Danielle's Homemade Products Headache Tips

Being down for the count with a nasty sinus infection that last week has made me realize how much my headaches affect my day.

Yes, I am a frequent migraine sufferer. Suffer being the key word since they can dictate the day instead of me. During a migraine or bad headache, my head feels like its in a vice.



The pressure seems to build and build, making it feel like a vice is tightening with every second. It hurts to move, breath, and sneezing makes it feel ready to explode. Oh so much worse than any torture chamber in my opinion. I thought I would share some ways to help with headaches and some tips to help avoid them.

First off, there are four types of headaches: Tension, Migraine, Sinus, and Cluster. Each type of headache can cause pain in different areas.



The first most common type of headache is tension headaches. These are most commonly caused by stress. The pain is normally felt around the temples or the eyebrows and is handled with OTC medicine like Tylenol.

Migraines are the 2nd most common type of headache. This can be accompanied by light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, nausea, and vomiting. These can even affect your vision. When a migraine is triggered for me, I can see spots, my vision can go in and out, I may have double vision, or even feel see fireworks.



Cluster headaches are less common, usually affecting men in their 20s though women and children do suffer from them. They tend to run in families. Two of the most common triggers are changes in sleep patterns and medications.

Here are some tips on headaches:

-Alcohol. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume. Alcohol can trigger a headache by dehydrating the body.
-Food. Some people have foods that trigger headaches, usually processed meat products, but every person is different.
-Sleep. Get enough sleep. Changes in sleep patterns or lack of sleep can trigger a headache.
-Posture. Yes, bad posture can cause a headache as it puts stress on the neck and shoulders.
-Eating. This goes along with food. Skipping meals can also trigger headaches.
-Stress. Stress can trigger headaches so try to limit your stress when possible. Some people exercise to relieve stress but over exertion can lead to headaches as well.
-Scents. Some scents can trigger headaches (again everyone is different on which ones). I have a difficult time walking down the candle isle at the store because all of the different scents mingling together is enough to trigger a headache.
-Hair. Having your hair pulled up tightly or back tightly can cause stress on the scalp, triggering a headache (guilty as charged here).

There are things that can be done to help headaches:

-Scents. While scents can trigger a headache, they can also help to ease a headache. Some scents that help with headaches are lemon, lemon balm, peppermint, clove, eucalyptus, and rosemary. Be careful when choosing a scent to try. Some scents are not suitable for people on specific medications, children, or women who are pregnant (peppermint should be avoided during pregnancy, to name one), so make sure to double check your scent before using and consult your doctor to make sure the scent you like does not interfere with your medications.

-Caffeine. Caffeine makes OTC pain medicines about 40% better (hence Excedrin Migraine which is a combination of aspirin and caffeine). Be cautious with caffeine, however, because too much can actually cause a headache as well. Just as lack of caffeine can cause a withdrawal headache. Oy....to caffeine or not to caffeine. This is one of my biggest instigators. If I have too much caffeine, I can get a headache. If I go without caffeine for a day or so, I get a headache. Not a fun things so find the happy medium for yourself. Caffeine can also lead to dehydration which can lead to you....you guessed it...a headache.

-Smoking. As a smoker myself, I find that lighting up that stick of sweet nicotine soothing for tension headaches (hehe sorry), however, those "smokey treats" can also affect headaches for two reasons. First, nicotine constricts your blood vessels which can trigger a headache. Second, smoking can cause dehydration, which can cause a headache. If you are a smoker, like me, make sure to drink extra water to help stave off dehydration. They say to drink 1 additional glass (above the recommended 8 glasses a day) of water for every cigarette you smoke. Personally, I think they are just trying to get us to use more toilet paper because this just means I visit this room more often too. Joking aside, dehydration is a big issue with smokers and drinking extra fluid will help...but avoid additional caffeine since this will just do the opposite for you. They say to add an additional glass of water for every cup of caffeine that you drink as well.

-Triggers. Know your triggers. Keep track of when you have headaches and what you were doing before they happened. Some people are sensitive to foods and smells so keep track of what you ate or smelled right before a headache too. These can help your prevent them in the future.

-Medications. Some medications actually cause headaches (read your side effects info that the pharmacy gives with your prescription). I remember the doctor prescribing me Seldane (not sure how it is spelled so sorry if it is wrong) when I was in high school. The medicine was a double duty one. It helped with my allergies and with my headaches....funny thing was that this little baby also caused headaches. I never understood why I would be prescribed a medicine for my headaches that caused headaches....guess that is why I am not the doctor. This medicine has since been taken off the market...I am not sure why so I won't speculate, I only know because I was told by a doctor a few years back that it is no longer offered (I asked because it did work well with my allergies).

-Allergies. Speaking of allergies, these can cause an irritation or inflammation in the sinus cavities and nasal passages. This inflammation can cause a headache as well. As a year round allergy sufferer, I find that a daily dose of an allergy medicine that includes a decongestant does help me most of the time. Just a caution though, decongestants can make the sinus passages dry which can lead to so many other problems like a bloody nose so use with caution. I find that a saline spray helps prevent dry nose. Using a netty pot of some kind can also help to relieve sinus pain and clear out the nasal passages. I use this when my sinuses are inflamed, but not everyone likes these (they can be kinda gross to use at first especially if you are really congested and blocked), so do what works for you.

There are many more ways to help with headaches than those that I listed above. What do you do when you have a headache?

Danielle's Homemade Products Hand Care Tip

Recently, I heard that a woman's age can be determined just by looking at her hands....Yikes. I would hate to hear what my hands say about me since I constantly abuse them. With winter on the way in, this is a concern for chapped, cracked, and dry skin are my worst enemies.

My hands take a beating all year round, with cleaners (even homemade ones), scrubbing, showers, dishes, you name it. I must quote Water Boy here and say that Water Sucks in this case because it kills my poor hands.

After the last cleaning binge I had, my poor hands looked just terrible.



My hands were in a bad place and I didn't want anyone to see them. With winter coming up, they can get that bad and worse. So I thought...hmm I wonder if anyone else has this same problem and thought I would share what I do to help them out and tips to protect your hands.

The first thing I do is use a hand scrub. I offer a sweet orange version on my website, but I also make a quick one for when I don't want a scented hand scrub or need a quick body scrub. Fill a small jar 3/4 of the way with sugar, pour a thin layer of oil over the top of the sugar (I use olive oil, but whatever you have will work), then fill the jar the rest of the way with dish soap ( I use Dawn, but any kind would work, if you have one that has a moisturizer in it, that is even better). Then stir the items together and add additional sugar if the mixture is too loose. I like mine on the dry side, but this is preference. Then take a scoop of it out, rub it over your hands and rinse off in warm water. Try not to make the water too hot as this will dry your hands out more as well.

After using a scrub on your hands (you should do this at least once a week), make sure to apply a nice lotion or salve to your hands and allow it to soak in. I use my own All Purpose Salve (available on my website at daniandskye.wix.com/danishomemadeproduct). I like the salve better than lotion since it soaks in pretty fast and doesn't give me the greasy feel lotion does (I seriously feel like I need to wash my hands again after putting lotion on so this would defeat the purpose of the moisturizer).

If your hands are really dry or cracked, it is a good idea to moisturize over night as well. To do this, I put on a thick coat of my all purpose salve (use what you prefer but I swear by my salve for many different things), then put on a pair of gloves (I have a fabric pair that I bought for this purpose or sometimes I just put on a pair of latex gloves I keep on hand for meat cutting, or even a clean pair of socks will work), and then go to bed. That simple. By morning, the salve has soaked in and softened my hands a great deal and it is much easier to moisturize them with a thin coat of my salve throughout the day.

My hands were in pretty bad shape so I did the scrub and moisturize routine for a couple of days but here is what they looked like after the couple of days.



Big improvement, but not quite fully repaired.

Some tips to protect your hands:

1. Moisturize. You should apply some kind of lotion or salve to your hands at least 4 times a day to help retain moisture and prevent chapping.

2. Temperatures. Watch the temperature on your water when you wash your hands. It should not be either too hot or too cold, both will strip moisture from your skin. Make sure to dry your hands completely (don't forget in between your fingers) after you wash them and apply lotion or salve to your hands.

3. Gloves. When washing dishes or cleaning, protect your hands with gloves. Gloves can even be used for over night moisturizing when your hands are really dry or cracked.

4. Cleaners. Chemicals can be harsh on the skin (just check out the pics of my hands above). When possible, choose a mild cleaner or soap to keep from tearing up your hands. Some body soaps can be full of chemicals as well so go homemade or mild whenever possible.

5. Exfoliate. Use your favorite hand scrub to help remove the build up of skin cells. Don't forget to moisturize afterwards.

6. Protect. Protect your hands from weather, both sun damage and winter cold damage. This will help keep your hands looking youthful for many more years.

After taking care of my hands, I don't worry about showing them off. Which is a good thing since I tend to gesture and talk with my hands and they are always visible. I certainly don't want people to be able to guess my age by the looks of my hands, even if my polish wears off quickly. How do you care for your hands? Leave a comment below.

Danielle's Homemade Products Lip Care Tip

It has been chilly here the last couple of days and it reminded me that winter was coming. Winter is not fair to one part of our bodies that many of us forget to take care of....your Lips



Here is a little low down on our lips....

Did you know that the lips are the only part of the body that we expose to all weathers without thinking about them? They get sunburned in the summer, wind burn or chapped in the winter and everything in between.

The lips are the most sensitive skin we have on our bodies...don't believe me? Try this little test from my high school psychology teacher. Take 2 toothpicks and touch them to your finger. How close can you get them together before you no longer recognize that there are two? Do the same with your lips? Or better yet, have the partner in your life do the test while you sit with your eyes closed or blind folded. I am sure you will be surprised. I know I was...way back a million years ago now (or so it seems).

Most people have about 16 layers of skin on their face....but the lips have only 3 layers. The skin on the body has between 3 and 5 layers of skin with sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles. The lips have only 3 layers and depend on your care for their moisture (they have no sweat glands or oil glands to self moisturize themselves...poor things).

It is not too late to change...here is what you can do or stop doing

1. Drink plenty of water. Water hydrates your skin from the inside out including your lips. Caffeine will dehydrate your skin and lips so drink an extra glass for every cup of caffeine you indulge in. Remember..if you are thirsty, your body is already dehydrated so drink up.

2. Stop licking your lips. Yes, I am guilty of this too. The thing to remember is that saliva is meant to help you digest food. Do you really want to literally eat your lips? Kinda gross when you think of it that way right?

3. Keep your lips out of the elements. I know this sounds silly, but its a big deal. In the summer, wear a hat that shades your lips. In the winter, cover your face and lips with a scarf. These will make a difference in how dry your lips will be.

4. Don't breath through your mouth. As a mouth breather myself for many years, I know how difficult this one is too change, but every breath in or breath out through the mouth dries out your lips.

5. Exfoliate. There are a couple of ways to do this. A soft toothbrush will work, rub the bristles gently over your lips to loosen dead skins. A lip scrub will also help to remove dead skins, but be cautious. Body scrubs may be too harsh on the lips so get one designed for the lips (I offer a few varieties on my website daniandskye.wix.com/danishomemadeproduct, I also will make custom flavors or scents as well, that are made with either cocoa butter or shea butter)



6. Apply moisture. When possible, use a lip balm that has a SPF of at least 15, but lip balm applied will be a big help. You don't want to put a thick coat on, just enough to coat the lips. Too much and you may be tempted to lick your lips for the flavor...remember this is a NO NO. Find a lip balm that you like and use it when ever you are tempted to lick your lips, or if they feel dry (I offer a few varieties on my website, see link above, and will be offering a chocolate flavored one in the next couple weeks).

Let's stop abusing a very tender part of our bodies. Make your lips kissable for this coming winter and protect them.