Current Top 5 Favorite Natural Moisturizers

I am obsessed with moisturizing; I can't tolerate the feeling of dry hands and lips. As a nurse, I wash my hands an innumerable amount of times in a day. I usually use whatever terrible and useless cream is lying around our unit, but at home I am sure to compensate. Our family has always tried to use simpler products, which not only are more effective, but a lot cheaper. Most of the products can be find at your local Indian or African store for a few bucks. 

1. Unrefined Shea Butter:

This is a long-time family favorite. I can honestly say it is the most moisturizing product out there for me. My skin does not respond to coconut oil or cacao butter in the same way. Yes, it is sticky and tacky. Yes, it is thick. But, you will not have dry skin for like 2 days. It is too heavy for my face, but we use this as a body butter and nothing can compete. Also, from experience, there is nothing that heals and fades scars faster. 

Since we use 100% unrefined solid Shea butter, other creams that only have a few percent of it do not impress me greatly. As an exception, I do really enjoy L'Occitane En Provence hand creams, especially as they smell lovely and are perfectly sized for traveling. I am also pretty easily sold by packaging and these are sold in tubes that remind me of oil paint. I am a painter so that probably is not cute to anyone else, but I love the industrial-chic combination. Most of their hand creams are 20% Shea or greater. I like this Provence-based brand in general, although I recognize that they are unreasonably expensive. 

2. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is another long-time favorite in our house. It melts a lot faster and is thinner. It moisturizes well, but not as well as Shea. We also use this as a body moisturizer, but what is great about coconut oil is the versatility. You can use it as a very effective makeup remover, you can use it on your face, you can use it as an amazing pre-shampoo conditioner, etc. In the winter, if your scalp and hair need a little hydration, massage coconut oil into your scalp and hair (and especially the ends) and put it in a bun. I would not recommend leaving it in all night--for some reason, my hair does not respond well to that, but a half hour every week makes a big difference. Do it on the day you have extra time to rinse it out.

I think pretty much everyone is on coconut oil, but if you somehow missed the boat, do try!

3. Macadamia Cream

I buy this when I go to Guatemala from an herb garden co-operative run by women and benefiting women and children. They make their products by hand using the herbs that they grow. These lovely ladies have a wide range of products, such as rose and aloe facial cream, rosemary/aloe shampoos, (LOVE this) countless teas, natural soaps and so much more. They utilize all of their herbs for natural treatment and support, externally and internally. These ladies are so knowledgeable about their products and about natural medicine. The medicinal uses are listed on all of their labels along with the ingredient list, which is usually less than 3 ingredients. I usually buy the rose cream for my face, but I decided to try the macadamia cream on my last visit, and it really suits my skin. The texture is light but moisturizing. It almost works as a primer under my makeup and it smells nice. I use this cream more for when I travel.

Macadamia cream has a high amount of fatty acids and acids that keep skin taut. I would think this cream is thin enough to be an option for mixing in essential oils. 

4. Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter smells amazing. This is the only brand I buy and it is also from Guatemala. It is sold at a chocolate-making museum/store. I buy/regularly use their cocoa butter chapstick too.

The texture at room temperature is the most hard from this list. If the room is cooler, you really have to sharply dig in to get the product. I find that it takes a bit to melt too. It is the most similar to Shea but not as rich. It is much less sticky and tacky. I use this mostly for my hands, arms, and sometimes my face. Again, I take this more when I travel due to the size. What I love about cacao butter is how it smells in combination with a rose-based perfume. The scent also reminds me of Guatemala and traveling, so I'm a bit biased.

5. The Ordinary 100% Plant-derived Squalane

This is the newest one on the list for me. I have been trying to get into a solid night-time skincare routine (cannot stick to anything). I am still trying out different products, but this one I still like. This feels like an oil, but it is an emollient. I use this after my toner and serum as a final moisturizer, mostly just at night. My skin looks a lot more hydrated in the morning. It comes with a dropper and I only need to use 2-3 drops.

Squalane absorbs slowly and acts like a seal on the skin, keeping the hydration in. It also helps with skin cell repair.

My kitten, Lumos, naturally thought this set-up was for her

What's your infallible moisturizer?

-Anila

Queen of the Sea: Cartagena

I entered the year of 2017 with a trip to a country of a continent I had never stepped foot in: Colombiaaa.

Colombia is a country that has always intrigued me. It is geologically and culturally diverse and is attached to a complex history. I have only tasted a glimpse of it through a short visit to the coastal, Caribbean-esque, colonial city of Cartagena. I hope to return to see more of this beautiful and varied country next year. Somehow, the more I see, the lengthier my travel bucket-list becomes. 

Upon arrival, Cartagena feels like a glittering, dusty, blue sea sauntering next to insistent, weathered colonial fortress walls, with a dusty highway forcing itself in between. With the first light, it feels like coffee and fresh bread on every morning corner, falling viney flowers from balcony windows with light-dappled peach, sun yellow, sky blue, havana pink walls.  In the afternoon, it feels like being stared at with enthusiastic smiles, coconut stands from machete-holding aged hands, and salons in the back room with manicures for $6. In the evening, it feels like climbing on fortress walls at sunset, walking on historic rooftops overlooking the sea, running through multiple distinct neighborhoods, flooding setting sunlight on hundreds of squinting faces, the sound of Spanish swept up by the wind. At night it feels like uncostly but lavish dinners in whimsical restaurants with intriguing diners from all over the world, clinking silverware, and warm wind. 

Cartagena feels like fallen grandeur retracing its footsteps back to its rich, romantic splendor. One of the most known love stories of endurance was set here, “Love in the Time of Cholera,” by Mr. García Márquez. Cartagena still enfolds its greatness and charm but in an adapting and withstanding manner. Barichara, Gutape, and Villa de Leyva are next on my Colombia list. If you get there before me, tell us all about it!

Balcony view. Beautiful but apparently it's normal for cars to honk their horns until 5 AM

The meals in Cartagena always surpassed our expectations and service was always spectacular

Dessert after. This beautiful restaurant was called Marea By Rausch. Definitely try it!

Can you imagine just living here?

I love this photo of my friend, Tasneem.

Fortress wall that encloses Cartagena

Coconuts everywhere & no machete work for me. Delicious!

Rosario Islands

Every street was art

Standing atop the fortress perimeter. On one side was the sea, the other was this view

My cousin, Tayyaba, always aptly playing the role of the explorer

Bought this cute Frida Kahlo canvas tote bag from a street artist

Cheapest breakfasts in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Getsemani

Until next trip, Colombia...

-Anila

Cold-Pressing Juice for the Soul (And also for the body)

I do not know why I have not yet written on here about juicing. Although, I have only regularly began juicing for less than a year, it has become a regular part of my life. I started off with a traditional centrifugal juicer and soon after moved up to a cold-pressed juicer. This is the same thing as a slow juicer or a masticating juicer. The difference is that instead of using intense speed to juice the fruits and vegetables, it slowly crushes it to extract all of the juice and nutrients--without producing heat. I have noticed that the juice is crisper and it yields a bit more juice. However, either types of juicers will benefit you greatly.

I have several recipes that I adore, but I will start with the first one that I fell in love with: Carrot, orange, ginger, lemon.

This combination has an insane amount of vitamin A, vitamin C and a huge anti-inflammatory kick for a healthy gut and joints. If you make a big jug at the beginning of each week you can drink a glass every other day to support your immune system. Drinking this for a week before traveling can give you that necessary boost that you need for germy planes, sleepless schedules, and new environments. Also, your skin will thank you. External skincare products can only do so much, beauty comes from the inside out. Vitamin C plays a role in tissue repair which helps with skin damage and acne scars. Vitamin A functions similarly and stimulates fibroblasts which cause new skin cell production and plumpness. Basically, your skin will improve greatly.

Not only is juicing so beneficial for your body, gathering nature's bounty together with such care and knowing and appreciating the power of each fruit and vegetable can be a therapeutic experience. And when you are too busy to appreciate it, there's always next week. My mother always says, for every ailment, there is a cure in nature.

Make sure they are organic:

15 carrots

6 oranges

1-2 inches of ginger (I actually never measure this, I am obsessed with ginger)

1-2 lemons (or however much you prefer)

Optional:
1 teaspoon of turmeric (super anti-inflammatory, as most brown kids grew up knowing)
1 teaspoon of Maca powder (hormone balance)
Blend in the gel of a small aloe leaf (soothes the gut, removes fat-soluble toxins)

One additional step I sometimes take is to pour the freshly made juice in a blender and blend it with a small carrot and another tiny piece of ginger. I like the texture that creates. Do not blend for long so as to not produce too much heat, allowing the nutrients to remain raw and intact.

This recipe will give you about 5 servings of juice. I usually put it in the fridge to get colder. Then...

Provecho!

-Anila