I love the Style section of the Huffington Post, particularly the sites where they interview beautiful women on the streets regarding their beauty secrets. One particularly lovely Scandinavian girl admitted to using coconut oil as a conditioner. I was sold. At this time, I use a coconut conditioner in my hair once a week by melting a tablespoon of coconut oil (which comes solid), running it through my hair (mostly the ends) and washing it out after about half an hour. Yes, I wash it out. I never got a solid consensus as to whether or not to do this so I err on the side of washing the oil out of my already oily hair. (If anyone could weigh in on this issue, that'd be great :). At the moment, the Huffington Post has come out with a list of natural remedies for the fall and winter (which I love). There's nothing better than finding natural ways of making our bodies feel comfortable and warm in the cold. Some of the remedies listed in the post include:

Jojoba oil: for dry lips

Coconut oil mixed with granulated sugar

for rough feet and elbows

In terms of jojoba oil, I went to look for some at the Vitamin Shoppe (although I would assume Whole Foods or any other natural food store would carry it). It turned out to be more expensive than I thought at $13.99 where I was thinking $8.99 would be the norm. There were other oils next to it such as witch hazel, vitamin E oil and Argan oil. I went with the Argan oil which was roughly the same price. I came home and put it on my lips and after three hours, I noticed they were slightly dry (not as dry and they would have otherwise been). I plan to use this product and will report on how it progresses.

In terms of coconut oil mixed with granulated sugar, the post explained how one should mix the solid oil and sugar together in what I believe was a three to one measurement (with coconut oil being the greater one). Once you have scrubbed the area of need, as always, wash it off.

Paris

The first time I saw anyone resembling a model was in Paris. There was a woman in a yellow dress whose unbent leg was six feet tall and another woman with a scarf whose legs were equally tall and slender. In all this magazine-ish reality that surrounded me, my thoughts drifted not towards how I could look more like these women but towards the French diet which I supposed was the culprit for all this leggy-ness and beauty. As I got older, I learned the French diet is composed of a more forgiving mentality than our American one. French Women Don't Get Fat is a book that changed my life and it is with pleasure that I follow author Mireille Guiliano's site on this blog.

Intro.

We all have to eat. The only issue is how we do it and why. As women, we receive conflicting messages about how and what to eat. Ergo, this blog is aimed at observing trends in dieting, healthy eating and the images we receive as women regarding our bodies. In addition, I will be following other blogs whose recipes and reminisces remind us of the joy and art of eating.