The Origin of Gugo

Have you ever wondered how Gugo is made?

I have been very blessed to meet some of the makers of Gugo in Batangas.

In this small town, it seems everyone knows how to make Gugo! They were so nice, they even showed us how they make it.

Gugo starts from a bark harvested from a vine that may only be found in mountainous areas.

Gugo bark

After the bark is skinned, it is cut into strips like below.

Gugo strips

It is then hammered into rectangular strips.

Nanay Berning Suarez showing us how Gugo is shaped. 

After being sun dried, it is then sold as dried Gugo strips. Drying takes a minimum of 5 hours depending on the weather.

Do you notice how these two sets of gugo differ in color?

According to one of the makers of Gugo, the color depends on what tree the vine was next to.

The light colored one came from a vine which grew near an Indian Mango, while the darker one grew next to a santol tree.

They may differ in color but they are just effective in helping you care for your hair.

So, which color do you like better? Let us know! :)

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An Eggziting Way to Remove Blackheads

It is an enigma to me too why it took me this long to post about this, especially when I practically do this every two weeks (sometimes weekly if my blackheads are going Spartan army on me.)

I once removed my blackheads using Nu Skin. (You can check the post here.) But I have long abandoned it because I opted for a more natural, if not more organic, facial care. But it’s really mostly because it’s the cheaper option (let’s be honest). It’s just as effective without the cancer-causing agents in tow. So, why not right?

So how does one remove blackheads without store-bought face masks (which don’t work on me) and without going to facial centers that uproot blackheads through pricking and squeezing? Ouch!

Well, it is closer to you than you think.

Image from: www.rsc.org

You will need the following:
An egg
A sheet of toilet paper
Scissors
Soap
Ice cubes

Directions:

1. Separate the yolk and the egg white, and then get about a teaspoon of egg white. (This depends on the size of your face. I have a lot of leftovers when I use 1 teaspoon.)
2. Next, fold a sheet of toilet paper in half so that it forms a triangle. Cut it in the middle. One ply of this paper triangle will serve as your nose strip.
3. Wash your face with gentle soap and pat dry.
4. Apply the teaspoon of egg white on your face and your neck using your beauty fingers. Making sure you only apply it upwards to avoid wrinkles.
5. Slowly dab your makeshift nose strip using your fingers. You need to be very gentle when you do this because you might destroy the toilet paper.
6. After applying the nose strip, apply a second coating of egg white on your nose.
7. Let it dry. This will take about 30 minutes. Try not to move around so much or else the mask will crack. If air enters the mask, it might itch.
8. When it’s all dried out, slowly pull your nose strip. I pull one side at a time
9. You can repeat this again if you have more blackheads left (also known as Spartan mode), but just limit it to thrice in a row. If you are satisfied the first time, you can wash your face and apply the ice cubes on your face. This will close your pores and prevent dirt from coming in, at least temporarily.

Put the leftover egg white where you dipped your fingers in your plants. It makes a good fertilizer.

As for the remaining egg white, you can store it. It usually keeps for a few days in an airtight container. I personally prefer to cook it with the initially separated yolk, and crack open a fresh every time I extract my blackheads.

If you want to use free range eggs, that’s so much better! Free range eggs do not have hormones in it.

Let me know if this works for you!