Coconut Oil

So my newest obsession is coconut oil. Not only is it great for you, but it is delicious too! I have been incorporating coconut oil into my diet everyday since Monday. Yesterday I felt completely amazing! I had so much energy, and I was just in a great mood. I found this http://skinnyms.com/101-uses-for-coconut-oil/ yesterday while reading up on it. Take a look at just how amazing this tropical fruit is for you.

Homemade Shampoo Update-Week 3

Week 3 roots (finally almost normal- I would not have posted roots at week 1!)

Week 3

Week 1 (notice the bobby pin, necessary at that point)

It has been 3 weeks since I have stopped using store bought shampoo and made the switch to using my own homemade one. Weeks 1 and 2 were a test of if this was worth sticking out. I felt like my hair was growing faster and was soft, but it just felt like when you put too much conditioner and your hair is oily/clean all day. I would make jokes that it always looked like I just got out of the shower, even though my hair smelled great and I knew was healthy, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to proceed. In order to combat the adjustment period, I wore my hair up a lot, wore side braids, and bobby pins to keep it looking okay.

Here at week 3, I have definitely seen a change. I won't lie and say that my hair has 100% gotten through the adjustment; however, I think that at week 4 it will definitely be where I want it to be. I can tell that it has grown a lot faster then usual. My hair generally is slow growing and feels like it never will change lengths. I have also noticed that my roots feel a lot less oily then they did in the first two weeks. I find it weird that when I wake up in the morning, my hair actually feels great compared to the night before. After sticking out this process, I would definitely now recommend that you give it a try. Whether you want longer hair, healthier hair, or just want to save some money, I think that this is the route to go.

There are many other homemade shampoo recipes online and this was one in particular that I thought seemed easy enough. I am sure the other ones work great too, I have seen one that is just baking soda and water. Maybe I will eventually make that switch, but I enjoy the scented essential oils in my shampoo and the smell of the Castile soap. I find it interesting that the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse does not leave my hair smelling like vinegar at all after I use it. I think the tea that I added to it as well as the Rosemary really helped with that.

Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner

Shampoo

From the beginning, I want to let you know that I did not come up with these recipes..I found them on a website I was reading through and I am passing the recipe along. Wish I could take credit for it!

You will need:
Green Tea (Best Brewed for about half an hour)

Castile Soap (You can use any scent, I got lavender and have heard that eucalyptus makes your head tingle a little because it is stronger so I recommend sticking to lavender or getting the non scented one) Castile soap is a natural soap made from other natural oils and is used to cleanse. This will be the part of your shampoo that truly washes and cleans your hair.

Olive Oil

Honey

You will need two empty shampoo bottles, I got these at the dollar store and just emptied out the shampoo in them.

From there mix 1 cup green tea, with one cup Castile soap, with 1 tbs Olive Oil, and 1 tsp honey. You can also add essential oils to add more of a scent to your shampoo. I added lavender oil to mine.

Shake up your concoction and you will have your shampoo! It will appear watery at first but when you wash your hair it will become very lathery and sudsy.

Conditioner

The conditioner is even simpler then the shampoo, here is what you will need:

Rosemary

Hot Water

Apple Cider Vinegar

One bag of any herbal tea of your choosing for additional scent

You them mix 2.5 cups hot water, .5 cup apple cider vinegar, your herbal tea bag, and .25 sprig of Rosemary (I just leave it in the bottle how it is). Again, you can add some essential oils to add to your conditioner, I added fresh orange oil and it smells great! With the conditioner, I would recommend using it only 2-3 times a week. You don't want to dry your hair out with too much apple cider vinegar but this mix keeps your hair shiny and smooth.

These will be your final products, shampoo on the left and conditioner on the right. As you can see the shampoo is a lot more bubbly and the conditioner feels more like a watery base. I would suggest using the shampoo sparingly, it really moisturizes your hair. I can't guarantee that this will work for everyone, as I have been updating, it is still an adjustment for me and I am training my hair to get used to it. I have found that it seems to grow quicker and feel much healthier each day. Good luck and please let me know if this works for you or if you have any other shampoo/conditioner suggestions!

  

Homemade Facial System inspired by Mel :)

Lets start first with the facial system. I was out to breakfast with my friends Mel and Devon one morning over winter break. Devon gave us this amazing smelling olive oil and lavender bottle that she uses to steam and help her skin. Right after she gave us the bottles, Mel mentioned that she had been doing her own natural skin system. I asked Mel if I could share her system on here. Her skin looked amazing, it not only was clear but had a great glow and she told us how much she saves on money not having to purchase extremely overpriced products that dry out your skin. I got very excited when she told me all of this. To be quite honest, I have never had great luck with my skin and it felt like I had tried way to many products in the past only to yield unsuccessful results so I decided to give it a try:

1. The Cleanser:

Mel uses a Tea Tree Oil facial cleanser from Trader Joe's. I ended up making my own from a recipe I found on Pinterest. I used 2 parts Castor Oil (can be found at any health food store) to 8 parts olive oil, then added 2-3 drops of Tea Tree oil. I then added just a couple table spoons of water to dilute it a little and then shook it up.

The Castor Oil is a cleanser that improves skin. It contains nutrients like Vitamin E and other minerals to improve the health of skin. It was also about $6 for a bottle which wasn't too bad a price to pay. One warning with the Castor Oil is that it could lead to potential breakouts in certain skin types..I am not 100% sure how different people react to it..I honestly took a chance in using it and so far everything has been good.

I know Olive Oil sounds really scary and you would think it would make your face break out. Mel was telling us the thought of putting oil on her face was scary at first too then we learned the reasoning. By using store bought products, your face is dried out. The reason it gets oily is because it fears its natural oils being stripped away. By adding a natural oil to your face, your face will not keep producing more oil but it will eventually find a balance. The olive oil adds a little moisture to your cleanser so you don't end up with a patchy, dry face.

The tea tree oil is an antiseptic that fights acne and blemishes. My friend Devon introduced me to this wonder back in high school and it has many purposes. The great thing about it is you only need a few drops to get a great result.

I shake up the cleanser and leave it on for about a minute before washing it off with a washcloth.

2. The toner

Mel told me she uses a toner made of witch hazel. She uses 2/3 cup witch hazel with 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup water, and 2 tbs alcohol (for people with acne). I just bought a witch hazel toner from Whole Foods because I was kind of being lazy but they both seem to work great. Mine was about $10 and next time I will probably make Mel's recipe to save more money.

3. The moisturizer

Grapeseed Oil. I never had heard of it before Mel but I love it! I even have my fiance using it now. Be prepared for your skin to feel a little oily from it, you only need a tiny amount but you can easily blot off the excess. I have found that my skin feels softer from it and it will last you forever because you hardly need any at all!

Hope this system helps and if you have other skin methods that work for you please share them, I know different people require different types of ways to upkeep their complexion. I will be posting the Shampoo Recipe hopefully in the next few days.

Homemade Shampoo Follow ups

Day 5

So my hair is by no means long..but for me this is "long" and I have noticed that it has grown a little more this week.


As I mentioned in the first Homemade Shampoo Post, it has been something that I have had to force myself to stick to. I have only been using this shampoo for 5 days now and the first 4 were kinda frustrating. My hair is super clean and smells really good but the problem is the texture just has felt off and I know that is because I am not coating it with plastic proteins like I normally do. My hair is working to rely on itself and I would call this a detox period.

I was surprised when I woke up this morning and my hair actually felt better. In fact, I am seeing that it is looking better and has grown a little more. I am hoping that it continues to stay how it is today and maybe that it has finally adjusted to not having artificial chemicals put into it. I have also noticed that the bottoms have begun to curl more and it finally is getting some sort of style instead of that awkward in between hair that is not straight or curly. Needless to say, I am glad that I am sticking this out..hopefully I will feel the same way tomorrow! If this trial ends up good I will actually post the Shampoo Recipe but I would feel bad posting it if it ends up unsuccessful.

Day 6

The hair is feeling kinda better today. I have noticed more curl, and it is a lot smoother, I think I need to figure out a way to take away the condition-y feeling at the roots. Getting better though.

Homemade Shampoo experiment

This all started with my friend Mel telling me she had her own new skin remedy using natural products. Her skin looked amazing! I decided to give it a try as well and so far feel great about my skin, especially knowing no artificial products would be aging my newly 24 year old face! Pictured is Jenna and I, she is also hair obsessed and this is her in her phase of experimenting with every type of product out there..it obviously did her good!

I will say this past year, I have developed a slight obsession with having healthy hair. I can honestly say that I have applied heat to it a maximum of 3 times since summer. I have found that the less I style my hair, the more it seems to fall the way I like it and it grows faster and needs to be trimmed less. I also have been taking Biotin pills to help keep it healthy and have noticed a difference in it for the better.

Going off of my healthy hair obsession, I decided to make my own shampoo using all natural products using a recipe from other blogs. I find it sad that we are paying a good chunk of change to strip our hair of natural oil and taking away its true strength. Store bought shampoos strip your hair of its sebum which is the natural protecting oil so instead your hair produces more oil to protect itself so far I have been patient with this detox period but will continue to update the changes I am seeing in my hair..so far its been a mini journey but I hope to tough it out to train my hair to be in the shape it needs to be!

Baking Soda for the skin

So Danielle usually thinks I'm a hypochondriac because I am always trying random new things I find online. My newest thing is baking soda for acne. I have been trying out every acne remedy I have heard of for years, but this one is actually giving me results. It's nice because it is all natural, and very inexpensive. All you have to do is:
1. Mix some baking soda with some water, until it makes a past.
2. Then apply it as a mask, or if you have nicer skin you can use it as a spot treatment.
3. Leave on for an average of 5 minutes. (more or less if needed)

It is important that you take into account the type of skin you have. Baking soda will sting a bit on contact, so if you tend to have dryer skin do not use it as often, and always be sure to moisturize after.

For my skin I have been using it for about a week now, and I have been using it daily. My skin has cleared up a lot!