DIY: Galaxy print t-shirt

I love galaxy print, but items with this print are usually pretty expensive. Luckily there's an easy method to make your own galaxy print and save some money.

What do we need?
*shirt, dress or any other type of clothing
*spray bottle
*bleach
*fabric paint

Fill the spray bottle with bleach and water, I used a 50/50 ratio. Spray the mixture onto your shirt and let it dry, this is important because if you just spray a whole bunch of the mixture on there you might not get the result you want. Once dry, you can see what the mixture has done so far and you can spray some more on the areas you want to be lighter. You can also use a brush to splash some of the mixture directly onto the shirt to get bigger blobs.
Once dry, it's time to use the fabric paint. Mix a little fabric paint with some water and just splash it on there to get small splashes on your shirt, little white stars. The less water you use the whiter the and clearer the splashes will be. You can also paint some stars directly on there with just fabric paint. You can use the standard white, but also a small amount of other colors, like dark blue or yellow. Continue the process until you're happy with the result. Let the paint dry, fixate it and enjoy wearing your tee.

These are the two tees I made. As you can see the bleach can have a different effect depending on the color of your shirt. I got some white bleach marks on my dark blue shirt, and some red shades on my black shirt.
Feel free to experiment and have fun with it!

Hot oil hair treatment.

I made this recipe 2 or 3 months ago, and I was surprised to find out I hadn't written a blog post about it!
This hair treatment/mask is a great way to give your hair a much needed boost and make it shiny and soft.

What do we need?
*15 gr of calendula oil
*15 gr of chamomile oil
*15 gr of wheat germ oil
*5 drops of lavender essential oil
*5 drops of rosemary essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a bottle and let it rest for a couple of days before using it. Yep, it's that easy.

So how do we use this?
We need
* oil treatment
* towel
* glass or ceramic boil to heat the oil

Take about 6 tablespoons (more or less, it all depends on how thick/long your hair is) and heat the oil using a double boiler. Don't get it too hot, just nice and warm to the point where you can still handle it without burning yourself. Heating the oil will help your hair absorb the oils and increase the treatment's effectiveness.
Distribute the oil onto your hair and  wrap a warm and wet towel around your head. Leave the treatment in for at least 30 minutes and then rinse and shampoo your hair. Let it dry and enjoy softer hair!

DIY: Aztec print shirt

I really love Aztec print, so I decided to make my own Aztec print tee. 
First of all, what is Aztec print? Some examples here to the right.

Click below to view the shirt and the tutorial.

What's in there anyway?

Have you ever wondered what's in your favorite store bought beauty products?
The front of packaging might say all these wonderful things about being green, but usually that's just a lot of empty promises. Or you might find "regular" products that turn out to be quite green! Knowing what's in my bottle without having to go through all these difficult names on the label was one of the reasons for me to start making my own products. But sometimes there are things you can't make yourself, or don't want to make.

Even if you're able to find a list of ingredients, they have all these weird names and you probably have no idea what they all mean, and neither do I. But don't worry, help is on it's way!

with Skin Deep's cosmetic database you can check both products and single ingredients for it's safety. I went through every single product I own to check for it's safety (and since most of the products weren't listed I had to go through every single ingredient.) It might take a while but I felt a lot more relaxed afterwards.
Nowadays most manufactures have their product's ingredient list on line so you can check before buying/testing, so you won't end up being disappointed.

Skin Deep Cosmetic Database
More on EWG and Skin Deep Cosmetic Database

Hopefully this will help you make a conscious decision on buying cosmetic products :)

Keep it Clean!

Natural cosmetics won't last an eternity. But don't worry,  there are some tips and tricks you apply to prolong shelf life.


production
When you're making your own recipes it's important to work in a clean environment with clean tools. Using clean bowls, spoons and containers is a first step in keeping your products fresh for a longer period. You can disinfect bottles and such with alcohol, or my favorite method, boiling water. Leave your tools in the boiling water for a few minutes, or poor some boiling water in your bowls and jars.
WARNING: this method does not work on plastic, and make sure your glass bottles can stand boiling water, if they can't stand hot water they can pop, and you'll have glass all over the place.

when using products
If possible, use your hands as little as possible. Try using spatulas, spoons or bottles with a pump. If you are using your hands, wash them before applying creams and stuff.

storage
Store your products in a cool and dark environment, or at least a place with a pretty stable temperature, free from direct sunlight. When using soaps and scrub bars, let them dry before storing them in a container. This will prevent them from breaking and will prevent mold growth.

also, creating smaller batches means you are more likely to use up all your products before they have a chance to go bad.

follow your nose, trust your eyes
Even if you follow all these tips, stuff can go bad sometimes. Ingredients can vary in quality so maybe this time you just were a bit unlucky. If something smells different than normal or has a weird texture don't use it. If you have doubts, check again in a couple of days and if it still looks/smells weird throw it out.

I hope these tips and tricks will help you enjoy your products for a longer period of time :)