olive oil

Nature will always be the best place to get everything; it’s an abundant source of all that is good for us. Why don’t we recall that this also includes items that beautify? Instead of chancing it with ingredients that sound like they emanated from a mad science experiment, you can make your own cosmetics at home, with natural ingredients you already know and love. Here are some great options to get you started on your way to a truly healthy glow:

Sugar Scrub

Wilted slimy lettuce, moldy fruit, and discolored vegetables are easy indicators that your produce has gone bad. It doesn't take an expiration date to tell you it's past its prime. But what about olive oil? Has that bottle on the counter been properly stored or is it in the same boat as the moldy peach in the fruit bowl? Can you trust the sell by, use by, or expired by date? Light, air, and storage temperature can affect the shelf life despite the date printed. Instead of referring to the code on the bottle, rely on your senses.

Tomato season is officially in full bloom, and apart from making salsas, pasta sauces and BLTs, bruschetta is another great way to serve up this year’s bounty. This recipe is essentially like a Caprese salad on a crostini, which makes for a delicious afternoon snack or appetizer before any summer meal.

Palm oil is currently the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. It can be found in shampoos, cosmetics, foods, household cleaning items, health items, and many other kinds of products purchased today. Seems like an innocent oil, right? Well, I’m here to tell you the dark truth of palm oil, as well as give you three better alternatives you can use to replace it.

For most people, salad is pretty boring. Just a big bowl of greens that, while good for you, doesn’t provide the enriching taste you’re looking for. Sure, we try to jazz it up with a little dressing here and there, but store-bought salad dressings are often loaded with fat and extra ingredients that can wreak havoc on your immune system. Here are five healthy alternatives to typical store-bought dressings that can make your salad a little more scrumptious.

Essential oils and plant extracts have become increasingly popular in recent years, but health practitioners have been using essential oils for millennia. Health, beauty, aromatherapy, cleaning, and cleansing are some of their uses. Essential oils also have mental, physical, and spiritual benefits as well.

The average shelf life for essential oils is around 3 years, but some may last longer.