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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GCSU chapter.

Show of hands, how many of you get sick, have acne, or pain? That should be everyone. Now how many of you wish you didn’t have to go out and buy something extra to get rid of whatever is ailing you? 

 

The answer to your problem is solved and some of you might not even know it. In today’s society of medical and beauty advancements it’s easy to forget that they weren’t always around. How on earth were colds and acne taken care of before the solutions were sold in pretty bottles? Natural solutions of course. Remedies made from what Mother Nature has already gifted us with before anyone started using chemicals. Before you go out and buy that Mucinex or pick up that Clean & Clear bottle try somethings that are chemical free. Your body might just thank you for some time without the chemicals. Whether their labeled as harm-free or not, chemicals are chemicals and we shouldn’t be so quick to run to them when there are things sitting in our kitchen that can solve our issues.

 

Some home remedies are obvious, things we already use without thinking. Things like hot tea or warm lemon water. When your throat is sore or you have a case of the sniffles the first thing you should think about, after rest, is tea. A natural green leaf tea or other with a dash of honey and lemon. Or simply warm lemonade made with honey and not sugar. Though it seems like a no brainer, tea or warm lemon water can help to loosen the congestion in your chest and nasal cavity. It also helps to prevent dehydration. So, think about that the next time you start to sound funny. Do you have a case of nausea? Sniffing natural peppermint or lemon can help fight back the feeling to vomit. These remedies can be helpful especially to someone in pregnancy, chemotherapy, or just coming out of surgery. 

 

For that acne that can be embarrassing, you don’t need to go out and buy the next thing you see promoting clear skin. There are plenty of natural ways to the clear out those bumps. Apple cider vinegar isn’t the end all, be all but it has some amazing qualities that can help you feel like a better you. Taking a shot of apple cider vinegar can help lower blood sugar levels and be an aid with diabetes. Taking a shot of vinegar can also help you eat less by increasing satiety. You won’t be eating as much if you already feel satisfied. There are quite a few other things apple cider vinegar can help you with but onto the acne. Take a mixture of one-part vinegar and three-part water, use soft cotton balls to massage this onto your face. After 5-10 minutes feel free to rinse it off and wash as usual. Because apple cider vinegar is an acid, no matter how weak, it’s important to make sure you dilute it with water. Not doing so can cause irritation and burning on your skin.

 

My own remedy for acne is quite simple itself. All you need is natural olive oil, some sugar, and honey. Mix the three together in a bowl of any kind you want. It should be one-part honey, two parts sugar, and two parts oil. The measurement of this mixture itself isn’t that important either. Mix and stir at your leisure. It works best, for me anyway, if you wash your face as usual first then apply the sugar scrub onto your face. Be careful of your eyes and scrub your skin in smooth circles. Continue scrubbing for at least a minute or more if you want then, rinse off with warm water. Pat your cheeks dry and there you have it. This process leaves your skin feeling refreshed and moisturized. It’s important to note that this is a face scrub, so if your skin is rather sensitive this one may not be the one for you. 

 

What if my skin is just dry? Well I’m glad you asked, I have the perfect remedy for you. Natural raw shea butter. She butter is my all-time favorite home remedy, I use it, as does my mom and sister. Shea butter is the most magical of any skin product you will ever use in your life. I like to put it on when I’m fresh out of the shower as my skin can dry up pretty fast. The butter is thick and hard, so you’ll need to rub it between your palms for a few seconds. Shea butter smells wonderful too, so you won’t need to worry about that artificial chemical smell.  Shea butter is an excellent moisturizer, it helps prevent and reduce stretch marks, improves skin elasticity, reduces blemishes and wrinkles, sooth sun burned skin, softens skin, it can help return luster to your hair, moisturize dry and itchy scalps – and so much more. Whenever my skin is feeling dry or my muscles ache or my skin is just irritated, I run to my shea butter.

 

Mother nature even provides things for your hair. For damaged or weak and breaking hair egg, olive oil, and mayonnaise can be your friend. Take a cup of mayonnaise, a half cup of olive oil, and three egg whites. Mix these together to form a nice paste. Together they make a hair mask that might smell a bit like an egg sandwich, but the results are worth it. Apply the paste to your hair thoroughly and in sections after washing your hair like normal. Cover your head from root to ends and bundle your hair into a shower cap, then cover the cap with a towel. Let it sit in your hair for about 30 minutes to an hour. When you’re all done rinse it out and dry your hair like normal. For those with more ethnic hair consider rubbing your scalp with some oil or natural butter such as shea butter, coco butter, olive oil, or Jamaican castor oil. The end result will leave you with clean and healthy hair, repeat this every time you wash your hair and you’ll be seeing results in months.

 

There are plenty of other useful and amazing home remedies you just have to find them. The goop from the inside of an aloe plant can help reduce dryness, drinking unsweetened cranberry juice can help treat a UTI, drinking chamomile tea can help you with gas, and tea of aloe vera and honey can help rid migraines and headaches. Mother nature has provided all we need to get rid of our ails, we just need to find them. 

"Yes I like pina coladas, and gettin' caught in the rain!" - Escape by Rupert Holmes Diondra is a second year double major with English and Spanish and a minor in History. She doesn't want much more out of life than a cozy Proofreading job and some warm tea on the side though. Some say she can be a bit eccentric, and you know what? They'd be right! Diondra loves to be the outlier, she'd whole heatedly embraced that she's different from everyone else and she's made it her trademark and motivation in life. Her family and her education will always come first and even when she's willing to lend a hand to anyone, her price is steep ... If you count listening to bad puns as a steep price!
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