Sunflower yellow and seashell brown -
that's our wedding theme. I dreamt of hunting (more like harvesting) these on the cliffs across Benguet - Sablan in particular and having them freshly cut and wild looking along the aisle leading me down to my bridegroom. Dreamy. Beautiful even. We ended up replacing sunflowers with gerbera though,
since sunflowers are rare in May and we initially thought to tie the knot in March - its peak season - but circumstances beyond control, blah blah blah - ... Seriously though, my flower, favorite if you may say so, is sunflower. I picture myself seeing the rise and fall of the sun into the sunflower field... Dreamy. Beautiful even.
Sunflower is more than a pretty
face flower. Its seeds are powerful too, its good for your digestion. Its leaves leave a bitter taste to the mouth but is an ancient way to shine a wooden slab. And now, behold, its oil is an elixir of multitude use.
Got mine from my Sesou haul, and from my determination to go vegan one tiny little step at a time and be a proud Philippine-made user! ;)
As mentioned, it has a lot of uses... and below are my favorites...
* I'm like a walking tree with roots spreading out from my lower torso down to my lower extremities #uglytruth but optimists may say I'm a vine goddess or a fashionable tiger gaining my stripes from bearing a child. Whatever. It still is a sore to look at and I can't wear a top and bottom at the beach for fear I might scare the sh*t out of me (not anybody else!) Two pumps for my torso and around the nipple area (you get stretches there too especially if you're one breastfeeding supermom - I make milk, what's your super power?) and one full pump each for upper thighs down to the tips of my toes. (Sorry, I don't want to take the responsibility of a nature goddess but bear in mind that I'm a self claimed pro-environmentalist - I keep my candy wrappers on my pockets until a trash bin is within my shooting range and I'm a target shooter - mental physics calculation and estimate #naks) Apply while still wet, to make it bearable on a humid weather and to let skin absorb the moisture easier and faster.
* I got a chance to get a hands on an eyelash serum after winning a Lashem giveaway on youtube and no, I won't be buying anytime soon. Its too expensive for a wahm (work-at-home-mom) like me unless I win again (I'm cheap stake like that) and since petroleum jelly is apparently bad, this is a great alternative! ;) dip a clean gently tugged cotton buds on the bottle and dab it on your lashes just like you would on a mascara with wiggling motion for effective application, leftovers on the cotton ends could do good in your ear lobes too, excess on the lashes might as well reduce those dark bags below the eyes - to lighten, gently tap with your ring finger.
* I did mention this a gazzilion times but if you haven't already, yes, I undergo heart surgery last 2010
(the reason I gain weight is because of infused steroid and the reason I push through normal spontaneous delivery by choice is because it would be my second 6 inch scar across my torso if ever - top and bottom bikini is getting far far away from my reality). Got a good old half a ruler slush diagonally on my upper left back (I would want to think I have a sexier back now than before - it was a sign of victory over a death threat of two months span of surgery or wait looking ugly until you die anyways - this is like my surgical tattoo claiming I'm a badass conqueror of PDA patent ductus arteriosus) and then again, after all my bravely claims, it's a sore to look at, and ugly to touch, its dark, its thick, its keloidal - if that's a term. A pump and some good extortions of hands like you got a bad itch (to reach that upper left gush of a wound that still hurts especially when its cold or when I'm carrying too heavy stuff or my 10kg infant for long - okay I'll stop blubbering...)
* I have thin dull hair with split ends and I use this as a treatment. First is to put 3 pumps of oil 30 minutes before shower. Second is, skip using conditioner for my hair and while still damp, I squirt 3 full pumps. start from the tips working my way up to the roots of my hair. Same goes to the face, apply one full pump before washing -the longer it sits down on your skin before facial wash, the better - and be amaze as your fingers will glide smoothly afterwards. The excess goes to my knuckles, elbows, knees, soles and ankles. They need all the love they could get too.
*There are nights when I'm just too tired or stubborn to cleanse, tone, moisturise. What more of removing makeup? What I do is, apply a full pump on my face, put some on a cotton pad and let it rest on my eyes for a couple of second before swiping off.
* Helps lighten dark lips - for naturally dark lips, a smoker must have or unless you are suffering from the long-term effects of toxic lipsticks containing chemicals like lead. Also, if you have matte lipstick that dries your lips easily, just blot this first on your lips before applying your lipstick - it will glide on easily while keeping your lips moisturized!
* my mom used to have cracked soles due to frequent walking without putting lotion, rubbing it out with sole graters hurts her, it feels like it would break her skin sometimes, and petroleum jelly is effective but not safe, so this is the thing too - her holy grail!
Other practical uses are -
*Apply a smear on the back of your heel before wearing your new pair of shoes to avoid friction
*Apply the before going to the beach to make skin glow and helps keep it youthful
* Helps ease dry & itchy scalp due to dandruff
* Helps improve skin condition after sunburn - or scald
*Smoothes dry, rough skin from shaving
*Helps calm skin & ease rashes, relieves itch & redness caused by insect bites
*Helps relieve symptoms of skin infections - just apply around the open wound if there is any
*Helps hydrate dry patches on face; diminish fine lines around the eyes
*Softens feet soles, ankles, knees & elbows, knuckles and nail cuticles and dry skin around the fingers
*Overall body moisturizer - perfect for Baguio's weather, winter and air-conditioned room
*Helps relax tired, puffy eyes and can be used as under eye moisturizer
* Helps lighten dark spots & pimple marks and soften and lighten underarms and bikini area
When you're planning to travel, this is a space-saver. It could replace your favorite ointment, cream or lotion! Just make sure you won’t spill it on your carryon bag.
Have you tried the power of the sunflower oil?
