I like simple recipes, and this one really is. Because all you need is two ingredients! A 100% natural scrub.
This recipe is really soft on your skin and it also leaves your skin really soft. It's a scrub that has helped reduce my acne.
What do we need?
*baking soda
*sugar
*a container
I chose granulated sugar to get a mild scrubbing action. If you want to use brown sugar or get a more intense scrub I would suggest using this recipe.
All we need for this recipe is equal amounts of baking soda and sugar mixed together. One good tablespoon of the mixture should be enough for one scrub.Mix it with a tiny bit of water to get a thick paste. You really only need a tiny bit of water for this! You don't want the mixture to get too wet.
The thing I like about this recipe is you can make large quantities of the mixture and store it. Because of the dry powder it has a long shelf life. Just store it in a big jar and you can take a tablespoon every time you need it. I use this scrub once a week.
Enjoy your soft skin!
donderdag 27 juni 2013
vrijdag 21 juni 2013
Ditching your shampoo - going no poo
About a year ago I decided to stop using shampoo, or as some call it: going no poo. There are plenty of alternatives for shampoo that still keep your hair silky and shiny!
Most commercial shampoos contain some ugly ingredients (SLS, parabens and more) Of course you can still buy greener alternatives, there are some good ones out there but always beware of green-washing.
I chose to ditch shampoo altogether. After doing some reading on the internet about alternatives to shampoo I decided baking soda would best for me.
So how do you wash your hair with baking soda?
You need an empty shampoo bottle or some other bottle. The best option is a bottle with a small opening.
You mix one part baking soda. this can vary from 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 5 parts of water to 1 part to 9, 10 or however many parts of water you choose.
In the beginning you might need more baking soda in your mixture, but as time passes your hair will become less greasy and you can add more water. There might come a point where you have so much baking soda water that it's easier to just start using a smaller measure for your baking soda and water.
You mix it together, and spread the mixture it on your scalp. gently massage it over your entire head. This is where most of the grease and dirt will be. The grease in the rest of your hair will was away as you rinse your hair. You can finish with a conditioning rinse of apple cider vinegar, lime or lemon juice mixed with water. I personally never do this, but it's recommenced in a lot of posts I've read on the subject. For me it doesn't really work, it just leaves my scalp feeling itchy and uncomfortable. You can use a conditioner for your hair afterwards if you want to.
what's different about washing your hair with baking soda?
There are several things I've noticed about washing your hair with baking soda. First of all washing my hair has become a more mindful experience. You can't just put some shampoo on your hair and wait for tons of bubbles to appear and have clean hair. You have to be in the moment, really pay attention to every part of your scalp. When it comes to my hair I've noticed it has more volume and looks very shiny. I was really surprised about how much volume my hair has. According to my hairdresser my hair still looks really healthy.
I've also noticed my hair has become 90% less greasy. When I started this I had to wash my hair every other day. Now I wash my hair once a week.
There are other options though: herbal rinses, clay masks, or just stopping washing your hair. There are several ways to stop washing your hair. The first is to just go die hard and stop washing it. Your hair might look greasy for a few weeks, but your body will adjust and stop producing so much oil. After that you can just rinse your hair with water. You can also go for a more gentle approach and start mixing shampoo with water until you end up with mostly water. It's similar to the first method except for the fact that your hair will look less greasy during the transformation and it will also take longer.
Do you know more alternatives for shampoos? Don't keep them to yourself, please share in the comment section below.
Most commercial shampoos contain some ugly ingredients (SLS, parabens and more) Of course you can still buy greener alternatives, there are some good ones out there but always beware of green-washing.
I chose to ditch shampoo altogether. After doing some reading on the internet about alternatives to shampoo I decided baking soda would best for me.
So how do you wash your hair with baking soda?
You need an empty shampoo bottle or some other bottle. The best option is a bottle with a small opening.
You mix one part baking soda. this can vary from 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 5 parts of water to 1 part to 9, 10 or however many parts of water you choose.
In the beginning you might need more baking soda in your mixture, but as time passes your hair will become less greasy and you can add more water. There might come a point where you have so much baking soda water that it's easier to just start using a smaller measure for your baking soda and water.
You mix it together, and spread the mixture it on your scalp. gently massage it over your entire head. This is where most of the grease and dirt will be. The grease in the rest of your hair will was away as you rinse your hair. You can finish with a conditioning rinse of apple cider vinegar, lime or lemon juice mixed with water. I personally never do this, but it's recommenced in a lot of posts I've read on the subject. For me it doesn't really work, it just leaves my scalp feeling itchy and uncomfortable. You can use a conditioner for your hair afterwards if you want to.
what's different about washing your hair with baking soda?
There are several things I've noticed about washing your hair with baking soda. First of all washing my hair has become a more mindful experience. You can't just put some shampoo on your hair and wait for tons of bubbles to appear and have clean hair. You have to be in the moment, really pay attention to every part of your scalp. When it comes to my hair I've noticed it has more volume and looks very shiny. I was really surprised about how much volume my hair has. According to my hairdresser my hair still looks really healthy.
I've also noticed my hair has become 90% less greasy. When I started this I had to wash my hair every other day. Now I wash my hair once a week.
There are other options though: herbal rinses, clay masks, or just stopping washing your hair. There are several ways to stop washing your hair. The first is to just go die hard and stop washing it. Your hair might look greasy for a few weeks, but your body will adjust and stop producing so much oil. After that you can just rinse your hair with water. You can also go for a more gentle approach and start mixing shampoo with water until you end up with mostly water. It's similar to the first method except for the fact that your hair will look less greasy during the transformation and it will also take longer.
Do you know more alternatives for shampoos? Don't keep them to yourself, please share in the comment section below.
vrijdag 14 juni 2013
DIY ingredients: Baking soda
There are some ingredients you can use in home made cosmetics that deserve some extra attention. They can be used in many products and are easy to obtain. Today we'll put baking soda in the spotlight.
Baking soda has been around for a long time and is used for a lot of things. Around the house it can be used for baking, deodorizing, as a relief for heartburn and it's also used in toothpaste. It's also a great green cleaning alternative.
When it comes natural cosmetics baking soda is a must have. It's cheap, available in supermarkets and Asian food stores and has a long shelf life. Here are some examples of the usage of baking soda:
Head and face
masks, cleaners, scrubs, toothpastes and powders.
Hair
It can be used to wash your hair (more about that in a later post)
Body
A soft scrub, bath salts, deodorants (both body powder and cream deodorants)
a recipe for cream deodorant with baking soda can be found here
Store your baking soda in a dry and dark area.
Baking soda has been around for a long time and is used for a lot of things. Around the house it can be used for baking, deodorizing, as a relief for heartburn and it's also used in toothpaste. It's also a great green cleaning alternative.
When it comes natural cosmetics baking soda is a must have. It's cheap, available in supermarkets and Asian food stores and has a long shelf life. Here are some examples of the usage of baking soda:
Head and face
masks, cleaners, scrubs, toothpastes and powders.
Hair
It can be used to wash your hair (more about that in a later post)
Body
A soft scrub, bath salts, deodorants (both body powder and cream deodorants)
a recipe for cream deodorant with baking soda can be found here
Store your baking soda in a dry and dark area.
zondag 9 juni 2013
Suggestions + update
I've been quite inactive lately, on my blog, my dA page and Etsy. School, work and the nice weather that has finally arrived have kept me busy. I have some ideas for new posts and DIYs in mind, and I hope to be a little more active in the near future. In the meantime I would like to hear some of your ideas. What type of posts do you like to read? Are there recipes or ingredients you want to read about? Do you want to read more about creative ideas? Let me know! Let's fill up the comments section.
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