DIY Nourishing Hair Mask

No Thursday update this week because I pretty much told you all the highlights of my week as they happened... 'they' being St Paddy's day and working my face off, both at Brooklyn and at school. I had big stuff every day of school this week! a five page paper here, a final paper proposal there, and a big fat midterm to finish it off yesterday. It was overwhelming to have all that facing me immediately after spring break, but now the next few weeks of school should be relatively calm and even-paced.

Today I am working on something that I literally have been avoiding and procrastinating for just about a year- my retroactive medical withdrawal from the spring 2012 semester. Big fat stressed-out sigh. I stopped attending school when it all became "too much", realizing that despite my efforts I had tried to resume my normal life too soon. Due to the conditions of my withdrawal I can blame it on medical reasons but I have to write a whole statement explaining my situation, as well as go around to the 4 professors whose classes I stopped attending and ask them to fill out a form supporting my withdrawal. Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, it is very difficult for me to take my thoughts back to those troubling times, let alone write at length about them and present them to other people to be judged for their worthiness or whatever. Blah. So I didn't do it for months and months. But I only have until the end of this semester so today I'm just going to do it.

On top of that, I'm going in to work today at 4 and it's the spring 4th ave street fair this weekend... which means lots of hungry people that have been walking around in the sun all day demanding slices. I like working the counter but street fair is always pretty high intensity.. so we'll see how that goes.

To take the edge off a bit on my busy and stressful day, I'm going to do at least one of my weekly beauty categories... probably face today. A nice steam and facial should ease the tension, I hope. Yesterday I did my hair and I whipped up this simple little hair mask that I wanted to share with you guys! It's full of protein in the form of Greek yogurt and egg yolk so it is very nourishing and strengthening for your locks. The olive oil is moisturizing, softening, and adds to shine, while the honey is conditioning and also contributes shine and luster to dry, limp hair.

Greek yogurt and honey is one of the most delicious things ever and making and using this mask reminded me of drizzling gobs of golden honey onto cold, super-thick, creamy bowls of yogurt in Greece a couple summers ago. It certainly smelled the same! The honey and yogurt I had wasn't as nice as that stuff but it still made my hair look and feel great and was a nice mid-week boost.

You will need:
Olive oil
Yogurt
Honey
1 egg

Start by separating the egg yolk from the white. The yolk is high in fat and protein which makes it great for your hair while the egg white is super low in calories and great for your waist ;) You can discard the white or use it to make a healthy omelet, meringues, or a number of other yummy goodies.

Put the yolk in a small bowl and use a fork to break the membrane and mix it up real quick. Did you know an egg yolk is one cell? I learned that in like 7th grade science and found it fascinating.

Drizzle in about 1 tbsp olive oil. Since I was doing my full hair treatment yesterday, I had some leftover olive oil from my hot oil scalp rub so I just used that.

Squeeze in some honey next, about 2 tbsp. If you have raw honey, use that! I just had this Kroger stuff on hand. Whisk the oil and honey thoroughly into the egg yolk.

Finally, a healthy dollop of Greek yogurt, about 1/4-1/2 cup. Mix it up real good and you have your mask!

To use, moisten hair with a spray bottle full of HOT water. use your hands, a comb, or a combination of the two to apply the mask to all of your hair but particularly to the length and ends. I like to get mask all over my hands and rub/rake it through my hair, then use a wide tooth comb to distribute it evenly. Twist your hair into a bun on the top of your head, wrap your whole scalp/hair in plastic wrap (you aren't going anywhere, right?) and then wrap it all up in a hot towel. leave on for 10-30 minutes, whatever you have time for, and then rinse it out well and wash normally in the shower. Tada! Revitalized, nourished, shiny hair :)

It's the weekend! YAY!

DIY Lavender Vanilla Body/Face Scrub

Today I'm doing my skin/face portion of my weekly beauty regimen. I whipped up a deliciously fragrant, soothing scrub this morning to use as my skin exfoliant! This scrub is ideal for the whole body and can even be used on your face! It's chock full of great, natural ingredients that are AMAZING for your skin, AND you probably have them in your kitchen right now (and if not, they're definitely at the grocery store or natural foods store). The best part is it will cost you only a few pennies and minutes to make!

The scrub contains:

Sea salt, which is a natural detoxifier, exfoliant, antiseptic, and stress reducer. It is softer and more gentle than normal salt, which can sometimes tear at the skin when used in scrubs.

Sugar, which is another exfoliant that is much softer and gentler on the skin than salt- the mix of both sea salt and sugar in this scrub gives all the benefits of both with an end product that is gentle enough to use on your face. Sugar also contains glycolic acid, which conditions and moistens the skin while protecting it from toxins.

Olive oil, which is well known for its moisturizing and soothing properties. Olive oil also contains vitamin E which has been proven to have anti-aging effects.

Grapeseed oil, which is hydrating like olive oil and also is chock full of antioxidants which work against skin-damaging free radicals in the environment. It also lessens allergic reactions on the skin, protects collagen, and evens skin tone. All of these things result in more anti-aging effects.

Lavender essential oil, which can fight against acne and stimulate new skin cell production (helping to heal scars and burns more quickly). It also has calming and pleasant aromatherapy effects.

Vanilla extract, which along with the lavender makes this scrub smell absolutely amazing! Like a delicious floral cookie. If that makes sense.

Lavender VAnilla Scrub

2/3 cup sea salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 drops lavender essential oil

Optional aesthetic add-ins: scrapings from one vanilla bean, dried lavender flowers.

Combine salt and sugar in a bowl. Drizzle in grapeseed oil while stirring constantly (to help avoid clumps and unevenly dissolved salt/sugar). Grapeseed oil is a light yellow while olive oil has a distinct golden hue. This will make your finished scrub a definite yellow color. If you want it to be lighter (for instance, if you want to add food coloring later for aesthetic appeal without the oil altering the color) use all grapeseed oil.

just grapeseed oil

Add olive oil, once again stirring constantly. Add vanilla extract and lavender essential oil until you reach your desired scent/combination.

with olive oil added

Spoon the mixture into a mason jar or other airtight container and enjoy your new scrub!

To use, just massage onto moistened skin in circular motions to slough off dead skin. Concentrate on particularly dry/rough areas like knees and elbows. Then rinse off! It's perfect for using in the shower. The oil is a natural moisturizer so you wont even need to use lotion after.

A little goes a long way so this scrub should be good for several uses!

A Daily/Weekly Beauty Regimen

Like most girls, I have at least a mild interest in keeping my skin clear and soft, my hair clean and shiny, and my hands and feet free of cracks and maybe even my nails painted. For a long time though, I didn't really care about any of that stuff. I think that feeling sad and generally unhappy with my body led me to just say to hell with all of it and do the bare minimum when it came to beauty routines. Now though, with my life going in a direction I'm really pleased with and the weight starting to melt off, I'm finally feeling happy and comfortable in my own skin again. It's wonderful. I think the very BEST part is looking in the mirror and, despite still having quite a few pounds to lose, being happy with the way I look right now and not wishing certain parts of me would change or disappear. That's a perspective I rarely had even at my lowest weight in high school and it feels like such a blessing to have it now... but more on that later.

A new-found interest in maintaining my health and appearance along with my desperate search to remedy my awful snow sunburn from last week has led me to really look into what I should be doing to look and feel my best at all times. I've been rubbing vitamin e oil into my face a few times a day to help relieve/speed the healing process of my burn and I was excited to find out that it can actually be used as a toner and moisturizer AND it prevents wrinkles and fine lines. I'm definitely going to add it to my daily routine even after the burn is gone.

This morning, while deciding there had to be a way to remedy my dry, limp hair, pondering the validity of Tyra Banks' sworn approval of Vaseline, and feeling particularly productive, I typed up a full breakdown of my ideal daily/weekly beauty routine. I'm not the kind of girl who wants to spend her whole Saturday clipping, buffing and filing nails while simultaneously slathering her skin and hair with masks and scrubs and moisturizers and I'm definitely not the kind of girl who will pay someone else a bunch of money to do it for me. Salons make me uncomfortable. That's why I didn't get my hair cut for a year and a half. SO.. I'm hoping maybe I can tackle one or two of the 'weekly' categories  a day, excluding days I have lots of school or work. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm hopeful that that way it will be fairly easy to maintain and I won't feel overwhelmed with my beauty routine.

If you are interested in looking over and/or trying some of the things I'm going to try, here are a few things you should know about my beauty routine that may be different from what you are used to:

• I try to minimize my use of store bought products. When I was younger I thought the more product the better, but now it worries me that most lotions, cleansers, etc are full of lots of chemicals and ingredients that I don't recognize or understand. I'd rather use natural, wholesome ingredients so that I know what is getting absorbed into my skin. A lot of my scrubs, masks, etc are homemade.
• I have no problem putting oil and vaseline directly on my face and I do it daily. This weirds some people out, put it doesn't make me break out and it makes my skin feel soft and smooth.
• I don't wash my face, at least not with facewash. I use only a neutrogena makeup removing/cleansing wipe at night (which I will often rinse off afterwards), and merely splash my face with water in the morning. I have a pimple maybe once every 6 months and my skin has been consistent (not oily or dry in any spots)
• I only wash my hair once a week. I used to do the no-poo thing, which I still recommend if it works for you! It worked for me for a while, but with the dryness this winter and Tucson's hard water, my stylist recommended I stop and instead use an all natural, biodegradable moisturizing shampoo. Since I don't use a lot of product, once a week is plenty to remove buildup and cleanse my hair. 

Beauty routine

Hands

Daily

·         Rub hands with Vitamin E oil at morning and night

Weekly

·         Clip and/or file nails

·         Remove nail polish with acetone free remover

·         Buff surface of nails

·         Soak in warm water with a drop of soap. Scrub under nails if necessary

·         Exfoliate hands with a scrub made of sea salt or sugar and natural oil (such as olive). Mash in a strawberry if desired

·         Apply cuticle cream and gently push back cuticles

·         Use a q tip swabbed with nail polish remover to remove oil from nails

·         Apply a base coat to nails

·         Apply 1-2 coats of polish, waiting 15 minutes between each coat

·         Apply designs if desired

·         Apply clear top coat

Feet

Daily

·         Rinse feet, rub with Vaseline or olive oil, and put on socks immediately before bed

Weekly

·         Clip and/or file nails

·         Remove nail polish with acetone free remover

·         Soak feet in a basin of water with ¼ cup lemon peppermint foot soak

·         Dry feet and use pumice stone or ped egg to remove callouses and dead skin

·         Exfoliate feet with a scrub made of sea salt or sugar and natural oil (such as olive). Mash in a strawberry if desired

·         Rinse feet. Use orange stick to gently push back cuticles and remove dead skin if necessary

·         Using Vaseline, olive oil, or vitamin E oil, massage each foot for 5 minutes

·         Use a q tip swabbed with nail polish remover to remove oil from nails

·         Apply a base coat to nails

·         Apply 1-2 coats of polish, waiting 15 minutes between each coat

·         Apply designs if desired

·         Apply top coat

Hair

Daily

·         Brush hair at morning and at night

·         Style hair as desired, applying minimal product as necessary. Minimize heat use

Weekly

·         Heat olive oil in small dish and massage into scalp for 10 minutes

·         Moisten hair with spray bottle. Apply hair mask to entirety of hair, adjusting ingredients for desired effect

·         Put hair in bun, wrap in plastic wrap, and then wrap in a heated towel. Let sit 30 minutes, changing towel as necessary

·         Wash hair, focusing on the scalp and massaging in circular motions to lift build-up. Rinse and repeat, if necessary

·         Condition hair

·         Towel dry hair gently and comb with wide tooth comb

·         Spray with lavender rosemary rinse and let air dry

Face and teeth

Daily

·         Morning

o   Brush teeth well

o   Floss

o   Rinse with a mixture of antiseptic mouthwash and hydrogen peroxide for 30 seconds

o   Splash face with warm water

o   Rub Vitamin E oil into face and neck

o   Use q tip or tissue to wipe any remaining eye makeup off face

o   After oil has been completely absorbed, splash face with cold water, pat dry

o   Apply a light facial sunscreen

o   Apply makeup

·         Night

o   Remove makeup with cleansing wipe. Rinse with warm water if necessary

o   Brush teeth

o   Floss

o   Rinse with a mixture of antiseptic mouthwash and hydrogen peroxide for 30 seconds

o   Rub Vitamin E oil into face and neck

o   Apply Vaseline or coconut oil to eyes and lips

Weekly

·         Remove makeup and dirt from face using cleansing wipe and/or water

·         Exfoliate face with a gentle scrub (such as greek yogurt and oatmeal or baking soda and water)

·         Steam face over a bowl of scalding hot water. Add essential oils or citrus slices if desired

·         Apply face mask with varying ingredients for desired results. Leave on for 10-20 minutes Use cucumber slices or wet black tea bags over eyes

·         Rinse face well

·         Rub Vitamin E oil into face and neck. Let absorb completely

·         Splash face with cold water. Dry gently

·         Apply light facial sunscreen. Continue with typical daily routine

Skin

Daily

·         Dry brush skin at morning and night, starting at feet and brushing towards the heart

·         Moisturize skin with Vaseline and/or coconut oil and/or stretch mark removing cream at morning and night

·         In the morning, apply SPF 30 sunscreen to any skin that will be visible

Weekly

·         Dry brush skin, starting and feet and brushing towards the heart

·         Take a shower

o   Cleanse skin completely with a gentle body wash or soap.

o   Shave armpits and legs

o   Exfoliate entire body (concentrating on knees, elbows, and areas with stretch marks) with a scrub, such as one made with sugar, lemon juice, and olive oil

o   Shave legs again

o   Rinse well

·         Pat body dry with a clean towel

·         If necessary, apply Vaseline and/or coconut oil to moisturize, concentrating on knees and elbows

·         Apply sunscreen to skin that will be visible

 

Shampoo? Toothpaste? Face wash? Who needs 'em!

I am all about the semi-recent movement from fancy, expensive store-brought products to healthy, cheap alternatives. It turns out most of the things we are raised to believe are absolutely essential to personal hygiene are actually doing the opposite of what we want them to! One by one I've ditched my once-beloved products and moved on to things that not only feel better, save the environment and save me a whole lot of money.

1. The first things to go were shampoo and conditioner. I stopped washing my hair with them about a year ago and I haven't looked back. I wash my hair maybe once every two weeks with baking soda and vinegar, and other than that I just rinse it well when I shower. Shampoo is designed to strip our hair of it's natural oils, which is not only irritating to the skin but is completely counterproductive. These natural oils are responsible for shiny (not greasy), healthy, protected hair. When they are stripped away, our scalps overcompensate and create too many oils, leading to greasy hair that needs to be washed more often. Conditioner is just there to replace the oils that Shampoo takes out... so really it's entirely unnecessary if you leave the oils alone in the first place.

 When I wash my hair, I use a combination of a couple tablespoons of baking soda (because I have verrry long hair) and hot water, poured over my head in the shower and lightly massaged in. This gets rid of the dirt and grime without irritating my scalp or stripping away too many oils. I follow this with a mixture of a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and hot water, which acts as a natural conditioner/softener and leaves my hair shiny, soft, and voluminous.
To read more about washing your hair without shampoo and condition, you can look here.

2. I just ditched toothpaste about a week ago. That might sound absolutely appalling, but toothpaste is actually a pretty modern invention. One of those ways corporations trick us into paying money year after year when we don't really have to, you know? Instead of toothpaste, which is full of all kinds of fancy chemicals that I can't even begin to try to pronounce, I use a combination of baking soda and sea salt. Baking soda. It's just so useful, isn't it? Not just for the back corner of the fridge anymore. I made a mixture that was probably about 75% baking soda and 25% sea salt and I store it in a quarter pint sized mason jar in my bathroom. The mason jar helps keep the mixture air tight and moisture-free. I just wet my toothbrush, shake out the excess water, then dip the tip into the powder. 

When I first tried it I was pretty worried about the baking soda flavor- I am not a fan of the whole baking soda/warm water heart burn relief method- but I pretty much just tasted the salt. This was no problem for me because lately I've tended to prefer savory over sweet anyways. The baking soda cleans and whitens teeth (my teeth are whiter than they're ever been with "whitening" toothpastes), and the salt gently scrubs and promotes the production of saliva which keeps gums healthy.

Honestly I didn't research this nearly as much as I first researched using BS and ACV on my hair, but I felt pretty confident today when I went to the Co-op grocery store on 4th ave today (a haven of all things super healthy... and overpriced) and found a small bottle selling for 5 bucks called "tooth powder". The ingredients? baking soda, salt, and a small amount of peppermint to give a minty flavor. If the co-op is selling it and touting its health benefits, I feel pretty good about doing it for cents in my own home. For more info, you can look here.

3. I haven't officially tried this one, but it's getting hype all over the blogosphere. The idea is to ditch your fancy shmancy 8$ face wash (or 30$ if you use proactiv, like I did when I was a teenager) and wash your face with oil. Yes, oil. It's the same idea as the shampoo thing. Face wash basically strips your face of oil, which contrary to popular belief is NOT the cause of acne. Acne is caused by changing hormone levels and dirt and bacteria that clog the pores. Face wash gets rid of the grime, but also the naturally created oils that keep our skin radiant and soft. Thus, our skin over-produces oil, making our faces greasy and more likely to get clogged. Washing your face with oil dissolves the grease and grime and replaces it with clean, healthy oils. Also, it's apparently a great makeup remover.

When I stopped by the co-op today, I picked up a bottle of castor oil. I already had a bottle of grapeseed oil from some beauty products I made my mom and sister for christmas, however, I've heard extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, and several other types work well also. When I got home I mixed the two in a bottle I used for icing cookies last year (75% grapeseed, 25% castor). I plan on using it tonight for the first time. Here's what you do: put a small amount of oil in your hand. massage it onto your DRY face for about a minute. Get your tap water as hot as you can, and wet a washcloth with it. Put the washcloth over your face and just wait until the cloth reaches room temperature. Doesn't that sound like a great way to start/finish the day? Like a mini spa. Anyways, then rinse the washcloth and wipe the oil off your face. And that's it! Soft, smooth, radiant skin. Or so I hear. I'm super stoked to try this. Supposedly you only need to do it once a day (tops) for results. For more information, look here. 

Do you guys have any diy beauty products that you swear by? I'm pretty sure the next thing to go is going to be my deodorant, and then probably my volumizing mousse and hairspray. Let me know if you have any other suggestions!

Vlogging Vednesday- my first!

Hey guys, I just did my very first vlog EVER for vlogging vednesday! You can learn more about vlogging vednesday here and here as well as check out a whole lot of other people's vlogs for today's prompt.

So, you can totally tell i'm uber nervous- turns out typing out your life in the safety of your quiet little room is much easier than turning on a camera and filming yourself in said room for the world to see. I'm excited about this whole vlogging vednesday thing and hopefully I will do more in the future! I don't have a ton of time so editing is minimal- i mean, the song doesn't even fit haha. Also, sorry about the noise from my roommate showering in the next room. oh well!

anyways, enjoy my silly little vlog :)

thanks for watching! hopefully i'll only get better with time!

Oh, and just in case the video is unlcear and you are super into accomplishing this hairstyle (lol), here are some typed instructions:

1. Give yourself a dramatic side part
2. Tease the top portion of your hair on all sides- I usually do two sections of hair on the side with the most hair, one on the other side, and one in the back
3. Comb the very top layer of the teased hair to make it look smooth
4. Gather the teased hair behind your hair and pin it so it's nice and poofy, kind of like a beehive. For girls with less hair this will probably only take 2 bobby pins, I usually use four.
5. Gather your hair at the nape of your neck and use a small band to tie it. push it up to give your hair some extra oomph
6. Use your fingers to backcomb the ponytail, giving it a messy look.
7. If you have bangs like mine, use your comb to tease them just a little, then comb them to one side of your face. You can pin them, like I did, or just let them be free :)

<3
Em