Filed under: beauty, DIY, egg, Hair-care, Honey, moisturizing, oil, olive oil, Organic recipes | Tags: avocado, beauty, egg, hair, honey, olive oil
What are you doing tomorrow afternoon? Homework? Watching TV? If you’re going to be lounging around, then treat your hair to this conditioning mask.
It takes an hour or two to work, but it’s worth it if your hair is fried from being styled all the time or just lifeless from the recent fluctuating weather. And this recipe is from this month’s Marie Claire magazine, so you don’t have to trust me.
Ingredients:
2 small avocados
1/2 cup honey
1 egg yolk (use the egg white for this)
2 tbsp olive oil
Leave in for an hour or two and then shower and condition as usual. Your hair will thank you me.
You’re welcome 
Filed under: beauty, cocoa, DIY, Honey, moisturizing, oil, olive oil, Skin-care | Tags: cocoa, coconut milk, diy beauty, hair, moisturizing, oil, skin
Maine is freezing!It’s like we’re trapped under a sheet of ice – and have been for the past week. You might think I’m exaggerating, but the fact is that I haven’t regained feeling in my toes yet. And I don’t even live in a log cabin.
We’ve had a snow day and many of us have avoided going out as much as possible, staying inside to sip hot cocoa and watch movies. Your skin especially will be hurting from the negative temperatures. So take some of that hot cocoa and put it on your face! Here’s how to make the most of the next snow day.
Dry skin mask: Your skin is so dry and frozen that it hates you. Treat it kindly by blending honey and as much cocoa as needed to create a paste and applying it to your face. If your skin needs even more moisture, use olive oil in place of honey.
Hair help: Cocoa is pretty dark and can easily stain, so this is only recommended for those with dark, frizzy hair. Use whole milk (or coconut milk) and mix with cocoa and a bit of oil. Yes this is a little slimy but it is so nourishing! Use it as a conditioner and leave on for 5 minutes.
Now you’re more prepared for the future storms. You’re welcome.
Filed under: beauty, DIY, lemon, moisturizing, oil, olive oil, Organic recipes, organic skin-care, refreshing, Skin-care | Tags: beauty, cucumber, DIY, glamour, lemon, olive oil, organic skin-care
I get daily emails from countless magazine bloggers. It sounds lame, but it’s fun and also helps me escape from the mundane to focus on me for a minute or two. Shape magazine sends me tips on making my day a little more active. Allure tells me about the best of beauty. And Glamour will tell me just about anything.
This week I received and email from Glamour’s bloggers with a simple DIY trick that I just had to share. Below are the instructions.
“1. Take 2 whole cucumbers, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil and puree in a blender.
2. Divide the mixture into two plastic baggies. Slide one foot into each bag and massage the cucumber mask all over the foot.
3. Leave your feet in the bags for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
‘The cucumber is extra refreshing and reviving for tired toes, the lemon helps exfoliate, and the olive oil deeply moisturizes for super softness,’ says [Skyy] Hadley, who relies on this recipe to keep feet smooth for up to a week.”
Remember that acidic fruits like lemon exfoliate on another level than what a traditional scrub would. The acidic nature helps exfoliate sensitive skin without the irritating beads/pieces in a scrub.This is such an easy recipe. Instead of plastic bags I would just use a foot bath bucket – I’m not a fan of over-using pastic items.
Make today a relaxing Saturday. Enjoy!
Filed under: beauty, DIY, moisturizing, oil, peanut butter, scrub, Skin-care | Tags: DIY, diy beauty, moisurizing, oil, organic skin-care, peanut butter
[Aside from the Christmas stress this past month, there were two birthdays and a wedding. I'm sure now you know why it's been a while since you last saw a post from me.]
But now it’s a new year and I’m back in full swing… with terribly dry skin on my hands. I’ll be focusing on dry skin issues for a while since they are ever present in the winter. Here’s a super simple way to take care of it!
Peanut butter! Today, after I served the classic apple slices and peanut butter snack to one of the kids I nanny, I had some peanut butter left on my hands after digging out the rest from the bottom of the jar. It worked especially well on my cuticles.
I know, it’s a pretty strong and lingering smell. It’s also pretty oily so be mindful of smearing it all over your face if you’re prone to breakouts. I also suggest using the natural kind because it has a grittier texture for extra exfoliation. It leaves behind a soft, moisturizing barrier for the hands.
Face
Face Scrub: As previously mentioned, be aware that this can exacerbate acne prone skin. I have sensitive skin so I can usually only use a very small amount of this at a time, or dilute it to suit my skin needs. Using natural peanut butter means you can apply it directly to the face and scrub lightly with your finger pads. However, I dilute the peanut butter until it is nearly a liquid and use coffee grinds to make it feel more like a scrub.
Body
Body Scrub: I would only use this if I had some time to myself. I’m not particularly into smelling like a peanut butter sandwich. Mix peanut butter with 1/2 – 1 cup oatmeal for a moisturizing and soothing scrub.
Hands
Hand mask: Use as much or as little peanut butter as desired. Use alone or mix with honey or olive oil for added moisture.
Filed under: beauty, cleanse, DIY, eczema, egg, milk, nutmeg, refreshing, salt, Skin-care | Tags: blackheads, cleansing, DIY, egg, holiday, milk, normal skin, nutmeg, oily skin, pore strips, skin-care
I posted last time about nutmeg being good for eczema. Turns out, though, that nutmeg is even more the superhero than I thought. After posting about it last time, I continued my research on nutmeg because it couldn’t hurt to do more with the sweet-smelling spice. And my research was not in vain.
Last night I tried a nutmeg paste as a blackhead remover. And wow. I really thought it was too good to be true, but it worked. And it smelled lovely. And my skin glowed.
So really, this one needs to be tried. BY YOU. Here are some great facials using nutmeg. Enjoy!
For Oily skin:
I made a paste of water and nutmeg until I reached the desired consistency. But it was still difficult to keep the nutmeg on. Instead I probably could have used egg which is pore-constricting and cleansing. You could use it as a scrub first and then leave on.
For Normal skin:
For normal (or delicate skin) I would use whole milk. It’s gently exfoliating and refreshing.
Filed under: beauty, cleanse, DIY, eczema, egg, eggnog, Hair-care, holiday, milk, moisturizing, nutmeg, vinegar | Tags: beauty, eczema, eggnog, family photos, holidays, milk, natural skin-care, nutmeg, sasquatch, skin, stress, vinegar
Holidays are stressful. Stress does bad things for your skin.
CUE FAMILY PHOTOS!
Why do we get up at the crack of dawn to open gifts? More importantly, why are cameras so readily available at that time? I mean when you’re a kid your parents and loved ones need documentation of the holiday season… but we’re adults now, so leave the camera out of the picture, right?
No. You’re just going to have to look good this year. Because we take pictures to remember the moments (this is what the picture fiends tell me) so we’re going to have to give in. It IS the season of giving after all…
Do these things to look a bit better this year:
Dry Skin
If you have dry skin, chances are your skin is itchy and uncomfortable this time of year. Never fear – nutmeg is the answer. Simply making a paste of nutmeg and water and applying the mixture to the affected areas will ease the itch. This works especially well for those who suffer from eczema.
Oily Skin
If your skin is oily, you probably hate having your picture taken because your face looks so shiny. Grab a little eggnog and pat on your face! The egg makes your pores look smaller (thanks to its tightening effect) and the milk is a natural exfoliant and moisturizer. Leave on for 20 minutes and then rinse.
Oily Hair
We’ve talked about this one before, but it’s worth repeating. If you’ve been styling your hair every day (putting product in, layering serums and leave-in conditioners etc) you’re going to need to give it a good cleanse at some point. 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar mixed with your regular shampoo once a week will rid your hair of product build-up. Even better, shower on Christmas Eve and wake up with shiny, clean hair.
Enjoy planning and shopping and baking and pictures this holiday season. I wish you all a happy December!
So fun, SO easy and so cheap!? I can’t wait to try this out right away.
Check out her other videos – she’s become super successful thanks to her savvy skills.
Filed under: beauty, DIY, Honey, moisturizing, olive oil, Organic recipes, organic skin-care, refreshing, scrub, Skin-care, yogurt | Tags: beauty, body butter, DIY, fruit, honey, lotion, mango, moisturizing cream, olive oil, organic, yogurt
I’m kind of a fruit addict. I find the natural sugars in fruit far more scrumptious than those in sugary candy. Maybe if I had developed this fine taste for fruit over candy earlier I wouldn’t have gotten circa 20 cavities. I guess we’ll never know.
Lately, people have been buying a lot of mangoes. I work at an enormous store whose name I will not divulge for fear of being visited by people, and that is where I do all my research. So you can trust me when I say that people are buying mangoes at an alarming rate. Maybe it’s because they’re exotic and you can imagine yourself in a warm, far-off place while you eat them. Or maybe it’s their rich iron, vitamin C, and vitamin E content (which is great for the skin, especially now that it’s getting colder).
Face
Mango Mask: SO easy! 1/2 mashed mango, 1 or 2 tsp of plain greek yogurt (it’s thicker than regular yogurt) and some honey. Leave on for 20 minutes. Add sugar if you want it as a scrub!
Mango Body Butter: If you don’t make this, I will. And I’ll sell it. Because this sounds incredible.
(Taken from www.vitamin-supplements-store.net)
2 oz mango butter
1 oz olive oil, almond oil, kukui nut oil, macadamia nut oil, etc…
1 TBS(or more) cornstarch (to make it less greasy)
6-8 drops of Fragrance of your choice (try vanilla, lavender, or mix your own)
Melt the mango butter in a double boiler or you may use the microwave. When using the microwave, set the temperature on medium and check every 45 seconds. When the mango butter is completely melted, add oil and cornstarch and stir until it is a nice creamy consistency. Add essential oil or fragrance last. Allow your butter to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
So, if you can keep yourself from eating the mangoes you buy to do these skin tricks, then whip up some of this goodness.
Filed under: baking soda, cucumber, DIY, Honey, lemon, organic skin-care, refreshing, salt | Tags: baking soda, beauty, DIY, gym, heavy cream, honey, lemon, organic, salt, working out
Now that my busy schedule has become a routine, I can get back to some of the things I love: blogging and going to the gym. I’ve been on hiatus from the blogging (yes, again) and from the gym (want these!) because I have to actually buy a membership now that I’m a grown up and can’t use the university gym for free. Bummer.
I’m not exactly a gym-lover, I just love the way a work out feels. I also love pretending to be good at running and always exit the gym with a tomato-red face while avoiding the pretty, skinny girls at the desk.
When I return home I promptly take a shower (even before speaking to people. I don’t want anyone to recognize me post- gym) and do a few things to restore my energy and ease the occasional muscle/joint pain.
Cold
DIY Ice Pack: So easy! Fill a heavy duty zip-lock bag with three parts water and one part rubbing alcohol and freeze it.
Hot
Salty sock: No, really. Heat as much salt as desired in a heavy pan and pour it into a clean, heavy sock. Tie the end and use it on strained or sore muscles.
Mask
I like to follow my work outs with a deep- cleansing mask because sweat and oil settle in pores to create blackheads and infections. Sometimes I use Korres Cinnamon Mask because it has unexpected ingredients and it’s not DIY so I can use it in a hurry, but if I have more time I’ll do this one: 1 tbs heavy cream, 1 tbs honey, and enough baking soda to make a paste.
Remember to replenish precious water lost from the body. I like to add lemon for extra cleansing or cucumber for even more hydration. I hope this entry inspires me to get a membership soon!
Filed under: anti-aging, beauty, cleanse, cleansing, DIY, Hair-care, Organic recipes, organic skin-care, refreshing | Tags: baking soda, chlorine in hair, cleansing, diy beauty, organic hair-care, organic skin-care
My first memory of baking soda (“shake it till you can’t shake it no mo’”) is that my grandmother used it in the refrigerator so that the fish she bought each week wouldn’t make her house smell like low tide. My brother and I were grateful for this because we spent much of our time in the fridge searching for delicious things and did not want to be impeded by horrible smells.
Then my boyfriend told me he used to drink baking soda and water to settle an upset stomach. I suffer from some pretty bad stomach pains – but none that would ever make me turn to that tip. I tastes too awful!
I blogged three weeks ago about one good thing baking soda can do for you – especially when you’re in dire need of a cure like I was then – but this week I want to share even more tips because this ingredient is a gem and I can’t keep secrets like this to myself.
Hair
Chlorine Cure: I’ve talked about the chlorine content of the water here and of my fear of green locks. So here’s a tip that I’ve been using as regularly as a if I were a pro swimmer. 1 tsp to a bottle of shampoo adds extra cleaning and helps prevent dull or discolored hair.
Dry Shampoo: Many like the effect of dry shampoo because it helps with oily roots but also can add volume to the finer hairs in life. Sprinkle a little on, massage in and use a hair dryer to restyle if necessary.
Body
Anti dry: For some reason the skin on my elbows and knees are dryer than they normally are in the summer. All I do to get rid of this is to make a paste of baking soda and water and apply. Rinse off when dry.
Hands: I also like to soften my cuticles with a toothbrush dipped in baking soda and water.
Face
White mask: Exfoliating, cleansing and anti-acne, this mask (made of just water and baking soda) is one of the best DIY tips of all time. Women have used it for centuries. If you don’t feel like you have the energy to indulge in a whole mask, you can make just enough to cover one blemish. Rinse when dry.
There are many more tips like these! Check them out.
