I love natural cures and home remedies. Knowing that what I am putting in or on my body is natural, organic and chemical-free makes me feel so much better. Plus, natural, organic and DIY products are sooo ~trendy~ in 2017. These six home remedies are simple solutions I've learned over the years that I couldn't live without!
1. Olive oil for ear aches
Ear aches are super painful and waiting for the antibiotics to kick in can feel like a lifetime. Rather than waiting it out in writhing in pain, warm up a small amount of olive oil in the microwave (check it often to avoid making it too hot), dip a cotton ball in it (allowing the oil to soak through about 1/2 of the cotton) and place it in your ear, oil side in. Thankful to my Italian grandmother for this one!
2. Coconut oil for...everything
Coconut oil has been all the rage as of late and for good reason!! Coconut oil is an all-natural, chemical-free, sweet-smelling (possibly magical) tonic that can be used to replace a ton of the products we use every day. Coconut oil helps cure acne; works as a great moisturizer for hair, skin, nails and lips, can cure/prevent yeast infections, whiten teeth and cure cold sores among tons of other things!
3. Honey for a sore throat
Sore throat? Can't stop coughing? You don't need a teaspoon of sugar to help this medicine go down. Just swallow a teaspoon of honey for soothing relief! The honey coats your throat and tastes great too. If you can't stomach that, boil some hot water and squeeze some lemon in it with honey as well!
4. Lemon for clearer skin
Who doesn't want clearer skin without the crazy prices and all those harsh chemicals we can't even pronounce? Ditch the drugs and grab a half a lemon! This can be partially used, as long as it has some juice left. Rub the lemon on your face and leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing with water. Moisturize with coconut oil or a bit of honey if your skin feels dry and enjoy brighter, clearer skin!
5. Epsom Salt for sickness and soreness
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love taking baths. Adding the right things to a steamy tub makes baths a great way to de-stress, ease sore muscles and can even help with things such as asthma or migraines. Epsom salt is my number one go-to when it comes to baths. The benefits are endless. My favorite is the milk and honey scent, which is calming without being too overpowering.
6. Milk for burns
Growing up in Florida with fair skin, I have had my share of sunburns--the worst of which formed painful blisters on my face, leaving scars that took years to heal. I have become much smarter and more responsible about sun protection over the years, but even with 100 SPF and constant applications, those harsh rays still sometimes find ways to sneak through. Most of us have heard of the healing powers of aloe, but many people don't know that milk also helps to take the burning pain away!
Milk can also help in some other burning scenarios. From personal experience, I know how painful a bad reaction to products such as icy-hot can be! Please learn from my mistake and follow the directions, which clearly advise testing the product on a small section of skin, rather than trying out my just-go-for-it approach. But, after I stupidly ignored these directions, the only thing that seemed to help was milk! (I have later learned that olive oil will also help to remove the ointment that refuses to budge with simple soap and water!)
*Note: Whole milk works best for burns as the healing properties are due to the proteins and fats found in milk. Yogurt will also work!
Know of any great home remedies that I didn't mention? Leave them in the comments below!
