Natural Ways to Get Rid Of Headlice

Head lice is a nasty thing to have to deal with. It happens to many people regardless of whether the head is clean or dirty and regardless of whether the child is from a wealthy home or a poor home. How do you get rid of them without dealing with carcinogenic chemicals? Here are some tips:

Natural Lice Removal

-Rinse the hair in vinegar. Vinegar can prevent the nits from hatching
-Cover the hair in mayonnaise, olive oil or Vaseline to prevent the bugs from traveling and then use a lice comb to get all the nits out. Flush them.
-Heat styling with a flat iron can kill them. Get as close to the scalp as you can without burning the skin as this is where they nits live
-Buy a lice brush. There are combs / brushes on the market that detect and kill nits and their eggs.

Removing Lice and Nits from the House

Do remember to launder everything in hot and consider bagging all children's stuffed animals for two weeks. Do a check again in 7-10 days in case any missed nits have had a chance to hatch. It's safe to assume that if one family member has it, the entire family should be treated for lice.

Mosquitoes: Keep Them Away Naturally

Fighting mosquitoes is a battle for many on an annual basis.Many of us hate using chemicals on our skin and when Deet products are printed with warnings about our kids, it's difficult to ignore. We don't want to put toxic products on our kids and on ourselves for that matter.

We also don't want West Nile Virus, Malaria or the awful swelling/itching/misery that goes along with being a lunch buffet for neighbourhood mosquitoes. Here are some natural tips:

-Plants. Plant things like basil, citronella, marigolds, catnip, garlic and tansies throughout your property. Your herb and your flower gardens can naturally repel mosquitoes

-Standing water. This is a no brainer. Get rid of it!

-Listerine. This one is under debate but many sources say spraying bugs and your patio with Listerine Mouthwash will kill mosquitoes and spraying around your property will repel them. There are sources saying this is an urban myth so be cautious

-oil of eucalyptus. (I tried this on the weekend at the drive in and it did work! I watched bugs hover near us and then leave. We used Off! Botanicals that contained Lemon Eucalyptus. It only worked for just over an hour though and we all had to re-apply.)

- Food. By eating certain foods you can make yourself less appetizing to mosquitoes. These foods include bananas, garlic and food or supplements high in b vitamins.

The Scoop On Coconut Kefir

I’ve been on the search for information about Coconut Kefir for a while. I’m almost ready to try making a batch. I first kept coming up empty by searching for coconut kiefer but I suppose that refers to Kiefer Sutherland. Coconut Kefir references come up regularly in my search for healthy probiotic information and I’ve found some resources for making it yourself. I’ve been learning more and more about the benefits of coconut. Coconut oil is something I’m trying to incorporate into our regular diets and I’ve been doing a lot of candida research for a client and so have become fascinated with the positive and negative bacteria living in our bodies. I also know that today’s diet wreaks havoc on the digestive system and especially the colon.


What can coconut kefir do for you?

Coconut water and a kefir starter can produce some great results. Coconut kefir can:
-Cleanse the liver and endocrine system
-enhance the positive flora in your digestive system which can be great for fighting candida
-intestinal toning (great if you have loss of bowel tone)
-help with digestion problems
-help with various areas of your appearance including shinier hair, clearerskin and stronger nails
-reduce sugar cravings so can be great while on a diet
-coconut water is very hydrating so is perfect for thirst quenching. In fact, fresh and sterile coconut water has even been used intravenously for dehydration.
-can ward off or cure a hangover

It’s best to make this with young coconut and and purchase a Kefir starter along with it. I'll be sure to post my findings after making this drink myself.

Tips For Dealing With A Toothache

How do you get rid of a toothache? There aren't many things worse than a nagging, painful toothache and you know you need to get to the dentist asap but what do you do in the meantime? Ibuprofen or acetaminophen is going to help take down the swelling but here are a few other things that can help you temporarily.

-Rinse with h202, hydrogen peroxide. You'll feel bubbling and it might sting a bit but can be really helpful in cleaning out the mouth, dislodging food and getting rid of painful aches in the teeth and jaw

-Eat yogurt. Something about yogurt seems to help with mouth bacterium. It is said to help with toothache and cold sores. Opt for the probiotic yogurt varieties if you can.

-Rinse with alcohol. It'll numb the pain and disinfect

-Orajel or Anbesol can numb and create almost instant relief.

-saltwater rinsing can have a similar impact to H202 and can relieve pain and is especially helpful when you have had mouth surgery.

-dab the sore spot with cloves, clove oil, vanilla extract or almond extract

Get to the dentist soon but these things can help dull or alleviate your toothache pain in the meantime.