My hair is difficult. There, I said it. It can be dry and frizzy and just plain gross. I've tried the store bought serums, and none of them seemed to really work for me. Not to mention, I was spending a fortune every time I went to the store. But not anymore! All of this yuckiness and money wasted got me thinking. Could I make my own serum? Turns out the answer is YES. A ton of people are doing it, and they are able to save money. How great is that? I've been experimenting with a couple of recipes for a little bit now, and this is the best one by far. Without further ado, here's my recipe! What you need: 1 TBS Camellia Oil 1 tsp Avocado Oil 1/2 tsp Jojoba Oil 1/4 tsp Argan Oil 5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil 5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil 5 drops Lavender Essential Oil 5 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil What to do: Mix together the above ingredients in a container of your choice. Tip the container back and forth to gently mix the oils together. To use: I use about one drop of this on my hair right when I get out of the shower. My hair is about six inches past my shoulders and this amount seems to work for me. Sometimes, if my hair is really parched, I will use an additional drop on it after it dries. I also do this when I want it a little smoother than it is. Whatever works, right? Every oil that I used in this recipe was chosen in the course of my extensive research. I picked the oils that were the best for nourishing and strengthening hair and put them all together in one lovely recipe. While I was looking for something super moisturizing, I was also in the pursuit of light, non-greasy oils. This recipe is the product of my research, and I love it! Nothing has ever worked this well on my hair, not even Frizz Ease. It leaves my hair soft and light without a greasy feel (If I use too much, it will get oily. That's why I use so little, you don't need much!).
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Ah, I love the sweet aroma of summer. I hate the heat, but I LOVE the scent. Everything smells fresh and sweet and lovely. This is a roller bottle recipe that I made recently for a friend. It contains some of my favorite citrus scents, but feel free to replace any of them with favorites of your own! Citrus Summer 15 drops Lemon Essential Oil 20 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil 10 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil 5 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil Mix the above oils in a roller bottle and top it off with your favorite carrier oil. I personally like to use fractionated coconut oil, but the choice is yours! I chose these ratios based solely on the scent that I wanted. I knew that I wanted a bit of tartness with a sweet finish. The lemongrass is what smoothed off the rough edge of the tartness. You could leave it out and use Lime instead. It's totally up to you, but this is what I did. Have fun with it and find the scent that you love! We all have those days where our hair just starts to feel yucky. You know the feeling that I'm talking about. Your soft, luscious strands are suddenly as coarse as straw. Well, okay, not SUDDENLY. But they are definitely not as soft as the used to be. But, fear not! That's where I come in. I myself have experienced this impossible to deal with, not so luscious, and damn near impossible to soften naturally hair. However, through extensive research, I found a solution that works wonders for me! What you need: Castor Oil Jojoba Oil Fractionated Coconut Oil Rosemary Essential Oil Peppermint Essential Oil Cedarwood Essential Oil Lavender Essential Oil So, with this recipe, you can play around with the ratio's a bit. You need a 3:1:1 ratio of Castor:Jojoba:Coconut. Here's What I do: 1.5 tsp Castor Oil 0.5 tsp Jojoba Oil 0.5 tsp Fractionated Coconut Oil 5 drops Rosemary EO 5 drops Peppermint EO 5 drops Cedarwood EO 5 drops Lavender EO Instructions: Mix all of the above ingredients in a container of your choice (I honestly use old, washed out applesauce cups). Dampen your hair. Apply to the roots of your hair first. When your roots are thoroughly coated, lightly coat the remainder of you hair. Let this mixture soak your strands overnight. Wash well in the morning (I usually have to shampoo twice). Style as usual and enjoy the extra added moisture! *You can also follow up with your own DIY hair serum. I will be posting the recipe for mine soon! Keep an eye out! I use this oil about two times a week. I wouldn't do much more than that because it might leave your hair oily. This type of treatment is super conditioning, so a little bit goes a long way! A few times a week should do the trick for ya. Why I Chose These Essential OilsYou can use any oils that are good for your hair to use in this recipe. However, I chose these for their amazing benefits. The combination of these oils is fantastic for healing your hair, promoting hair growth, and preventing hair loss. They are great for helping to keep your hair healthy! Not to mention the amazing, herbal scent that they have. But keep in mind that you by no means have to use these oils. Choose what's right for you!
We're all after that luscious, smooth skin. You know the kind that I'm talking about. The no chap, always dewy, blemish free face. It's just so hard to get! Or is it? Here are my top 5 DIY facial scrubs to help you achieve that impossibly radiant skin! Early Bird Coffee ScrubWe can't all be morning people and, to be honest, most of us aren't. I actually have to set three to five alarms to wake me up in the morning. I have the HARDEST time pulling myself out of bed. That's where this gem comes in handy. Who doesn't love the scrumptious aroma of coffee? The best part is, caffeine is incredible for the skin. Not only will the scent energize you, but the coffee will do amazing things for you skin too...puffy, sleepy face anyone? Try this scrub to drag you out of dreariness on your most exhausting mornings...or just when you want to fill your bathroom with the sweet scent of coffee. You decide. Here's the deal: This recipe calls for a 1:2 ratio. So, you can make this in whatever portions that you want to. 1 part coffee, 2 parts oil. Ingredients 1/4 cup coffee grounds 1/2 cup Coconut Oil (or carrier oil of your choice) *Bonus Ingredient* Want your scrub to smell even more decadent? Add 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Directions: Mix the grounds and oil in your container of choice. Take a quarter-sized amount into your palm and use circular motions to scrub it into your face. Rinse with warm water and pat to dry. Apply your favorite moisturizer. Energizing Green Tea ScrubThis scrub is incredible. It has caffeine, just like coffee, and it gently buffs skin to a gorgeous glow. Not to mention you can find the ingredients at home already! Green tea is fantastic for energizing your skin and helping it to look younger for longer. Give it a try! Ingredients: 5 TBS Green Tea (or five teabags) 5 TBS Raw Honey Glass jar or container of your choice Directions: Combine ingredients, make sure that they are mixed well. Place in your container. Wet face with warm water. Take a small amount in your hands and apply to the skin in gentle circular motions. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer! Blemish Busting Tea Tree Coconut ScrubThis is my absolute FAVORITE facial scrub. Seriously, I use it almost every day. It is super simple and leaves your skin so soft and smooth that you'd swear you'd just had a professional exfoliation treatment at a spa. The best part? This scrub contains Tea Tree Essential Oil which combats acne and any skin infection. Ingredients: 6 TBS Coconut Oil 1-2 TBS Baking Soda 15-20 drops Tea Tree EO Glass Jar or container of your choice Directions: Combine the Coconut Oil and Tea Tree oil in your glass jar. Once combined, mix in baking soda. Take a nickel sized amount in your hands and smooth over face in gentle circular motions. Run hot water over a clean washcloth and wring it out. Place the washcloth on your face as a steam tent, gently rub the oil off with the washcloth. Rinse the cloth and repeat until the oil is fully rinsed off. Apply your favorite moisturizer. *Hint: You might want to splash your face with water before using the washcloth to rinse the baking soda off. Soothing Oatmeal ScrubOatmeal is one of the best things for your skin, especially if it's super sensitive. This scrub is gentle, yet effective. Not only does it soothe irritated, dry, sensitive skin, but it also gently exfoliates so that you're left with baby soft skin. Ingredients: 2 TBS Oatmeal 1 TBS Coconut oil 1 TBS Honey Glass Jar or container of your choice Directions: Before you start, if you'd like to grind up your oatmeal so that you're not dealing with whole oats, I recommend putting them in the food processor and pulsing it a couple of times. It'll be right when it resembles sand. Mix the Coconut Oil and Honey. Slowly stir in the Oatmeal and put it in your jar. Splash your face with warm water. Take a quarter sized amount in your palm and smooth in a gentle circular motion over your face. Rinse and pat dry. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer. Brightening Honey Lemon ScrubIf you're going for that perfect summer glow, this facial scrub is for you. Not only will it make your skin silky smooth, it will brighten it as well. That's right, this will give you that sought after summer glow! Make this one as you go so that it's always fresh. Ingredients: 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice 1 TBS Honey Directions: Mix the ingredients above in a small bowl. Scoop a bit of the mixture into your hands and smooth over the face in a circular motion. Let sit for 2-5 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Follow with your favorite moisturizer. There you have it, my top 5 easy DIY facial scrubs. Have you tried any of these? Let me know how you like them in the comments below!
Summer is here, everyone, and soon it will be taking a toll on our lips. BUT it doesn't have to! When the drying salt water starts to chap your lips, reach for this simple DIY sugar lip scrub! This is seriously so easy and you can make it in advance to take with you on your summer adventures! Not to mention it smells and tastes INCREDIBLE. What You NeedAlright. Here's what you need, and it isn't going to break the bank to find these items either! 2 TBS Coconut Oil 2 TBS Sugar (Brown, Raw, Cane...it's up to you!) 1 TBS Honey (make sure it's raw honey if you can get your hands on it!) Add 1-2 drops of either Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, or any other Citrus Essential Oil to add a summer citrus kick! What To DoMelt the Coconut Oil in the Microwave for about 30 seconds or until liquid Mix together Sugar and Honey while Coconut Oil is melting Slowly mix in Coconut Oil Add essential oils Place in the container of your choice To Use: Take a small amount and gently rub into lips to remove chapped skin and to smooth the surface. Rinse off (though it will smell and taste good enough to eat!) and apply lip balm. Did you try this lip scrub and absolutely love it? Are there ways to make it better? Tell me in the comments below!
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Kate MurphyI love all things natural. I love finding alternative methods. I love to write. Put it all together and you get this blog. Categories
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