First of all, we will talk about sea salt. Sea salt is known to moisturize your skin, making it look younger and more vibrant. This simple additive will help you fight stubborn cellulite and strengthen your nails, as well as relax you after a hard day of work. You can either purchase special sea salts (Russian Shoppe, of course, offers a great variety), or simply buy table sea salt at your local grocery store.

     Baking soda is another surprisingly beneficial ingredient that can be added to your bath regimen, making your skin soft and silky smooth. Just try adding 200 grams of your regular cooking baking soda to bath water and see how it will change the appearance of your skin in just weeks.

     Milk! Yes, milk. You may say that everything so far sounds like we are cooking some kind of an elaborate dish. Well, though all these ingredients can be found in any kitchen and are not thought of as skincare products, you will be surprised to find out that many people, including celebrities, turn to them to look better and feel healthier. Milk has a lot of vitamins and minerals that raise the skin’s elasticity and its rejuvenation properties. Add 1 liter of warm milk to a bath full of water and soak yourself in it for approximately 20 minutes.

     Lavender is another great additive and more than likely most of you know why. This herb is one of the best in lowering stress and getting your mood back on track. It also helps get rid of any inflammatory processes on your skin, as well as headaches and migraines. Adding just a tea-bag of lavender, or some lavender oil, will do wonders for your day.

     Honey is a great moisturizer as well. Additionally, honey will heal any skin cracks (like on your feet, for example) and will infuse your skin with the great abundance of vitamins and minerals that it has in it. Mix 2 spoons of honey with warm water in a glass and then add this mixture to your bath. Make sure to take a warm shower after the bath, as you may be a bit sticky.

     There are times when you want to take a relaxing bath , but just having water in it doesn’t seem enough.  At times like these, most of us are sorry we don’t buy different bath ‘gadgets’ and of course don’t want to run to the store to purchase them. Well, now you know that more than likely, you can find something to bring that extra ‘oompf’ to your bath time in your kitchen. Just make sure not to add all of the above at the same time – that may turn out to be something edible. 

     Some research suggests that proximity to nature relaxes, which is why women that are surrounded by flowers seem to be happier and calmer. This makes sense; after all, we are animals that genetically feel closer to nature than the city. However, it doesn’t explain why women start feeling more romantic when flowers are given to them.

     A very interested study was done by Doctor Guéguen – a French scientists – to show the correlation between the presence of flowers and women’s mood. As a subject he took several dozen women and one by one placed them in a room, where he showed them a video of a man. The man was not doing anything out of the ordinary, but half of the women were placed in a room with three vases of flowers, and the other half, in a room with no flowers. After each spent some time looking at the man in the video, she was asked if she found him physically and sexually attractive.

     This is where the interesting facts start! For those women, who looked at the video of the man in the room with flowers, he seemed to be much more attractive than for those women, who did not have flowers surround them.

     The experiment went further, with a real man being present in a room, where the same women were asked questions that had nothing to do with romance or flowers. Half of the women were interviewed in a room with flowers, the other half, well, you get the point. When the researcher left the room, the young man present during the interview asked the woman for a date. A whopping 81% of those women surrounded by flowers answered ‘Yes’, compared to only 50% of the women that were in a flowerless room. That’s a 31% difference! And the guy didn’t even have to do anything!!

     This incredible experiment shows that women are more prone to romance not just when they are given flowers, but when they simply have flowers around them! So if you are cheap, you may want to take her to a meadow and then ask her out. If you can read between the lines, you should know that $15 spent on a bouquet of roses (daisies, tulips, carnations, etc.) will get you a result that is… well, like Visa says ‘Priceless’!

     Though this post has nothing to do with the products we sell, Russian Shoppe just wanted to remind all the men out there – cherish your women and don’t underestimate the power of flowers!

     Today, we’ll talk a bit about which juices are good (and bad) for whom and how to keep your juicing experience at its best.

     Let’s start with the two favorites: tomato and orange juices. I mean, we even mix them with alcohol, so they are the most widespread juices out there. The former is recommended for people who are prone to get bloated from access water, as well as those who have problems with the vascular system. Lycopene is considered to be the most important ingredient of tomato juice because it stalls the development of cancer cells. Potassium and vitamin C are other beneficial ingredients of tomato juice (hence, tomatoes). However, anyone who has bile movement problems, or has gallbladder stones should stay far away from tomato juice, or any foods that are rich with tomatoes.

     Orange juice is also full of vitamin C and is great for our vascular system. It promotes younger, healthier skin and hair, as well as stronger bones and levels out mood swings. If you have stomach ulcers or gastritis, you should take precaution when drinking orange juice, as it is very acidic and can irritate the lining of your stomach.

     Pomegranate juice is one of the most potent juices out there, which is why before drinking it, you should either dilute it with water, or simply drink half a glass of water before drinking the juice. Pomegranates have some of the most important food elements in them, like organic acids, vitamins, microelements, and antioxidants. If you drink pomegranate juice regularly you are postponing aging and helping your cardiovascular system. Women who are pregnant and/or nursing should not drink pomegranate juice because of its potency – it may be too much for the baby. Also, if you have constipation problems you need to stay clear of this antioxidant wonder.

     Finally, let’s talk about carrot juice – another favorite of many. Drinking carrot juice regularly helps level out the digestive tract, promotes appetite, has great benefits for the nervous system and raises our immune system. Carrots lower bad cholesterols in our body and stabilize the metabolism. However, if you overdo it, you can very easily get sick: headaches, nausea, weakness. If you have diabetes, pancreatitis, or stomach flu, be very careful with carrot juice as it can emphasize all these problems.

     In general, too much of a good thing is bad. This rule applies to juicing, so you should do it, but be very careful and find out all there is to know before you get consumed by it. Many people think they are doing their bodies a favor when in reality they are harming themselves more than if they weren’t doing anything at all.

     We at Russian Shoppe would like to wish you to be healthy and remind you that we carry juices, as well as mors and compote. If you don’t have the time to juice first and then clean the juicer (it is sometimes more difficult than cleaning the entire house), order from us and all the deliciousness and benefits of berries and fruits will be at your door within days!        

     We can try and avoid situations that are prone to injuries, but if you have already hurt yourself in one way or another, it turns out that there are several ways you can minimize the appearance of bruises. First of all, put some ice on the bruised area right away. If you have the luxury of being iced for about an hour and a half – do it – it is the best solution for bruising. Make sure to give yourself a break and take ice away from the needed body part for several minutes – you don’t want to develop hyperthermia.

     Since things in life mostly happen in such a way that you can’t prevent something, you just have to deal with it, the bruise will definitely appear and you will need to do something to help it along the disappearing process. We will tell you several ways of minimizing the length that you will be bruised and the intensity of colors/texture changes, and maybe, next time you will be able to still wear that dress.

      First of all, you should know that heat helps to dissolve hematomas, so use hot packs if the bruise has already appeared. Second, draw an iodine grid several times per day, it will minimize the discoloration (of course, you’ll have to live with the yellow of iodine). Pineapple, potato, banana, and garlic are all rich in anticoagulation enzymes, and putting a piece of either of these on the damaged area for just half an hour per day will get you on your way to beautiful, bruise free skin. Since there are several options, you may want to consider using something that won’t repel people from you as well.

      Essential oils are also good for this purpose – lavender oil is great for fresh bruises, while rosemary can help along an old one. Another great remedy is Bodyaga – which is a powder of Spongillidae and is known as one of the best ways to get rid of unwanted bruises. Boxers and fighters use Bodyaga all the time, because if they didn’t, they would definitely become a part of a separate, blue/green/purple, race.    

      There are several other ways to keep your skin the color it should be, but we have listed the most effective. And though we hope that you don’t hurt yourself often, Russian Shoppe offers oils, Bodyaga, iodine and even some of the necessary fruits and vegetables, so you never have to put concealer on a bruise and pretend that that has worked.

     It turns out that cleaning yourself (whether taking a shower or bath) more often than 2 times per week harms your body more than gives benefit. Taking frequent showers will disturb the PH balance of your skin, dry it out and will eventually lead to its aging. Additionally, if you take more than 2 showers per week, you run a risk of destroying your body’s natural defense system – a thin oil layer that protects us from bacteria and fungi. You should especially stay away from liquid shower gels as they contain concentrated active ingredients and don’t wash off.

     Research about the harm of frequent showers was done before by American and Scandinavian scientists, and all of them have proven that your body is more susceptible to disease, allergies and skin conditions if you clean yourself too often. Apparently, the less showers you take, the better it is for your immune system, as it stays alert and doesn’t get too lazy fighting off bacteria.

     As it turns out, many people in developed countries have such health problems as asthma, allergies, some types of auto immune illnesses and even type I diabetes and a big reason for this is the fact that they are ‘obsessed’ with cleanliness. Those who live in developing countries, where people don’t have the luxury of taking 2 showers per day, do not seem to have similar health problems.

     So, next time you get into your shower, think whether you really need it, or if it’s more of a habit. Since we were little, our parents told us that we need to stay clean and that cleanliness will lead to health. Apparently, they were wrong! But if you decide not to follow the advice of Israeli, American and Scandinavian researchers and continue with your hygiene regimen, make sure to use only organic, non-liquid soaps. Russian Shoppe has a great selection of Natura Siberica and other soaps that are great for your skin and support its natural PH balance.