This is the “Tip of the Day” on Throw Out Fifty Things and it just happened to be hair related.

“I bet you have at least five different shampoos and conditioners, but I also bet  there are probably one or two that you use every time you wash your hair. Toss the one’s you don’t use, even if they’re half full. You don’t need them. And to get rid of clutter, why not invest in a nice shower caddy with slots for all your necessities and hooks to hang washcloths and loofahs?”

source: Throw Out Fifty Things

I have a shower caddy. It makes every thing neater. I just got rid of a bunch of hair and makeup stuff via a Twitter Yard Sale. It was fun and I might be doing that again soon.

The book a week habit could get a little expensive, but I want to encourage you visit your local library as a first option. I lived in the library when I lived in Miami Beach. I would get a million hair, blogging and marketing books twice a month. I was crazy lucky because the beach was right across the street and I just sun bathed for hours with a dope book.

I had no idea about audiobooks yet, I thought audiobooks were only on cassette and who has a cassette player anymore? I actually got into mp3 audiobooks from two very successful people with lots of money and they both got their audiobooks from public libraries. Now, the library may not have every book you want, but it’s definitely going to be more cost effective to look there first. You may not have to ever set foot in a library, I know I don’t. I simply download my audiobooks right from my public library’s website. Some libraries will mail the books to your home. Look into it.

Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke is the name of the book I starting reading last week. Gail Blanke has been on Oprah and was the only guest. Oprah let her run the show and you really have to be on top of your game for that to happen.

I’m actually only 2/3 of the way through the book and actually I’m not reading it, I’m listening to the audiobook. When I first started this blog, I was literally reading a book a week, life got busy and I slacked off a bit, but now I’m back on it. I’m reading one book or listening to at least one audiobook per week. Books have literally changed my life: gotten me out of bad situations, helped me clear my credit card debt and helped me decide to pursue my dreams as a market editor and entrepreneur. My goal here is to inspire you and one of those things will be sharing life changing books.

If you’ve ever done a purging of your possessions, then you know how liberating it is. I was so excited to put the book on pause and now I have filled two boxes full of clutter and one garbage bag  full of stuff that I need to get rid of. The book mentions “periodic purging” and I do that a lot, but I keep finding more and more stuff to get rid of when I thought I was done.

I find that in life, letting go is one of the hardest things to do. I haven’t literally thrown anything away yet because the garbage isn’t picked up until Tuesday, but I have mentally let it all go. One thing that is hard for me to let go of is this $4000 Mac laptop I purchased in 2007. One day I spilled hot chocolate on it, got it repaired for $500 and it died a few days letter. I’ve had this broken thing for five years and I know it’s unrepairable because I’ve taken it to Mac and two Mac specialists. I can’t seem to let it go, but it’s in the box and I’ve mentally thrown it away.

The book says if anything “weighs you down, clogs you up, or just plain makes you feel bad about yourself, throw it out, give it away, sell it, let it go, move on.” If anything is just sitting there, taking up space and not contributing anything positive to your life, throw it out.

Blanke is not only talking about things, but beliefs, convictions, memories, jobs, people. If “it” isn’t serving you or your life’s passion, throw it out.

What’s interesting is that if you have a box of magazines it only counts as one thing. A box full of jewelry only counts as one thing. Groupings of things only count as one thing. A toxic person, only counts as one thing. That means you’re really going to be doing some major purging.

She also talks about wardrobe purging: getting rid of clothes that don’t fit the image you want to project. That’s very powerful and life changing and if you’re not dressing the way you really want to dress, this will be a powerful leap to take in your life. It could change the way you carry yourself and also the way other people perceive you. You’ll probably appear more confident if you’re really “doing you”.

I want you to do this purge with me. There’s a two week deadline and Gail has a free workbook online that’s going to help you get rid of stuff. You can click here to download it.

If you decide to do this, I’d love to hear about your progress. We can get rid of 50 things in two weeks if we can let go of 3-4 things per day. E-mail me when you’re done with your purge or to give me and update and I’ll remember to keep you posted when I’m done. We can start the new year of with a fresh new energy.

Author: Cynthia Perkins

Sugar addiction is the most common addiction found in our society today.

Just like nicotine, alcohol, heroine and cocaine, sugar is an addictive and destructive drug and we are a nation that is addicted. It is estimated that Americans eat more than 150 pounds of sugar each year. Sadly, most people are unaware of their addiction, in denial, unaware of the serious consequences this addiction has on their health or simply unwilling to give up their beloved vice.

Sugar can be classified as an addictive drug for the following reasons:

1. It is eaten compulsively despite negative consequences.

2. It alters the neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin and dopamine, in the same manner as hard drugs.

3. Tolerance develops and more and more sugar is needed to experience the same results.

4. With continued use, sugar is needed to function normally.

5. When sugar consumption stops, withdrawal is experienced.

Because of the aforementioned facts, addiction to sugar can and often does lead to addiction to harder substances and anyone in recovery for addiction to alcohol or drugs will face continued relapse if they continue to eat sugar.

Sugar is a highly refined and addictive substance that is completely void of any nutritional value and has many devastating effects on the human body. It alters, disrupts or damages the nervous, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, immune, endocrine and metabolic systems and plays a role in many chronic health conditions, illnesses and syndromes like depression, anxiety, heart disease, hyperactivity, asthma, high blood pressure, acne, chronic headaches, mood swings, PMS, OCD, Candida overgrowth, binging, type 2 diabetes, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia, obesity, food sensitivity, attention deficit and even cancer to name only a few.

It also damages the kidneys, pancreas and liver, disrupts proper digestion and absorption of protein, impedes healthy colon functioning, leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies and many more.

As a matter of fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a health condition that isn’t liked to sugar in one way or another. Even major health organizations like the American Diabetes Association believe that consumption of sugar is one of the three major causes of degenerative disease in America.

Next to environmental toxins, sugar is the most detrimental factor your health faces. Keeping sugar out of the diet is the single most powerful step you can take to not only improve your health, but protect your health in the future. If you eat sugar because you’re not informed, that is one thing; but if you continue to eat sugar after you’re aware of the numerous negative effects it has on your health, then that is simply irresponsible and destructive behavior, which you should not give yourself permission to engage in.

In many areas of life we don’t have a lot of control, but what we eat is something we have complete control over, and the choices we make in food has a profound impact on our mental and physical health. Taking sugar out of the diet is something we can all do that is affordable and requires no visit to the doctor’s office or extra expenses in lab tests or remedies.

Sugar that should be removed from the diet comes in many different forms and names which include, white sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, and even organic sugar, organic cane syrup, date sugar and maple sugar. As well as high fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose and lactose.

Other sugars that are considered healthier like molasses, maple syrup, honey, barley malt, agave, rice syrup etc. should all be extremely minimized as well, as they too will lead to the same health issues if eaten in excess.

The good news is that although sugar addiction is often as severe as hard drugs and alcohol, it can be successfully overcome with a commitment to changes in the diet and lifestyle and nutritional supplementation.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-sugar-addiction-affecting-your-health-1837421.html


About the AuthorCynthia Perkins, M.Ed., is a sobriety coach, holistic health counselor and a recovered addict of many substances with 21 years of uninterrupted sobriety. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling. Learn how to overcome your addiction to sugar by visiting her at http://www.holistichelp.net/sugar-addiction.html

Author: Cynthia Perkins

Sugar addiction is the most common addiction found in our society today.

Just like nicotine, alcohol, heroine and cocaine, sugar is an addictive and destructive drug and we are a nation that is addicted. It is estimated that Americans eat more than 150 pounds of sugar each year. Sadly, most people are unaware of their addiction, in denial, unaware of the serious consequences this addiction has on their health or simply unwilling to give up their beloved vice.

Sugar can be classified as an addictive drug for the following reasons:

1. It is eaten compulsively despite negative consequences.

2. It alters the neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin and dopamine, in the same manner as hard drugs.

3. Tolerance develops and more and more sugar is needed to experience the same results.

4. With continued use, sugar is needed to function normally.

5. When sugar consumption stops, withdrawal is experienced.

Because of the aforementioned facts, addiction to sugar can and often does lead to addiction to harder substances and anyone in recovery for addiction to alcohol or drugs will face continued relapse if they continue to eat sugar.

Sugar is a highly refined and addictive substance that is completely void of any nutritional value and has many devastating effects on the human body. It alters, disrupts or damages the nervous, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, immune, endocrine and metabolic systems and plays a role in many chronic health conditions, illnesses and syndromes like depression, anxiety, heart disease, hyperactivity, asthma, high blood pressure, acne, chronic headaches, mood swings, PMS, OCD, Candida overgrowth, binging, type 2 diabetes, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia, obesity, food sensitivity, attention deficit and even cancer to name only a few.

It also damages the kidneys, pancreas and liver, disrupts proper digestion and absorption of protein, impedes healthy colon functioning, leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies and many more.

As a matter of fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a health condition that isn’t liked to sugar in one way or another. Even major health organizations like the American Diabetes Association believe that consumption of sugar is one of the three major causes of degenerative disease in America.

Next to environmental toxins, sugar is the most detrimental factor your health faces. Keeping sugar out of the diet is the single most powerful step you can take to not only improve your health, but protect your health in the future. If you eat sugar because you’re not informed, that is one thing; but if you continue to eat sugar after you’re aware of the numerous negative effects it has on your health, then that is simply irresponsible and destructive behavior, which you should not give yourself permission to engage in.

In many areas of life we don’t have a lot of control, but what we eat is something we have complete control over, and the choices we make in food has a profound impact on our mental and physical health. Taking sugar out of the diet is something we can all do that is affordable and requires no visit to the doctor’s office or extra expenses in lab tests or remedies.

Sugar that should be removed from the diet comes in many different forms and names which include, white sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, and even organic sugar, organic cane syrup, date sugar and maple sugar. As well as high fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose and lactose.

Other sugars that are considered healthier like molasses, maple syrup, honey, barley malt, agave, rice syrup etc. should all be extremely minimized as well, as they too will lead to the same health issues if eaten in excess.

The good news is that although sugar addiction is often as severe as hard drugs and alcohol, it can be successfully overcome with a commitment to changes in the diet and lifestyle and nutritional supplementation.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-sugar-addiction-affecting-your-health-1837421.html


About the AuthorCynthia Perkins, M.Ed., is a sobriety coach, holistic health counselor and a recovered addict of many substances with 21 years of uninterrupted sobriety. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling. Learn how to overcome your addiction to sugar by visiting her at http://www.holistichelp.net/sugar-addiction.html

Skin Deep: cosmeticdatabase.com is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why? Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety.

You might be very surprised to see that some of your favorite products have high hazard scores. I saw that many of the products are targeted towards women and children have ingredients that cause developmental/reproductive, toxicity score neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity,and even CANCER. Pretty F-ing scary huh?

Here are some links to the most hazardous cosmetics on the market today. I strongly suggest you search the database for products you may be using that may be causing you harm.

HAIR COLOR
RELAXERS
SHAMPOO

The scores go from 0-2 Low Hazard, to 3-6 Moderate Hazard, and 7-10 High Hazard. You might be shocked to see that some products you use aren’t as safe as you thought.

WHAT TO DO WHAT TO DO?

If a product you’re using has a high hazard score, I suggest removing it from your home and lives ASAP. If your product has a moderate hazard I suggest looking for a safer alternative. I’m still on that journey trying to find the safest most effective hair care products. I’m not the authority on what’s safe and what’s not. Readers ask me all the time, “What do you think about XYZ” and my answer to that is my opinion shouldn’t matter, it’s your hair, your body, your health. The database has been helpful to me in making more educated cosmetic purchases and I thought it only right to pass that information onto you. There are people that would put ANYTHING on their heads and then there are people that are 100% organic vegans that are super strict about their hair care purchases. Organic cosmetics ‘ain’t for everybody’, you have to decide for yourself what you will and will not accept in cosmetic products you use and purchase.

Skin Deep: cosmeticdatabase.com is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why? Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety.

You might be very surprised to see that some of your favorite products have high hazard scores. I saw that many of the products are targeted towards women and children have ingredients that cause developmental/reproductive, toxicity score neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, organ system toxicity,and even CANCER. Pretty F-ing scary huh?

Here are some links to the most hazardous cosmetics on the market today. I strongly suggest you search the database for products you may be using that may be causing you harm.

HAIR COLOR
RELAXERS
SHAMPOO

The scores go from 0-2 Low Hazard, to 3-6 Moderate Hazard, and 7-10 High Hazard. You might be shocked to see that some products you use aren’t as safe as you thought.

WHAT TO DO WHAT TO DO?

If a product you’re using has a high hazard score, I suggest removing it from your home and lives ASAP. If your product has a moderate hazard I suggest looking for a safer alternative. I’m still on that journey trying to find the safest most effective hair care products. I’m not the authority on what’s safe and what’s not. Readers ask me all the time, “What do you think about XYZ” and my answer to that is my opinion shouldn’t matter, it’s your hair, your body, your health. The database has been helpful to me in making more educated cosmetic purchases and I thought it only right to pass that information onto you. There are people that would put ANYTHING on their heads and then there are people that are 100% organic vegans that are super strict about their hair care purchases. Organic cosmetics ‘ain’t for everybody’, you have to decide for yourself what you will and will not accept in cosmetic products you use and purchase.

By: Carol Belanger

I was surfing the net and came across an article about expiration dates on cosmetics such as mascara, eye shadow, etc., and skin care products. The article automatically prompted me to look at my skin care products and cosmetics. My eye shadow I could not see an expiration date or my blush or mascara, but it could have been on the packaging. I also checked my night time moisturizers and neither of those had an expiration date but it could have been on packaging too. My daytime moisturizer by Olay however had an expiration date.

Did you know that in the United States, there are no regulations or guidelines from the FDA about the expiration date for skin-care or makeup products? The only exceptions to this are for over-the-counter drugs sold as skin-care products, such as sunscreens and anti-acne medicines, but even those can have inconsistencies.

Typically expiration dates are generally a rule of thumb on the products safety after its expiration date. However this can be ambiguous too, because cosmetics that have been improperly stored – for example, exposed to high temperatures or sunlight, or opened and examined by consumers prior to final sale – may deteriorate substantially before the expiration date. On the other hand, products stored under ideal conditions may be acceptable long after the expiration date has been reached.

Other cosmetics that might have a short shelf life are “all natural” products that may contain a preponderance of plant-derived substances conducive to all kinds of unhealthy microbial growth. It is also important for consumers to consider the increased risk of contamination in some “natural” products that contain nontraditional preservatives or no preservatives at all.

Additionally, sharing mascara and other cosmetics puts your products at risk for contamination thus reducing its shelf life. It is well advised to not borrow or share your cosmetics. Another point is to just use common sense: any changes in texture or color are a sure sign it’s time to replace a product, and if you can’t remember when you bought a product (or the last time you used it), it’s probably a good idea to throw it out!

Below are basic shelf life guidelines for your cosmetics and skin care product:
Liquid foundation, 6 months to 1 year
Mascara, 3 to 4 months
Lip gloss and lipstick, 1 to 2 years
Eye/lip pencils, at least 1 year and up to 3
Facial cleansers and moisturizers, 6 months to 1 year
Anti-aging and acne treatments, 3 months to 1 year
Body lotion, 2 to 3 years
Hair styling products, 3+ years

So after researching the shelf life of cosmetics I have concluded that it all comes down to plain old common sense!

For wonderful homemade skin care recipes, including body scrubs, toners, facial peels, clay masks, etc., visit Complete Skin Care Therapy

About the Author
Carol Belanger, author of 300+ Skin Care Recipes

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Skin Care Products And Shelf Life

I’m learning more and more about water. What I learned SHOCKED ME! Antibiotics, sex hormones and other prescription drugs contaminate drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, according to a 5-month investigation by the Associated Press. How did the drugs get there? When people take pills, their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it is flushed down the toilet. Water treatment plants aren’t designed to remove pharmaceutical residues, so they stay in the water. That’s not a good look. CLICK HERE TO READ THE EWG’s FINDINGS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF.

Here are the poll results from yesterday’s poll. There really was no overwhelming majority here. I am curious to know why many of you voted the way you did.

Why is natural hair NOT easier? Why is it MUCH easier?

Here are a few of my thoughts.

EASIER BECAUSE…

• You don’t have to worry about rain or getting your hair wet
• You don’t have to worry about getting touchups
• You don’t have to worry about chemical damage or overprocessing associated with relaxers
• You can literally just wash and go
• Easier to workout and swim because you can wet your hair everyday
• You can have a much less complicated regimen