[reblogged from flickr]

  Many of our modern hair dyes contain some rather unsavoury ingredients.  They may do a good job of dying your hair, but they can also be the cause of rashes or other skin irritations in many people. 

   Hundreds of people are looking online everyday for natural hair dye recipes.  Some of these are more effective than others and it is often a case of trial and error.  However, none of them are made up from nasty chemicals. 

   Here is a really simple recipe for staining and conditioning your hair.  It will give extra vibrancy and can be used on any hair colour.  However, it will also help to deepen the colour if your hair is brown or brunette.

Mix these ingredients together –

2 tbsp of ground coffee

1 cup of cold brewed coffee

  Apply this to your hair and repeat with the same mixture between ten and fifteen times.

  After the last application, leave this mixture on your hair for 45 minutes and then rinse it off.

  Repeat this weekly for full effect. 

   Your hair should be lovely and soft and it will have a darker tint to it as well. 

  A really cheap and simple recipe that will not bring you out in lumps or bumps!

[reblogged from wordpress] 

  When you roast coffee beans, you are transforming them.  It is an almost magical process that has gone on for many hundreds of years.  It can become extremely technical and science will often play an important role.  Different roasting methods can produce a variety of flavours and aromas shrouding the whole business of coffee roasting in a cloak of mystery.

  Coffee roasting has sadly become far more industrialised over the years, but things may be starting to change.  Far more people are interested in natural processes these days and it is because of this that ‘home bean roasters’ are becoming a common household accessory. 

  Once upon a time, all bean-roasting was done by hand, either in ovens or over fires.  Because coffee is such a popular drink in so many countries, there are a huge variety of different roasting methods.  Each of these will create a beverage with a slightly different flavour and aroma. 

  It is a fascinating process and it can be a truly rewarding experience when you carry it out by yourself.

For the last 20 years, there have been almost 1000 studies conducted every year into the impact coffee has on our health. The incredible findings of these studies include an 80% lower chance of developing Parkinson’s disease or liver cirrhosis, a 50% lower chance of developing gallstones and a 25% lower chance of developing colon cancer!

As if these health benefits weren’t amazing enough, one of the largest and most well-respected of these studies into coffee beans has recently come to yet another incredible conclusion. The 18-year long investigation into 120,000 people has concluded that drinking coffee can greatly reduce your chances of contracting type 2 diabetes! According to the study at Harvard University, drinking 6 cups of coffee every day can help reduce men’s risk by up to 54% and women’s by 30%! With an estimated 162 million people worldwide suffering from type 2 diabetes, the impact of this study cannot be understated.

Although 6 cups of coffee every day may seem a bit extreme for many people; drinking 1 – 3 cups every day can help reduce the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes – the more you drink, the lower your risk!

[Annals of Internal Medicine, (Jan. 2004); vol 140; pp 1-8]