Want to give your hair some natural volume and lighten the color? Try one of these herbal hair volumizers or lighteners. They're completely all-natural and will get the job done. You can choose to do both, or just one. Either way, you can always come back to this article and try out the other recipe when you're ready. These products also can be gifted to people, assuming you know they'd appreciate a DIY hair care gift. Want to keep them for yourself? I don't blame you: These are perfect hair care essentials for the warmer months, but you can start making and experimenting with them now!

Considering its proximity to Mexico, it makes sense for California to have some of the best, most authentic Mexican food around. I can say that with confidence because I’ve actually eaten Mexican food in Mexico on numerous occasions, since I have family members from there. I’m a Northern California girl, but I must admit that some of the Mexican food in Southern California is better than what I’ve come across up north.

Green smoothies might remind you of swamp water, algae, or other green, soupy liquid, but in actuality, they’re delicious, nutritious, and a great way to start your day. Green smoothies aren’t a new concept–simply search #greensmoothie on Instagram and you’ll easily pull up more than 1.2 million posts. That said, green smoothies can turn out terrific, reminiscent of a virgin piña colada, or they can taste like the aforementioned swampy green soup. Here’s how to do it right:

The Classic Green Smoothie

Ingredients

Change, even when improvement, can be scary.  Humans thrive in love. It is the lack thereof that stimulates the motivation for behaviors that seem not in alignment with such grace. The most effective and graceful way to foster change in yourself and in others is to hold space for that person (yourself or a loved one). Holding space means providing a “shelter” to explore the changes, rather than forcing the person to change. 

Anything from an unbalanced diet to negative thought patterns can cause someone to feel ungrounded. If you are often stuck in your head or regularly eat a low-calorie diet, getting grounded should be a top priority.

In ancient practices, certain Ayurvedic medicines called bhasmas or paks could only be made on the fire of cow dung cakes. During this time, cows were left free to roam in forest meadows where they ate sweet grass, gave nutritious milk and their dung fertilized the forest further. While the same might not hold true today, cow dung – when composted – makes great slow-release manure for your garden and backyard.

The production of molasses was developed in India in approximately 500 B.C.E.  Arab invaders brought the product to Spain, and a century later it came to the West Indies with Christopher Columbus. The British began cultivating sugar cane in Barbados in 1646, and by the end of the century molasses was a commodity. It is not clear when blackstrap molasses was first used for human consumption. Organic, unsulfured blackstrap molasses is one of the most inexpensive, readily available superfoods, rich in vitamins and minerals.

It's the dead of winter, and we're in prime citrus season. The bounty of juice-filled vitamin C fruits couldn't come at a better time. When most of us are warding off colds and searching for an immunity boost, citrus is ripe for the picking.

Not long ago, I was digging through my cupboards looking for some protein to add to a meal. I came across a can of black-eyed peas and thought I was in luck—that is, until I saw the expiration date. Two years ago! Instinctively, I reached to put the can in the trash.

But wait. Isn’t canned food supposed to last forever?

Anxiety is real! I don’t know a person alive who hasn’t had to deal with it at some point in their life. The truth is, some of us don’t deal with it as well as others. I was young when I experienced my first panic attack brought on by high anxiety and I was slightly terrified. I didn’t understand what was going on or why I had no idea something similar to an emotion could cause such a physical effect. I’m not going to lie -- my first few experiences with panic attacks just triggered more of a panic attack and higher anxiety.