Category: Hair

9 Must Have Clean Beauty Products + 9 Homemade Substitutes

Here’s the thing, I never wanted to smell like an old school hippie. Body odor masked in patchouli and weed has never really been my fragrance of choice. Still those old school hippies were onto something long before the cosmetics industry got a clue. All these fragrance laden beauty products wreak havoc on our skin and our overall health, so going au naturel is really the only way to go. Hippie beauty, green beauty, clean beauty, natural beauty, or whatever you want to call it is has come a long way from the patchouli heavy balms of yesteryear. Flower [grand] Child, rejoice! These beauty products will have you ditching your overly perfume-y commercial products, for the kinder, gentler, and fresher natural versions.

Osmia Organics Black Clay Facial Soap

Black Australian Clay and Dead Sea Mud join forces to create the most clarifying bar soap ever! This soap balances and tones your skin. And the addition of organic almond oil, avocado oil, castor bean oil, and coconut milk leaves your skin feeling amazingly soft.

Heritage Store Rose Water Spray

This versatile little bottle of rose water spray can be used to replace your toner, for your hair, for your body, and even as a linen spray or a natural air freshener. For an equally amazing organic version try this brand.

Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator

This marshmallow-scented face mist works wonders on vitamin and nutrient hungry skin. Use it as a first step in your routine to seal in moisture and help set your makeup.

Odacité Black Cumin + Cajeput Serum

This is the ultimate zit-zapping serum. Black cumin controls the spread of pimple causing bacteria, while Cajeput’s antiseptic powers help to prevent breakouts. The combination of these two miracle ingredients helps to heal and restore your skin, revealing a smoother complexion.

Everyday Oil Mainstay Blend

Coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic argan oil, organic jojoba oil, and organic castor oil. What more could you want in a whole body moistruizer? How about an amazing scent?! Woodsy and citrusy, this scent is truly incredible. This will definitely become one of your beauty supply staples.

Meow Meow Tweet Underarm Primer

A light, rich lotion made with nourishing plant oils and anti-inflammatory plant distillates. The unique formula acts to balance pH, moisturize, prep and maintain pits. Formulated specifically for sensitive skin and can be used on its own or in tandem with any other natural deodorant.

Vapour Organic Beauty Aer Deodorant

I use this along side Meow Meow Tweet’s Underarm Primer and the results are amazing. The fresh smell lasts all day and is seriously divine. You have to smell it to believe it.

Nucifera The Balm

Born out of the desire for a healthier and more simple beauty routine – THE BALM is a multi-tasking skin nutrition product formulated for all skin types. Use it a head to toe moisturizer, as a face wash and makeup remover, as a lip balm, as an under eye cream, and so much more. This is definitely the one product any clean, green beauty minimalist needs!

Rare Elements Daily Essential Masque

The Essential Conditioner repairs and rebuilds weakened, moisture deprived locks instantly with the “healing properties” of nature. This sophisticated natural system can be used daily to repair and nurture each strand of hair with exotic rain-forest butters, pure botanicals, nourishing nut oils and the energy-giving aroma of essential oils. This highly effective combination quickly penetrates beyond the surface of the hair, reversing the signs of damage by restoring vitality to dry, undernourished and over-worked hair.

Of course there’s always a DIY for that…

Green Beauty Trends to Look for in 2018

Fact: Queen Elizabeth I wore lead based makeup that brought all the boys to the yard, but tragically turned her skin a very permanent and sickly shade of gray, and lead to blood poisoning that eventually contributed to her death. Fact: Today, the beauty industry, ignoring the newly discovered power of milkshakes, still uses a bunch of poisonous additives that over time have some awful side effects. Fortunately, the past few years have given rise to the green beauty movement. More and more companies are ditching the harmful chemicals and opting for a natural ingredient approach to cosmetics. That’s good news for us die-hard, natural beauty DIYers. So what can we expect to see more of in 2018?

Celestial Skin Care

It should come as no surprise after the unreal fascination with the Solar eclipse of 2017, but the beauty industry is tapping the heavens for the next big thing. Companies like Girl Undiscovered and Terra Luna Beauty are leading the pack with their cosmically inspired lines. Girl Undiscovered has launched a crystal-infused, three-piece facial collection that includes the aptly named Stars Aligning Organic Face Elixir. Meanwhile, Terra Luna Beauty has bath time covered with its range of tub soaks like the Moon, UFO, and Saturn Detox Baths.

Ayurvedic Beauty

I’ll be honest, I never really got into the whole K-beauty thing. For some reason I always thought that there was an emphasis on skin lightening which kind of freaked me out. This year, we can look forward to the next international beauty craze coming from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Brands like Reshma Beauty and Ranavat Botanics each offer a line of skin care products that draw on the Ayurvedic tradition. Believe me when I say that Reshma’s affordable turmeric bar soap is a game changer, while Ranavat Botanic’s range of masques and toniques, though pricier, are well worth their weight in saffron.

Clean Make Up Finally Gets Bold

So if you’ve been on this natural skin care journey for a while, you know that the color variety and the staying power of a lot of these natural make up brands hasn’t really stacked up next to the more commercial brands. Well, that is sooo 2017. This year, the natural beauty industry is getting a bold make over (pun definitely intended). Bold colors that last is the name of the game. Luk Beautifood has literally taken our favorite smoothie ingredients and turned them into a colorful line of lipsticks. They even have a Toxin Free Starter Kit Bundle that includes lipstick, lip stain, mascara, and an eye pencil. What’s missing? Oh yeah! Eye shadow! Josephine Cosmetics continues to do some pretty amazing things with eye shadow as part of their organic make up line. To all my natural beauty fashionistas out there, we can finally say goodbye to sticking to earth tones! Go bold or go home!

Meanwhile, On the DIY Beauty Front…

As always, I will continue to experiment with natural beauty recipes throughout this year. I can’t wait to recreate some of these facials, masks, and toners in my kitchen and bring them to you! In the meantime, you can check out some of my favorites by following these links to some homemade, natural beauty recipes for your face, body, and hair.

DIY Holiday Eggnog Hair Mask

So I went to the grocery store yesterday and honestly I was more than a little excited to see that eggnog is back on the shelves. Of all the seasonal products, eggnog is probably  my favorite. I mean, nothing beats an eggnog cocktail. Amiright?!! I’ve even made eggnog french toast which is as close to divinity as we’re gonna get in this life. As with any food that I love, it’s only a matter of time before I use it in a diy beauty treatment.

My hair has been suffering a little bit lately. I’m going to just go ahead and blame it on the weather getting colder. Impending Winter blues, y’all. Anyway, my hair has been pretty dry lately, and I’m noticing a fair share of split ends. No bueno. So last night, I made this hair remedy that I’m sure you’re gonna go gaga for. Seriously, the protein benefits of egg and the sweet smell of the holidays all in one easy to make hair treatment. What’s not to love?!

Holiday Eggnog Hair Mask

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp eggnog
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional, be aware that cinnamon has a lightening effect on the hair)
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 egg white

Directions

  • Add all ingredients into a glass jar
  • mix well
  • wash your hair normally, then work the mixture through damp hair
  • cover with a towel or shower cap
  • allow the mixture to penetrate your hair for about 20 minutes
  • rinse hair thoroughly with warm water

The egg in this hair mask provides a much needed boost of protein for dry hair, while the honey and coconut oil help to moisturize and add shine to dull hair. If youfind that the mixture is a little too thin, just add more honey or nutmeg to thicken it up a bit.

Source: BLDG25

The Virtual Makeup App That Also Tracks How Well Your Skin Care Routine is Working

We all want instant results when trying out that new skin care routine that promises smooth, radiant skin. We stare at our face in the morning to see if that Siegfried and Roy magic routine has erased any blemishes. But actually… you had that second beer at happy hour to wash down the greasy fries you picked up on your way there, you were up half the night with a sick kid, you fell asleep with your makeup on, and so it goes. You wake up to the real life disappointment of realizing there is no instant gratification when it comes to skin care. Nope. Only Snapchat filters.

What if there was a photo app that had those fun Snapchatty filters, but also had a feature that actually allowed you to do something productive like track the progress of your skin care routine? Think Snapchat meets skin analysis diary. Whoot! Whoot! It totally exists. It’s called YouCam Makeup- Selfie Camera & Magic Makeover. Selfies are totally entertaining, amiright? Full disclosure: when we were kids, my siblings and I would laugh hysterically for hours making faces into those reflective glass Christmas decorations. Don’t judge us. Good times. Anyway, this app turns your selfie into a canvas. You can play with different eye colors, make up, and even hairstyles. But the real kick is that you can take no-filter selfies and add them to the Skin Diary feature! This is an invaluable tool for the diy beauty obsessed like me! Check out the app features below.

Free Download Available: AppStore or GooglePlay

Key Features

Skincare Diary helps you to keep track of your skin needs and improvements in your skin health over time.

Try Makeup in Real-Time with the live Makeup Cam and buy the products you love now. Get an instant makeover with hundreds of makeup & beauty looks that you can apply in real life just like a magic mirror.

YouCam Makeup Selfie Camera Features:
◇ Selfie editor complete with lipstick, contour, eye makeup & blush that you can shop for

Makeup Videos – Live Streaming Makeup Experts
◇ Live streaming makeup tutorials to feed your makeup addiction
◇ Live chat with beauty tutorial streamers for makeup tips & hot trends from our live stream

Daily Horoscopes
◇ Daily horoscope readings and lucky beauty tips, 7 days a week
◇ Astrology advice from real fashion and beauty astrologers

Beauty Circle Social Community – Your Daily Beauty Guide
◇ Makeup, fashion & style talk keeps you up to date with latest trends. Find inspiration, try then buy!
◇ Share to Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and your favorite social networks

Makeovers in Real-Time: Try Makeup, Auto Beautify Before Taking a Photo & Shop Your Favorite makeup
◇ Record a Makeover Mashup Video, try on a series of makeup looks automatically & record them in a short video**
◇ Get style ready for social media like Instagram & Snapchat with real-time effects and previews
**Available for Android 5.0 devices with 1GB or more

Flawless Skin & Face Editor – Always a Glamorous Look
◇ Flawless skin is yours with adjustable skin tones and effortless tans
◇ Face editor includes skin smoother and skin toner for flawless skin or add freckles for a totally on fleek look!
◇ Add blush & contour, remove shine for a pristine, natural look
◇ Change eye color and overlay makeup to style your look up or down for any occasion

Hairstyle & Hair Color Changer – Salon Styles in Dozens of Shades
◇ Try on a hairstyle over any face with super-accurate facial detection
◇ Dye your own hair – color hair any way you want!
◇ Hairstyle choices and haircuts range from long hair, short hairstyles, curly hair or straight

Eye-catching Makeovers – Create Unique Eye Styles
◇ Make your eye color shine with smart tools that conceal under eye circles and remove red eyes
◇ Mascara tool instantly adds volume & length to lashes

Eyebrow Editor – Find the Best Eyebrow Style for Your Face
◇ Powerful eyebrow editor lets you color or trim existing brows for a subtle change that will soften your facial features. Get the perfect brow just like microblading!
◇ Our eyebrow editor can replace your brows with dozens of colors & shapes

Lip Enhancements & Gleaming Teeth – A Natural, Confident Smile Every Time
◇ Lipstick and lip gloss! Choose classic matte color or shine colors depending on your mood
◇ Whiten your teeth instantly with teeth whitener

Source: GooglePlayStore

My 5 Favorite Natural Beauty Brands at Target

***this post contains affiliate links and a whole lot of awesomeness

A while back I was pretty much addicted to subscription boxes. Getting those awesome little boxes in the mail felt like Christmas morning, like yay! I didn’t even know I wanted that! Only thing is, sometimes the boxes contained things that I really didn’t use. Ever. So in my effort to scale back on the amount of unnecessary  stuff I had, I went paperless on all my bills, I tossed or donated a bunch of things, and I quit my subscription box addiction cold turkey.

One of my favorites was Birchbox, because who doesn’t like beauty supplies?! Birchbox single handedly turned me on to a lot of brands that I would have never tried. I’m all about organic beauty products, so I try to stick to homemade recipes, but isn’t it great when you can find a brand that does the work for you? You guys, we want to know exactly what is going on with the products we use. That shouldn’t be too much to ask, right? Like, seriously, there’s been a lot of scary links made between commercial skin care ingredients and Cancer. Wtf?! No bueno. Fortunately, some companies have heard us crying for safer products that don’t burn bunnies in the process, and now there is an overwhelming natural beauty presence in our local drugstore aisles.

I recently picked up some of those yummy beauty supplies I fell in love with through Birchbox while frolicking through Target. Sometimes it’s easier to just be able to buy an amazing facial mask, moisturizer, or toner than it is to DIY it. Sometimes it’s also more convenient. Like right now I’m planning my toiletry bag for my trip to Europe next month. It was great to be able to just grab what I needed at Target, and trust that I wasn’t doing horrible things to my body, or the bodies of innocent animals, with paraben filled yuckiness. Check out my top natural beauty finds from Target!

Nourish Organic

Nourish Organics makes organic beauty products that are not only affordable, but really effective. I totally recommend the Skin Solve Cream to Oil All Over Treatment. You can use this one product on your skin, your body, and your hair.So versatile and so powerfully gentle! Best part, it’s travel sized so you can plop this in your purse when commuting, or in your carry-on for that long flight.

S.W. Basics

You really can’t go wrong with this brand. From facial cleanser, to exfoliant, to moisturizer, to lip balm, this brand has it all. If you can’t decide where to start, do yourself a favor and get the toner. I absolutely love their toner! With just 5 ingredients (water, apple cider vinegar, witch hazel, clary sage oil, and sandalwood oil, this toner is the real deal. It doesn’t dry your skin out like some other toners do and I just love the smell. Fresh and simple.

W3ll People

I quit wearing makeup a long time ago because cosmetics were at the top of the unnecessary toxin list. I tried some natural brands, but was always disappointed with the clumping and the flaking that seemed to go hand in hand with toxin free make up. Mascara was the worst offender. When I tried W3ll People, I was amazed at how smooth and perfect this stuff is. Try their Expressionist Pro Mascara and bat those beautiful lashes with confidence!

Pacifica

Pacifica products are vegan and cruelty free which already makes them pretty rad. To be honest, I just bought Hot Vegan Probiotic & Spice Rehab Mask because best name ever. It’s as amazing as it sounds, y’all. Pacifica definitely pays attention to superfood trends. They use ingredients like cactus water and kale, y’all. Say word! I also started keeping their Underarm Deodorant Wipes in my purse at all times, because sweat. I’m doing my part in the fight against subway b.o. this summer. I’m looking at you rush hour A train. Again, a lot of these products come in travel size. Perfect.

Acure

 

Acure is another vegan friendly, cruelty free company that actually makes products that work. In fact, their motto goes something like “it’s not enough to be natural, it also has to work” And this stuff works. I use their Seriously Glowing Facial Serum. This stuff is UH-MAZ-ING! I apply it after my toner, but before my moisturizer/sunscreen. A little goes a long way. I also tried the Argan Oil + Argan Extract Leave In Conditioner, but honestly I prefer using just straight carrier oils when it comes to my hair. If you buy any Acure product though, I really think the face serum is the best I’ve tried.

Am I missing anything? Have you tried any of the other natural beauty brands at Target? What’s your favorite product?