La Belle Vie Holistic Living

Image courtesy of    anat_tikker /FreeDigitalPhotos.net Crisp mornings, clean air, colourful leaves...dry skin. Is the changing weather leaving you with uncomfortable, itchy, and flaky skin that's dampening your autumnal spirit? You're not alone. For many of us the beauty of fall is quickly sidelined by seasonal dryness. To get back your fall cheer - just in time for long walks in leaf-strewn parks and ravines - this gentle homemade Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub may be just what you need. This easy-to-make body scrub will turn any bathroom into a luxurious spa. The sea salt creates a mineral-rich exfoliator, the olive oil a deep moisturizer, and the cinnamon and nutmeg add the delicious pumpkin pie smell that screams fall. Slather it on in the shower or bath, gently massage in a circular motion, and then rinse it off while leaving the oils to soothe and soften your crocodile skin away. To make 1/4 cup oil 1/2 cup sea salt 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1/2 Tbsp nutmeg Stir all the ingredients tog...

Every year I get lofty ideas about all the great holiday gifts I'm going to make. And every year, about a week before the actual day, I give up on the dream and say "next year." This year, with the help of Organic Body Care Recipes: 150 Homemade Herbal Formulas (strangely, there are 175 recipes in the American version...) and Anarres Natural Health *, I whipped up most of my gifts in one afternoon. I made chocolate orange body butter, and vanilla and sweet orange bath salt, lip balm and body wash. They all smell delicious, feel great and are free of the chemicals found in most of the products out there. There are a lot of things that are unappealing about conventional bath and beauty products. With no real regulation of the industry, many cosmetic products are made with chemicals that have not been properly tested for human and environmental safety. In fact, many of these chemicals are linked to such health concerns as allergies, cancer and developmental and re...