Treat Your Tresses

At Home DIY Steal
Coconut and Olive Oil Hair Mask
Coconut isn’t just for your pina colada. This lightweight oil is perfect for a mask because it locks in moisture without petroleum-based ingredients found in many hydrating hair products. Olive oil is an excellent antioxidant that helps offset the damage caused by free radicals in the body. It’s also a great moisturizer.

Follow these very simple steps to get the best benefit for hair from these two oils. Mix together 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (warmed to its liquid state) and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Coat the hair, focussing on brittle ends. Wrap the hair into a bun, cover with a shower cap and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Rinse off then shampoo and condition as per normal.

Women with especially curly and kinky hair, as well as relaxed hair, will love coconut oil as a hair choice. Coconut oil also provides shine, and some studies even claim that it helps penetrate the hair to make it stronger.

All you need for this is about a quarter of a cup of warmed coconut oil (it needs to be in its liquid state). Simply apply it to your hair (wet or dry, it doesn’t really matter) and leave it in for at least an hour. You can also leave it in overnight or condition with a heat cap if you are pressed for time.

Be warned: Coconut oil stains clothing and towels so make sure you take precautions.

Banana Honey Hair Mask
If you want to be a little more adventurous, try a banana honey mask. Banana has just enough protein to improve elasticity while the combo of honey and oil moisturizes strands and hydrates the scalp-a spot prone to sunburn.

Get out your trusty blender and add 1 ripe banana, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of olive or almond oil, and 2 to 3 drops of lavender oil.  Mix together well until it is smooth with no banana lumps. Saturate the hair with the mask, massaging into the scalp. Then cover the hair with a shower cap and wrap your head with a warm towel to improve penetration. Wait for 15 minutes and rinse.

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Redken Diamond Oil Deep Facets is an oil infused deep conditioning mask for dull or damaged hair. It offers intensive nourishment, strength and replenishment, provides a protective layer of hair oils to help prevent damage, restores smoothness and boosts the natural hair’s shine.

A great hair mask option includes argan oil as it has multiple benefits. Vitamin E is extremely beneficial for hair, and is found in argan oil in high quantities. Vitamin E promotes healthy hair growth as it contains antioxidants, which help boost cells and encourage them to produce healthy hair – it has even been used for hair regrowth. Argan oil can undo some of the damage done through chemical treatments and dyes, and be used to treat split ends. It is superb for taming frizz and promoting shine and gloss, as well as softer, more manageable hair.

Body Beautiful

While you are waiting for the hair mask to take effect you can start on the body treatments. This means that you will only have to shower once -  to rinse off both your hair mask and wash away the body scrub or mask.

Before starting, prep with a little dry brushing: take a brush and use long gentle, but firm, strokes to massage your skin. This will increase your circulation and make your skin incredibly smooth.

The best body treatment has two steps - first to exfoliate away all the dead skin and then to add back super charged moisture.

At Home DIY Steal
Start off with a full body dual purpose exfoliating and nourishing scrub. This simple-to-use scrub helps get rid of dead skin cells while being nourished by the oats and olive oil (both also have anti-oxidant benefits to help renew and restore your skin).

Mix 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup raw oats and 1 cup olive oil together.  Apply to dry skin using slow circular motions. After scrubbing gently all over, step into the shower and rinse off.

Before you moisturise, use a natural acid to soften rough skin spots and lighten any dark areas. Take a freshly cut lemon and rub gently on rough elbows and knees.

Then slather your body with an easy to make super-rich moisturising body cream.

Heat ¼ cup coconut oil, 1/8 cup raw shea butter and 1/8 cup cocoa butter (just up the quantities of coconut oil and shea butter if you don’t have cocoa butter). Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon aloe vera juice, 1 tablespoon liquid oil of your choice (like sweet almond or jojoba) and 5-10 drops of any essential oil fragrance you like. Store in a small jar.

Live a Little Splurge
Indulge in a Mineral Line Dead Sea Mud body scrub followed by an all over body mud mask.  Dead Sea mud is renowned for its skin moisturising and healing properties.  It is rich in lots of minerals known to help soften and nourish leaving your skin looking healthy and clear. And a big bonus is that it can help acne prone skin. The mud’s pulling properties gently exfoliate the skin and draw out any impurities and toxins.

Follow up the mask with an intense moisturising session. Known as the skin’s superfood, shea butter has incredible moisturising and skin regeneration properties. The moisturisers in shea butter are similar to the ones produced by you own sebaceous glands which is why it is so effective in nourishing dry skin.

Continue to indulge your skin - try using dry skin oil after every shower to keep your skin moisture drenched, soft and smooth.

Overhaul those Hands

At Home DIY Steal
Have you ever had one of those divine paraffin wax spa treatments?  The end result is super smooth, super silky hands. You can now do-it-yourself quite simply at home. All you need is paraffin wax, any oil (almond, olive) and a crock pot. Watch the video to see how it’s done.
You can also make your own hand mask with your trusty blender and all natural ingredients.

Combine a few spoonfuls of cold cream (or aqueous cream for sensitive skins), two drops of tea tree oil, five drops of lavender oil, a spoonful of olive oil and a banana (for a fruity smell) in a blender. When the consistency is smooth, slather liberally all over hands and cuticles. Then slip hands into a pair of yellow rubber gloves and leave for a minimum of half an hour - longer if you can. If you place your hands onto a heating pad this just helps speed up the absorption process.

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Ty out Dr Organic’s Snail Gel Hand and Nail Elixir for an OTT treat (and a great conversation starter!)

Much easier than the home made alternatives; however, you have to admit, snail gel does sound a little bit icky. But combined with a blend of bioactive, natural and organic extracts, it boasts a wide range of benefits including smoother skin, antioxidant protection and improved hydration. Slather it onto your skin and try the glove and heating pad trick mentioned above for the most effective results. Bonus is that you can use it as a normal hand cream afterwards.

Treat Your Tootsies

While your hands are either covered in wax or encased in gloves you can start treating your feet, so that by the time your hands are ready you will have also finished your foot soak.

At Home DIY Steal
For the simplest and most effective foot soak, fill a basin two-thirds full with warm water.  Add 1 cup Epsom salts and mix until they are fully dissolved. Mix in 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda per litre of water if you suffer from dry skin and any foot odour. Bicarb makes the pH of your skin more acidic so that it doesn’t attract the bacteria which causes foot odour. Experiment with herbs or essential oils such as peppermint and aloe vera to moisturize your skin and add fragrance to your foot soak. Soak your feet for 20 minutes, dry well and apply moisturising lotion.

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If you want to include a pedi in your pamper session, then you just have to try the Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Nail Care System for super easy filing, buffing and shining nails (you can throw in a mani as well). If you are not feeling that flush, then at least try their Electronic Foot File which easily helps remove all that nasty hard skin and callouses.

Follow this with Scholl Velvet Smooth Soothing Foot Soak - it contains all sorts of yummy ingredients such as green caviar, sea serum and vitamin E for a relaxing, cleansing foot bath.

Our poor little toe nails can get a bit neglected - particularly in winter - so finish off the treatment with a generous dose of cuticle oil or cream. Allow to soak in and then buff away the excess cuticle skin with a dry towel.

Finish with a Facial

Time to end your pampering with a relaxing facial.  Don’t forget to open up your pores beforehand by steaming your face or washing it with warm water. This will allow the ingredients to be absorbed better. Include your neck in the facial - we often forget it is an extension of our face and also needs some TLC.

While the cucumber on the eyes bit can seem a bit clichéd, they do offer some real benefits. The most well-known one is to reduce puffiness and swelling - but did you know that they can also help fade dark circles? Turns out they are simple little multitaskers.

At Home DIY Steal
Simple Oatmeal Honey Facial Mask
This mask is great if you are prone to oily skin and acne. Oats act as a natural cleanser and have both exfoliating and anti-inflammatory properties. Honey has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which make it great for managing acne and blackheads.

Cook one serving of oatmeal (If you can’t find ground oatmeal then use your blender to quickly grind down natural oats to a coarse powder).  Add two tablespoons of honey to the hot oatmeal. Allow it to cool and then apply to the face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse with tepid water.

Hydrating Yoghurt, Honey and Avocado Mask
Yoghurt has both anti-aging and exfoliating benefits. It contains lactic acid that helps to smooth rough, dry skin and prevent premature aging and also helps to dissolve dead skin that accumulates in the pores. Avocados are truly superfoods not only for your body but also your face. They are full of vitamins A and E and have powerful anti-oxidant, deep cleansing and moisturising properties.

To make the mask, blend a little cold cream (or aqueous cream for sensitive skins), yogurt, honey, aloe vera gel and avocado. Using a foundation brush to paint it on your face, let the mask dry for about 15 to 20 minutes and rinse.

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If you enjoyed the Mineral Line Dead Sea Mud Body Mask you may want to follow it up with a Mineral Line Dead Sea Facial Mud Mask which has the added benefits of aloe vera. You will not only get the intense moisturising and exfoliating properties of Dead Sea Mud, but also the skin soothing, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory benefits you get from aloe vera.

Dr Organic Virgin Olive Oil Face Mask combines super hydrating virgin olive oil with a blend of organic ingredients including mineral rich Kaolin (China Clay). This nutrient rich clay based product gives you deep cleansing, toning and detoxifying benefits, helping to rebalance your skin’s PH levels, and leaves your skin feeling toned and perfectly hydrated.

The Skin Republic mask range targets very specific skin needs - check out which one is best for you.

 

You should now be feeling blissed out and ready to take on the world. Remember that beauty is not only skin deep.

"As it turns out, the food you put in your body is just as vital as the toners and moisturizers that line your bathroom shelf. Or so says 99.9 percent of the nutrition and skin experts we’ve ever interviewed"
- says Well & Good.

Check out their article for some really yummy (and healthy too!) smoothies they recommend to keep your skin healthy and glowy.