If you're just tuning in, I'm Leslie, sister to the lovely Jill from Envirocraftiness. This week sharing some home made spa recipes, reviews of store bought products and a little skin care help. Every day we'll be posting a review for a store bought spa product on one blog, and a DIY version on her blog! Make sure to check out both blogs each day!
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Today: Hair Masks
I'm a sucker for hair products! I have long, thick, coarse, wavy hair that has a mind of it's own, and I've been fighting with it desperately to get it to do what I want. My hair never feels soft (to me) and always seems to look dull. Oh I forgot to mention that in my desire to have 'good hair' I blow dry and flat iron about 5 days a week.....give or take. So on top of being thick, coarse and wavy, it's dry and frizzy. Today I have a rememdy for dried out winter hair!
BEFORE!
The lack of humidity in the air during winter means we fight with static everywhere-including our hair. Here is my recipe for Leslie's B.O.V.A (Banana, Olive Oil, Vinegar,
Avocado) Repairing Hair Mask!
What You'll Need
1 Ripe Avocado
1 Ripe Banana
2 (ish) Tbls Olive Oil
2 (ish) Tbls Balsamic Vinegar
I know, looking at these ingredients all
together kinda makes you want to gag!
But here's why you should include all of them....
AVOCADO: So, by now we've learnt about the incredible properites of Avocado-if not go check out my face mask post and my post about Vitamins and free radicals. Avocado does similar things for your hair as it does for your skin-nourishing it, making it shiney, healthy and strong. Good ole Omega 3's!
BANANA: This fruit rich in potassium, natural oils, carbs and vitamins helps soften and protect hair's natural elasticity-woo hoo! Bananas can also help control dandruff!
The Vitamin B helps prevent split ends!
BALSAMIC VINEGAR: This is the rinsing agent. You'll see ALOT of DIY hair masks that include vingear, balsamic vinegar or apple cider. These acidic ingredients add TONNES of shine to the hair! For extra shine add a few drops of Rosemary oil!
OLIVE OIL: My favourite piece of info about EVOO is that it makes hair 3 times stronger! So if you have fine hair that tends to break, you wear it in a ponytail or other styles that can rip and break hair, you should definietly be using a hair product with olive oil to protect and prevent breakage!
So you might have noticed that I didn't include egg in my hair mask? Eggs are great for adding protein and stregnth to your hair for sure! But, as Jill discovered, using egg in your at-home mask can be a bit tricky.....particularly when you're rinsing it out....if you like to have a hot shower, you might end up with scrambled eggs in your hair. Just a warning!
Creating the mask is simple!
Step 1). Slice and mash your banana.
Make sure your banana is quite ripe-it will make this stage easier
Step 2). Cube your avocado and mash with the banana.
Your mask could be quite chunky....as mine was.
Step 3). Stir in olive oil and blend well.
Step 4). Stir in Balsamic vinegar
creating the lovely puke colour you see!
*note* my mask was quite lumpy, and while I didn't mind that, you might want to throw this mixture into a blender or food processor to eliminate lumps. It will make it easier to rinse out!
Apply to hair. Don't be stingy, I used the whole mix! You want to saturate your hair, so go for it! I always wrap my hair in a plastic bag when I've got a mask in. It locks in the humidity and keeps the mask warm, allowing it to penetrate into your hair better! It also allows you to do household chores or sleep without getting goop everywhere! I wore the mask for about 30 minutes.
Shower and rinse out well! Shampoo and condition as normal. Don't use a clarifying shampoo, as it will strip away the natural moisture you've put into your hair! Rinse well....I still found bits of banana (ew) in my hair when I blow dried, so you might want to run it through a blender :)
AFTER!
My hair felt soft (!), nourished, and healthy! Best of all no strong lingering smell! If anything I smelt banana more than anything after drying it. Even while I was rinsing it in the shower, I could feel the difference! And hey, if it works on my hair, I know it will on yours too!
Make sure to hop on over to Jill's Blog and see her review on LUSH's H'Suan Wen Hua, the real version of what I made today! It truly is a miracle worker!
Tomorrow I'll be reveiwing my favourite lip balm!
It's not flashy but it'll save
those lips for Valentine's Day!
Don't forget we've got a LUSH GiftCard with your name on it coming up in our giveaway this Saturday! Make sure to stay tuned! Your skin will thank you!
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