Simplest Health Tip Ever: 9 Reasons You Should Be Using Oregano Oil Daily

We’ve touched on oregano oil benefits in our superfood spotlight series, but this little herb deserves a little extra TLC this time of year. Oil of oregano is one of the most potent antimicrobials around. During cold and flu season we absolutely depend on it to keep immunity consistently high! Surprisingly, this oil isn't a part of most folks' health regimens yet, but we're breaking down how and why you should definitely be adding this super-herb to your routine. Oregano oil has been used to fight infections, ward off bacteria, viruses, and overall, is a potent immunity booster. It's list of potential uses and remedies are endless, but we've listed nine below to get you started.

Getting it Down: We won’t lie to you, oil of oregano is potent stuff. You may end up smelling like you just ate an entire pizza covered in oregano, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons in our book! A little goes a long way. The best way to take the oil is to add a drop or two a day to a short glass of water and shoot. We recommend a chaser of Pressed Juicery's Greens 1 or Citrus 2 - the oil of oregano may even enhance the flavor! Oil of oregano can also be taken in capsules if you prefer. Try adding 3-6 drops, depending on severity of symptoms, to capsule and take before meals. If using the oil externally, be sure to mix it with a carrier oil, such as coconut or sesame oil, and test a small spot of skin before dousing yourself with it.

Try It: Not to be confused with your typical garden variety of pizza-ready herbs, oil of oregano is extracted from the flowers and leaves of the Origanum vulgare and Thymus capitatus species. Unfortunately, many brands sold in grocery stores are not made from this variety and many have little to no therapeutic value. Be sure you source from a reputable brand such as Wild Oil of Oregano, one of our favorites. Here's why you should pick up a bottle... [olists num=1] Final Tip: Oil of oregano is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women due to the increased blood circulation effect it can have within the uterus. Be sure to check with your doctor if you have any concerns about your health and using oregano oil.

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The Right Way To Apply Face Oils: One Method For Perfectly Glowy Skin

We rely on incredible face oils like this one from April Gargiulo of Vintner's Daughter - especially during the change of seasons. Face oils contain deep nutrition for the skin, but, once they began dominating the beauty market a few year's back, we found found ourselve stumped about the best way to use each of them. Unlike face creams, oils don't always go on easily and, if they do, they can be easy to over apply!     April's simple method below for applying oil will not only take the mystery out of things, but equip you with a self-care ritual that will take your bedtime practices to the next level. This is what the natural beauty world is so great about - not just product, but practice. The best beauty rituals aren't just about what you're using, but how you're using them. Here's April.... I am a facial massage devotee. Like all forms of massage, facial massage has benefits that are profound both physically and psychologically. I believe it’s the missing link in many skincare protocols. Our Push / Press application technique at Vintner's Daughter was developed in tandem with our Active Botanical Serum to allow our nutrient-rich formulation to perform even better. It is a face massage that is very easy to master and maintain and may be used effectively with many types of products. Practicing Push / Press for 30-60 seconds a day becomes a much anticipated ritual that creates a felling of well-being and balance. Your hands are your most powerful (and cheapest) tool. Use them! Here's why the Push / Press application technique is so effective: - It creates a pump-like action that brings blood to the surface of the skin creating a healthy, gorgeous glow. - It encourages lymphatic drainage to reduce inflammation and increase skin clarity. - It gets product into skin faster and with increased penetration. - It warms products which further activates skin healing botanicals.

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Inside CAP Beauty’s L.A. Celebration Dinner + A Stunning Superfood Menu

We love a good dinner party. Especially when it's hosted by two brands we're gaga for. The alchemical magic of East Coast-meets-West and fashion-meets-beauty was in full effect on Saturday night at Jenni Kayne's SoCal casa. The casual gathering celebrating CAP Beauty's West Coast debut was our dream dinner: seasonal, local and superfood-infused. These gorgeous images and the Sun-Potion sprinkled menu by Chef Greg Arnold might just inspire a little dinner party action of your own.  If you're an Angleno and haven't made the pilgrimage to Brentwood Country Mart to witness this pop-up first hand, get a move on. CAP Beauty is in residence at Jenni Kayne through tomorrow, November 12. In the meantime, ogle the evening's inspired menu by Chef Greg and take a second look at all that raw food can be. Here is the chef with a few words on the method behind the magic... I based my inspiration for this dinner on two things. First, as the weather just recently changed in LA, I really wanted to reflect the deliciousness of simple winter root vegetables paired with a lot of roasted nuts and smoke. I also used a lot of pickles and preserves in each dish to emphasize the fact that if we were eating a traditional rustic menu, all of the other vegetables and fruits would have been preserved in spring and summer when they were abundant and in the height of their deliciousness! The second part of the menu was based on infusing many of the dishes, sauces, and pickling brines with Sun Potion tonic herbs (Editor's note: we're obsessed with Sun Potion! See all our recipes with the team here.) Scott and Nitsa are some of my best friends and I have been experimenting and documenting the use of their tonic herbs in a wide variety of applications! In addition to the menu below, we also served a cocktail made with the classic fall fruits - pomegranate and persimmon - home-brewed mint kombucha and a strawberry powder made from dehydrating fresh strawberries and grinding them into a powder. These are also the first blood oranges of the season. I wait all year to see these beautiful citrus!

Chef greg's stunning superfood Menu from the launch dinner

Crudité Crostini:  Coffee-Infused Kohlrabi and Almond Puree  Gen Mai Cha and Chlorella Pickled Cucumbers and Shallots  Fennel and Parsley Slaw with Sumac and Macadamia Butter  Savory Tomato and Radish Jam  Ashwaganda Bissara  Pickled Baby Plums with Oil-Cured Black Olive

Roasted Heirloom Carrot. Beluga Lentils Braised in Kombu Reishi Dashi. Beetroot Tahini. Pink Lady Apples. Marcona Almonds. Light Pickled Baby Turnip. Flowers.

Avocado. Shaved Fennel. Fennel Crown. Blood Orange. Pickled Beet Stems. Dandelion Greens. Black Radish. Cordyceps Skördalia. Coleman Farms Micro-Herbs. Pine-Pollen Vinaigrette.

Pimenton Roasted Romanesco. Charred Pimento. Za’atar-infused Socca. Chermoula. Coriander. Dried Mulberries. Macambo. Micro-Herbs. Radish Sprouts.

Grilled Pee Wee Potato. Israeli Cous Cous. Tomato and Beetgreen Braised Garbanzo. Moroccan Seven-Vegetable Ratatouille. Sundried Black Olive. Black Currants.

Roasted, Pickled and Raw Beetroot. Red Mustard Greens. Smoked Flagoulet Beans. Saffron Jelly. Red and White Endive. Blueberry. Pomegranate Seed. Persimmon Vinaigrette. Fall Flowers.

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Friendsgiving Game Face: 7 Beauty Picks For A Perfect Daytime Look

No one is wearing a full face to Friendsgiving, am I right? Keep that skin glowing through the season with balanced, but richer, natural oils (here are a few of our faves) and then simplify your beauty routine for a look that says, "I woke up like this...and then made all these amazing side dishes without breaking a sweat." Beauty-blogging babe Annie Atkinson is sharing her daytime look essentials with us below - and we kind of love that she's kept the idea of a perfectly winged eye fully in the mix... What do a rested appearance, luminous skin and rose-bitten plump lips have in common? They're all part of your daytime beauty prescription this autumn. The fall shows, and even Rolling Stone’s latest and most-stunning-ever cover of a makeup-free Adele, proved yet again it’s time to invest in skincare and streamline your makeup routine. Don’t hide behind heavy concealers or foundations, but instead embrace and enhance the real you. An edited makeup routine doesn’t have to be bland or boring or even makeup free – but it should be real. Create something fresh and modern by adding a pop of color to the lips, add volume to your lashes for a boost of confidence, and paint your nails red – all in ten minutes or less. The best part of this clean new look is that it goes perfectly with that cozy cashmere sweater, autumnal colored leaves and a '70s-inspired center part. Allow me to introduce your daytime beauty guide, simplified.

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At All Costs: The Best Stevia Brands at Every Price

It’s only early November, but we’ve already hit the wall from an overload of sugar in our diets. Thankfully, there’s a ton of choices when it comes to healthier and all natural sweeteners (stay clear of the artificial stuff!). Stevia has been on our radar for a while now, and with so many health-conscious companies coming out with their own varieties, it can get a little confusing trying to pick out the best ones. Stevia, or Stevia rebaudiana, is a member of the sunflower family. It is also referred to as sweet leaf or sugar leaf due to its incredibly sweet flavor. Nearly 300 times sweeter than white sugar, it is is commonly used as a natural sweetener. With little-to-no glycemic index and zero calories, it has gained recognition as an all natural, alternative sweetener for those looking to cut a few calories without sacrificing health. Being so sweet, a little goes a very long way - about one teaspoon is equivalent to one cup of white sugar, so you get the idea. Of course, the brand and type you use will also influence the overall flavor and quality. It’s also important to note that not all stevia products are created equal. With so many brands out there, many are super processed and include additives that can mess with your digestive system, transforming a healthy pick into something more like artificial sweeteners, so read on...

High: Nature’s Candy Stevia Extract With absolutely no fillers, additives, or artificial ingredients, Nature’s Candy is a highly concentrated stevia extract and nothing else. The concentrated powdered form makes it easy to use in baking and cooking preparations. And the company even provides an easy conversion chart to help you know exactly how much to use.

Midpoint: Omica Liquid Stevia With so many brands filled with preservatives and fillers, this makes us even bigger fans of Omica. Omica is minimally processed and not reconstituted, which accounts for the bitter aftertaste that is commonly attributed to stevia sweeteners. It is completely organic and natural; the only other ingredients used are vegetable glycerin (which helps to add to the sweet flavor), and alcohol. Both are used as a base and solvent, helping to preserve the stevia. Using stevia leaves grown from self-sustaining, family-owned farms, then dried using sunlight and fresh air, a product doesn’t get more natural than this.

Low: Whole Stevia Leaves Dried or fresh stevia in its whole, unprocessed form, is probably the healthiest way to use stevia. Stevia in its whole leaf form is best used for beverages: Try adding a leaf or two to your favorite iced or warm cup of tea or coffee. The powdered leaves can also be used in culinary preparations, but be warned, the taste is much earthier in flavor than the extracted versions. We like Starwest Botanicals because they are certified organic and sell, both whole and powdered, unprocessed, stevia leaves. You might be inspired and even buy your own stevia plant - or grow one from seed - and have fresh stevia whenever you want it!

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Any Excuse For Cranberries: Whipped Breakfast Farina Pudding

We're all about fabulous simplicity these days, especially as the holidays approach. What's more fabulous than traditional Nordic cooking in winter? Just about nothing. We're obsessed with the Scandinavian lifestyle, especially when it comes to dreams of winter. This recipe for 'air pudding' is unlike anything we've ever tried and we thought it could be the perfect pick to use up all those extra cranberries in a couple of weeks.  Darra Goldstein, founding editor of Gastronomica and food scholar extraordinaire has written another Scandinavian-inspired cookbook ready to be dogeared to death. It's called Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking and is filled with as many gorgeous countryside images as intriguing recipes.  Here's one of our favorites... This beloved Finnish pudding is also known as “air pudding” (ilmapuuro) because it’s so light. It’s a typical after-school snack, now sold ready-made at the supermarket, though the homemade version is far superior. Your guests will have a hard time guessing what’s in this pudding, but the secret is farina, which we know as Cream of Wheat. Just be sure not to use the instant variety, or you’ll have a disaster on your hands. The Finns make vispipuuro with lingonberry juice, which has the perfect balance of sweet and tart but, sadly, lingonberry juice is hard to find in the States. I substitute cranberry, which turns the pudding an equally beautiful shade of pink. The proportions below are carefully balanced to yield a slightly tart pudding, so you’ll want to check the label of the juice you buy. Brands of cranberry juice vary from 7 to 9 grams in the amount of natural sugar they contain per serving. Seven grams will definitely make you shiver and pucker, so unless that’s an experience you desire, seek out a brand that lists 9 grams of natural sugar per serving. I use Lakewood Pure Cranberry Juice.

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Transitional Fall Foods: Our Chai-Spiced Coconut Smoothie Bowl

This season, we're doing our best to be present, slow down, and take care of ourselves mindfully. It's neither as easy or as painful as it sounds! We recently chatted with health coach Alexa Gray and nutritionist Kristin Dahl about balance as it applies to this highly transitional season. The result? A really amazing smoothie bowl recipe and these notes on the wheel of life. Here are Alexa and Kristin...  Alexa Gray: Recently, in my health coaching practice I have been working with holistic nutritionist Kristin Dahl to help inspire balance, especially in this transitional fall season. Together, we created this chai-spiced smoothie bowl to visually symbolize the wheel of life. Just like life, the bowl is not perfectly balanced, but all the elements are in harmony with each other. Check out Kristin's essential tips for finding balance as we make our way into this holiday season! Kristin Dahl: Optimum health is a balanced state of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It’s about learning to nourish our unique physical makeup with a variety of foods and healing modalities, so we can lead vibrant and fulfilling lives. Achieving health is not a quick fix; it’s about creating sustainable daily habits and nurturing all areas of life to create balance and harmony. When we think of “nourishment” we usually think of food, but nourishment actually comes in many forms. Let’s dive deeper into all the other layers of life that can leave you feeling either invigorated or depleted. Browse through all six aspects then take a peek at our recipe and all the benefits included in this incredible smoothie bowl. [olists num=1] [olists num=2] [olists num=3]

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