Natural Care for Skin and Hair

Natural Care for Skin and Hair

The beauty industry is quick to point out what’s new, innovative, and “guaranteed” to make us more gorgeous. But before there were modern-day emulsifiers, preservatives, thickeners, artificial colors, and fragrances, there were ancient practices used by indigenous people from all around the globe that utilized nature in its simplest form to enhance their beauty and self-care rituals. Passed from generation to generation, these practices have withstood the test of time, and involve simple, healthy ingredients that can be found in your kitchen cupboard or your garden.

Here are some of my favorite beauty rituals from around the world, and the best part is, they don’t break the bank and they’re free of chemicals.

Facial Treatments

Ayurveda is an ancient lifestyle medicine from India and its mantra is that “beauty comes from within.” These 5,000-year-old self-care practices are designed to support the healthy functioning of your body. When you honor yourself and your body in this way, it is said that vitality will illuminate through you like Lakshmi herself, the goddess of beauty.

Some common facial treatments in Ayurvedic medicine include the following:

Rosewater comes from rose petals that have been steeped in distilled water, and when used as a facial toner, it has strong anti-inflammatory and hydrating benefits. You can spray rosewater on your face throughout the day to keep it refreshed. The scent of rose also elevates the mind and spirit.

Neem oil can be used as a spot treatment for acne or discoloration. Use a cotton swab to apply it directly to pimples or spots of minor inflammation and leave it overnight.

Aloe Vera isn’t just for sunburns. It makes the skin smooth, supple, and toned. It can be applied topically, like a toner or serum, underneath a moisturizer.

Dry Brushing for Body Care

Dry Brushing is another Ayurvedic practice that uses a natural bristle dry brush on your body. The mechanical action of dry brushing is excellent for exfoliating dry winter skin. It also helps detoxify your skin by increasing blood circulation and promoting lymph drainage. It has the additional benefit of stimulating your nervous system, which has an invigorating effect.

Starting with your feet, brush in gentle, upward, circular motions toward the heart. Make your way to your legs, torso, and arms. Then rinse off in the shower. Dry off and do some self-massage with your favorite oil, such as olive, avocado, coconut, almond, or sesame oil. Do not use dry brushing directly on skin that’s broken, which includes cuts, scrapes, lesions, sores, eczema, psoriasis, or burned skin. Stop the practice if the skin becomes irritated or inflamed.

Hair Oiling

The history of hair oiling can be traced back to many parts of the world. Research on mummies shows that ancient Egyptians used plant and animal fats on their hair, and in ancient Greece, women relied on olive oil to condition their luscious locks.

The Berber women of Morocco have been using Argan oil in their beauty rituals for thousands of years by applying it to their hair, as well as their face, nails, and entire body. Not only does Argan oil have a wonderful scent, but it is also loaded with rich antioxidants, vitamin E, and fatty acids. It can help make the hair shine, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, treat scars, acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

Ayurvedic medicine has a ritual known as Murdha Taila, which translates to “anointing the scalp with oil.” Indian women take great pride in their crowning glory, and for thousands of years, they have kept their tresses lovely with nourishing scalp oils made from coconuts, herbs, flowers, and spices. Some common ingredients include tulsi (Indian holy basil), hibiscus flowers, curry leaves, and fenugreek seeds.

Hair oiling and scalp massage promote thick, lustrous, healthy hair. Beyond the hair-fortifying aspect of it, this calming and relaxing practice is very grounding due to the many nerve endings on your scalp. Massaging the scalp can improve circulation and slough off dead skin cells, which is said to help hair growth.

Apply coconut or sesame oil to the crown of your head, working downward and outward with your fingertips. Massage your scalp using a pinching motion, bringing the fingertips and thumbs together, then releasing. Move hands forward and back, then side to side, covering the entire head. After the massage, comb the oil through your hair and leave it on for 30 minutes as you relax. For deeper conditioning, cover with a shower cap and leave it overnight. Gently rinse with a sulfite-free shampoo and finish with your typical hair care routine.

Soak it Away

It is said that Cleopatra’s most sacred beauty ritual was taking a bath with dead sea salt, aromatic flowers, olive oil, and milk. Bath soaks have been soothing muscle aches, destressing the mind, softening the skin, and lightening the mood for millennia. I have adopted my own Cleopatra bath ritual and no bath is complete without olive, almond, sesame, lavender, ylang-ylang, or eucalyptus oils, as well as Epsom or Himalayan salts. I still haven’t been courageous enough to pour milk in the tub, as Cleopatra did, but maybe one day.

Natasha Kubis is a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher.
For more
information, visit acuwellhealth.com

Strawberry Shortcake with Coconut Cream

Strawberry Shortcake with Coconut Cream

Cake ingredients ~ Serves 8-10

1 1/2 cups Bobs all purpose gluten free flour (or other all purpose flour)

1 1/2 tsp psyllium husk, ground

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

3 large eggs

1 cup coconut sugar, or pure cane sugar

3/4 cup whole milk yogurt (or goat)

Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
(organic)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, a fruitier oil preferably

2 pints ripe organic strawberries, sliced, and sprinkled with 1 tsp each,.of sugar & fresh lemon, to macerate.

Coconut Cream Frosting

2 cans cold unsweetened coconut milk (see cooks note)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. maple syrup, or confectioners sugar

To remove the coconut from the can, carefully scoop out only the solid parts.

Place in a bowl with vanilla, maple syrup, or confectioners sugar, and whip on high speed until fluffy.

Place rack in center position and heat to 325 F.

Lightly oil a 9-10 inch springform pan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, psyllium husk, and salt.

With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Or until pale and thick.

Add yogurt and zest, beat to combine. With the mixer on medium speed, add oil in a quick steady stream. Reduce speed to low and gradually add in flour mixture just to combine. Whisk batter by hand to make sure everything is incorporated.

Pour batter into pan. Bake, rotating pan once, until cake is golden and the center springs back to the touch, and edges pull away from the pan (about 40-45 minutes). Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes on the rack. Release it  from the pan and let cool completely before icing.

After the cake has cooled, cut it into 2 round pieces. If you would like a taller cake, make two 9” cakes.  Spread cream on bottom cake. Place sliced strawberries on top of cream. Place the other round on top. Continue to spread coconut cream to cover the cake. Place strawberries around the cake in any pattern you like. Garnish with fresh thyme, mint or basil.

Cooks Note: If you don’t mind the extra dairy, you can make this with organic whipping cream. Follow the same recipe for coconut cream. Bobs Gluten-Free flour has a blend that includes Xanthan Gum. If using it, eliminate psyllium husk.

Buon Appetito

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit:
LaurieRichardone.com

How to Flourish in the Kitchen this Summer

How to Flourish in the Kitchen this Summer

When creating a dish, ask yourself what is my objective in the kitchen today? Is it to learn a new healthy recipe for my family? Is it thinking outside my routine of cooking? Or, is it to wow my guests for an upcoming gathering? When we know what we are aiming for, it’s easier to execute.

Some ingredients require a bit more care than others. So if your goal is to make a simple dish, think of fresh seasonal ingredients that don’t require a lot of time, and patience to prepare.

It’s pre-tomato season in June, but the first green beans, tender baby carrots, French radishes, and tiny new potatoes, set the stage for simple summer recipes. They fit quite nicely laid over gem lettuces, bunches of herbs, drizzled with a warm mint vinaigrette. 

For maximum flavor add the dressing over warm vegetables like green beans, new potatoes or steamed baby carrots.

No matter what combination you come up with, cooking with the summer’s bounty will paint a colorful table for the eye. Speaking of color, strawberries are in season, but not for long. If you want to experience a juicy sweet strawberry picked at its peak, head over to the market for a basket of organically grown strawberries. Add them to a savory salad to balance out the flavor profile.

Can you see where I’m going with this? Get that large Italian platter ready, and invite some friends over for a simple garden party… It’s a wonderful opportunity for a memorable gathering in the garden. We called it the backyard, in Brooklyn.

Don’t miss the chance to try the multitude of local seasonal ingredients that are spotlighted during the summer months at our farmers markets here in Asheville..

If you are a curious cook, and love to eat, join me on my new Radio Show, “A Taste for All  Seasons” where we explore the world of food, with the philosophy of eating with the seasons.

And… as always I will be sharing some Cooking Tips, Seasonal Shortcuts and Kitchen Essentials, that will make your life easier in the kitchen.

It airs on the last Saturday of every month at 11 am, on WPVM FM 103.7 in Asheville, NC.

If you miss it: Visit WPVMFM.ORG for all shows, as we cook our way through the seasons.

To your continued good health

Laurie Richardone

A Taste for All Seasons

LaurieRichardone.com

When Only The Best will do

When Only The Best will do

Biltmore Executive Support Team (B.E.S.T) is a dream come true for entrepreneurs, high-level executives, affluent individuals, as well as big and small businesses alike. More than just your average professional organizer, B.E.S.T is your proud partner in business management, bookkeeping, professional organization, and customized business support services. They help your business thrive in the most efficient way possible to “get you where you need to grow!”

Their team of professional organizers is specialized in office systems and design and they collaborate with their clients to create a highly functional and peaceful work environment. They are Asheville’s only professional organizers who are certified by the American Society of Professional Organizers AND specialize in accounting. B.E.S.T is certified in QuickBooks and payroll, and they offer professional bookkeeping through their sister
company Accounting Office Management, Inc.

Not only do they help you organize and declutter your physical environment, but they also help create functional paper management, organize emails and digital files, and maintain bookkeeping systems. They do every tedious and overwhelming task that you can think of such as organizing medical records, financial statements, and setting up bill payment schedules. Even CPAs love B.E.S.T because they streamline end-of-the-year tax preparation, saving time for accountants, and reducing hefty fees for clients. They also help executives who are relocating or downsizing by acting as compassionate coaches in the purging and decluttering process.

Linne Warner has always had a clear passion for business and a thirst for creativity, which makes her a hugely successful boss-babe and the multi-talented founder of B.E.S.T. Her story began on a ranch in Chino, CA where she was riding horses before she even learned to walk. This perhaps, is what helped spark her love of adventure in life and business, and her entrepreneurial spirit.

Linne began working at the Coca-Cola Company in her early twenties, where she first became acquainted with the corporate world. Armed with a more refined sense of business, she left the company at age 22 (during the later stages of her first pregnancy) and started her first small business called, Linne’s of Palm Springs, in Santa Barbara, CA, where she produced and sold her own line of hand-painted clothing.

Linne diversified her education by completing her studies in multimedia arts and technology, which allowed her to have a focus on graphic design and marketing. Linne juggled a great deal while accomplishing her educational goals, raising two small children, having her own businesses, including maintaining the accounting and administrative needs of her family’s electrical contracting business, and eventually working full time as a marketing director for a national wholesale floral producer. Her 10-year experience as a director helped her analytical skills and creativity flourish. It also tapped into her adventurous spirit and allowed her to travel to Hong Kong and China several times a year.

The next door on her career path opened while traveling home from one of these business trips. A man sitting next to her on the flight observed her as she worked and was impressed by her keen focus and drive. He recruited her to work at Select Staffing, where she excelled as the Santa Barbara branch manager. She became educated on staff and client management, accounting, and was a devoted student of Steven Covey (author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

The next stop along her career path was working as the Vice President of Marketing for the Third Age Foundation. This non-profit organization was developed to help elders in the third stage of life to have longer, happier, and more fulfilled lives. Linne loves helping disadvantaged people find their direction by supporting their personal development. This is why B.E.S.T loves working with elderly executives that need help getting organized, especially if there is any cognitive decline or chronic illness.

Linne is also fierce when it comes to empowering her team members.
Because of her staffing experience, she has learned to look beyond the face value of the resume and encourages people to exceed all expectations. Her team is the foundation of her business and she loves to showcase their many talents. Her executive assistant, Olivia, is even certified in Feng Shui! Linne also does her best to support the local economy by using and recommending businesses here in town. Even her own office is outfitted in art and décor from local shops.

Linne says, “We don’t need to bring others down to succeed! There is enough to go around in this life. God gives us everything we need, including ALL the gifts and blessings that should be used to assist and elevate others whenever possible!”

Linne has two amazing children. Her daughter, Lindsay Rae, is a successful hair and makeup artist, who has worked in Beverly Hills for the past 12 years. Her son, Lucas, will be taking over the family electrical contracting business in C.A. She gets to see her children often because B.E.S.T also caters to clients in the Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara areas.

Linne married the love of her life, Chris Warner, in 2011. The two are wildly adventurous and madly in love. “He supports me 120% in every crazy idea I have or adventure I suggest. I am so grateful that he has been blessed with some sort of divine resilience, and an extraordinary amount of patience, to put up with my never-ending flow of wild ideas!” The two love to explore together, which is how they ended up in Asheville. They sold all of their belongings and hopped into their RV for a 10-month long road trip from C.A. to N.C. They purchased 17.5 acres of land in Candler, N.C., and built their dream home where they’ve had a horse, a pig, goats, chickens, two tortoises, two dogs, and a cat!

In Linne’s spare time, she loves to ride her horse and is an annual pass equestrian member at the Biltmore Estate and Asheville’s Adult Riding Club. Linne says her source for everything is her faith in God. She is an ordained minister, an Officer of the Court of the Catholic Daughters of America, and a child and hospitality minister for St. Joan
of Arc Church in Candler.

B.E.S.T

Biltmore Executive Support Team

asheville-oms.com/best

828-785-2695

79 Woodfin Place, Suite 205A
Asheville, NC 28801

Special thanks to Jim & Barbara Whitmer, Owners of Encore Stables, for graciously granting us access to their farm, encorestablesinc.com

How To Avoid Common Interior Design Mistakes In Your Home

How To Avoid Common Interior Design Mistakes In Your Home

By Julie Rorie

Between selecting furniture, experimenting with paint samples or hanging art, there are hundreds of small decisions that go into styling the perfect space.  Even the slightest error in judgement can have a detrimental effect on a room. Use these insider tips to prevent a design faux pas in your home.

Buy Furniture that Varies in Height

Scale and proportion are the holy grail of design. If all of your furniture is the same size, your  room will feel uninviting, and uninteresting.

Think of your room as a cityscape and fill it with a combination of heights, widths, and depths. Rooms need a stimulating mix of scale and shapes to make them feel right.

Choose the Right Rug

Rugs can completely transform a room and create a focal point of interest, but it can be hard to judge the correct size for your home. A rug should ground the space and encompass all seating around it. An appropriately sized rug tells everyone “this is the conversation area”.

Living rooms almost always need a rug that’s at least 8×10 ft. to 9×12 ft.

A 4×6 ft. rug is fine next to a bed, or in a kitchen/foyer, but will most likely not work in a living room.  Area rugs should ideally be big enough to fit at least the front legs
of all chairs/sofas on them.

Be Careful Not to Hang Art Too High

Finding the perfect piece of art for your home is only half the challenge. The mistake happens when art is hung too high or in an inappropriate spot.

Hang art so that the center is at eye-level. If the art is to hang above a piece of furniture, hang it so that the bottom of the frame hits 3-4 inches above it.

Layer your Lighting

Lighting decisions might seem like a practical part of the design process, but it’s an aspect people
often misjudge. Lighting is incredibly important to any space. When lighting is washed over you from above, it can be unflattering and harsh. The best spaces have a plethora of light sources to create various ambiances.

Have lights on dimmers and from multiple sources at different heights, such as floor lamps and table lamps.  Always choose soft white bulbs as harsh fluorescent or white lights make a space feel stark and uninviting. Warm lighting not only sets the mood, but also makes a room feel intimate and inviting.

Try Placing Furniture Off the Wall

People often fall into the simple styling trap of this linear arrangement which is not cozy or inviting and can discourage conversation. In the end, it doesn’t save or create more space.

Try conversational furniture placement, which focuses on grouping accents. Pull pieces toward one another and off the walls to create more intimate, useful seating. If you’re unsure, play with different groupings. The most common layout is facing a sofa opposite two arm chairs with  a coffee table in the middle.

Julie Rorie
Interior Decorator, Closet Organizer

Facebook – Simply Posh Asheville

Instagram@simplyposhasheville

Email:
[email protected]

Asparagus & Sorrel Soup

Asparagus & Sorrel Soup

Serves 4

2 Bunches Asparagus

1 large bunch of sorrel

1/2 cup goat yogurt, or other

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp. brown butter

1 tbsp. sea salt, to salt water
for asparagus

fresh herbs, like dill, or parsley, for garnish, optional

Trim asparagus spears, leaving the tips and about 2 inches.

In a shallow large pan filled with water, and sea salt, bring to a gentle boil.  Place asparagus in the water, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Have an ice water bath ready, to submerge the asparagus in after cooking. This step will keep the color vibrant.

Keep out a few asparagus spears to garnish the soup. Lay in the center of the bowl.

Keep the salted water you cooked asparagus aside.  Some of the water will go into the blender with other ingredients to make the soup.

Take the vein out of sorrel leaves, and set aside.  The leaves will be kept raw, to blend with blanched asparagus.

In a small pan on medium heat, brown the butter until a golden color.

Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Add 1 cup of asparagus water to start.
Blend until combined and the consistency you like. Taste for seasoning.

Serve in shallow white bowls. Sprinkle with herbs if using.

Cooks note: If sorrel isn’t available use watercress or arugula leaves. Keep raw.

Buon Appetito

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit:
LaurieRichardone.com

UA-146562848-1