The natural movement has officially taken over.From natural hair to natural home remedies, mineral based make up to gluten and wheat free food there is just no stopping the natural revolution. The truth of the matter is that unfortunately it will cost you more to live a natural but healthy lifestyle .To confirm this just go to the supermarket and look at the price of wholemeal bread in comparison to your usual refined flour bread. Beauty and hair products are even more costly if you are determined to live a natural lifestyle.You might have to Kshs.1500 and above for just one product.
Most of us cannot afford such an expensive overhaul in our lives currently so what can you do with what you have? Here is how I and a few other people are choosing to live naturally without necessarily breaking the bank.
Sonia Achakara a natural hair enthusiast started her process by cutting her hair and letting it grow afresh. She started doing my hair in the year 2014. The first thing she does is assess the state of the hair before deciding what treatment to use. She looks at whether there is dandruff, the hair is brittle or thin and also looks at the volume of your hair. For dry hair she uses a hot oil treatment and two weeks later a mayonnaise and honey treatment. This helps stimulate the hair follicles and also moisturizes and hydrates the hair. According to Sonia, she stopped using most store bought products when she realized that they contain harmful chemicals such as dimecithone a silicon based polymer which is non biodegradable. Sulphates which can be found in most shampoos are just a few of the chemicals that promote build up on your head which prevent the hair and scalp from breathing. Since she started the regular natural treatments her hair has improved tremendously and is now thicker than before. On my end I noticed that my hair grew longer and would break less. The volume also returned to its former state before i relaxed it. This year I plan to lock my hair.
Lulu Mwadime a specialist in the field of natural living has some useful insights that could change your life. “I am fortunate to have skin that does not breakout. I do not use any products on my face but I do watch what I eat and drink a lot of water. For people who have challenges with their skin lots of water is a must. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, It really does make a difference. For my skin I use pure Shea Butter. For those people who have dry skin, fight fire with fire and use diluted lemon juice. It does dry out your skin but it will also stimulate your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. If you have oily skin use castor oil , which will make your skin produce less oil. When it comes to nails the best thing to do so as to ensure they remain healthy and strong is to avoid nail polish. If you have to use nail polish, ensure that the products are mineral based or just give your nails a break between manicures. Whenever you use nail polish remover wash your hands properly to wash off the acetone that is corrosive to your nails. Also always use a base coat before applying nail polish”.
Whenever you feel like your skin needs a scrub the best bet would be a combination of brown sugar(unrefined), oil such as olive oil or coconut oil and spices such as cinnamon, ginger or turmeric. For people who struggle with tough skin on their feet, after scrubbing your feet, use a mixture of coarse sea salt and petroleum jelly. This will scrape away the tough skin while moisturizing it. For your lips instead of buying lipbalm you can use nourishing oils such as coconut oil. The only thing is that it dries up quickly so you will need to add castor oil to seal in the moisture. You could also try shea or cocoa butter. While bathing bar soap is always better than liquid soap because it contain less harmful products. Cold water is also much better for your skin and scalp due to the fact that hot water tends to dehydrate your skin faster. If you can’t handle showering with cold water use lukewarm water instead.
According to Lulu the reason why you get dandruff on your hair is that you oil your hair with solid oil. This then creates a buildup due to the layer of solid oil and your scalp is not able to breathe. For natural hair the best thing would be to spray water on your scalp daily,for moisture.
Anne Kasuku, a marketer and jewellery designer uses food colour mixed with henna to colour her hair. It is inexpensive and depending on how crazy you want to look there are various colours to choose from. She treats her hair after every two weeks to avoid her hair from suffering breakage. Henna for a long time has traditionally been used for decorative purposes on the skin without causing harm to it. If you can get someone who is really skilled at application and coming up with beautiful patterns, get it done and your design can last for close to four weeks. It lasts much longer on the nails and you do not have to worry about chipped nails.
Edwina Mapenzi, a second year university student used to have break outs on her face. However when she increased her water intake to upto three litres a day she has noticed a great change. Her skin became clearer and now she rarely oils it unless she it is coconut oil. “Petroleum jelly did nothing for my face and my skin felt clogged. Nowadays I don’t put anything on my face but when I do, I use either olive oil or coconut oil. According to her coconut oil can also be used as a primer before applying makeup. Instead of spending money on makeup remover Style Caster has a quick solution to your problem. You can use avocado to remove stubborn eye makeup, coconut oil as a remover for concealer and foundation, milk as a cleanser, cucumber as a toner and a banana mask as a moisturizer.
Hilda Nyambura, a copywriter, did the following to give her body an overhaul. “I put lemon in everything my water, tea and at some point in my stew which is over the top but after four weeks my skin started to clear and I lost weight as well. I ate spinach three to four times a week mostly sautéed and after three months I noticed my skin tone was back. I read somewhere that turmeric cleanses your body and I think it helped together with everything else I was doing. I drank water like a fool, my skin broke out after three days after which it cleared and my body felt tighter. I also sleep for 6-7 hours after which I feel so refresh like my body healed throughout the night, she added.
Melissa Kiplagat,an actress, uses honey and sugar as a face and body scrub and tumeric, gram flour and plain yoghurt as a mask.In her blog Peaches with love she writes on ways of living healthy from skin care to healthy eating. She also makes a ‘medication’ to treat her brother’s eczema which he says works better than the steroid cream he was prescribed.
What is evident from these different accounts is that overall your lifestyle does play a huge part in your health. Lots of water, fruit and vegetables are essential to looking good without spending an arm and a leg on expensive and sometimes fake products. Getting adequate sleep is also important and your body will show if you deprive it of rest. Most of the products mentioned will cost you less than two thousand shillings even if you decided to buy them all at once. Take time to treat yourself inexpensively and gain maximum benefits while at it. Ultimately the more effort you put into cleaning up the inside the more it will show on the outside.