Fabulous Vegan Recipes

Today I went on Amazon to place an order for various things and one was sunscreen. I actually ended up buying Homemade Betty's sunscreen (see above) because I'm used to it and I know it works but I plan on buying additional sport sunscreen later in the season. When I buy personal care products, if I don't make it myself, I always do research. There is no point in eating healthy and then putting crap on your skin. I figured I'd type out my research to make it easier for you to navigate the many sunscreen brands!

I've been in love with coconut oil for this entire winter season because it's the only thing that hydrates my skin.  I have super dry skin and by the end of the day, my face feels so tight and aggravated. Today I heated some coconut oil a little bit and put it on my face with amazing results; my face felt so smooth and silky. Along with a really dry face, my lips are chapped and peeling. Cue: this coffee scrub.

I first made my own deodorant about a year ago and I have used it ever since. It works and it's easy to make and inexpensive. Regular deodorant in stores contains aluminum, which may be linked to certain cancers. I'm trying to ditch as many chemicals as possible as far as what I eat and what I put on my body so brand name deodorants are not my jam lately. However, if only brand name deodorants work for you, that is fine, you need to do what works for you. This homemade deodorant recipe works for me, no matter what my activity level is or what the weather is like so try it for yourself!

I've been hitting the keys lately writing and blogging (I'm working on a fiction novel) and enjoying life in the big city. First off as you can see, I renamed my blog and I'm LOVING it! Fabulous Fit Food just didn't sit well with me, I found myself disliking it alot and the last couple weeks I have thought about what I want to rename this blog. I can't believe how many ideas I had and how many of my ideas were already taken by bloggers, Youtubers and health and wellness coaches. It got kind of frustrating so finally I just stopped thinking about it so much. I went home for my niece's 1st bday and just let go of the blog a little bit.

Five years ago I was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was a tiny, ridiculously minuscule black freckle on my thigh that only my dermatologist could have identified as being abnormal. Before it was discovered I put off going to the dermatologist and sometimes I think about what if I had not made that appointment. It came back from the lab as melanoma and I had to have it removed along with alot of the skin around it and much deeper than the freckle had grown. I had stitches and I couldn't workout or put a huge amount of force on my leg muscles so that the area could heal. It was a stage 0 melanoma meaning it hadn't penetrated deeper than my epidermis but it was still scary. I didn't need any medication or follow up after it removed but it was a wakeup call for me. I wasn't surprised about my diagnosis since I was always a sun worshipper and even frequented the tanning salon in my twenties. Seems like such a huge price to pay just because I wanted to be tan.

I just came back to the city after being home for a week visiting my family and friends in the burbs and I feel rejuvenated! I spent time with my little niece, drove around the burbs, hung out with my friends and enjoyed central air conditioning! The first thing I did when I got back to the city was hit the farmers market in Union Square to get a ton of veggies and fruit so I could start up my fully raw rest of the summer. I've always wanted to go fully raw for a few reasons: the health benefits, the weather and having a ton of in season fruit available to me, weight loss and to see how my body would feel eating completely raw, fresh foods. It's day 1 of being completely raw and I feel great.

My friend Shilpa is a do it yourself goddess. She makes most of her beauty and personal care products with natural ingredients found right in her kitchen cabinets. She knows so much about oils, face masks, application, she's amazing and the last time we hung out, I left her apartment feeling like I just left the spa. We did a cucumber face mask treatment then we did a deep moisturizing treatment and she taught me all about argon oil. She's amazing! So I had to share her natural deodorant recipe with you because I love it. I tweaked her recipe because I didn't have some of the ingredients but have no fear, you can get her full recipe here  

Along with the food we put into our bodies, we need to take special care in selecting the personal care items we use too.  If we're eating our greens yet putting toxic chemicals onto our skin or hair, we're still getting a good dose of cancer causing or hormone disrupting toxins.  Do your research before you buy these items, make sure they are paraben free, ammonia and acetone free, not tested on animals and as natural as possible.