Mysterious Purple

Healing From A Break-Up

2011-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Time heals everything the old adage says. If you've ever been through a difficult break-upyou know weeks seem like years, and everything reminds you of your lost love. Face it, when a relationship ends, even a bad one, you need time to figure things out and get past the memories, good or bad. When it feels like you just can't get over the pain there are ways to overcome what lies ahead of you.

Take Time For Yourself:

After all the time and effort you put in to the final days in your relationship, the time is now for you to be the focus of your life. What did you do before your relationship started? Do whatever makes you feel calm, at peace, and comfortable. Time for yourself can be a weekend trip to a favorite spot by yourself or with a friend, visiting your favorite coffee hangout, hanging at the mall, or any place you love to visit.

Depend On Your Girlfriends:

As your closest circle your girlfriends are a lifeline when things get tough. You know each one of them has been through a break-up and can help you sort things out and yeah, even tell you why you are better off without him. A good girlfriend can cheer you up, give you advice, or just listen. Hang with your girlfriends, laugh, talk, and get the support you need to move forward.

Keep Busy:

Do what makes you feel good, whether it is a cup of hot tea or coffee, a bubble bath, reading your favorite magazine or book, listening to music (but nothing that reminds you of your relationship), copious amounts of chocolate as needed, watching a movie, or chatting online with friends. Whatever helps to distract you and make you feel better, do it.

When All Else Fails:

Shopping. I know it may hit your wallet but honestly shopping for clothes, make-up or household items can give you a lift when you need it. Don't go crazy now, allot a budget before you venture out on your shopping trip, and by all means don't let emotions get the better of you when you are feeling vulnerable. If you just can't face anyone remember online shopping can be your friend as well.

Take Care Of You:

Remember after all is said and done you are the most important person after a break-up, taking care of you comes first. No doubt it's been a while since you were the focus of your life so make the most of it. Be good to yourself and soon enough you will start to feel better about you and all the good things in life coming your way.

Source: 29secrets.com

Girlfriends Every Woman Should Have

2011-10-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

Your girlfriends. What would you do without them? Likely they’ve been through the wringer with you, seen you through school, boyfriends,breakups, work forays and crazy travel experiences. They’ve seen you through the dark days and your best moments. That all being said, we’ve compiled a list of friends we think every girl should have along the way and through it all:

1. Long-haul
You met in the early days of grade school or high school and she’s seen you through the shiny silver braces protruding from your mouth and the fashion disasters you hope are never spoken of again. What you share is this…a common history. And thank goodness that you do. She keeps you grounded and just when your ego threatens to grow to new heights, she has the reality dose on standby.

2. Co-conspirator
This is the girlfriend that gets right down with your crazy plans and ideas. A weekend in Iceland? Sure! A random pub-crawl for Oktoberfest? Why not? We all need a friend like this who you can rely on for fun and who know how to let their hair down and throw caution to the wind.

3. Stages
Maybe you befriended each other in the park or at the ‘mommy and me’ swim hour and the community pool. Either way, this girlfriend mirrors where you’re at in your life. You both are at the same stage, experiencing the same things, good or bad. A partner in crime to help you figure out things along the way.

4. “Tell it to me straight”
Yes, the truth can be downright painful at times, but this girlfriend doesn’t beat around the bush when you need a good dose of it. She’s there with a healthy but kind dose of reality when you secretly hope that guy you’ve had your eye on for months (but who barely remembers your name) is just playing “hard to get.”

5. Career Girl
She’s ambitious, smart and together. Her career is on track, her finances are well managed and she’s got a logical and sound head on her shoulders. She’s the girl you go to for advice when you need logic and have to work through a decision to ensure you come out on top.

Source: 29secrets.com

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil: Benefits & Uses

2011-10-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Ylang Ylang essential oil, which comes from the Cananga Odorata tree, has developed a big reputation as an aphrodisiac. An often cited example of this reputation comes from the fact that many newlywed Indonesians sprinkle Ylang Ylang flower petals across their bed. Aside from its romantic connotations, Ylang Ylang (pronounced "ilang ilang") has a variety of other uses, including stimulating hair growth, soothing nerves, and balancing sebum production for varying skin types. We'll get into Ylang Ylang essential oil benefits more later, but right now, let's take a look at this oil's appearance and scent.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Appearance and Scent

As mentioned before, Ylang Ylang comes from the Cananga Odorata tree, which is often found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and the Philippines. Cananga Odorata trees normally grow in the range of 15-40 feet tall, and they feature evergreen leaves. The actual Ylang Ylang essential oils are extracted from the flowers of Cananga Odorata trees during the nighttime. It’s important that people extract the essential oil when the sun is down because the oils go back into the tree during the day.

One of the most pleasing characteristics of this essential oil is that it features a sweet, floral scent that’s very similar to what people smell with Jasmine or Neroli essential oils. Because of its pleasant smell, many people enjoy using Ylang Ylang essential oils for aromatherapy and other medicinal uses.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Benefits and Healing Properties

Aromatherapy for Relaxation
The most popular use of Ylang Ylang essential oil is to relax oneself and alleviate stress. The warm, soothing scent offered by this oil is great for reducing stress, and will certainly brighten your mood.

High Blood Pressure
One very practical benefit of Ylang Ylang involves lowering blood pressure. Over the years, many people have vouched for this oil's ability to drop their blood pressure and improve overall health.

Skin Balancing Agent
Anybody who suffers from dry or oil skin should strongly consider using Ylang Ylang essential oils. After all, this product is said to counteract either skin type by balancing sebum production. You can also count on Ylang Ylang to help soften and moisturize the skin.

Hair Growth and Conditioner
Many people rave about how good of a conditioner Ylang Ylang essential oils can be. Adding just a little bit of this oil to shampoo goes a long way to promoting healthy, shiny hair. Some Ylang Ylang users also claim that it helps hair grow longer, and even treats split ends.

Sleep Aid
As is commonly seen in other essential oils, Ylang Ylang is said to treat the dreaded insomnia. When a person inhales the scent of Ylang Ylang essential oils, they may feel a bit drowsy and sleep better at night.

Aphrodisiac
Many historic connotations depict this oil as an excellent aphrodisiac. Event today, many people in Indonesia and other South Pacific countries use Ylang Ylang for arousal purposes.

Using Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Depending on what benefits you want from Ylang Ylang esseential oils, the method in which you use this product will differ. For example, if you want the aromatherapy benefits of Ylang Ylang, you can fill up the bath tub, put a couple of Ylang Ylang essential oil drops in the water, and soak in it. Likewise, you can also put a drop or two on candle wax, then start burning the candle (don’t put the oil right on the wick though because this could cause a fire).

Interestingly enough, you can also add this product to massage oil or lotion, then rub it into your skin. This method works nicely for people who are looking to balance their skin type, sooth nerves, and help lower blood pressure (over time).

Those hoping to use Ylang Ylang essential oils to repair split ends should put a drop or two onto their hair brush; once you comb from root to tip, the oil will get to the ends. Also, if you want to condition your hair or possibly promote hair growth with Ylang Ylang, you can add a couple of drops to your shampoo and/or other hair products.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Grades

All essential oils differ in quality, but Ylang Ylang essentials oils have an especially large disparity from top to bottom. As you might've guessed, the higher the quality, the more Ylang Ylang essential oil benefits you'll be getting. Manufacturers use grades to determine the quality of the specific product, and here is a look at those grades:

Grade III: Consumers who want Ylang Ylang with a powerful scent can purchase the cost-efficient third grade. Most people who buy cheaper Ylang Ylang essential oil like this put it in candles or lotions.

Grade II: This grade offers a slightly higher quality than the third grade, but costs a little bit more too. Rather than letting the oil distill all day, the Ylang Ylang is extracted within three hours in the second grade.

Grade I: While first grade Ylang Ylang essential oils come at a higher price, they’re also affordable for people who want a higher quality product. You can expect much better aromatherapy and skin benefits with the first grade.

Complete Grade: The complete grade offers yet another high quality Ylang Ylang product, and it includes all three of the aforementioned grades. This is a good choice for people who want a powerful aroma like in Grade III, but a better product like with Grade I.

Extra Grade: Some of the best Ylang Ylang essential oil is Extra Grade, which is a term for oil that’s distilled for just one hour. People love how floral the Extra Grade Ylang Ylang smells, and it offers excellent benefits to those who use it. Just be warned ahead of time though that you’ll be paying for the better quality as well.

In any case, you should experience a wide array of advantages no matter what grade of Ylang Ylang essential oils you use.

Source: beauty-tips.net