Finger Nails and Coconut oil

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that my finger nails had vertical ridges on them (running from the base of the nail to the tip). Upon Googling this, I found that the main cause is ageing, dryness and also possibly bad circulation. I was worried that it might be an indication of ill health, but not so. Horizontal ridges, on the other hand, are connected to damage of the nail, like a sharp blow, as well as health issues.

I doubt that it is bad circulation, I do get a fair bit of exercise. The dryness could be caused by gardening, I don't often wear gloves, who can dig in the soil with gloves on? And the ageing I can actually do nothing about!

I did some research and found various oils that can be used as a treatment and one suggestion was Jojoba oil or any other natural oil. However, I'm a fairly in-a-hurry kind of person, so not having any Jojoba in stock, I raided my bathroom cabinet and found some Coconut Oil. Coconut oil tends to solidify under 24°C (76°F), so mine was in solid form (it's winter here in South Africa), which is useful for scooping out of the bottle with the back-end of a teaspoon as one just needs a small amount.

I started massaging my nails, cuticles and the base of the nail with the Coconut oil and within a day there was a marked improvement. Studies on Coconut oil also show that it improves the moisture and lipid content of the skin so I started extending massaging up to my hands and I have found that it gets absorbed into the skin very quickly, not leaving an oily residue for long.

I've been doing the treatment daily for about 2 weeks now and I'll keep it up for another 6 weeks and then report back (roundabouts the 6th October 2013). Unfortunately I never took any pictures of my nails before starting the treatment, I was in such a hurry to get it going! Hopefully I've have some pics for the up-date.

Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrients for your hair. It is an excellent conditioner and helps the re-growth process of damaged hair. For years now I treat my scalp and hair once a month to a good massage of coconut oil, leaving it on for a couple of minutes before giving it a good rinse. For use on hair I melt the solidified Coconut oil by standing the bottle in a container filled with hot water.

Further research on the benefit of coconut oil on the skin revealed that it is comparable to that of mineral oil. Fortunately, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin from the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays the appearance of wrinkles and sagging of skin which normally accompany ageing and lightens age spots when rubbed directly on the skin.

Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. For that exact reason, coconut oil forms the base ingredient of various body care products like soaps, lotions, and creams that are used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its well-known antioxidant properties. It has also been proven to be effective as a sunscreen, blocking about 20% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

More benefits of Coconut Oil

Some very interesting 101 Uses for Coconut Oil

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It was love at first sight... the day I met The Beach

That day, in 1973, at the age of 25, was the first time I had ever seen the sea - and it was love at first sight. The beach was all I had ever imagined it to be - soft, white sand, shells strewn here and there, little crabs scurrying for cover as I walked on the wet sand where the tide had left its mark.

I looked at the waves with their white crests, a beautiful sight to behold. Perpetual motion, hypnotic, soothing, yet disturbing.  There and then I decided that the water was the domain of the sharks and the beach was mine - mine to walk, mine to search for beach treasures, mine to leave footprints on and mine to sit and dream, for hours, while the waves crashed in a never-ending crescendo, alluring, calling, but also warning,

"In joy thou hast lived. 
Beware of the Sea! 
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore, 
Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more."

Where the wild grass grows

Camera : Fuji FinePix 2800Zoom
Taken in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

This is a corner in my garden at my wildlife pond where I allow the indigenous wild grasses and weeds to grow wild. It’s a real haven for small wildlife, birds and insects. All the trees here are indigenous as well – White Stinkwood (Celtis africana) and some Sweet Thorn (Acacia karroo), a favourite for nesting birds because of all the thorns.

Dedicated to all wild-grasses lovers!

They’re building ’em up
skeletons of brand new palaces,

glass is shining everywhere
so neat are the lines
converging and rising from the sea
that feeds my eyes with watery
veins. Though
the place I like most,
is where the wild grass grows,
where angry bikers hit mud hills
and thick-skinned fishermen cradle
pet-boats between one pint
and the other.
—Eszty Arod

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A sense of well-being

As I laboured, packing the rocks for my new water feature, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction in the gnawing pain in my back. Physical labour — feeling the weight of the rocks, their smoothness, their warmth from where they had been lying in a pile in the sun for a couple of weeks — gives me a sense of accomplishment. I stood back, surveying my handiwork and feel an exquisite sense of well-being.

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Regaining my connection

I sat down on the grass, crossing my legs yoga-style, and took a deep breath. Watching the river flow by deep and strong, sending ripples to the bank, I felt myself calm down. Today had not been a good day and I knew I needed to get out into the fresh air to think things over. His words were still ringing in my ears and I felt my heart cringing in pain. What had led to this? Was it my fault?

I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on my shoulders. Proof that life goes on, no matter what. I opened my eyes and took in the scenery around me. A Cormorant landed in a tree on the opposite bank and I could see it feeding its young. They will soon have to face the large and sometimes hostile world out there one of these days and I wished that I could be there for them if and when adversity strikes.

My thoughts returned to my heart-ache. I realised that, unlike birds, we have a certain amount of control over adversity, over what happens to us. We can do something about it. Getting up and brushing myself off, I walked back to my car. My mind was clear, I knew what I had to do.

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Wishing you a refreshing day!

Here are 2 things you can do to have a refreshing day. 

First, refresh your energy by releasing yesterday from your mind. 
Next, let your inner Light shine with happiness and positive energy wherever you go. 🤎

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WELCOME to my info pages!

Hi, I am Maree Clarkson, also known as Hedgie and I am a Watercolour artist, gardener and naturalist living, sketching and painting on the Dolphin Coast of South Africa. I specialise in watercolours, but also use other mediums like Acrylics, Oils, Pastels and Pen and Ink from time to time.

This blog is my "Info Centre" and a summary of where you can catch up with my art and various other topics I'm passionate about. You won't find any new articles or posts here, but Links to items of interest are listed in the two menu columns on the left and right and are constantly up-dated, so please feel free to explore my world and join me in seeing all this wonderful Universe has to offer!

My tagline is, "There is a fine line between dreams and reality; it's up to you to draw it."

During my childhood, my days, which were all too short, were filled with (besides school work!) sketching every insect, leaf and bird I could find in the garden, later filling my journals with bits of leaves, butterfly wings (from dead ones!), seeds and pieces of bark. I also spent my time looking for little animals in the veld to sketch - Chameleons, Hedgehogs, field mice, lizards, little snakes like egg eaters and partridges. I often took them home, to my mother's consternation, keeping them in a suitable cage or glass tank until I was finished examining and sketching them, then returning them to where I found them. In the evenings I spent my time reading - The Famous Five, Nancy Drew, horse magazines and anything else I could lay my hands on - until it was time for lights out.

My biggest passion is sketching and painting and with my art I would like to be of inspiration to others and send the message, "Anything is possible and you can do it!" Your calling and destiny are hidden within the precious desires of your heart (what an ingenious place to put it!) and all that is required is for you to look within and discover what gives you the greatest joy. You can find my art at RedBubble.

You may be interested in some fine art prints of my art work on greeting cards, postcards, mounted prints, laminated prints, framed prints, photographic prints, posters, duvet covers, t-shirts, mugs, iPhone cases, throw pillows and tote bags - please feel free to visit my profile at RedBubble, where you will find a wide variety of subjects to choose from, like animals, birds, landscapes, figurative studies, sketches, flowers, seascapes and still life topics.

Personally, my inspiration is easily stimulated - a bird sitting on a branch close-by, a certain shape, an interesting line or shadow, a beautiful colour, the curve of a leaf as it gently sways in the wind, a pebble as it lays half covered by sand on the beach ... the beauty of nature far surpasses anything man-made, and provides us with an endless source of inspiration. Read more about nature and the beauty of South Africa in "HEDGIE'S NATURE JOURNAL".

I'm mad about journaling and have been writing and sketching in "diaries", as they were called in those days, since my childhood. My father encouraged my passion for writing and presented me with my first fountain pen at the age of seven, and that started a life-long friendship with writing and sketching. Thereafter, for every birthday or Christmas, it was either another pen or pencil or journal and I'm absolutely besotted with Moleskine Note books, especially the Watercolour sketch-books.

Also please feel free to visit my Instagram profile, where I journal about my gardening exploits and anything exciting seen through the camera's lens.

"Soil . . . scoop up a handful of the magic stuff. Look at it closely. What wonders it holds as it lies there in your palm. Tiny sharp grains of sand, little faggots of wood and leaf fiber, infinitely small round pieces of marble, fragments of shell, specks of black carbon, a section of vertebrae from some minute creature. And mingling with it all the dust of countless generations of plants and flowers, trees, animals and – yes – our own, age-long forgotten forebears, gardeners of long ago. Can this incredible composition be the common soil?"

- Stuart Maddox Masters, The Seasons Through

I am constantly exploring my creativity, overcoming my fears in the process and having a great journey along the way!

"You can choose any destination you wish for your life. So choose one

that thrills you and compels you to be the best you can be."

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