. They believe that constantly seeing 11:11 means you are genetically capable of two way contact with celestial beings, that you are prepared to be guided by beings that measure their IQ in the thousands, that you are fair in your dealings with others, and what they cite as being most important is your Thought Adjuster which is your “spirit self” is urging you to get involved with 1, 111, or other celestial beings.
Whatever it means I definitely find it re-assuring. To me it gives me time to think about the path that i’m on. It’s like a sign that I’m on the right path.
I’m always interested in what other peoples thoughts are on the 11:11 phenomenon so please comment if you want to discuss it, otherwise you can email me at yorhealth_jessica@hotmail.com
Have a wonderful day,
Jessica
Goal Setting
We’ve all heard the phrase “failing to plan is planning to fail” before and we all plan things every day, whether it’s what to do with our weekends, a holiday, a business plan etc…
Too often we don’t have a plan for our lives. This then can result in feeling stuck in monotony and dreaming of more. That is why it’s so important to set ourself goals that we can work towards.
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things” – Albert Einstein
This is the model I use to set goals and I’ve found it to be really effective.
- Find yourself a goal buddy. This can be anyone! maybe a friend, a family member, a partner, a colleague. Just make sure it’s someone who you’re happy to share your inner most desires with. This is a great thing to do in a group if possible, but most importantly it’s someone to keep you accountable for what you set out to do.
- Make a list of things you love doing, things that are important to you (you’re highest values) and just keep writing. write about what you’re ideal life looks like, the kind of people you want in that life, businesses you want to start, the adventures you’ll go on, causes you’ll support, how you’ll contribute to the world and anything else you want to achieve. Get clear with your vision, have fun with it and let it all flow out! Read over it and imagine what it would feel like to achieve all you’ve written.
- Once you’re familiar with what you’ve written and you’ve connected with the feelings associated with that break them down into smaller achievable goals with attached dates, start with what you want to have achieved in 3 months, move on to 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and then make sure you dream big and set yourself 10 year goals.
- Make sure you write these down somewhere you can see them every day, you can write them on a business card and carry that with you, stick them up on your mirror or next to your bed, I keep a copy of mine on my desktop, on my mirror and on my vision board next to my bed.
- Set a clear reminder in your calendar after 3 months is up and review on what you’ve achieved, call up your goal buddy and share with them how far you’ve come. See how your tracking on your 6 month goals and refresh your other goals. Once we start to see what we can achieve in just three months your dreams get bigger and better, keep adding to them and re-connect with your vision. This is how big things are achieved.
If you don’t achieve your goals in your set time frame don’t worry about it. Some things can take a little more time than expected. By taking steps towards achieving these we get a great feeling of achievement and a new vigour for life.
“Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it” – Mahatma Gandhi
Good luck with your goals, I wish you all the best. I’d love to hear from you so please comment.
Jessica. xxx
CABALA juice fast
Juice Fasting
I’ve recently completed my very first juice fast and I loved it! When I first heard about juice fasting I was pretty hesitant and thought that “this can’t be healthy for me” but the more research I did the more I warmed to the idea that a juice fast was the way to go to rid my body of toxins and assist with the healing process.
When we fast it gives our digestive system a much needed rest from the constant strain of breaking down and digesting food. It floods our body with vitamins and minerals that strengthen your immune system and sustain your health.
So for one whole week I drank CABALA Juice which stands for:
Carrot
Apple (red)
Beetroot
Apple (yellow)
Lemon
Apple (green)
It’s delicious! I definitely will be making this juice again soon. I did change it up occasionally and made myself a green juice here and there, I even at one stage juiced 1 kilgram of tomatoes and two red chillies! That was one HOT juice.
On day 1 of the fast I experienced some dicomfort while my body was getting used to only drinking juice, on day 2 I had a slight headache and felt a little bit tired, But from day 3 onwards I was full of energy and feeling great. It’s normal when you are detoxing to experience headaches and even cold and flu symptoms for a short time, this is your body ridding itself of toxins and it’s a great thing! One thing I did notice while I was fasting was that I was really able to think clearly. It was almost like a fog had been lifted from my brain. I also slept better after the first two days and had some incredible vivid dreams.
The most commonly asked question I received while I was fasting was “Aren’t you hungry?!”
No! Not once when I was fasting was I hungry. I did drink a lot of juice (6.5 litres on my first day!) but I wasn’t actually hungry the entire time. When you’re fasting you need to make sure you’re drinking a minimum of 2.5 litres a day.
Finally I’d like to say that I absolutely loved fasting! I’ve already decided to do another fast along with a friend in September.
For more information on CABALA juice and juice fasting have a look at my friend Vegie Girl’s blog. She was my inspiration for trying a fast and has a wealth of knowledge on all things health and wellness.
http://vegiegirl88.wordpress.com/
Happy Juicing. x
Nature Appreciation
Nature Appreciation has become a big part of my daily practice.
All you need to do is take some time each day to appreciate something in the natural world. Easy!
This is a photo I took yesterday when I was at the St Andrews Market. It was such a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the air felt fresh and cool and the sky was such a magnificent blue.
People who take time in their day to appreciate the natural world are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. Not only this but by actively observing nature we become more connected to who we are and giving us the opportunity to connect with our own spirituality.
“It’s nice to see that it shows that, that the closer humans are to the natural environment, that seems to have a healthy influence,” -Dr. David Rakel director of integrative medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
This was introduced to me by Eoin Finn in November 2011 when i was on a YES (Yoga Ecology Surf) Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. Nature Appreciation is one of the 6 “Bliss Commitments”. These are small daily actions that you can take to help create yourself an Upward Spiral.
To read more about Eoin Finn or to join the 4 week Blissology Project Program follow this link:
http://www.blissology.com/community/the-blissology-project/the-4-week-program/
I encourage you to try this and see how connecting with nature can transform your life.
with love,
Jessica
Jessica's Wanderlust 