Month: July 2015

Lush Caca-Rouge Henna Review


So….I’ve become a ginger.

Okay okay that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I now have a red tint to my hair!

I’ve been wanting to change up my hair for a while now. I had been toying around with the idea of bleaching it or getting it chemically straightened but both of those treatments would have literally killed my hair. Like I would now be bald if I had tried to get my hair to be anywhere close to the blonde that I adore so much. *yikes*

And of course both of those methods require a lot of intensive chemicals that I would rather not put so close to my brain.

So I did some research on natural hair dye methods and I read a lot of positive reviews on Lush’s henna hair dye. It’s all natural and really inexpensive compared to going into the salon and getting your hair colored!

I went into the Lush on Oxford Circus (holy crap this place has THREE stories filled with amazing goodies; it took every ounce of willpower not to go on a spree) and talked to a sales assistant about which color I should go with. Since my hair is so dark to begin with she recommended I go with the Rouge to get the most dramatic difference. Marron is another reddish option but is more brown with a subtle hint of red.

I was sold! I walked out with a brick of Caca Rouge, and a couple of other goodies I couldn’t resist! (P.S. the henna bricks smell AMAZING. I was smelling my purchase all the way home!)

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

  • Lush Henna
  • Rubber glovers (the cashier at Lush gave me a pair with my purchase)
  • Coconut oil
  • Boiling water
  • Glass bowl
  • Small pot that your glass bowl will fit into
  • Mixing spoon (I used a plastic fork)
  • Old shirt you don’t mind getting ruined
  • Lots and lots of newspaper to cover the floor

This is my hair when I started:


Now here’s how to apply the henna:

  1. Start with clean, completely dry hair, and put on your old shirt.
  2. Boil some water in your pot.
  3. Chop your henna into chunks while your water boils (I used 2 squares from the block) and place into your glass bowl.
  4. Once your water is boiling pour over the henna so that it covers it completely. Let stand for a couple minutes.
  5. Mix the henna until you get a smooth, thick hot chocolate consistency, gradually adding more water as needed. Be careful not to make it too thin or else you will need to add more henna.
  6. Once your henna is smooth, make sure there is about 2 inches of hot water in your pot and place your bowl into the pot (this is to keep the henna nice and hot while you apply; the hotter the henna the better the color will turn out!).
  7. Now get your coconut oil and apply it along your hairline, ears, and back of your neck to prevent the henna from staining your skin.
  8. Get your gloves on and begin applying the henna to your hair starting from the back and working your way forward.
  9. This will get very messy, chunks will fall off your hair and onto the floor, just keep smoothing the henna on starting from the roots and working it into the ends.
  10. If you have really short hair anywhere like I do on the sides, don’t bother trying to dye that part cause it won’t really show up.
  11. Once you’ve completely covered your hair either saran wrap your head or put on a tight shower cap you don’t mind throwing away.
  12. Leave the henna on anywhere from 1-6 hours, blowdrying your head every 30 minutes or so to keep the mixture warm on your head.
  13. Get in the shower and rinse rinse rinse! I only had to shampoo once to get it all out of my hair.
  14. Admire your new hair color!

looks gross right?


right out of the shower


ta-da! 24 hours later

The color will develop over the next 24 hours. I definitely noticed a significant difference the next day!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how well the color showed up on my dark hair. I wasn’t expecting as much of a difference as it made! It also made my hair uber soft due to the cocoa butter used in the formula!

Pros:

  • inexpensive
  • natural
  • works well
  • conditions hair

Cons:

  • messy
  • a little difficult to apply

Have you ever used henna hair dyes before? How did it work for you?

Hope this review helped you! xoxo

Note: I’m going on my honeymoon for the next two weeks so I’ll be MIA until then! Bye bye London, hello Mediterranean! Xoxo

DIY Glamglow Mask

                     

So I’ve heard a million raving reviews for this $70 a jar mud mask by Glamglow. You can read some of them here. It claims to literally suck out the impurities from your pores to leave your skin gorgeously clear and clean. I have always struggled with having ENORMOUS pores on my nose, like seriously you could see them from outer space. However, I don’t know about you but I refuse to pay more than $5 for MUD. So naturally this was a challange for the DIYer in me. And of course I was able to do it for a fraction of the cost, as you do. 😉

The main ingredients listed for the mask were kaolin clay, eucalyptus, salycilic acid, aloe vera, peppermint oil, chamomile, and calendula extract. Along with a whole lot of other perfume and chemicals I can’t pronounce.

Sounds easy enough though right?!

I have also been reading a lot about how amazing activated charcoal is. This stuff can hold 500x its mass inside its little crevices! So I knew I was going to have to include this bad boy as an added boost to the recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Plastic or glass mixing bowl. (DO NOT use metal as it deactivates the bentonite clay)
  • Rubber whisk or mixing spoon.
  • Small glass jar. I reused an old salsa jar from Marks & Spencers (shout out to them for making the labels so easy to remove!)
  • 2-3 tablespoons raw organic coconut oil (add more if you have particularly dry skin)
  • 1 tablepoon aloe vera juice or gel
  • 1/2 cup of strongly steeped chamomile tea (you can subsitute any herbal tea you’d like i.e. rose, lavender, or green tea for added antioxidants)
  • 1/4 cup of bentonite clay (I found mine on Amazon) Be sure not to handle with metal!
  • 8 capsules of activated charcoal (available at most health food stores)
  • Eucalyptus, peppermint, and lemon essential oils.

Directions:

  1. Make your tea and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Melt your coconut oil in a small pot over low heat. Remove from heat once fully melted.
  3. Mix the coconut oil, aloe, bentonite clay, and activated charcoal in your mixing bowl. Simply cut the capsules of charcoal or twist and pull to get the contents out. Mix until combined well.
  4. Now add your essential oils. I used about 8 drops of eucalyptus, 5 of peppermint, and 4 of lemon. Feel free to adjust to your liking.
  5. Now slowly add your tea in small increments and mix until you reach a nice smooth consistency. It should be a little thicker than cake batter. Mmmm, cake.
  6. Transfer to your jar and you’re ready to go!

The water in the recipe reduces the shelf-life of the mask so store in the fridge if you’re not going to use it that often.  Otherwise just store in a cool and dark place.

To use the mask simply apply evenly all over your face or over trouble areas (avoid the eye area) and let it dry, about 15 minutes. There is a lovely little tingling sensation the longer it sits!

Now the activated charcoal is a bit stubborn and doesn’t like to wipe off  super easily. Rinse off as much as you can with warm water and then wash your face with a cleanser. I used Lush’s Ultrabland and it worked beautifully (plus it gave my skin a moisture boost as this mask can be a tad drying). Wipe off any traces with a cotton pad and say hello to clean smooth skin and smaller pores!

The clay and charcoal decongest clogged pores and suck out impurities to help keep your skin clear of any breakouts and keep those pesky blackheads at bay. I really have to say I am in love with this mask and I love that I get the luxurious experience of the pricey Glamglow version without the pricetag! Plus none of the nasty chemicals! It’s a win-win!

Try using this mask 2x a week or as a spot treatment and see your pores dissapear!

xoxo