Home Remedies To Lighten Hair

There are some great home remedies to lighten hair - no need for bought hair dyes if you have dirty blonde or mouse colored hair.

Sun

The best, purest and most natural way to get those real blonde highlights is to be out in the sun. Lie face down with clothing covering your skin and spread your hair out to drink in the rays of sunlight. Or just get out in the sun more. Anyone with blonde to mid brown hair will find that it is always lighter in summer - provided you do not stay indoors all of the time.

Do not overdo it of course. You must be careful not to become sunburned. Use a strong sun blocker on all exposed skin and you may also consider using sun cream on your scalp.

Swimming

Swimming in either a pool or the sea and then letting your hair dry in the sun is a great way to lighten it. It’s great exercise too!

However, some of us live in climates where there is very little sun for many months of the year. What do we do then?

Hydrogen Peroxide

Mix small amounts of household ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in equal quantities. Warning: it will smell bad! Test on a small area of skin near the ear and wait 24 hours to see if there is any allergic reaction. If not, mix a fresh batch and apply to hair. Rinse off when developed. You may also want to test on a strand of hair.

Never use household bleach or any other chlorine based product on your hair. This can destroy your hair, cause terrible damage to your skin and possibly kill you with the fumes.

Lemon Juice

Squeeze one fresh lemon. It should give you about 2 tablespoons of juice. Mix this with 3 times the quantity of water and apply to dry hair. Leave for several hours before rinsing out. Do this every day and your highlights should become lighter in a very natural looking way.

You may want to use more of the lemon juice/water mixture if you have very long hair and less if you have short hair.

Tea

Ordinary tea can lighten brown hair - seems crazy given the color that it is, but it’s true! Make tea to a normal strength that you would drink, let it cool and then rinse your hair with it.

It is best to test a strand before using tea on your whole head. If your hair is already a light shade, it may darken it.

Some of these methods can leave your hair rather dry, so be sure to use a good conditioner for blonde hair. Shampoos and conditioners containing chamomile are great for fair hair.

Going out in the sun after using any of these home remedies to lighten hair will increase their effectiveness.

Natural Remedy For Kidney Stones

If you are suffering from the excruciating pain that kidney stones or renal calculi can cause and your doctor has advised waiting to see if the stone will pass by itself, you could certainly benefit from finding a natural remedy for kidney stones.

Kidney stones are formed by the body from unprocessed minerals in the renal system. Most of them consist of calcium oxalate. They occur in about 10% of the population but men are four times as likely to get them as women. They tend to recur, so that once you have had one, you have a 75% chance of having more in the next 20 years.

It is possible to have them without noticing, because many will pass when very small. You might have a pain when urinating but you probably would not notice that you had passed something that could be as tiny as a grain of sand.

Larger stones can block the urethra and that is when the severe pain is caused. You may also see blood in the urine. This comes from the lining of the organs being damaged by the uneven surface of the stone. If you have pus or pain during urination you should tell your doctor as this may be a sign of infection.

Even in cases where the stone is large enough to cause pain, the majority of them do pass naturally. There are certain things you can do to help this happen, or make it happen faster.

Dealing With Kidney Stones

The best treatment to help a stone pass is simply to drink plenty of water. Aim for 2-3 liters spread through the day.

Consuming more soup, fresh fruit and raw vegetables is another way to increase your intake of water, as they contain much more than dry cooked foods and grains. Be careful however to avoid over consumption of oxalate which contributes to the forming of the most common type of stone.

Foods high in oxalate that should be avoided include chocolate, peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets and sweet potatoes. Also, cut down on salt and alcohol which have a dehydrating effect, and meat and dairy products which cause uric acid to form in the kidneys.

Some people take diuretics to increase the water flow through the kidneys. Some herbal teas have a diuretic effect, for example dandelion and stinging nettle. Replacing two glasses of water with one of these teas may help the stone to pass more quickly. Unless you have other medical reasons for taking them, prescribed diuretics should not be necessary.

You should strain your urine so that you catch the stone when it passes. Your doctor can have it analyzed to see what minerals it is formed from. This will tell you how you need to alter your diet in future to give you the best chance of preventing a recurrence. For most people, a diet that is lower in protein and salt is recommended.

It may be wise to not to take large doses of vitamins and minerals until you have had your stones or your urine analyzed.

A doctor should always be involved in treatment of renal calculi because of the possibility of infection and complications. A natural remedy for kidney stones should only be used in conjunction with medical advice.

Is Homeopathy a Hoax?

Homeopathy has long been questioned as a legitimate medical practice. Most Western medical practitioners feel that homeopathy is completely ineffective. When any significant effects are seen in the use of homeopathy, most of these medical professionals credit those results to the placebo effect, a psychological response to the belief that something – like a medication - will help, making the brain believe that it does help.

Most of the theory behind homeopathy is, in fact, contradictory to the basic scientific principles of pharmaceutical medical practices. This is because there is no convincing or substantial scientific evidence to suggest that homeopathy is effective. But this is not to say that homeopathy doesn’t work. Some people do find relief from their medical symptoms through the use of homeopathic products. And while Western medicine feels these results are psychological, homeopaths feel that not only do homeopathic treatments work, they work both physiologically and psychologically.

Risks of Homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies are extremely safe and have no harmful side effects. There is a risk of homeopathy medicine when needed therapies and/or diagnostic tests are excluded. In this case, a Homeopathy remedy and conventional medicine may be used hand in hand.

Two barriers that raise the risks of homeopathy:

• Time and patience are needed to find the right homeopathic remedy for your symptoms. This process may take longer than using conventional medicine. Unfortunately, there is no standard remedy to cure every symptom.
• The remedy must be matched to your particular symptom, where it occurs, what brings it on, what aggravates it and other symptoms you experience.
• If the remedy is not one of 30 or so commonly used and readily available, it may be difficult to obtain.

After starting a homeopathic remedy, some patients feel worse for a brief period of time. This is interpreted as the body temporarily stimulating symptoms while it makes an effort to restore health. A treatment should stop when a symptom clears up. Otherwise the treatment may produce a recurrence of the symptom.

Risks of homeopathy can include liquid remedies that contain alcohol and are permitted to have higher levels of alcohol than conventional drugs for adults. Some consumers may be concerned. However, no adverse effects from the alcohol levels have been reported in Homeopathy literature or to the Food and Drug Administration.

If you are considering using a homeopathic remedy and currently take a conventional drug, consult with your healthcare provider. Though Homeopathic remedies are not known to interfere with conventional drugs, each case should be handled on an individual basis. If you have more than one provider, discuss with each one.

Other risks of homeopathy include:

• Reports of the sale of over the counter homeopathic drugs
• Lack of tamper-resistant packaging
• Improper labeling
• Products that contain vitamins or plants not listed in homeopathic references but are promoted as homeopathic
• Labeling is too vague. For example: “treats gastrointestinal disorders” is too general. This could include a wide variety of conditions
• Though homeopathic remedies often contain only water and/or alcohol, in rare cases the original ingredients is present at detectable levels causing a risk of homeopathy treatment. One report showed an unusually undiluted solution allegedly caused a small percentage of users to lose their sense of smell. There were 340 cases settled out of court.
• In 1938 the U.S. Congress passed a law declaring homeopathic remedies be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same manner as over the counter drugs (non prescriptions). Although new over the counter and conventional drugs must under go through testing and review for safety by the FDA, this requirement does not apply to homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathy Medicine

Homeopathy medicine utilizes micro doses of substances from the plant, mineral or animal origin to stimulate a person’s natural healing response. Unlike conventional medicines that attempt to suppress symptoms without the body healing, homeopathy medicines do not have side effects. They work gently with the body to produce balance and healing and reduce the percent of doctor-induced (iatrogenic) diseases.

Homeopathy medicines consist of extremely diluted natural substances. Potency is determined by the amount of dilution and the defense system of the body is stimulated by these dilutions. A common example would be 30X. The number indicates how many times a product has been further diluted. The letter “X” is the method of dilution. X means 1 part crude (remedy) to 9 parts dilatant, which is a 1:10 ratio.

There are certain guidelines to follow when taking homeopathy medicine to maximize the effectiveness:

• Limit contact with cigarette smoke as much as possible.
• Do not take anything by mouth 10-20 minutes before and after a dosage. This includes food, drink, chewing gum, toothpaste, etc
• No camphor and avoid moth ball fumes.
• Limit caffeine as much as possible, including chocolate, coffee and soft drinks
• If dental drilling is necessary, request an injectable or extra dermal application
• Eat cooked garlic only, avoid raw.

Most single remedy homeopathy medicines (pellets or tablets) dissolve in the mouth or under the tongue. For fast relief, sprays are applied under the tongue. In most cases, food should not be taken with medicines. The success of these medicines depends largely on the situation and duration of the ailment. The length of the ailment is relative to the length of the healing process.

Some of the newest homeopathy medicine combinations include treatment of restless leg syndrome; leg cramps; earaches; seasonal allergies; flu; and diaper rash.

To determine which remedy is needed, a self help book or homeopathic practitioner will explain several common single remedies. Select the remedy most like your situation.

As an alternative, the Materia Medica contains detailed descriptions of the homeopathy medicines and the symptoms they treat. Medicines labeled by the Latin name of the drug, substance or compound are used for manufacturing.

Conventional medicines and homeopathy medicines may work together. A homeopathic practitioner should closely monitor this situation. Homeopathy medicines do not interact with other medicines since they have no side effects.

The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States establishes industry standards with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Due to the overwhelming safety record and extreme dilutions, the FDA does not use the same standards of approval for homeopathy medicines.

Eczema Homeopathy

Homeopathy, an alternative approach to medicine, is a sophisticated method of individualizing small doses of medicine to stimulate the body’s natural healing process. Eczema homeopathy remedies seem to be especially effective for treatment of the chronic disease.

Eczema is the common term for atopic dermatitis, a chronic skin irritation. The scalp, cheeks, eyelids, wrists, upper arms, elbows and knees may break out with a flaking, itchy rash. Suppressing skin eruptions (with cortisone or other drugs), from a homeopathic point of view, can lead to deeper health problems. To bring lasting relief, a constitutional eczema homeopathy remedy should be selected by an experienced practitioner, and bring the body back into its natural balance.

The following eczema homeopathy remedies are some of those recommended by homeopathic practitioners:

Antimoniom crudum: The patient is prone to indigestion and has eczema with thick, cracked skin. Sensitive and sentimental, they love to eat and may be over weight. They crave pickles, vinegar and other sour things. Children can by shy and irritable, insisting they not be looked at or touched. Antimonion crudum is often prescribed for calluses, plantar warts and impetigo, as well as eczema.

Arsenicum album: People who need this remedy have dry, itchy skin that burns intensely. They are usually restless, anxious, and compulsively neat and orderly. Indigestion and chills are often the symptoms.

Calcarea carbonica: This eczema homeopathy remedy is suited to people who are chilly with clammy hands and feet. They tend to develop eczema and cracking skin worse in the wintertime. They are easily fatigued by exertion, and feel anxious and overwhelmed if ill or overworked. They may have cravings for sweets and eggs, a sluggish metabolism and tendency toward weight problems.

Mezereum: The patient who needs this remedy often has strong anxiety, felt physically in the stomach. Scratching can lead to thickened skin when intense, itching eruptions start as blisters, then ooze and form thick crusts. They may have a craving for fat, are chilly most of the time and generally feel better in the open air.

Petroleum: This eczema homeopathy remedy is indicated for individuals whose skin is extremely dry and tends to crack, especially on the fingertips and palms. Eczema is worse in the winter, with deep sore cracks that often bleed. Itching is worse at night, the skin is easily infected and may get tough and leathery from chronic irritation.

Sulphur: This remedy is recommended for patients with intensely burning, itching, and inflamed eruptions that are worse from warmth or from bathing. Affected areas may be red, with scaling or crusted skin. Eruptions can be dry or moist. This eczema homeopathy remedy is sometimes helpful to patients who have repeatedly used medications and ointments on their eczema without success.

Homeopathy Acne

Acne, perhaps the most common health condition, can affect people for their entire life. A skin disorder, it affects eight out of every ten teenagers. Acne happens when the sebaceous glands or oil secreting glands in the skin of the face, chest and back become over sensitive to normal levels of androgen. Adults can also experience acne. Though it often clears up after several years, even without treatment, it may leave scars. Various types of acne are: Pimples (blackheads, whiteheads); Papules, Pustules, Nodules and Cysts.

Acne may occur for many reasons.

• Poor hygiene may cause dirt and grease to accumulate and block skin pores.
• Hormonal changes can cause teenagers and young adults to be more prone to acne.
• Dandruff can fall on the face and back and cause acne.
• Hair follicles may not get rid of dead cells fast enough and clog the pores.
• The sebaceous gland may produce too much, providing a breeding ground for bacteria and causing acne.
• Stress can affect hormone levels and account for some adult acne.
• Occupational exposure to chemicals, grease, oil and toxins.

Often embarrassed by their appearance, patients with acne may have a lower self esteem and experience depression and anxiety. Consumption of excessive oily foods, sweets, chocolate, improper diet and food habits, over exposure to the sun, smoking, lack of exercise, constipation, drugs, alcohol, cosmetics and insufficient rest may all aggravate the condition.

HOMEOPATHY ACNE

Patients suffering from acne are offered a natural, effective remedy through homeopathy acne remedies. They will notice a drying up of the affected areas and a reduction in the number of existing acne. The symptoms of pain, burning and itching, are reduced and often disappear after using homeopathy acne remedies. Many times the skin texture will also improve.

The homeopathy acne remedy is approached in a different way than conventional medicines. It is treated holistically from within the body, and not superficially, by using ointments and creams since the outer skin eruption is a reflection of the internal disorder of the body. The symptoms are a direct manifestation of the body’s attempt to heal itself and the homeopathy acne remedy acts as a trigger to stimulate the body’s own healing forces.

When taking a homeopathy acne remedy, the following procedures are recommended to enhance the results:
• Avoid sugar, white flour products, soft drinks, refined foods, chocolate, cheese, meat, butter and iodized salt.
• Avoid wearing heavy makeup which may clog pores and cause acne.
• Avoid picking at the affected areas. This increases the chance of spreading bacteria and scarring.
• Exercise on a regular basis to manage your stress. Regular exercise is important for overall health and can flush impurities from the skin through perspiration.
• Minimize oiliness with an astringent, such as witch hazel. Apply to a cotton ball and gently wipe skin.
• Try supplements and herbs that support healthy skin.

Homeopathy Remedies

Homeopathy remedies are about the WHOLE person being considered for treatment. That means their mental, emotional, psychological, and environmental self and how they tend to relate to the world around them. A kind of environmental self-check if you will.

The key to natural homeopathy remedies is to get the RIGHT homeopathic remedy selected for YOU and your condition. Then have a dose set for YOU. Put another way, this means each person is different and each dose is different. That makes choosing a bit of like a game of Russian Roulette, which is why you need to be very careful with homeopathy remedies.

The one thing you need to be very aware of is that even though you may find a specific dose on the side of the bottle, this does not necessarily mean it will work for you. You may need more or you may need less. This is one of the major reasons why when dealing with homeopathy remedies, ALWAYS ask a knowledgeable professional. Do not just guess at what you think may work or not.

The doses on the side of the bottle are suggestions only! You now need to fine-tune your homeopathy remedies to suit YOU. Remember, you are a whole body system unto yourself and as such totally unique. Just because your neighbor is using such and such product doesn’t mean you can.

The history of homeopathy remedies is rather interesting. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann launched this area of alternative medicine in the early 1800s. While in the middle of translating a book called the Materia Medica Hahnemann noticed a passage dealing with cinchona bark used to treat malaria.  Hahnemann tried the Peruvian bark, to attempt to understand its actual action.  He figured if he could get it to work, he may just have hit upon a working healing theory.
What happened is he began to develop malaria like symptoms. His conclusion was effective drugs need to produce symptoms in healthy people similar to the diseases they are expected to treat. In the realm of homeopathy remedies this is the Law of Similars. Or put another way a theory that the use of certain substances creates symptoms of disease to fight disease when given in tiny doses. Note the emphasis on “tiny” doses, not full strength.

The theory of using tiny doses is how Hahnemann hit upon the idea of reducing the dose to infinitesimal levels through multiple dilutions of ten to a hundredfold. How this is accomplished is outlined in a book called the Organon of Rational Therapeutics. Published first in 1810, it is still in use today as the practitioner’s basic homeopathy remedies text.