Sinus infection...ways to help

      Allergies make me want to rip off my face. I don't have sinus pressure but I have reoccurring sinus infections that leave my nose clogged and ears ringing every time I sneeze. I am a chain sneezer with a raw nose. Anyways, that is not why I'm writing. Here are some of the things I do to combat my sinus infections.
      1. I rinse my nose out with salt water. Plain old table salt in a bit of warm water or cold and you just
           slowly inhale it through your nose. I mean gently unless you want to drink some of it and have it
           burn all the way through. It may sting but it helps to disinfect. Do this a couple of times and make
           sure to rinse again with some water so you don't have salt deposits in your nose.

      2. Essential oil steam bowl. I just put a couple of drops of peppermint oil into a bowl of above room
           temperature water and put a towel over my head close my eyes and inhale. It clears my nose right
           up. It may burn you so don't put your face or eyes too close. I use peppermint to put here (shown on
           diagram where the pencil is point). Yes right there on the crease. Also find a product called
           eagle brand medicated oil and put it there clears you right up. 

       3. Neti pot there are a lot of information out on this so check it out to find more information. Basically,
           nasal pot with saline solution used to flush out the sinus cavity. This will work on congestion and aid
           with breathing.
   

      4. Teas! I drink all sorts of herbal mixtures. One I would suggest is Yerba Mate tea. Yerba Mate taste
          sweet and grassy. It helps me with my allergies then again I also drink ginger tea as well. Fresh
          ginger root is an all around immune booster and  acts as an anti-histamine while Yerba Mate fights
          inflammation. Both are good for combating allergies brought on my seasonal changes.

     5. If all else fails break out the drugs. I never want to resort to medications though when it gets
         unbearable one little 24 hour pill gives me allergy relief. I use loratadine. Works like a charm.

     6. Use a humidifier. I use a ultrasonic cool mist humidifier to keep my nose from becoming too dry.
         Good for raw nasal passages. With my sinus infection not only do I get congestion and runny nose but
         also nose bleeds from the dry patches. It is gross I know.

These are some of the things I do to relieve myself of sinus infections associated with allergies. Keep your sinus clean and the symptoms down with these remedies. Good luck!

Oh the problems with dandruff.....

I don't even want to show pictures lol. My dandruff is not bad but it is getting there. I wanted to know what was causing my scalp to flake like mad. Was it my shampoo? Was it the weather? Was it stress? Bacteria overgrowth? Maybe none or all those things. I did a little digging to find some remedies and here is what I found to be helpful for me in controlling this problem.

-Don't wash your hair everyday
          Why not? Your hair gets oilier because you keep washing your hair and so while your hair is feeling
          oilier your scalp is getting pretty dry. Try to use some deep oil treatments with coconut oil,
          macadamia oil, or castor oil. Some of these oils like coconut oil can maintain a healthy scalp by
          keeping certain bacterial overgrowth.

-Use a clarifying shampoo
         It pays to clarify your hair once in a while. All the hair products and conditioners sits on top of your
         scalp. This build up can be removed with a clarifying shampoo or a toner. You can make one easily
         with recipes online. Some involve vinegars, fruit juices, and essential oils. Test some out and find what
          is best for your hair.

-Don't scratch at your scalp until it is raw
         You have tons of bacteria on your hand and under your fingernails. Scratching and removing dandruff 
         can be grossly addicting but don't do it! You can scratch it raw and through these cuts it can cause 
         scalp inflammation.
 
-Use essential oil rinses
         I basically add a couple drops of the essential oil of my choice into my bath water and either soak my
         hair or rinse it with this water. I would shampoo like usual and rinse water with the added essential oils
         which leaves some oils on my hair for a nice smell and this will sanitize any badies that the shampoo 
         didn't get. Some essential oils that I use is a mixture of peppermint, lavender, bergamot, and lemon oils.
         Do this ever so often can keep dandruff at bay.
 
-Stop fretting with all the hair products and hair torture
          Worrying about your hair can make it worse and smothering your scalp in more products will not only
          be expensive but add to your scalp problems. You need to learn what really is wrong and not try 
          to mask the symptoms. Maybe it could be the lack of water, lack of nutrients, or simply a product
          is not working well with your hair. It is up to you to find out the root cause of your dandruff. Put down
          the hair spray and curling iron and enjoy your unchemicaled hair once in a while. 

If all else fails go seek a professional. If you don't have the cash just try some natural remedies and it can save you a whole lot of trouble! The more natural you can keep your hair the better and this goes for the products you use on your hair. Generally, spending huge amounts of money on shampoos doesn't guarantee magnificient hair. My best advice for beautiful is to all three aspects of the self: the mind, body, and spirit.