Tag: diy

2 DIY Hair Mist Recipes to Rescue Your Winter Worn Tresses

With hat season quickly coming to an end, I’ve had to scramble to find a way to keep my hair smelling fresh and looking moisturized without having to actually put in the effort. I ditched commercial shampoos a long time ago, and my hair has never been healthier, but if I’m being totally honest, I kinda miss the intense (yet seriously toxic) fragrance that goes along with store bought shampoo. My go to has been this 3 ingredient herbal shampoo recipe, but even with the ease of making my own shampoo, and the hair care routine I follow (washing and deep conditioning once a week), I still wanted to find a mid week pick me up for my hair. Enter hair mist. I don’t even know how I ever lived without this stuff! These homemade recipes feature Aura Cacia Essential oil blends designed specifically for DIY hair care. Each recipe fits perfectly in a travel size mist bottle so they’re perfect for your purse, your gym bag, or your carry on!

Hair Protecting Mist

ingredients

  • 12 drops Aura Cacia Enrich Essential Oil Blend (find it here)
  • 1 tbsp Aura Cacia Organic Argan Skin Care Oil (find it here)
  • 1 oz distilled water

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients in a mist bottle
  • shake until well blended
  • to use, mist hair sparingly

Leave-In Conditioner Mist

Ingredients

  • 11 drops Aura Cacia Elevate Essential Oil Blend (find it here)
  • 2 tbsp aloe vera gel
  • 1/4 tsp Aura Cacia Organic Argan Skin Care Oil (find it here)
  • 5 tsp distilled water

Directions

  • combine all ingredients in a mist bottle
  • cover and shake until well blended
  • to  use, shake bottle and mist hair, then smooth with fingers

De-stress With These Mini Self Massage Techniques + A DIY Warming Massage Oil Recipe

Giving yourself a massage might seems as futile as trying to tickle yourself, but believe me when I say that not only is it possible, sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. You’ll be surprised at how effective these techniques are in reducing stress and promoting your overall sense of wellness. Add the oil blend below and you’re well on your way to a happy ending… I couldn’t resist.

Self Massage Techniques

Neck/Shoulders

Relax your shoulders down away from your ears. Slowly tuck your chin in toward your chest to stretch the back of your neck. Place your fingertips on the back of your neck where your shoulders meet your neck. Apply pressure and hold for a few breaths. Release. Roll your shoulders slowly in a circular motion. Repeat these steps as necessary.

Lower Back

So this one requires a tennis ball. Yeah, I totally had to buy one too. I don’t know anyone who plays tennis and Serena wasn’t answering her phone so yeah. Anyway, place your brand new tennis ball on the floor, or in the space between your back and a wall. Move your body slowly so that the tennis ball massages any tension in your lower back. Avoid rolling the ball along your spine. in applying pressure, try to find a balance that’s right for you so that you don’t further aggravate soreness.

Lower Leg

Using the heels of your palm, knead along both sides of your calf in small circles. Work your way up your calf slowly from the ankle until you reach the knee, flexing and pointing your toes as you go. Again, starting at the ankle, drag the heels of your palms along either side of your calf until you reach the knee. Repeat these steps to alleviate lower leg pain caused by rocking high heels, or yesterday’s spin class.

Feet

You can stick to the tried and true tennis ball rolling treatment, or you can grab some oil and give yourself a proper foot rub. Sit with your ankle resting on the opposite knee. Grasp each toe, one at a time, and rotate them clockwise and counterclockwise, Bend each toe backward and forward, and finally give each toe a gentle pull. After giving each little piggy some attention, use both hands to firmly grasp your foot on either side.  Wiggle your foot back and forth with your hands paying attention to ball of your foot and your arch.

Warming Massage Oil

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
  • 4 drops orange essential oil
  • 3 drops cedarwood essential oil
  • 2 drops ginger essential oil

Directions

  • Add all ingredients into an amber glass bottle.
  • Give it a little shake to blend the oils.
  • To use, add a few drops to the palm of your hand before practicing any of the massage techniques above.

Spring Clean Your Beauty Routine in 3 Steps

It’s that time of year again. As you’re packing away your heavy sweaters and snow boots in anticipation of the warmer days ahead, you should also start saying goodbye to your Winter skin care routine. Spring is all about rejuvenation. With that in mind, here are some tips to spring clean your beauty routine!

Purge, Purge, Purge!

Take a look at what you have. At the start of every season, you should check expiration dates and toss out the old stuff. In general, shadows and powders can be used safely for up to three years, but mascara should be tossed after only three months. While you’re tossing out those old products, go ahead and toss out the stuff you don’t use. Be honest with yourself. Beauty products really add up over time and can really clutter and confuse your beauty routine. Rule of thumb: be realistic and practical about what you actually like, what you actually use, and what’s in good condition …and rid your life of everything else.

Deep Clean and Reorganize

Now’s your chance to deep clean your make up brushes, your toothbrushes, and all the small stuff like tweezers and nail clippers, all of which can get really skunky over time. Not sure exactly how to clean your beauty tools? Here’s some step by step instructions from Makeup.com

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

1. Rinse: Rinse the bristles, always with water streaming down — you want to avoid running water directly into the base of the brush, which can weaken the glue and shorten the lifespan of your brush. This is why bristles begin to fall out.

2. Cleanse: Work a small amount of gentle shampoo (baby shampoo works wonderfully here too) or soap into the bristles. Lather, rinse, and repeat until the water runs clear. If you are having a hard time getting stubborn product out of your brush, massage some coconut oil into the bristles. This will loosen the build up and make cleaning easier.

3. Disinfect: Now that your brushes are clean, it’s time to disinfect. Mix a solution of 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar in a shallow bowl. Swoosh the brush around in the bowl for a minute or two (again, trying not to submerge it fully). Rinse with fresh water.

4. Dry: Press a dry towel into the bristles to sop up excess water. Reshape the bristles and lay clean brushes flat on a towel overnight to dry.

5. Repeat: Clean your brushes every other week to keep the germs away

How to: clean your toothbrush

  1. Cleanse: your toothbrush in antibacterial mouthwash.This is great for a quick daily cleaning.
  2. Sanitize: Mix a small amount of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in a small cup and stir the mixture with your toothbrush before rinsing it. Do this at least once a week.

How to: Clean Your Metal Tools

  1. Wash: For metal tools like tweezers, eyelash curlers, eyebrow trimmers, cuticle nippers, and nail clippers, wash them down using water and antibacterial soap. Pat dry with a clean towel.
  2. Sanitize: Thoroughly wipe down the tool with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. Allow it to dry for a few moments. If the tool comes in contact with your face, rinse it with water (no need to rinse your nail tools). Pat dry with a clean towel.
  3. Repeat: Ideally, these types of beauty tools should at least be washed with soap and water after each use, if not sanitized as well. Aim to give them the full treatment every two weeks. Store your tools in a clean container to safeguard your hard work.

Pick the right products For the Season

All those Winter products like thick, foaming face washes and heavy creams can be super drying as the weather gets warmer. Your spring beauty routine should favor gentle milk face washes and lighter moisturizing serums. Here are 9 Must Have Clean Beauty Products that I’m seriously crushing on right now. From gentle cleansers to serums to several DIYs. Everything you need to jumpstart your Spring beauty routine!

DIY Face Mask Perfect for Hormonal Breakouts

That time of the month? Tame those hormonal breakouts with this clarifying face mask. This mask is a brightening, nourishing, and deep cleansing powerhouse. Harnessing the antioxidant-rich duo of Maca and cacao, your skin will totally thank you. (Makes one mask)

Maca Cacao Clay Mask

ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon raw maca powder (find it here)
  • ½ teaspoon raw cacao powder (find it here)
  • ½ teaspoon bentonite clay (find it here)
  • 1 teaspoon light oil such as jojoba, sweet almond oil, or liquid coconut oil

directions

  • Mix all ingredients to make a paste (your mixture should look a lot like chocolate syrup)
  • spread the mixture evenly on your face and neck avoiding your eyes
  • let the mask set for about 15-20 minutes
  • gently rinse with warm water
  • repeat once a week

Source: Peaceful Dumpling

DIY Probiotic Face Masks for All Skin Types + Vegan Option

Fun fact for the kids: During World War I, British agents of the Secret Service Bureau (later known as MI6) used invisible ink to send top secret messages back and forth. This invisible ink was actually comprised of nothing more than semen. The pioneer of this mode of communication, you might ask? The man’s name was, in fact, Sir Cumming… True story. I don’t really know why I felt the need to preface these DIY beauty recipes with the story of Sir Cumming. There’s too much penis–I mean Freud in discussions of psychoanalysis anyway, so I won’t even bother trying to unpack that. Instead, I’ll just go ahead and share these recipes that use one of my all time favorite green beauty ingredients: kefir.

Kefir is an amazing source of lactic acid, a natural skin alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). Lactic acid gently buffs away dead skin cells and minimizes the appearance of age lines and wrinkles. Kefir also contains up to 35 different strains of live bacteria that help nourish, revitalize, and balance skin. Probiotics, yo! It’s also gentle enough for skin prone to eczema, psoriasi, and acne.

DIY Kefir Face Masks

Cucumber + Kefir

For Normal/ Combination Skin

Grate one small cucumber into a small strainer over a bowl. Gently press the grated cucumber into the strainer, collect the juice, and discard the pulp. Add about 2 tablespoons kefir to the cucumber juice and mix thoroughly. Apply to your face and let sit for about 20 minutes. Gently rinse off and enjoy softer skin.

Egg White + Honey + Kefir

For Oily Skin

In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons kefir, 1 egg white, and 1 tablespoon raw honey. Mix together and apply to your face for 15-20 minutes. Gently rinse off with warm water. The egg white helps tighten pores, while the antibacterial qualities of the honey help heal skin.

Egg Yolk + Olive Oil + Kefir

For Dry Skin

Combine 2 tablespoons kefir, 1 egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a bowl and mix well. Apply to your face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Wash off and gently pat dry. The olive oil and egg yolk helps restore your skin’s natural moisture.

***PRO TIP: For those of you that are vegan, or for those of you that just don’t like yogurt (I’m pretty sure Joseph McCarthy has your name on a list somewhere), you can substitute the kefir in these recipes with oat milk. Oat milk is also amazing for sensitive skin and will leave your skin feeling hydrated and smooth.