Beauty Secrets from Around the World: Egypt

I don't know about you, but when I think of ancient beauty I think of Cleopatra. I mean, come on, two men fell in love with her because she was so beautiful. After doing some research, I found that there was a jar of cleansing cream, a natron mix, and bath salts in her tomb. These were obviously her secrets to glowing skin since they were buried with her.

So I decided to try the cleansing cream and the natron mix so I could just focus on my face. I couldn't find any recipes by anyone else so I had to do a trial and error kinda deal.

First of all, let me tell you what's going on with my skin as of now. I have a few small breakouts on my chin and both cheeks. Nothing that's too big of a deal, but they're pretty red.

Natron Mix Recipe
1 teaspoon baking soda
4-7 drops of lime juice (judgement call, you can do whatever you feel.. 4 if your skin is sensitive or 7 if normal, just depends)
few drops of water
few drops of almond oil (I used olive oil though)

I did this first since the oil/cream recipe is more of a moisturizer. This is supposed to brighten your complexion. Baking soda and lime juice are natural whiteners.

I used a small bowl to mix this. First, put the baking soda in your bowl then the lime juice. It will start to fizz, but don't worry. Continue to add the remaining ingredients. Mix. Apply to entire face or just where you have blemishes or dark spots. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.

Now, you'll notice that this mixture separates quite quickly because of the oil. Just make sure that when you apply it to your face that you stir it back up. When I first put this on my face it burned slightly, but I did have some open blemishes (oops). It only burned for around 10 seconds, but I wouldn't suggest putting it in a cut or anything huge because it will hurt (lime juice is very acidic). Once you have it on your skin for a few minutes you can't really tell that it's there. If you touch your face though you'll feel the oil. When I rinsed it off, my skin was slightly red where I have blemishes, but I have very sensitive skin.


Cleansing Cream (Oil) Recipe

1 teaspoon of olive oil

3-5 drops of lime juice

I know it looks gross, but the color of the olive oil didn't really help. I just took this picture so you could tell how much I used when making it. I forgot to take a picture of the Natron Mix, but I actually measured for that one. 

As you can see from the picture above, I just mixed this in my hand. I more or less just eyeballed how much I would need. I actually made more than I would ever need. To mix it together, I just rubbed my hands together and applied it to my face with my hands. This felt very good when I put it on, plus it smelled like limes. Yum. I left this on for around 30 minutes. Olive oil is a natural moisturizer so you can leave it on for as long as you want. I'm just not a big fan of oil on my face.

I put this on after I used the Natron Mix because my skin was a little red and I figured what the heck, Cleopatra did it, so can I. Once I got all of the oil off of my face, my skin looked very dewy, smooth, and calm. My red pimples had actually gone down! I was so surprised that the pimple that I tried so hard to cover with makeup that morning was diminishing from things from my kitchen! Crazy talk.

I'll most likely be doing this more often now. I really liked what the combination of the two remedies did for my skin. It really opened my eyes for natural facial care. Sometimes you just need to look around your kitchen for things instead of going to the store.

Let me know if you decide to try this! I highly recommend it!

Update: I used the Natron Mix the next night also and my face is completely clear now. I will continue to use this recipe when I get breakouts. I probably won't use the Oil recipe as often though. This is the best my skin has looked in a long time. 

Beauty Secrets From Around the World: India

India has been using turmeric for beauty treatments for thousands of years. In India, the night before a wedding, an Indian woman would cover herself, head to toe, in a mixture of turmeric, chickpea flour (also known as gram or garbanzo bean flour), sandalwood powder, and almond oil. This mixture is called the Indian Bridal Mask, surprise surprise. Applying this mask resulted in millions of happy wedding nights. 

Today, turmeric is one of the most healthy spices. It's antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, stimulates circulation, and helps with ailments. It also will soften your skin. It's obvious why the Indian women used this on their wedding night. 

I have actually heard of this mask before, so that's why I chose it to research first. Now, unlike Indian women did, I'm only going to be applying this to my face. I was a little worried about writing this because turmeric is yellow. I was so afraid that if I used this mask I would turn yellow. Nope! No yellow face here. I have read online from other peoples experiences that their face did turn yellow and stain slightly. Just make sure that you don't use a ton of turmeric, just a dash.

Here's my recipe: 

1-2 tablespoons of chickpea flour (also known as gram flour or garbanzo bean flour)

A few dashes of turmeric

Enough almond oil to form a paste from the flour/turmeric mixture

1. Mix flour and turmeric. I used 1 tablespoon of flour for my face alone, use 2 tablespoons if you want to apply to your neck. 

2. Slowly add almond oil and stir until it forms a paste. It shouldn't be runny or lumpy. It should be grainy though from the flour, so don't worry about that if you notice. This is an exfoliating mask.

3. Massage on face, making sure to really work it in. 

4. Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes. 

5. Rinse. Make sure to massage your face while removing so that it's easier to remove and will stimulate blood flow even more. 

That's it! Super easy and all of the ingredients are cheap, considering how much use you will get out of it. I ended up loving this mask. Usually, my face with be red and a little sore from masks because of my sensitive skin, but it wasn't with this. My face felt good and it looked brighter too, which is an added bonus. 

Be sure to let me know if you try this out and what you thought of it!

Beauty Secrets From Around the World

I'm going to try to do a mini-series of diy beauty remedies that are used in different countries. I've always wanted to try out different things that people do in other countries because there are some awesome recipes for beauty out there. Here in the U.S., it's pretty common to just go out to the store and pick up whatever product you need, whether it be a shampoo, face wash, mask, moisturizer, etc. Not everyone has that option. So I have always wanted to try out different things and see what I can come up with. 

I'm not only talking about people that don't have the option to just go to the store, I mean back in the day when people didn't have that option either. So I'm super excited to try out all of the remedies I find. And of course, I'm not going to tell you guys about something that I haven't tried. That's just not how I roll. I'll be starting out on Monday with India!

If you have a country in mind that you would like me to do some research on let me know! I'm up for the challenge!

Essential Oils for Hair!

Essential oils for hair can help you grow hair fast, reduce dandruff, reduce hair loss, and strengthen your hair. 

Do you want great, healthy looking hair? Every time I walk into get my hair cut, my stylist always says she can’t believe how fast my hair grows and how shiny it is! Not to toot my own horn, but I've always had nice thick hair. I've never really had problems with it being dry or unmanageable, well maybe when I had an insane amount of curls. Since high school, my hair has drastically changed. It has somewhat straightened out and calmed down. Not sure why this happened now, but whatever. Anyways, back to oils!

First things first: How our hair looks, feels and grows can change based on -

- What we put on it (synthetic shampoos, conditioners, gel, etc.)

- What we eat and drink (good for body = good for hair)

- What we do (swimming in chlorinated pools, using hair dryer, using any hot tool, etc.)

- Quality of our shower water (Use a shower filter for best results to remove fluoride, chlorine, iron oxides ("rust water"), reduce harmful VOCs and other contaminants.)

- Genetics (what our parents passed down to us. every girl on my mom's side of the family has the same hair color, type, everything! I'm the oldest girl, so my younger cousins watch my hair to see what is going to happen to theirs lol.)

- How much sleep we have nightly

- Our stress level and other health conditions (hormones, poor circulation, etc.)

So, my advice is, in addition to using the oils, review that list and determine if there is something else you need to do to support your hair. This may be as simple as drinking more water!

Also, there are many products on the market that can create problems for our hair and scalp. 

But, what is my hair type and what oils do I use? No problem, below you will find all the hair types and the corresponding oils. Also, provided is the carrier or base oils that are best for your hair type. Enjoy :)

Oils for Normal Hair

Normal hair is neither greasy or dry, has not been permed or colored, holds its style and is usually shiny. (This is my hair type)

- Lavender Essential Oil

- Rosemary Essential Oil

- Lemon Essential Oil

- Geranium Essential Oil

- Cedarwood Essential Oil

- Thyme Essential Oil

- Clary Sage Essential Oil 

The best base or carrier oils to use are jojoba, almond, or avocado. 

Oils for Dry Hair

Dry hair looks dull, tangles easily and can become easily split at the ends. You want oils that will stimulate the scalp to produce more oil. 

- Lavender Essential Oil

- Rosemary Essential Oil

- Sandalwood Essential Oil

- Geranium Essential Oil

The best base or carrier oils to use are almond, sesame, jojoba, cocoa butter, or avocado.

Oils for Oily Hair

Oily hair looks greasy and is caused by over production of sebum by the glands on your scalp. So, you will want to use oils that will restore your glands back to normal. 

- Lavender Essential Oil

- Rosemary Essential Oil

- Lemon Essential Oil

- Peppermint Essential Oil

- Cypress Essential Oil

The best base or carrier oils are sesame and jojoba.

Oils for Dandruff

Essential oils can be very effective in minimizing or completely getting rid of the problem. The best essential oil is definitely Tea Tree Oil, but here are others:

- Rosemary Essential Oil

- Lemon Essential Oil

- Lavender Essential Oil

- Cedarwood Essential Oil

- Thyme Essential Oil

- Basil Essential Oil

- Cypress Essential Oil

- Sage Essential Oil

The best base or carrier oil is jojoba.

If you are going to make any type of mixture of essential oils, the best base to go with is jojoba if you can't decide what to go with. Jojoba won't clog pores and it's very moisturizing. You could even use this by itself or just enhance it's abilities with the essential oils!

I will soon be coming up with a recipe for my hair (normal hair). I like to put oil on the ends of my hair every day after I get out of the shower. I just feel like it prevents split ends and moisturizes the ends to keep them healthy. The bottom part of your hair has been there the longest, so it needs the most love. 

Do you use any essential oils? What are your recipes? 

xo, 

Rachel

DIY Pumpkin-Papaya Mask

Every year when October and November come around I want everything pumpkin. Muffins, bread, pie, scones... etc. So without further ado, here's my recipe for a pumpkin facial mask!

What You'll Need:
15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 beaten egg
1 papaya

Mix the pumpkin puree with the beaten egg. Peel the papaya and discard the seeds. Mash the papaya to get around 2/3 cup. Now, combine the papaya with the pumpkin-egg mixture. Make sure to mix well enough to get rid of the lumps. If you want it extra smooth, put the mixture in a blender or food processor. Apply this mask to clean skin of face and neck, leave on for up to 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water. 

Do NOT apply this mask when you're near carpet. I don't want to be blamed for pumpkin stains!

Using canned pumpkin puree works just as good as a fresh pumpkin from the patch would. Pumpkin contains loads of good things for your skin, like vitamin A and C and enzymes. These nutrients will help nourish and brighten the complexion.

Papaya is also great for your skin. It contains vitamin A and papain. Vitamin A acts as an anti-oxidant, while the papain breaks down inactive proteins and removes dead skin cells. The papain in papaya help exfoliate your skin in the most gentle way possible. If you don't want to worry about using pumpkin and egg, you can just get a papaya and make a mask. That's a totally different post though... ;)

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you try it or if you have any recipes for a pumpkin mask!

If you don't feel like making a mask, you can cheat and go to Bath and Body Works for their pumpkin mask. ($12)

xo, 
Rachel