Summer is salad season for me. There’s just so much fresh and abundant (and sometimes organic) local produces to be seen this time of year.

This salad has probably been done many times with many variations. You could even include more veggies like carrots or daikon and it would be just as good. Serves 2.

Before preparing my veggies, I like to soak them in water with 2 tbs of vinegar just to be safe.

Chop up the following:

1/2 bunch of organic spinach
1 Granny Smith apple
2 organic radishes
walnuts

Dressing is simply made with 2 tbs rice bran oil, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar, 1 tbs Himalayan salt, and a pinch of ground chili pepper and black pepper.

Some people like to caramelize and toast the walnuts, but I find it taste great either way.

Recently I’ve been using more rice bran oil instead of olive oil. These are some of the nutrients from Rice Bran Oil:

* Naturally rich in Vitamin E (Tocopherol and Tocotrienol).
Both types of Vitamin E are natural antioxidants that fight free radicals, a major cause of cancer. Tocotrienol not only outperforms Tocopherol in preventing oxidation, it also effectively helps lower blood cholesterol level.

* High in Oryzanol. Oryzanol is a powerful natural antioxidant found only in rice bran oil, not other vegetable oils. It is more active than Vitamin E in fighting free radicals. Oryzanol is effective in lowering the blood cholesterol level, reducing liver cholesterol synthesis, and treating menopausal disorders.

* High in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) which helps lower LDL-C, the bad cholesterol. It also helps maintain or increase HDL-C, the good cholesterol.” Source.

This is the best eye cream I’ve made so far. The others I’ve made previously with carrot seed oil did not turn out so well. You can read more about the benefits of rosehip for skincare here.

The eye cream goes on nice and smooth.  I’ve been using this for about 1 month and find it’s great for the delicate area of the eye. And this one even has extra virgin coconut oil, so it smells like real coconut too.

It’s a nice natural product with no preservatives or chemicals. And all the plant oils nourishes and protects your skin. The shea butter and beeswax is what holds it all together - naturally! 

I used an old container from another cosmetic company. I never finished their cream as the texture and smell was just too odd.  At least I got to re-use the container.

If you would like to make this eye cream, the recipe is listed below:

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The past couple of years has been really good to olive oil. But the future may belong to rice bran oil. I had read so much of the benefits of this oil (and the rice bran powder) from many Japanese skincare company catalogs.

They actually inspired me to make my own version of the rice bran soap. I searched all over town trying to locate the oil, including Whole Foods. They had almost every oil, but not rice bran. I also tried our local Japanese market, but they were very expensive for such a small bottle. But they did have a good selection of rice bran powder. I almost gave up, but finally came across a bigger Japanese market with a more reasonable price. About $12 for 64 fluid oz.

Soap Ingredients: Rice Bran oil, Palm oil, Coconut oil, Soybean oil, Castor oil, Distilled water, Sodium hydroxide, Rice Bran Powder.

So I finally got to make my first rice bran oil bar. It has become my favorite bar. I scented it with lychee and mandarin, very light fruity scent. I use it as a facial bar and it’s very moisturizing.

The best part is using it as a shaving bar. It really leaves my legs super super soft. I even forgot to use moisturizer (or felt I didn’t need to use it anymore). In Japan, Rice Bran Oil is used to enhance your skin and hair. It is also used all over the world in a variety of cosmetics, especially for treating dry, mature skin.

Rice bran oil can be used to make massage oil, bath oil, body butters, and especially soaps. Possibly anywhere in cosmetics making. It is full of antioxidants, such as Vitamin E. Vitamin E is also used in soapmaking as a natural preservative. Oils by Nature supplies, a specialty natural oils company that supply to soapmakers and gourmet food industries had an interesting list of the benefits of Rice Bran Oil. Some of which I will list here:

• Provides moderate penetration with little greasiness
• Promotes of collagen formation
• Treats dry, mature skin
• Provides smooth spreadability

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