What you’ll need: A tablespoon of buttermilk, a tablespoon of nutmeg, a small scoop of Epsom salt, and a pot of water.
Instructions: Starting with a clean face, mix the buttermilk and nutmeg together to form a paste. Then, gently scrub the affected area with the mixture. The buttermilk is a great natural exfoliator because it contains lactic acid, which will remove excess oil without drying out your skin. The nutmeg has powerful astringent, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
After that, add the Epsom salt to the water and bring to a boil. Carefully remove the pot from the stove and lean over it, draping a large bath towel over your head and the pot. Let yourself steam for about five minutes to loosen the dirt and oil in your pores.
Finally, take a warm washcloth and gently wash your face using a mild cleanser. Continue doing this once a week and you should be blackhead-free!
Author: Julia Werner
Much like a 40-something father in the throws of a mid-life crisis, McDonald’s has been trying (unsuccessfully) to reinvent themselves as young, healthy, and hip. With sales numbers steadily declining in recent years and millenials turning their backs on the iconic golden arches, it’s clear that the fast food giant is feeling a bit obsolete.
In an effort to appeal to a more health-focused, environmentally conscious group of consumers, McDonald’s has tried a few different tactics.
The “Create Your Taste” campaign was introduced in select stores, and appeared to be McDonald’s answer to the DIY craze. So instead of your basic ketchup-mustard-pickle, customers were encouraged to “customize” their burgers by adding exotic ingredients like guacamole, grilled pineapple and jalapenos. They could also choose from a variety of breads, cheeses and sauces.
As you can imagine, this new customizable burger presented a number of problems, most importantly taking the “fast” out of “fast food.” The more complicated orders took considerably longer to prepare and were more expensive to buy, not to mention that these custom sandwiches were not available through the drive-thru, which accounts for over 60 percent of U.S. restaurant sales.
In another cringe-worthy attempt to stay relevant, McDonald’s unveiled their “Artisan Chicken Sandwich,” boasting 100 percent grilled chicken breast filet and pantry seasonings with a zesty vinaigrette. The company’s feeble attempt at gourmet cuisine was met with scorn and ridicule by several media outlets and the fast food equivalent of “putting lipstick on a pig” did not result in a huge boost in sales.
Maybe the most bizarre and confusing PR play was the return of the Hamburglar. The once pudgy, freckle-faced man-muppet was recently rebranded to be a surprisingly handsome, but ultimately creepy suburban dad with a burger fetish.
“We felt it was time to debut a new look for the Hamburglar after he’s been out of the public eye all these years,” Joel Yashinsky, McDonald’s’ Vice President of U.S. Marketing said in a statement to Mashable. “He’s had some time to grow up a bit and has been busy raising a family in the suburbs and his look has evolved over time.”
There are at least half a dozen more we could name, some of which backfired like their ill-fated attempt at transparency (“Our Food, Your Questions”) and the most recent turnaround plan which made no mention of the actual food whatsoever and instead focused on reorganizing its corporate makeup and giving billions of dollars back to shareholders.
Now, let’s be honest, with 27 million customers a day, McDonald’s isn’t going bankrupt anytime soon. And they’ve actually made some substantial efforts to improve the quality of their food, such as phasing out chicken raised with certain types of antibiotics.
But is a sexy new mascot and some kale chips enough to entice the 20-something hipster generation away from their Chipotle burritos and Panera paninis?
And lest we forget, this is a company that built their fortune on cheap, greasy burgers and super sized fries; folks go to McDonald’s for a happy meal, not a healthy one. It’s also very possible that by trying to reinvent themselves, they may actually alienate a large portion of their loyal customer base.
Then who’s lovin’ it?
Like many others, I struggled with acne throughout my teenage years. My flare-ups weren’t of biblical proportions, but they were severe enough to warrant seeing my mother’s dermatologist. He prescribed an expensive medley of Retin-A and benzoyl peroxide cream that seemed to help with the mild to moderate zits, but had trouble stifling the big juicy ones that appeared regularly on my chin.
A short while later, my gynecologist recommended I go on the pill as a means to alleviate what he called cystic acne (triggered by hormones). And it worked! I was pretty much acne-free throughout college and into my mid-20s.
But fast forward to a year or so ago; I started noticing around the same time every month that I was developing one or two of the large, painful, under-the-surface zits that had haunted me over a decade ago.
It was puzzling because I still took the pill religiously and had a very strict skin care regimen: a mild foaming cleanser followed by an alcohol free toner and a light moisturizer. I even splurged and got a spa facial every six months or so. But without fail every month, about two weeks into my cycle, I’d see one of those cystic nightmares starting to form on my chin, and occasionally my forehead, too.
So I did what any modern millennial would do; I scoured the Internet looking for advice. Enter DERMAdoctor Ain’t Misbehavin’ Medicated Acne Cleanser.
I found this product listed on a couple of different websites, and the reviews claimed that it could clear up hormonal cystic acne almost overnight. Now I’m the type of person that doesn’t want to spend more than 7 or 8 bucks on a cleanser, and this product was $27 for 7 oz. So while I wasn’t thrilled with the price tag, I figured I could give it a try.
As for ingredients, the product contains salicylic acid, witch hazel and allantoin. The DERMAdoctor website describes it as: “a medicated aha/bha acne cleanser formulated to clear blemishes and work synergistically with your daily acne control regimen. This soothing, non-foaming formula is ideal for anyone looking to reduce excess oiliness, mattify shine or simply refresh their complexion.”
Lo and behold…this stuff appeared to clear up my acne in less than a month!
Since I started using the product, I haven’t had even one of those sore, painful bumps sprout up on my face. The cleanser doesn’t appear to be drying my skin out, and I have a balanced, healthy glow. Since it is on the pricier side, I use sparingly. A dime-sized dollop twice a day seems to do the trick.
There are a few cons, however. While most cleansers on the market these days have a scent remarkably like grapefruit, honey or lavender, this product smells distinctly like…medicine. It’s not an awful smell, but it’s certainly not a scent I’d spritz on before a date. Secondly, it’s non-foaming and goes on dry skin. This might not bother some people, but it seemed weird to me as I’m used to working up quite a lather when I wash my face. Finally, don’t count on it to get your makeup off, because it just won’t.
But considering how effective it is overall, these minor drawbacks (along with the price tag) are well worth it. Highly recommended!
I was always the skinny kid.
You know, one of those bony types that weighed about 90 pounds in high school, flat as a board, with a face that belonged in kindergarten. It never occurred to me to ‘watch what I ate’ or exercise regularly outside of gym class or softball practice.
In fact, when I experienced my first significant ‘weight gain’ my first year of college (the typical freshman fifteen), it took me awhile to realize that all my pants hadn’t magically shrunk…I just didn’t fit in them anymore. Looking back, it’s not surprising that a steady dining hall diet of pizza, ice cream and Dr. Pepper led to a few extra pounds over the course of a semester. But at the time, I was shocked.
So I started to dabble in going to the gym. I had no idea what I was doing, of course, so I mostly stuck to running on the treadmill and a couple of Ab Blast workout classes with a girlfriend. Between this and slightly modifying my junk food diet, I was able to lose a few pounds and maintain (what I considered) a healthy weight.
A few years after college, some of my extended family got a membership at the YMCA, and included me on their pass. So I started going, maybe once or twice a week, still not having much of a clue how to properly work out. The machines looked complicated and intimidating, but no way was I asking for help like some kind of square. So I stuck to the simpler ones I could figure out: elliptical machine, seated leg extensions, shoulder press, etc. I used these machines in no particular order, with no real consistency or tangible fitness goals.
But hey, I was ‘going to the gym,’ and that’s what counts, right?
I had never struggled with my weight, so taking exercise seriously wasn’t a priority. Why spend hours at the gym if you don’t need to shed some serious pounds?
As I entered my late 20s, I started to realize something: I wasn’t in shape. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see fat…but I didn’t see muscle tone either. Working in an office means a lot of time spent sitting, and since I lived in a one-bedroom apartment, so I couldn’t even justify getting a dog to walk. My time at the gym was sporadic and unfocused. It wasn’t getting me anywhere and I didn’t feel good about my body. And I feared that if I didn’t get into a healthy workout routine soon, I would most likely pay for it later.
This is when I started to consider a personal trainer.
The frugal part of me balked at the thought, what a waste of money! Why pay someone when there are so many exercises you can do for free?
There are hundreds of lists online about “how to stay fit on a budget.” Run around the block, do sit-ups while you watch TV, push ups before bed, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away at work…the list goes on and on.
I’m going to be totally honest and say I just wasn’t that motivated.
So why pay for a personal trainer? Because it would motivate me.
I didn’t have fifty pounds to lose that would light a fire in my belly. When I got home from work, I wanted to crash on the couch, not crunch on the carpet. I wasn’t miserable with my body; I just thought it could stand to look better. And I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there are many people out there who feel the same way. We want to make a change, but we’d rather make it tomorrow.
Now I know there are countless fitness fanatics that claim to get an amazing high from working out, others who have to work their butts off just to maintain their goal weight. There are also people who flat out aren’t as lazy as I am.
I also know there are plenty of people out there who really just can’t afford it. Having a personal trainer is a luxury, there’s no doubt about it. And I didn’t take the financial aspect lightly. I was 27 with a monthly rent, car insurance, student loans, and all the other bills that come with being a grown-up.
But when I got to thinking about it, what was that money going towards anyway? I went out to eat for lunch almost every day at work. Averaging 8 or 9 dollars a meal, Chipotle and Panera were already accounting for roughly $150 of my monthly budget! Not to mention going out to eat for dinner, which was also a regular occurrence. How about $10 a pop to see a movie these days? Or the $30 sweater I bought at the mall? The point being, I could afford it. My dirty little secret was…I chose to believe that paying for a personal trainer would put a serious crimp in my budget.
It didn’t.
I’ve been going to the trainer once a week for over a year, and I’m getting something invaluable for my money. My workouts in the past had been passive at best.
I didn’t push myself, I didn’t sweat and I didn’t burn. It was like showing up to class twice a week just for the lowest passing grade.
Now I feel myself getting stronger, and I see myself actually making progress. I can ask her questions about my diet, my fitness goals, and my overall health, and get an answer from someone who knows what she’s talking about.
I now feel good about my body, and that’s definitely worth the price.
After hearing about a popular new protein supplement that helps you lose weight, 27-year-old Australian man Matthew Whitby went online and purchased it. Not long after he began taking the supplement, doctors told the young father he only had two weeks to live. His liver was failing, and he needed an emergency transplant if he wanted to survive. Whitby was so close to death that he accepted a donated liver that was infected with Hepatitis B.
The American College of Gastroenterology has reported that green tea extract can be toxic to some susceptible individuals and doctors say that it was most likely this ingredient that caused Whitby’s liver to fail. Professor Gary Jeffrey, a liver specialist, says that doctors have been seeing more and more cases of [linkbuilder id=”6436″ text=”liver damage”] they believe to be caused by these herbal remedies.
“People who have normal liver function can develop liver problems with herbal extract toxicity,” Jeffrey said. “There have been a number of countries around the world that have removed slimming agents from the market because of the increased rate of liver damage.”
In Australia, there are no warnings listed on products that contain green tea extract, but Whitby is now speaking out about the potential dangers of these supplements. “I didn’t think something you could buy online or just over the counter did the damage that it did to me.”
The Therapeutic Goods Administration released a statement about the case which is currently under review, saying “the results of which will be made public if there is sufficient evidence of a safety issue to warrant further action.”
According to experts, it is still safe to drink green tea in moderation, as problems are more likely to arise when using the concentrated form.