Everything seems to be going organic these days. From food to health care, everything is becoming more natural. One of the reasons behind the new way into organic and natural products is the fact that the general public has begun to see the effects of preservatives on the human body. Studies have been done that have shown the effects of additives as well as some of the processes by which the products are made can be devastating to the body. Many of us now realize that we are taking in unwanted toxins into our bodies. So the movement to have more natural products has been spreading like wild fire. Many people choose such products as organic milk, vegetables and grains. Others choose farm raised natural meat products as well. While everyone is paying much more attention to what you take into your bodies, many forget about what they use on their bodies. What about the soap you use or the hair care products? Are they also natural and organic?
Many people have the want to do something different but have recently found that it is costly to try to buy organic products. The reasoning behind this is because it is much harder to produce a marketable quantity of products that are organic. Because commercial fertilizers and pesticides can’t be used then it is harder to mass produce these items. Then once they are produced, it takes much more care and time to make them into the products that we may need. Be careful though, many companies advertise that their products are all natural when they are not. Recently a large company produced a line on natural organic hand lotions, so I decided to check it out. The price was actually pretty reasonable so I looked at the ingredients. While the herb that was used in the lotion may in fact have been organic, the other additives were not. There are many products on the market that say organic but only have a few ingredients so buyers beware on this note.
So with the high cost and buyer manipulation it can be somewhat intimidating to go with natural organic products. One way to make it a little easier and so you will know what you are getting is to make your own products from organic materials such as using herbs to make your own hair rinse or shampoo. For instance if you hair is dry or damaged from over processing then take one teaspoon of linden flowers to one cup boiling water. Steep until cool and strain. You can use this rinse after shampooing for 6 weeks to promote new healthy growth of your hair. This also aids in circulation to the scalp.
To darken hair you can use 1 teaspoon of birch leaves to a cup of boiling water. Steep till cool and strain. Do not use this on grey or blonde hair as it will darken the color. It has also been shown to retard hair loss in some individuals and will add shine and softness to the hair.
To help with oily hair you can use 1 teaspoon of sage to a cup of boiling water. Steep until cool and strain. You can use this mixture after shampooing for up to three weeks.
Maybe you would like something natural for sore muscles. Take one cup vinegar, one cup rain water and one ounce of rosemary leaves. First simmer the rain water and rosemary in a stainless steel or enamel pan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes and strain. Add the vinegar the let it cool. Put into a glass jar with a lid. Keep in a dark place. For sore muscles or swelling, dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply to the area. This mixture helps with stiffness, soreness and swelling. It can also be rubbed in small amounts on the skin as a softener.
You can use organic herbs to make your own healing teas to drink as well. Make 100% sure that when you are using the herbs to make teas out of that they are 100% organic and natural though. There are a great many books on the subject of herbs that are available right now. For years people have used natural methods to heal and found it very effective. Some of the old wisdom survived and were carried on as nothing more than tales but many believed in them and many more still do today.
I am making no claims of using these remedies as a cure. As with anything, you can misuse the herbs and it can cause more harm than good. So please make sure you know what you are doing before ingesting any herbal remedies into your body. Also this is in no way a substitution for medical care by a licensed doctor. Please speak to your physician before starting any new medical regiment, natural or otherwise.
