Tag: NaturalCosmetics

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Repair Chlorine Damaged Hair-DIY Natural Remedies & Products

I’ve been getting compliments on my hair lately and how healthy it looks. I used to swim regularly for years, and took a year break this past year. One upside of that was focusing on getting my hair back to looking healthy after so much chlorine damage.
Below are DIY remedies & products you can use which helped me tremendously to get my hair back to being healthy:
HAIR MASKS ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀

▫️Coconut oil mixed with Castor oil, or coconut oil alone in my hair overnight. Wash it in the AM. I always have the best shine the next day after doing this one. Make sure to put a towel or extra sheet on your pillow.
You can also do this for a few hours if overnight isin’t an option. For those of you not into DIY, or who want to switch it up, I also use really like using Lani Hair
▫️Avocado, Banana, Manuka Honey and Peach. Mix these in a blender (swipe right👉🏼), leave it in your hair for 30+ minutes. The longer the better!
For the non-DIY version, check out Voyage Hair Spa, fresh organic fruit based hair masks.
▫️Mayonese and Egg. Mix these and put it in your hair for at least 30 minutes. Rinse first with cold water (otherwise the egg will cook), then wash normally. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

▫HAIR RINSE ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ️ Apple Cider Vinegar – This helps remove to product build up, particulary helpful for me since I had so much chlorine build up. It also can help to keep your hair and scalp healthy, helping to reduce dandruff as an added bonus. Rinse your hair with this after shampooing and conditioning. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse with water.

▫️Baking Soda. I also would sometimes add baking soda to this mix and really focus on scrubbing my roots to get out extra chlorine residue/build up. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

HAIR MAINTENANCE: From January -June I got a trim 4-5 weeks. Before that, I was getting a trim every few months and now I am in between the two time frames since a fresh trimmed look got pretty addicting.

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Organic Tinted Moisturizer

My new skincare addiction is Organic Tinted Moisturizer by Sanre Organic Skinfood.⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Why I love it:

🔹 Its all natural and organic (for real) ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀

🔹It makes my skin glow in the off summer months

🔹It doesn’t clog my pores or make me break out (my skin is sensitive to breakouts) ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀

🔹I can continue to use it into the spring/summer, get a nice glow without overexposing myself to the sun ⠀

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I got this product a few weeks ago after trying a sample tinted moisturizer from a non-natural company and loving the way it made my skin look. The problem was, after using it for a week long, my pores started to clog with the toxic ingredients in the product. This was another reason (in addition to always looking for more natural products) to look for something with more pure ingredients. ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

I’ve been putting the tinted moisturizer from Sanre Organic on my face as a lotion during the daytime to test it out everyday over the past week and a half. After, I’ve been putting on the hibiscus tea on my checks (the trick I showed in my video 2 posts ago). When doing this, I’ve had people comment on my “tan, glow, Caribbean tan”! I even went out to dinner last night and used the same process INSTEAD of using foundation/bronzer/blush on my face and did my (eyes/lips) as per usual & it looked great. ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

The Ingredients are ALL ORGANIC (except for the iron oxide & titanium dioxide)

INGREDIENTS: Safflower Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Purified Water, Beeswax, Aloe Vera Gel, Iron Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Citrus Extract, Essential Oils of Lavender, Rosemary, Jasmine Absolute, Sweet Orange, Thyme, Patchouli, Hyssop

I also have been using their products for a few years now and really love them. Their ingredients are the real deal- all natural and organic and not just marketed that way. I feel so comfortable knowing I can trust this brand when I use it.

Two of my other favorites by them are:

C-LOVE . I love this for my neck, chest and eyes or for face if I’m super dry. It smells AMAZING

Footsie Fiesta. I’ve never been one to use foot lotion, but I was very impressed with this. The texture and smell is perfect for the feet, locking in moisture and helps to relax.

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Hibiscus Tea Bags As Natural Blush

🌺HIBISCUS TEA BAGS AS NATURAL BLUSH🌺Missing my tan/sunkissed look from Colombia. I started using Hibiscus tea bags to get a natural sunkissed look on days I am not putting face makeup on. I really look so different when I have a healthy tan or glow vs when I haven’t seen the sun in months. I only wear makeup a few times a week, mainly when I go out. I mainly just put some lipstick/stain on and recently like to also add the hibiscus to make my face look more lively. ⠀ ⠀

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I was going for a subtle look, but you can also achieve a more red color if desired. This has been staying on super well for me! ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

You can also freeze the tea bags prior to. The frozen tea bags wakes up the skin and the hibiscus tighters and gives a natural flush ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

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Other benefits of hibiscus for your skin:

🌺Helps with age spots

🌺Encourage an all round fresher, younger, smoother looking complexion. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀

🌺The natural acids present in Hibiscus help to purify the skin by breaking down dead skin and increasing cell turnover & can help to control acne breakouts.

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Sunbathing & Natural Sunscreen

☀️When I was younger, I would bake out in the sun for HOURS at a time seeking a dark tan & didn’t use sunscreen. After learning about how many chemicals are in synthetic sunblock, I am not sure if loading up on the sunscreen would have caused more harm than good? ⠀⠀⠀⠀

Now, I have a whole different approach around sunbathing. I allow myself to get sun when I am walking around/in the ocean for about an hour or less & put a natural sunscreen on, or nothing on if I have a base tan. When I am not being “active”, I seek shade and also love using a hat & coverup to cover my chest/shoulders. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀

The sun IS good for us in healthy doses. I am Vitamin D deficient in winter months & it really affects my mood a TON. After being in the ocean/sun, my friends commented on my increased energy levels & overall mood change. There are also many studies that show that Vitamin D is super important for bone health. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

I really loved @moonandbloom post from the other week. She is a Registered Herbalist. I share the same thoughts as her relating to ☀️. She recommends: “Exposing one’s eyes to the sun (safely in moderation) activates the pineal gland quite markedly, as we know from ancient practice of sun gazing. It’s so good for skin disorders and healing, and cleans & oxygenates the blood.

While the whole synthetic sunblock industry is WAY toxic to humans, animals, and the Earth, there are numerous plant oils with natural SPF. All skin types have their own unique thresholds for sun that can vary with age and genetics. When the sun is really strong, I like a blend of St. Johnswort oil (approx SPF 8), Sea Buckthorn oil (approx spf 30) & coconut oil (approx spf 4-6). Watch the amounts- the Sea Buckthorn & Johnswort will dye your skin orange.” ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀

Face: I used a sunscreen by Naturopathica for my face for the first time & loved it! On the Think Dirty app it is rated as a 1 out of 10 toxicity level.

Body: I used a natural sunscreen I bought in Costa Rica and really like! See below for ingredients.

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Salt Scrub

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Ingredients📝

  • Sea Salt
  • Epsom Salt (more intense exfoliant than sea salt)
  • Coconut Oil
  • Almond Oil
  • Avocado Oil
  • Vitamin E
  • Lavender Essential oil

Benefits of using salt on your skin:

  • Kills bacteria on the skin
  • Exfoliates the skin
  • Promotes Circulation
  • Magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium are critical for proper cell-to-cell communication, so replenishing the skin with minerals can help restart the signaling processes that slow down with age.

For more DIY cosmetics, check out my instagram @nychamptonshealth

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Natural Beach Waves Hairspray

The Beach Waves Hairspray gives a beachy, tousled, wavy or curly effect (as seen in photo). Sometimes I will just use it on my roots if I am looking for more volume. image1-2

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp epsom salt
  • Lemon essential oil (to make hair lighter & for scent)
  • Lavender essentail oil
  • 1 cup filtered water

For more check out my instagram @nychamptonshealth

Why I ditched my mainstream hairspray: Two very common toxic ingredients in hairspray include fragrance and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate amongst many others.

  • Fragrance: The major concern with fragrance is that it is not required by law to disclose the individual ingredients used to produce it. Companies can add anything into their product and dub it as “fragrance” which could be a mix of synthetic and natural ingredients.
  • Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate. Has been nominated to The National Toxicology Program in 2006. It is a known and studied endocrine disruptor, effecting estrogen and thyroid activity. It affects several body functions including body development, brain functionality and metabolic activity. Estrogenic disruption has been linked to breast cancer.

Moisturizing Hair Masks: This hairspray is drying to the hair due to the salt. Below are some good natural combinations you can try.

Coconut Oil Hair Mask

  • Put Coconut oil all over hair
  • Put a towel over your pillow or hair in a shower cap and leave in over night.
  • It takes a good few washes to fully get the coconut oil out of your hair.

Mayonnaise & Egg Yolk Hair Mask

  • 1 cups mayo
  • 1 egg yolks
  • 1 cup of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Put on Shower Cap or Saran Wrap. Wrap in a warm towel to help Mayo penetrate into hair.
  • Leave on for 30 min.
  • Shower

References

“Campaign for Safe Cosmetics-working for Safer Cosmetics.” Safe Cosmetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

“Home – National Toxicology Program.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

“Household Products Database – Health and Safety Information on Household Products.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2016.

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Homemade Organic Dry Shampoo

FullSizeRender (1).jpgAbove is a photo of me using my dry shampoo a few days after getting my hair blown out. 

Ingredients:

  • Arrowroot Powder
  • Cacao Powder
  • Lemon essential oil – to get golden highlights
  • Rosemary essential oil- to promote hair growth
  • Eucalyptus- for a dry scalp

Directions:

  • Use more arrowroot powder for lighter hair and cacao powder for darker hair
  • Massage the arrowroot into your scalp & in first couple of inches of hair if desired.
  • Take note: I personally used arrowroot powder because I wanted to make my hair look lighter.
    • If you decide to mix in cacao, be aware some of this residue could come off onto your pillow at night. I am not sure if it would stain or if any type of bug would be attracted to if (in NYC). I haven’t experimented with this or seen this being an issue in my research but it could be something to keep in mind.

Many of my friends use dry shampoo or baby powder as a dry shampoo on days they want to skip washing their hair or to extend a blowout for a few days.  There have been many links to the talcum in baby powder and cancer. When hearing this, I decided to come up with my own powder very similar to baby powder but one that is beneficial for your skin, hair and body instead of being detrimental toward your health.

In the most recent lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson (February 2016), $72 million dollars was awarded to to a women’s family for using their baby powder which contributed to her ovarian cancer death after 35 years of use. See more in an article here.

For more, check out my instagram at @nychamptonshealth