Coconut oil - beauty master?

                            

It seems that coconut oil has reached a god-like status in the world of beauty, it is a seemingly go- to product that promises everything from long, gorgeous hair to super smooth, silky skin but is it really worth the hype?

 Yes and no.


 Now, I have read hundreds of reviews on coconut oil, dozens of articles on its benefits, and I have used it personally for every use mentioned, and here is my two cents on the subject.

 First of all, in my experience, you don't need the "special" coconut oil that is everything from cold- pressed, to super xtra- virgin, to organic, to only purchased at health food stores,  etc. etc. etc. I have bought a ten dollar platic tub of coconut oil in Wal- Marts vitamin section ( which I can't seem to find anymore) and a ten dollar glass jar at my local grocery store's so called "organic" section  (which is the only place that I can seem to find it) and they both have performed just as well. I will not pay more than ten dollars for a jar of coconut oil as there is truly no reason to (unless maybe its a gallon jug)

  Coconut oil does have some pretty outstanding uses. It is very healthy to cook with and has all kinds of health benefits when taken internally but, we are talking beauty.  It excells there also.

Coconut oil can be used as:

 a makeup remover- melt a bit between hands, work into skin, wash off with regular cleanser
 a facial cleanser- use a large amount, work into skin, tissue off or remove with hot wash cloth
 a facial moisturizer-  use a pea sized amount, smooth all over face after cleansing
 an eye cream- very small amount, smooth under eyes and on eyelids, after cleansing
 an eye lash treatment (have heard claims it helps lashes grow , haven't validated that though but probably couldn't hurt) apply a teeny-tiny amount to bases of top lashes
 a  pre- shampoo treatment - warm in hands, slather on dry hair from mid shaft to ends, and leave it in 20 min. before shampooing
 a hot-oil treatment- melt in microwave, apply to hair while warm (not scorching hot ), again mid shaft to ends unless your scalp is dry also, leave on  5-10 min., shampoo out.
 a hair conditioner- use in place of your regular conditioner (honestly, while some swear to this I say don't even bother- regular conditioner works better and is easier to rinse)
an  overnight hair treatment-  melt generous amount in hands, slather on dry hair before bed, work through mid shaft to ends again, unless scalp is dry, shampoo out in am.
 a leave- in hair treament- use a pea sized amount, melted between palms, worked through wet hair,  mid shaft to ends.
 a hair styler- as in frizz treatment and split end mender- less than pea size amount, warmed on finger tips, applied to dry ends.
  full body moisturizer- super good for dry legs- apply generously on dry skin, will take a few minutes to sink in and can feel greasy, I find its best used at night when wearing old pj's because it can transfer. Also is lovely on legs in the summer time when wearing sun dresses and shorts- gives a nice sheen.


 Impressive right?,  Now, lets get down to the nitty gritty. Coconut oil is much like any other natural plant oil. It is considered a "natural moisturizing factor". Guess what, so is olive oil , sunflower oil , corn oil , safflower oil, vegetable oil , almond oil, grapeseed oil , apricot kernal oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, palm kernal oil, soybean oil  and every other plant based oil found on your plain old local grocery store shelves for pennies per ounce.

 I am not saying coconut oil is not woth much of the hype. Some reports claim coconut oil is the only oil that can penetrate the hair shaft and prevent protein loss. I am inclined to agree.  In my experiences coconut oil is the best for hair and if I wasn't as frugal as I am coconut oil would be my go to for that purpose, with the cavet that it does pull the color from my hair ( but so does olive oil, go figure.)

 Coconut oil is a white semi- solid  (no matter what brand you buy or how much it costs) that seems to melt effortlessly into a thin liquid that "spreads" beautifully when any kind of heat is applied, it feels much lighter than many of the oils I have tried (especially when to compared to olive oil )and it rinses out of hair easier than most.   Depending on what brand you buy coconut oil barely has a scent, and if it does its a sweet, pleasing coconutty smell (some  other oils really do have an "oily", un-pleasant or "foody" smell)

   Coconut oil is much more luxurious feeling than many of the cheaper palnt oils but, in my opinion, they all perform pretty much the same. However, I too would rather cover myself with coconut oil than corn oil.


All in all, if you curious about oil as a beauty product, want to simplify your life,  replace a bunch of different products , or just go more "natural"  and if you have the funds, pick up a jar of coconut oil to try out. Coconut oil will not hurt you (unless maybe you have a coconut alllegy). If your on a much more limited budget try a $4.00 bottle of safflower or olive oil, in the end it will still do the same thing, be it less elegant.

              

A full makeup look from foundation to finger tips for $25.00 or less

I love makeup but can't afford to spend alot  anymore and I have found great products that will make a complete look for $25.00 or less.

    Foundation - N.Y.C. Smooth Skin makeup- $2.99 at Target, Kmart, Rite aid, Some Walmarts and some Cvs's
     Love this stuff. It is harder then hell to get out of the bottle so store it upside down or be prepared to dig it out with a q-tip. Applys wonderfully, giving light to medium, natural looking coverage that can be built up if needed. Drys to a soft matte finish. Oily skin girls (like myself) may need to prep skin with a primer- Milk of Magnesia $1.00 at the Dollar Tree- to provide longer lasting finish.

Powder - N.Y.C loose or pressed powder $2.99  in translucent is awesome, however it only works for fair to light skin. The darker shade works well for medium/tanned skin. Another option is L.A. Colors pressed powder $1.00 at Dollar Tree, also found at Dollar General and Family Dollar for $1.50 Both powders apply beautifully leaving a matte, but still soft looking, finish.


Eyeshadow - nothing bets E.L.F (eyes, lips, face) cosmetics mini eyeshadow quads $1.00 at Kmart, Target, Dollar Tree and now some Walmarts, or buy online at E.L.F. 's website
     Theres a huge range of shades, my personal favorites are Day 2 Night (golden and burgundy-ish brownish shades) Drama, ( black and greyish shades) and Butternut (warmer brownish shades) yes they are small, and yes they can give some fallout but seriously, for a dollar, you shouldn't complain.
  Another option if you have a few extra bucks is Wet-n-Wilds  Color Icon eyeshadow  pallettes-  $5.00 for the large ones $3.00 for the trios,  at Kmart, Rite aid, Walgreens, Giant grocery store, Some Cvs's and some Walmarts. My favorite Petal Pusher (various pinkish and purplish shades) These are very pigmented and buttery although they do have some fallout also. Still no complaints here.

Eyeliner- Prefer liquid?  Try e.l.f essentail liquid $1.00, although it takes a little while to dry and can smear if you have "leaky" eyes, the little brush provides  presise, perfect application. For $3.00 try Wet-n-Wilds H2O liquid eyeliner (my favorite) this stuff is hard core and does not budge, so if your only a novice to liquid eyeliner this is not easy to fix mistakes.
   Prefer pencil ?- Wet-n-Wilds Color Icon Kohl pencil is a whole $1.00. Its soft, has a great color selection, and is easy to use although it can smear, and it needs sharpening, but still for a dollar this is my go to pencil.


Mascara -  I love N.Y.C mascara.  Instant Lash (blue tube) $1.00 is my all time favorite to build long seperated lashes, however I have only found this at one Walmart in my area and its not listed on the N.Y.C. website. City Curls (pink tube)$ 2.99 is another supurb mascara that can be found at most places N.Y.C. is sold. Really Broke? E.L.F.'s earth and water double ended mascara for $1.00 can work just fine in a pinch but be prepared to use multiple layers to get good results.


Blush/ Bronzer- I love Covergirl Cheekers blush- $3.00 at most retailers any you can find Covergirl almost anywhere. Wet-n-Wilds color icon blushes are the same price and even though they have a very limited selection are great.
 I also love L.A. Colors bronzer $1.00 at Dollar Tree  it only comes in one shade and as long as you don't use the crappy brush it comes with you'll get good color payoff and easy application. N.Y.C Sunny bronzer $2.99 is also a safe bet and its matte.


Lips - Like lipstick? Try either N.Y.C. 's or Wet-n-Wild's $1.00 lipsticks, both have a good color selection ( N.Y.C has better reds while Wet-n-Wild has better pinls)), a nice satin finish and are fairly long lasting although N.Y.C's version tends to fade slighty quicker and be slightly moister than Wet-n-Wild's.  

Lipliner - Wet-n-Wild's color icon $1.00  #666 brandywine  is a cult favorite


Lipgloss- E.L.F. super glossy gloss $1.00 beats everyone for full coverage, long lasting color,  plus it has a great  (grapish) taste even if it is a little thick.   Or you can rummage around Dollar Tree  for L.A Colors lipglosses, always $1.00 tube or wand style.

 Lipbalm-  Can't go wrong with Bonne Belle lipsmackers $1.99 Walmart, Giant Grocery, Target.  Dr Pepper and Vanilla are cult favorites. So much better than plain old chapstick. Taste great and leave a soft, shiny,  non-waxy finish.


Nails- Wet-n-wild, N.Y.C.and L.A. colors all have $1.00 nail polishes which work just as good as any. It may take 3 coats to build full color and they may chip sooner than some others but for me, whose nail polish chips within 24 hours regardless if its a $1.00 polish or a $10.00 polish, I stick with these.



 Being beautiful doesn't have to be expensive, sure there is higher quality stuff out there and if I had a larger beauty budget there are other products I'd rather purchase, but for the prices these products really do perform better than what they are worth.

Homemade leave-in conditioner

I have never really been a fan of leave in conditioners until the past few months. I have created a "concoction" that leaves my hair perfect every single day- I am amazed.
 
  First some history- I have long (bra strap length hair that I so wish was waist length but it never seems to grow) that is normal/thin and slightly wavy verging on very wavy in high humidity.

 Normally I would use big- brand- yet- still- grocery -store shampoos and conditioners such as Pantene, L'oreal(a favorite) Herbal Essences, Dove (another favorite) and Garnier Fructis with decent results, however I had a long term  gastro-intestinal illness back around the holidays (and I am still dealing with it)  that made my hair freak out. Every shampoo I used made my head itch  like crazy and every conditioner left my hair greasy, like I hadn't rinsed it greasy- weird. Desperate I turned to the basics- a "cheapy" shampoo and silicone free conditioner, first baby shampoo and vo5 conditioner then to Suave Coconut Tropical Coconut shampoo and conditioner which seems to be almost perfect, however, this duo still left my color-treated (black) hair a little dry at the ends. In comes my "concoction".


 After a ton of research  on ingredients and reading reviews I have found the perfect leave-in recipe with drugstore products.

  Needed-

   1.   V05 silky experiences conditioner in cashmere and shea (very new -and god I hope they never discontinue it) only found it a my local Giant grocery and Walmart, .99 cents for 15 oz.  

                                and

 2.   Johnson and Johnson cocoa and shea baby oil ( it needs to be this specifically-regular baby oil works ok but not as well a this stuff)  It is slightly more expensive than plain old baby oil but sooo worth it. Also Found at my local grocery and Walmart.



  Simply place a pea sized amount of the conditioner on your palm and then add 2- 3 drops of the baby oil.  Rub your hands together to mix and distribute the ingredients. Work into towel dried damp hair- this is key its does not perform as well on dry hair, - apply from ends up then comb through .

 I air dry my hair and using this leave-in my hair is soft, silky and shiny but never weighed down. Plus the  conditioner has a wonderful vanilla scent and the baby oil has a great scent that remind me of something tropical, unlike a traditional baby oil powdery scent. the scent will fade if you are afraid of it overpowering your perfume.

  Honestly for around 5 bucks I have more than enough enough stuff to make a leave in that lasts more than a year.

 NOTE-  I have also made this leave in using Suaves new Keratin leave-in conditioner. Speciffically 1/2 pea sized drop vo5 to 1/2 peas sized suave to 3 drops baby oil. Works slightly better- more shine but not as economical and not really sure if extra step is worth it. I had the Sauve Keratin leave-in on hand so wanted to use it up. This however is worth consideration and maybe be better for those with very coarse dry hair  (use slightly more accordingly).  Suave's Keratin leave-in runs around $4.00 also at Walmart and local grocery. 


 In case your are wondering,  I also have used this recipe with Suaves coconut conditioner in place of the Vo5 but it did not perform as well and I have also used Vo5's srawberries and cream conditioner in place of the Cashmere and Shea and it did not perform as well, I am convinced the Cashmere and Shea conditioner and the cocoa and shea baby oil are the true keys to the performance of this leave-in.


 Just because this recipe is perfection for me doesn't mean you can't tweek it for you. If your hair is thinner try using less baby oil, Thicker hair more baby oil. Either way this is so much cheaper than buying a "regular" leave-in and in my experience better.

     Crisco as a beauty product? - Yes, yes indeed

Believe it or not, Crisco is a great product, not for baking , but for beauty. Now before you think I'm crazy lets think about it.

 What is Crisco? and NO it is NOT lard (true lard is animal fat). Crisco is simply soybean and palm oil in a solid form. Thats it, nothing else, thats all she wrote. Now, we all know the benefits of oils for skin now don't we?

 Really any form of plant oil can be considered a natural moisturizer- that includes the famous, even elite, - apricot kernal, jojoba, morrocan, argan, almond, avacado, grapeseed and olive oil. No one really considers the cheaper and less elegant  "grocery store" oils such as soybean oil, safflower oil (my personal favorite), corn oil, canola oil or just plain old vegetable oil. Any of these oils will perform the same as the more expensive version, be it not as elegant. Really, it much more chic to say we use virgin coconut on our hair or body than when asked  to say "Oh, I just use veggie oil for everything."

 I personally have used coconut, argan, olive, sunflower, safflower, canola, vegetable oil and crisco, and out of all of them for price, ease of use, performance and versatility Crisco wins every single time. This is not to say that these other oils don't have their place (coconut, olive, argan and jojoba oil are consisered by far the best for hair) but Crisco should not be overlooked.

 Crisco can be used as -

  Body lotion- it really doesn't have a scent (  as long as you don't buy the butter flavored version and please, please!, don't buy the butter flavored version). Crisco has a luxurious texture, even if it is somewhat greasy. When using Crisco less really is more. Slather it lightly on dry spots, everywhere, and let it soak in. I have heard it does wonders for dry, itchy, eczema prone skin and I can attest to that. In the winter my legs get so dry, itchy and flaky I will scratch them till they bleed. Nothing truly helps- except Crisco. I have read that Dr.'s call it "Cream C" and use it on burn patients and for wound healing, especially after plastic surgury or chemical peels to the face.
  You can even use it as a base for custom body lotion creations. Mix it with weaker, heavily scented lotions to beef them up, Mix it with baby lotion and vaseline for a hand cream. Whip it up with other essentail oils (like lavender, lemongrass or Rosehip) if thats your thing.

 Hair Care-  Melt it to use as a hot oil treatment. Slather it on thickly as an overnight treatment. ( It will take a clarifying shampoo or multiple shampooings with your regular shampoo to remove it much like any other oiling or deep treatment). Use a miniscule amount, ( less than a pea sized amount) on ends of hair as a split end sealer and frizz reducer.

 Facial care- Use as makeup remover- slather it on just like you would cold cream. Remove with a hot (as you can stand) wet wash cloth. Wash face with  your prefered cleanser. I have oily skin and have not had any issue using Crisco as a makeup remover and its less messy than using oil removers.
     Use as moisturizer- works lovely around eyes and on lips, dry skin could use it as full face moisturizer but its too emmoilient for oily skin used this way.


All in all, if your strapped on cash or just curious give Crisco a shot (the store brands are even cheaper and contain the same ingredients) If you don't care for it  you can always use it in your cake, cookies or for fried chicken!

Product review- Suave coconut shampoo and conditioner

 I am a fan of being cheap, however, hair care was one thing I was willing to spend a little more than a dollar or two on. Therefore, Suave was one brand I more or less overlooked unless I was picking up the green apple or strawberry shampoo as a clarifyier. With that said I have recently had a lengthy illness and my hair and skin have seemed to go berserk. Every "big name" shampoo and conditioner I would normally use ( Dove, Pantene, Herbal Essences or their store brand equivalent)  seemed to leave my hair a greasy mess and gave me an itchy scalp. Desperate I went to searching the internet and found that Suave coconut shampoo and conditioner seems to have this cult following. Bought a bottle of each a few months ago and have not looked back.

  Sauve coconut shampoo and conditoner can be purchased mostly anywhere and its dirt cheap- $1.50 for the large 22.5 oz size at my local Walmart. Have seen the smaller 15 oz. size for .94 cents at Target.

 The shampoo itself is a pearly white gel like shampoo thats actually pretty thick. It lathers well and rinses clean. It has a nice soft warm coconut scent that isn't overwhelming and since I use it daily I hardly notice the scent at all. Suave reformulated their Naturals line not to long ago making all the shampoos gentler by using sodium laureth sulfate (not to be confused with the much harsher sodium lauryl sulfate- for a good ingredient dictionary visit the "cosmetic cop") and supposedly making all the conditoners more moisturizing. Suave coconut shampoo is the only naturals shampoo that has slightly different ingredients than all the others. It has slightly more moisturizing ingredients and contains  more cleansers -ammonium lauryl and ammonium laureth sulfate - both of which are considered not overly harsh. It also contains ammonium xyelensulfonate which can be drying however since it is far down on the ingredient list it does not seem to cause any issues (for me at least).


 The conditioner is the real gem of this duo. I was surprized because there isn't much in this stuff- no silicones (which could be good or bad depending on your views) just detanglers, thickeners, preservatives and mild moisturizing ingredients with token amounts honey and coconut extract thrown in. It is not nearly as watery as I has assumed. Its white and creamy and coats hair very well. I have bra strap length slightly wavy hair that is color treated and is normal in thickness. I use gobs of this stuff and really work it in. It seems to saturate my hair instead of sitting on top like heavier conditioners do. I can finger comb it through my hair easily. It rinses clean but leaves wet hair feeling silky and has that same soft, warm, coconut scent that will linger but doesn't overpower.
  If you are a co-washer this conditoner is outstanding for that. I haven't had much luck with co-washing- probably beacause my hair is not curly and dry, rather very oily at the roots, but I can  alternate co-washing with this and shampooing daily and my hair is great.
  This can also be used as a leave in, apply a small amount to your ends or put in a large spray bottle with water and use it as a detangling spritz. I make my own leave in using a pea sized amount of conditioner and a few drops of Johnson and Johnson cocoa and shea baby oil. I feel I need to use a daily leave in as my hair tends to be breakage prone and I am always trying to get it to grow longer. You can make Suave coconut conditioner a more moisturizing conditioner by simply adding a few drops of safflower oil (lighter and less smelly than olive oil) to it in the shower. You can use it to shave your legs too!!

 All in all, Suave coconut shampoo and conditoner has really helped me get my hair back to "normal" and I have had consistantly good hair days with it, very little build up (still clarify once a week or so) and no itchy scalp or greasy flat hair. My new staple!