Greetings, and welcome to The Abike Natural Blog!

We at Abike Natural take natural products very seriously and this week we are revisiting our friend –Apple Cider Vinegar or better known as ACV.

In the past, we have shared recipes made from ACV. This week, we want to help you go Green—as environmentally safe! Here is a great natural conditioner for your hair.

Many of you have complimented me on my healthy locs – thank you very much! Here’s a healthy tip from me to you!

Wash locs with Liquid Alata Body Wash or Alata Black Soap – both are great shampoos for your hair! One of my secrets is to rinse my hair with ACV after shampooing. Squeeze as much water as you can from your locs. Next, soak your hair in ACV from your roots to the end of each loc for about 10-15 minutes. Cover locs with a plastic cap and wrap with a warm towel. Rinse thoroughly with warm water to remove to any build-up. Try this once a month to keep your locs healthy, clean, shiny, and manageable. The ACV rinse is great for all types of hair and adds softness and sheen.

PLEASE, even with ACV, patch test a small area on your scalp to check for allergic reactions.

Keep your locs and hair looking good with Loc Hydration – a natural blend of Abike Shea Butter, black seed, other rich oils and ingredients that stimulate hair growth and keep your hair strong and hydrated. Also, use it to twist and lock hair—available in two sizes.

In the meantime, use Abike Natural healthy products for all of your skin and hair care needs.

Remember, our products have no lye, no dye, and no chemicals!

Stay tuned for more healthy hints and tips on going Green!

Try Abike Natural Products Today

Dread it or love it, it’s “Back to School” time!

Today we are sharing some ways to make the transition from summer vacation to school a little easier. We know that after a summer of sleeping in or doing things leisurely, the alarm bell announcing that first day of school can be a rude awakening. Abike Natural offers these tips to make the back to school experience easier.

Check-Ups and Immunizations – Make sure your student completes his or her physical and eye exams before school starts. Students participating in sports activities may require a doctor’s release form to participate.

Generally, schools require that your student’s immunization shots are up-to-date. Remember, every state has different immunization requirements.

Ask your healthcare provider any questions or share concerns about the vaccines your student may require. Most schools will require documentation of immunization records and keep your own copies of these records.

Failure to do so could prevent your student from attending school.

Financial Assistance for Families – Several programs and resources are available to ease the financial burden of going back to school, including low cost meals and affordable health insurance.

Find out if you qualify for the National School Lunch Program or free or low-cost health coverage.

Homework Help – Homework is beneficial for students as it improves memory and comprehension, develops study skills, and teaches them how to manage time. Provide a quiet, well-lit place for your student to do homework.

Learn how to help your students with homework and succeed in school. If they have problems, ask your school about tutors who may assist them.

Shopping for School Supplies – Some states offer a “sales tax holiday” for a few days each year, it’s happening right now in Maryland. Certain products are not taxed during this period.

If your state offers a sales tax holiday or moratorium, you might be able to save money on clothes, shoes, and other supplies. Check to see if your state participates in sales tax holidays.

Plan Healthy Breakfasts and Lunches – As you prepare to send students back to school, remember that nutrition is an important factor in academic performance. Students who start their day with a healthful, balanced breakfast tend to manage their weight and eat less throughout the day.

A healthy lunch makes your student more alert throughout the school day resulting in higher grades than those who have an unhealthy diet.

In the meantime, use Abike Natural healthy products on student’s skin and hair.

Remember, our products have no lye, no dye, and no chemicals.

Just as you feed healthy food and thoughts to your students, make sure they are using healthy products on their skin and hair. Reminder – What you put on your body is the same as eating it! 

Socrates said, “When our feet hurt, we hurt all over” or in the vernacular of my ancestors, “When your feet hurt, your whole body hurts!” There is no truer statement. Yet, we often take our feet for granted.

The foot is a very complex piece of anatomy consisting of 27 bones held together by tendons, ligaments, and muscle. Because the foot has joints that are flexible, they succumb to a lot of pressure and abuse. Improper care can lead to considerable discomfort.

Moreover, our feet are our foundation. They have the burden of bearing our body weight throughout our lives, yet they are usually the most neglected part of the body. To relieve this undue strain, it is very important to give our feet the care and attention they deserve.

Everyone wants his or her feet to look good, feel good, and smell good. No one wants smelly feet with dry cracked heels, bunions, calluses, or fugly (fungal infected) toenails. Here is the Abike Natural solution to healthy Footcare:

• Wash your feet every day and ideally bathe them.
• Bathe your feet in warm (not hot) water and be certain to check water temperature first with your wrists, not your feet. An added benefit is to soak your feet for about 10 minutes before bathing — your feet will love your for it!
• Carefully wash your feet with Alata Soap – available in bar, soft soap or liquid.
• Give special attention between and under your toes.
• Clean underneath your toenails carefully. Tip: I keep a soft bristle toothbrush handy just for my toenails.
• Gently pat your feet dry and be certain to dry between each toe. Remaining moisture left on your feet can cause odor or allow bacteria and fungi to thrive.
• After washing, apply Abike Foot Butter which heals athlete’s feet and has skin-hydrating lubricants and emollients to help keep your feet soft and free from calluses and cracks.

Between footbaths be sure to exfoliate calloused or rough skin with Abike Natural Foot Scrub. Our Foot Scrub is a blend of Dead Sea Salts, Mineral Salts, and Walnut Husks along with eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree, rosemary, peppermint a touch of menthol and sweet almond oil. Just two treatments a week helps to remove dead skin and keeps your feet soft and supple. Follow up daily with our Foot Butter.

Abike Natural foot care contains Shea Butter, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Tea Tree, Rosemary, Peppermint, a touch of Menthol and Sweet Almond Oil. Shea Butter, a moisturizer and emollient, richly hydrates and protects your feet. Eucalyptus has potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties against a wide range of microorganisms that grow in moist, dark environments. It also penetrates deep into the skin to enhance circulation by promoting the delivery of oxygen and essential nutrients to the skin’s deepest layers. Lavender, Tea Tree and Peppermint Oils ease aches and pains and have antibacterial and astringent properties while deodorizing smelly feet. Rosemary Oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties that make it effective for athlete’s foot. Menthol soothes and invigorates tired feet and Sweet Almond Oil softens and soothes dry feet.

Remember to care for your feet regularly. Note: Never use strong antiseptic soaps, perfumed skin lotions, or chemicals (such as iodine or corn, callus, or wart removers) on
your feet.

For your safety and that of your loved ones, Abike Natural products contain no lye, no dye, and no chemicals!

Remember to pamper your feet as much as possible, to keep your feet looking healthy and feeling great. They support you in all that you do – won’t you support them too!

Earlier in the season we shared information on nearly 450 ingredients used in cosmetics in the USA are banned in the European Union by industry regulations.

Just a reminder– Abike Natural uses only healthy and natural ingredients.

Last week I helped a friend move into a new house. My assigned task was to pack bathroom items. You know I can’t help myself and before I knew it, I was reading the labels of the skin and body care products…

… and there they were — things that I could not pronounce. It was almost like déjà vu! Being the curious me, I wrote some of the chemicals down to look them up. These were just a few of the unhealthy things that I found on the labels.

Benzaldehyde – often found in perfume, cologne, hairspray, laundry bleach, deodorants, detergent, Vaseline lotion, shaving cream, shampoo, bar soap and, dishwasher detergent – just to name a few. This puppy is a narcotic, sensitizer, sometimes used as a local anesthetic!
Benzaldehyde irritates the mouth, throat, eyes, skin, lungs and GI tract, causes nausea, abdominal pain and here’s the kicker — may cause kidney damage.

Linalool – found in perfume, cologne, bar soap, shampoo, hand lotion, nail polish remover, hairspray, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, Vaseline lotion, air fresheners, bleach powder, fabric softener, shaving cream, after shave, and solid deodorant!

Another narcotic known to cause respiratory disturbances and in some cases may lead to death! Did I mention that it could also cause central nervous system disorder? Wow!

Benzyl acetate – check your perfume, cologne, shampoo, fabric softener, stick up air freshener, dishwashing liquid and detergent, soap, hairspray, bleach, after shave and deodorant for this killer! A known carcinogenic – that has been linked to pancreatic cancer—probably the most
deadly of cancers.

This chemical can be absorbed through the skin and can affect the entire body.

It is very important to be hyper-vigilant and check the products found in some so-called organic products as well.

This was a health conscious person. Are you sure that organic cosmetics are healthier than the conventional varieties? Not always the case. When shopping for organic cosmetics there are specific ingredients that should not be on the label. Keep an eye out for these unhealthy items,
because I found them, too:

Grapefruit Seed Extract – it derives its antimicrobial properties not from grapefruit seed, but from toxic chemicals, primarily benzethonium chloride, and to a lesser extent from triclosan and parabens.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine – toxic to the immune system and can cause dermatitis and other allergic reactions.

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein – generally, if see you see something that is hydrolyzed it might contain a hidden source of MSG! Yes, the same stuff that you avoid in your food! This is easily absorbed into your bloodstream after coming in contact with your skin.

Look out for PEG! Studies have shown that any ingredient containing PEG in its name may be contaminated with 1, 4-dixoane – a chemical known to cause cancer! Again, keep an eye out for these chemicals, they are common and found in so many products in the home and in general.

Again, these hazardous chemicals are legally used in personal care products. They keep manufacturers profitable and are readily available. Remember, manufactures care about their convenience and profit, NOT about your health. Protect yourself. Learn the truth about these harmful chemicals and choose products made with safer ingredients.

Be Safe and Use Abike Natural Hair Care Products!

Again, we use not lye, no dye, and no chemicals! Just pure and natural ingredients!

Try our Loc Love Hair Oil to strengthen and moisturize hair and scalp. A natural blend of Shea butter, black seed, and other rich oils, including Lavender & Rosemary that stimulates hair growth.

Our Loc Hydration is a natural blend of Abike Shea Butter, black seed and other rich oils and ingredients to stimulate hair growth and keep your hair strong and hydrated. Also, use it to twist and lock hair.

Try Unscented and Loc Love (Lavender & Rosemary).

Available in two sizes.

The best way to prevent sun damage is to stay out of strong, direct sunlight!

Most people have been sunburned at least once, with the first time often occurring during childhood. Sunburn comes from over-exposure to the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

While the symptoms are usually temporary (redness, pain, soreness when touched, and swelling), if severe, it can also lead to blistering, fever, headache and unbelievably — chills!

The skin damage is often permanent and can have serious long-term health effects, including skin cancer.

Typical during the hot summer months, the best step in addressing sunburn is through conscientious prevention. Stay out of direct and indirect sunlight.

Yes, you can be sunburned on a cloudy day. If you stay outside too long, the ultraviolet rays penetrate the clouds. A friend recently recounted that she got one of the worse sunburns of her life after falling asleep on the beach– on what she thought was a cloudy day.

The following rules are great steps to prevent sunburn:

• Avoid the sun completely between 10 am and 4 pm, when the sun’s rays are most intense. Follow this rule of thumb – the sun’s rays are most intense when your shadow is shorter than you are.

• Use a non-toxic, certified organic, antioxidants sunblock with sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher whenever you are outdoors. Reapply every 2 hours, especially after swimming or sweating.

• Do not rely just on natural and chemical-free sunblock – cover your skin with protective clothes, hats, and sun visors whenever possible.

• Not only is sunburn a danger in summer – UV exposure is a year-round problem. Snow reflects 80% of UV light, compared to only 20% by sand –skiers are also at great
risk for sunburn.

Sunburn can be very dangerous and is capable of ruining the skin — your main organ used for heat control and fluid retention as well as protection against infection.

If you think you are sunburned, get inside or shield the sunburned area immediately. Further exposure to the sun will only make it worse.

There is no quick fix for sunburn. Like any burn, it takes time to heal. Once burned, the damage is done and it may take 12 to 24 hours after sun exposure to know the full extent and severity of sunburn.

It may take several days or more for your skin to begin healing.

Keep the sunburn moist. Apply Hydration Now to the affected skin. Avoid all products containing alcohol, which can further dry out skin. Stay away from sunburn treatments products containing the chemical benzocaine. There is little proof that these products are effective and may even irritate the skin. Benzocaine has been linked to a rare but sometimes deadly, condition known to decrease the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. Never use benzocaine on children.

Plain cold-water compresses or baths can also help with symptoms. Avoid all soap at this time as it can irritate the sunburn.

Butter (the kind used for cooking or eating), an old sunburn remedy, is inappropriate and it increases the risk of infection – DO NOT use it on sunburn or any burn ever.

If blisters form — do not break them! This slows the healing process and increases the risk of infection. If needed, lightly cover blisters with cotton gauze.

Take a natural or homeopathic pain reliever from your local health food store. Use according to instructions until redness and soreness subside. DO NOT give children or teenagers aspirin – it may cause Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease.

Within a few days, the sunburn may begin to peel. This is nature’s way of getting rid of the top layer of damaged skin. While your skin is peeling, continue to use our pure Unscented Shea Butter, cleaned, and filtered for your safety, it also moisturizes the healing sunburn while it evens your skin tone. In addition, Unscented Shea Butter fades stretch marks and scars, heals chapped lips, and relieves eczema, blemishes, dark spots, wrinkles, and the irritation of mild psoriasis.

In extreme cases, with blistering and large areas of second-degree burns and especially with children, seek your naturopath or natural health care practitioner for medical attention immediately.

Skin hydrating and moisturizing will relieve dryness and temporarily remove pain of sunburn. Abike Natural developed “The Hydration Line” for those who are in need of a deep penetrating moisturizer which soothes the irritation of sunburn.

Hydration Now is also effective for skin that has been burned from radiation treatment, sunburn or any other minor accidental burns and provides immediate burn relief.

Most importantly, please use common sense and keep out of the sun while the sunburn is healing!