5 Ways To Care For Your Fall Skin

Labor Day usually signifies the end of summer fun, back to school activities, first day of school and Fall  Festivities.  In the midst of it all, we neglect our skin, as it too experiences season changes.  What was fun and worked well for the summer may not be the same for great skin care for the fall.

Here are some KISS ME NATURE skin care tips that will help you to get the best care for your skin during these Fall months:

1-Take a look at your current body wash product.  

I was never a big fan of body washes other than the scent it would leave in my skin. But the drying effects were so bad, at times, even with the application of lotion, my skin was only moist for a few hours. In the summertime, I would try to rely on my bodies natural production of oil to hide my "ashy" skin, but to no avail. My face would be the only "shine" I would get.  This was the motivation behind Kiss Me Nature's Moisturizing Coconut Body Wash and Kiss Me Nature African Black SoapBody wash. They are both soap-free and hydrating. The 4oz. Bottle is only $10.00. So pure, a little goes a long way.  So for these Fall months, consider a body wash that cleanses and moisturizes, such as these Kiss Me Nature Products.  It’s now time to put away the shower gels and bring out a creamy and moisturizing body washes.

2-Oil-Based Scrubs are THE BEST!

During these fall months, consider an oil-based scrub. I personally love coconut oil-based scrubs because they are perfect for fall and winter with great exfoliating benefits and hydrating oils.  For Fall 2015, Kiss Me Nature will introduce Coconut-Coffee Scrub. Inspired by Borika Body, Kiss Me Nature's Coconut Coffee Scrub is a blend of Organic Coconut Flakes, Coconut Oil, Coffee, Dead Sea Salt and Lemongrass Essential Oil. In combination with a dry brushing your body, your skin will thank you. 

3-Moisturize, Moisturize and Moisturize Every Day!

Not moisturizing your skin everyday is like not drinking water daily. And we all know what lack of proper hydration will do to you inside and out. Consider a Body Butter such as Kiss Me Nature's Body Butters that are a bit heavier and allow for great hydration. Our body butters contain Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil or Grapeseed oil.  The best time to apply our body butter is right after you’ve dried off from your shower or bath. This allows you to seal in the moisture that’s already been absorbed into your skin from the water.

4-Put Your Skin On a Schedule

According to an article from BlackDoctor.org:"During autumn, there are great opportunities to spend quiet nights at home. Why not have a great beauty day or evening and apply a mask? If you choose an evening during the weekend to apply a hydrating mask, consider keeping that regimen for awhile. If you go and get facials, then get them on a standard day and try not to deviate if you can."  In a DIY blog, I gave a great beauty tip using the cleansing effect of lemon and the moisturizing effect of Coconut Oil. I also suggest a DIY Moisturizing Kaolin Clay with Coconut Oil.

5-Sunscreen is Still a Must!

Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, it doesn't matter the Sun is still the same. Just because the air is cool, does not mean you can put away the sunscreen. Your skin still needs to be protected from the harmful rays from the sun. While a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater is still a great choice, I still prefer the natural SPF of coconut oil. You can add some drops of your favorite Essential Oil for your personal fragrant sunscreen.

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You have been "Kissed" by "Nature

D.M

Coconut Oil and Foot Reflexology for Sinus Sufferers

As an allergy sufferer, I am always in search of natural medicines to help alleviate the sinus irritation/infections that results from my allergic reaction to dust, dust mites, and mold.  Short of living in a bubbles. how I can truly escape these triggers?  Or even avoid them?  Well the reality is that I can't because dust mites are everywhere, dust is everywhere and while I don't have mold in my home, the moisture in the air right before it rains wreaks havoc on me.

I was on Periscope (follow me @kissmenaturecog) and I was talking about how I need my son to test my Kiss Me Nature products because I have lost all sense of smell.  Rita Pardo (also on IG), a fellow scoper, interacted with me and gave some suggestions as to some essential oils I should use to help alleviate my sinus congestion.  Rita, is the proud owner of Naturally Me and You.  She also suggested Foot Reflexology!!!!  So I did some research and came across this site about reflexology.  As Rita and I were talking about the carrier oil to use for the massage I was about to give myself...what do you know, she mentions my favorite oil--COCONUT OIL!!!!  Organic Facts states that the health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities.

So with that said, prior to speaking with Rita, I would add some coconut oil to my sinus rinse for its antimicrobial, antibacterial and soothing qualities.  It is working, but inconsistency is my challenge.  So when Rita suggested reflexology, I thought, why not, I have tried everything else.  Rita is a distributor for Young Living, so when she suggested a combination of lemon, peppermint and lavender, all essential oils I know are all anti-inflammatory, I knew it was the start of finally finding a natural product to hep manage my allergies.  

As the CEO and Founder of Kiss Me Nature, I made my own therapeutic oil, using the the suggested EO and coconut oil for my reflexology and aromatherapy oil to open up my sinuses.

The Aromatherapy worked with in minutes, as I began to smell the wonderful scent of the lemon, peppermint and lavender.

In just one day, I was 60% better than I have been in years!

Reflexology Sinus Management, try this:

1oz. of Organic Coconut Oil

4 drops each of the following essential oils: peppermint, lavender and Lemon

To provide relief from blocked sinuses using this reflexology foot chart below

·         Locate the sinuses area on the map above (tips of all the fingers and toes)

·         Repetitively squeeze and release the sinus area for twenty seconds on each finger or toe (begin on the right hand/ foot with thumb along to little finger, repeat on left hand/ foot)

·         Gently rotate all the joints on each finger or toe (begin on the right hand/ foot with thumb along to little finger, repeat on left hand/ foot)

·         If it is a severe cold, drink plenty of H20

·         Do reflexology to the whole of both feet or both hands and go back over the above top three points again until feeling some relief

Aromatherapy Sinus Management, try this:

In a diffuser, combine:

1oz. of Organic Coconut Oil

4-7 drops each of the following essential oils: peppermint, lavender and Lemon

Relax and breathe it all in until you feel relief.

My Favorite online shop for organic coconut oil is Tropical Traditions

You have been "Kissed" by "Nature"

D.M

Coconut Oil Humor

Coconuts have fun too! Kiss Me Nature decided that it would have some fun with the uses of Coconut Oil.  Below are the five uses for Coconut oil! ENJOY!!!!

Cooking with Coconut Balinese Style

I recently took a trip to Bali, and what an awesome experience I had! The people, the culture, the food, the atmosphere, was just all absolutely amazing.  As a coconut lover, anything with coconut wets my pallet.  I shared in an earlier post, my homemade Coconut Cake, that I affectionately call "Kiss Me Nature Homemade Coconut Cake".

The trip was a Mother's Day/Birthday gift from my eldest daughter.  She planned the entire trip and all the activities.  She signed us up for the Balinese Cooking class with "Maria".  She is originally from Jakarta, but migrated to Bali, to find work on this high tourist island, after Jakarta was attacked by terrorists in 2004.  

On our scheduled day, Maria came to pick us up from our villa in Seminyak.  We then drove to the local market to get all of the ingredients and spices  we needed for the dishes we wanted to prepare We walked through a plethora of vendors vying for our attention, bargaining with us to purchase items from them.

One of the dishes that I choose was Serundeing, which is a beef and grated coconut dish. We had so much fun making this dish.  We started with three simple ingredients: 

Grated Coconut

Beef

Vegetables.

Here is a short video of it being prepared.

and the final results…

It was a great dish.  Though I don't eat beef. as a personal lifestyle choice, but  did taste it was deilish!!!!

For the full recipe, please subscribe to this blog!

You have been "Kissed by Nature"

Dominique

Sweet Treat- Simple Homemade Coconut Cake

I have to say that I shocked myself at the results of this cake.  see I grew up- for a short time- in the French West Indies, and if you have been following my post, you know I am proud of that fact.  So I was surrounded by coconuts, coconut trees, coconut candy and of course COCONUT CAKE!!  Funny thing is, I loved everything coconut EXCEPT pastries.  But then again I can't stand tomatoes, but will eat a jar of pasta sauce straight out of the pot.

No sure where the inspiration came from, but I felt motivated to make a coconut cake, the way I used to watch our hired help make.  As a child, I was so fascinated by the way she would make a homemade cake, because I grew up for some time on boxed cake.

So before I went to 10am Service on Sunday, I made dinner and baked a cake.  I am, for the most part, a healthy eater, so I made my cake using Silk Unsweetened Coconut Milk. It would have normally been made with fresh coconut milk.

When my husband tasted the cake, he said, that I had gone back to my West Indian roots...

So here is the recipe for my Kiss Me Nature Homemade Coconut Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of butter

2 cups of Turbinado sugar

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

6 eggs

2 cups of flour

1 tsp. of salt

1 2/3 Cups of  Silk Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1 cup of coconut flakes

1 greased and floured 10" loaf pan

Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time beating well each time. Mix in vanilla extract; add flour and salt, and mix well. Add coconut milk to the creamed mixture.  Fold in flaked coconut.

Pour batter into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake coconut cake at 325 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes, or until done (toothpick check) Frost as desired. 

ENJOY!!!!

Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil- My 3 Day Experience

I have to start off with a little chuckle because when my daughter brought to my attention "oil pulling" the only thing that came to mind was the disgusting feeling of having castor oil in my mouth when my grand-mother deemed my body in need of a "back to school" detoxing. 

She talked about all the great benefits of oil pulling using coconut oil.  So, I did some research and found what oil pulling was all about and how to do it. So what exact is oil pulling. Oil pulling, also known as "kavala" or "gundusha," is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique that involves swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 20 minutes. This action supposedly draws out toxins in your body, primarily to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health.

So what are the benefits?

• Whiter teeth • Cavity and gingivitis prevention • Better breath (halitosis suffers also reported greatly improved morning breath) • Stronger teeth and gums • Less jaw pain (TMJ sufferers noted great improvement), sleep problems and sinus issues • Alleviation of headaches, hangovers and skin issues (reports have shown improvement in acne, psoriasis and eczema).

Really? Ok, As a severe sinus sufferer and one that truly believes is the benefits of detoxification, I figured I would try it.  

Day 1

It took me almost 5 minutes to convince myself to put oil in my mouth. This clearly had nothing to do with my love of coconut! I only managed to make it to 10 minutes.  I just barely made it, hating every second of it.  In the process of "swishing", I was gagging.  Let's try again the next day.

Day 2:

I closed my eyes, took a spoonful of solid coconut oil, only to have it melt in mouth as soon as I took the spoon out. I little more tolerable. I lasted 15 minutes.  Not bad. 

Day 3:

Back to gagging and the "stress" of all of that toxin in your mouth, and not being able to spit it out until the required time.  I couldn’t couldn't the oily feeling in my mouth and the thought of having a lot of bad stuff just swishing around in my mouth was not part of the game. To see the benefits of oil pulling, you really have to do this most days of the week for about two weeks, but I will say that my teeth were considerably whiter after only three days and sinuses were draining.

Still, coconut oil does make a great, organic substitute for mouthwash as it contains Vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant, and also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties thanks to the lauric acid and monolaurin. I tried to add some essential peppermint oil, but the oily feeling in my mouth, I just could not take it. However, my breath was considerably fresher longer.

Coconutoil, as I have been blogging about, has other proven benefits too. It contains lots of easily digestible, fat-soluble vitamins: A,D,E and K. Vitamin A is good for the immune system, Vitamin E has strong antioxidant properties for the skin and can provide some protection against UV rays, Vitamin D is good for strong bones and teeth, and Vitamin K is good for blood-clotting.

I say: TRY IT! Coconut Oil has proven itself to be all that it says it is.

You have just been "Kissed by Nature"

DM

Coconut Oil For Sunburn

I write a lot about the benefits of  Coconut Oil.  A recent study reports that: 

“We all need some sunshine to make vitamin D for healthy bones. Enjoying the sun safely while taking care not to burn should help most people strike a good balance.”

This is where coconut oil comes in.  Coconut oil is a natural mild sunscreen.  I was explaining to one of my customers about the benefits of coconut oil and how, it acts as a natural barrier against the sun, like a sunscreen.  She laughed and said: "This is why I cant get a tan, I have sunscreen on, because I always rub coconut oil on my skin as a moisturizer."

The SPF rating in coconut oil is enough as an every day option for mild sun protection and skin health. In fact, I have heard some people say that coconut oil, applied after a sunburn, provides immediate relief.  I am not sure that I agree with researchers that say that coconut oil only provided 10-15 SPF protection, because I believe that when God created the earth, He made provisions for everything and gave us the resources we need to be healthy and whole, including protecting our skin.

If you are new to the benefits of coconut oil, I highly recommend this resource for accurate information on the benefits of coconut oil.  If you like to purchase Coconut Cream Sugar Scrub, click here.

You have just been "Kissed by Nature"

Dominique

Coconut water and Excersise

If you have been following my Blog about the benefits of coconut,  you know that it is my all time favorite...What is it? A fruit? A nut? A seed?  I never took the time to actually think about it, nor did I really think of it as any one of the three.  My childhood experiences have allowed me to subconsciously experience all three definitions (later blog post).

In one of my earlier posts, I talked about coconut water vs. sports drinks. Researchers say that organic raw coconut water contains living enzymes,which aid digestion and metabolism.  Italso contains complex B-vitamins and amino acids. Its high hydration abilitycomes from calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium. What are other benefitsto drinking coconut water? Well, thanks to its high electrolyte contents, itcontains a number of nutrients that are crucial for us — it’s very high inpotassium, which helps stabilize blood pressure and fluid balance within thebody, and can even prevent headaches and cramps.   Nothing beats pure H2O, but it is a well known fact that a person's body does lose certain nutrients during athletic activity.  I know that when I go to the gym, I always take with me some coconut water.  Stupidly Simple Vita Coco is my choice of "bottled coconut water".  I have mentioned this before, but Vita Coco is by far the best tasting packaged coconut water. 

What confirms it for me that coconut water actually replenishes the lost nutrients during exercise is that I am not "craving" for anything.  Usually with water (Disclaimer: Water is still the best drink for your body), I feel as if I "need" something.  But when I drink coconut water, I feel satisfied.

I start my work out hydrated with coconut water.  

So when my taste buds just can’t take another sip of tap water, I choose coconut water.  And when I wrap up my workout coconut water replaces the potassium and sodium I lose through sweat (as I think about sitting under the coconut tree at the family beach house at L'anse Mitan, Martinique FWI

Be prepared when going to the gym.  Before you consider a sports drink, consider coconut water.

You have just been "Kissed by Nature"

D.M

Coconut Oil and Caring for your SKIN as the SEASONS change

YOUR FALL SEASON SKIN CARE

I woke up this early August morning to a cool 69 degrees and an leaf stuck on my home office window.  Are the seasons changing already?  What are the trees shedding its leaves so early?  Is your skin prepared for this rapid change in seasons?

As dry, colder air arrives, skin may lose precious moisture. Autumn (Fall) also provides an opportunity to recover from the summer toll on the skin left by sun, chlorine and saltwater.  While you can purchase coconut oil from almost any company, Kiss me Nature prefers to use Tropical Traditions.  I first discovered Tropical Traditions when it became difficult to import coconut oil from my family's homeland of Martinique.

Allow your Skin to be "Kissed by Nature" during the Autumn Season.  Kiss Me Nature recommends the following:

Exfoliate and moisturize: Kiss Me Nature's Whipped Coconut Body Scrubs are the perfect solution to remove dead skin while moisturizing your skin. 

You can also choose from our Dead Sea Salt Scrub to detoxify, exfoliate and moisture your skin. It’s best to apply moisturizer directly after a bath or shower to help seal in and replenish the skin with the necessary water and oils. Kiss Me Nature offers the perfect body oil spray to apply before you step out of the shower. After you dry off, apply our Mango Body Butter for extra moisture.

Protect your lips. Continue to protect against the sun’s ultraviolet rays. But also start moisturizing now to prevent dry, cracked lips this winter. Try our Organic lip balms, unscented or choose your favorite flavor.

Switch from lotion to creams. As the air becomes drier, skin needs a thicker moisturizer. Kiss Me Nature Body Butters provide a stronger oily barrier to provide hydration.

Invest in hand cream. Hands often become dry and cracked during the winter. Start moisturizing hands now to ensure soft and healthy hands all winter long.

Shop our Etsy Shop now at Kiss Me Nature

A Beauty Tip using Coconut Oil-Coco-Lemon Facial Wash

Throughout this blog, I have been talking about my childhood as it related to the use of Coconut.  I have posted a DIY recipe for a creamy sugar scrub.  I was talking to someone and we were sharing our childhood experiences with out grandmothers.  I shared with her how my G-Mere would make me rub a half of a lemon on my face and the fruit acid would be so uncomfortable, irritating of sorts.  I would walk around the house with lemon pulp on my face. After a few (what seems to be hours) moments, she would tell me to go and wash it off, and then coconut oil on my face.  (Did my grand-mother not know that water and oil do not mix?) The she would hand me a hot wash cloth and tell me to put it on my face.  Now as an adult, I can appreciate the relaxing feeling of a hot towel on one's face, but as a pre-teen? Ummmm NO! So I sat on the edge of the tub, with my head back with this heat on my face. 

I will admit, my skin was acne free and "pretty" as adults would describe it.  Smooth chocolate skin, which sadly, in the 80’s was not appreciated.  As I grew up, I moved away from this regimen, but I never forgot it.  I would go back to it every once in a while, but sadly bought into commercial beauty "secrets".  Still, when all else failed, lemon and coconut oil were there waiting for me.

Now, as a "40" something, I am going back to those regiments, remembering all that my dear grand-mother taught me, albeit the commercial beauty industry has "infiltrated" Nature's own resources,  and a market for "natural" and "organic" products are becoming a marketing haven.

Still nothing beats the simple things you can find in your own refrigerator or your local market.

Sooooo....Here is a beauty tip I swear by given to me by my grand-mother.  

Coco-Lemon Face Wash System™.  

To cleanse and clear dark spots or blemishes, AND moisturize your skin, assemble the following:

½ of a Lemon

1-2tsp. of Coconut oil

Hot (Very warm) wash cloth

•    Rub the lemon on your face avoiding the eye area. You may also choose to squeeze the lemon in a small bowl and use a cotton ball to apply.

 (My Grand-Mother said the rind of the lemon “scrapes” the dirt off you face, a nice way of saying “exfoliating”…LOL)

•     Leave on for a few minutes. You will begin to feel a tingling sensation.

It’s ok. It’s the fruit acid doing its job.  If it is uncomfortable, wet your hands and pat your face or if you squeezed the juice, dilute the juice with a little water.

•    Prepare your hot towel/facecloth (or very warm)

  

• Rinse your face with lukewarm water, then apply the coconut oil directly onto wet skin.

  

•   Apply the heated facecloth for a minute or two, then gently wipe the excess oil off.

No need to apply additional moisturizer, but if you eel you need it, apply a little more coconut oil to your face.

Do this daily for acne and blemish control. Use also to keep your skin clear and soft.

  

Coconut Water vs. Sports Drink -Which one is it the real Body Hydrator?

In my last post Coconut Water-Is it the real Body Hydrator?, I shared my personal experience about coconut.  In fact, this whole blog has been my personal experience with the use of Coconut.  In Part II, I want to talk about the pros and cons from both a personal experience and from the perspective of the "experts".  When I am not able to get my hands on some good coconut water from raw coconut, I venture to find my favorite go-to Vita Coco.  By far it is the closest thing to a fresh coconut water I have tasted.  I have tried other brands, only to find that it has a "fermented" after taste, meaning that the water did NOT come from a young green coconut or it was exposed to air too long before they packaged it.  But you would have to have had a good coconut in the raw to know the difference.  

Organic and raw coconut water is the best bet, when available. Why? Organic raw coconut water contains living enzymes, which aid digestion and metabolism.  It also contains complex B-vitamins and amino acids. Its high hydration ability comes from calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium. What are other benefits to drinking coconut water? Well, thanks to its high electrolyte contents, it contains a number of nutrients that are crucial for us — it’s very high in potassium, which helps stabilize blood pressure and fluid balance within the body, and can even prevent headaches and cramps.  So with all of these benefits, why are people still turning to sports drinks for hydration? The first reason is cost.  It is cheaper to buy a 16oz. sports drink than it is to buy a 16oz. coconut water.  But is it really worth it? What articles fail to mention are the "other" additives such as food coloring and other preservatives.  The second reason is that experts claim that high sodium is need to replace the sodium lost during athletic training...But doesn't excess sodium lead to high blood pressure, which coconut water helps to regulate? And how is the lost of sodium measured between a child athlete and an adult athlete?  In an article, Coconut Water or Gatorade, it states in part that " Nutritional experts state that coconut water can be a good drink for hydration after normal exercising but warn that it may not be the best drink after vigorous and strenuous exercising due to the high loss of sodium in sweat. The replacement of sodium after water loss is much more important than potassium. Coconut water contains about 569 mg of potassium and 160 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which is formulated for athletes and contains around 52.5 mg of potassium and 192 mg of sodium. Plus coconut water contains very little protein and carbohydrates, which are essential for rapid recovery from dehydration.Coconut water costs on average about 62 cents an ounce whereas Gatorade costs on average at retail around 24 cents per ounce. So, the choice is yours, coconut water as an expensive re-hydrating drink or as an occasional refreshing drink that may be beneficial to your health."The choice is yours. As for me, Coconut water is my go to dink for hydration.  Thanks to my blog accountability partner Janelle, she eloquently reminds me that Gratitude=A Change in Attitude.  That said, I am grateful for my childhood experiences and life experiences that taught me what is means to be truly Kissed by NatureKisses,
D.M.