I have been on a serious homemade kick. I have been finding that many homemade or "half- homemade" products work better and are far, far cheaper than commercial products ever could be. My newest venture is my tea toner, which has quickly become a must have or me. This is such an easy recipe and so easy to customize to your needs its not even funny and its so dirt cheap I could cry!
Take 2-4 teabags and 1/2 cup water. I usually use a mix of tea, 1 regualar (black) tea bag, 2 green tea bags and 1 herbal/fruit tea bag. I only use this mix because that is what I have in my pantry and I like it. Feel free to use whatever you have, its not rocket science, and teas (black, white, or green) all contain the same basic beneficial anti-aging, antioxident ingredients.
I don't buy expensive tea. My regular tea bags are .99 cents for a box of 100 and my green tea is .99 cents for a box of 75 . I did splurge on the herbal tea (Its Lipton blackberry vanilla) and it was a few bucks for only 20 bags.
If you only have black tea use 2 bags, only green tea use 4, and herbal tea should always be used along with the black and green tea because alot of herbal teas have no real tea in them- just herbs. Be careful if using herbal tea blends. I do not use any herbal teas that contains mint, lemon, or orange (not orange pekoe thats a type of black tea that most regular teas are made of) , as those ingredients can be irritating to skin. Some of you may not have a problem and prefer those teas better so just be careful. I love mint tea but don't want mint on my face. All natural doesn't always mean non-irritating. Also if you are allergic to any certain herb obviously do not any tea that contains them either.
To make your toner simply boil the half a cup of water, add the teabags, turn off the stove and let the tea steep for at least a half and hour. I often add a teaspoon of dried rosemary to my tea (for more antioxident benefits plus I like the scent) and when I do that I cover the pan and let it steep for about an hour.
After steeping transfer your toner to whatever container you prefer. I have a little antique glass bottle with a stopper that I use. This is your basic toner, which you should probably keep in the fridge. I have very oily skin so I add in a few more ingredients and I donot need refrigerate mine. It lasts me about 2 weeks. Use it twice a day after cleansing.
Add ins- these really are helpful for combo to oily skin but dry or overly sensitive skin may do better without these or adjust the amount to your liking
-Put 10 uncoated aspirin , for the salicylic acid benefits, (you can get a bottle of 100 for $1 at the Dollar Tree) in your container before pouring in your warm tea. Shake well before evey use. Will be gritty but that also provides exfoliation.
-Add one teaspoon of vinegar or witch hazel to your tea after its cooled. Both vinegar and witch hazel can be drying to skin but I think they help my oily skin more than hinder it and its such a little amount I have had no problems with dryness.
I add a drop or two of laveneder essential oil to my toner for scent, I adore the blended scent of rosemary, tea and lavender. Again if you use essential oils only literally use a drop or two. Too much essential oil can also cause skin irritation.
Have fun, try it and experiment with your own mix!
Its really amazing what you can find surfing the web. I have come across many, many posts about using honey as a face wash. Look, I'm willing to try almost any cheap, makeup, hair or skincare item once so needless to say I was very, very intrigued. Well, I may never go back to anything else now that I have tried honey as a face wash.
This is so simple I don't know why I haven't been using this forever. I could kick myself for all the money I have wasted over the years on stuff that either worked but was unimpressive, didn't work or even tortured my poor skin.
Go to the store and get yourself a bottle of honey if you don't already have one in your pantry. Now, many posts I have read say you should only buy organic honey, unproccessed dark honey, or honey from local farmers. This seems to be a must for all the "greenies". That's great, and if this is in your budget, or you are totally going "green" go right ahead. However, I find that the cheapest grocery store honey works just fine. ( I have nothing against being "green", fact is I am trying to add that into many parts of my life but I am far from being 100% truly organic and green and I am 100% fine with that at this time.)
To use in the Am. - Simply wet your face with warm water, take a bit of honey, it can be a teaspoon to a tablespoon depending on preference and massage it onto your face. I just squirt a bit onto my fingertips and go to town, adding more if needed. It should feel slipppery and your face should feel coated but not heavy. Mix it around a bit in circular motions a like a massage. Then, simply wipe of with warm wet washcloth or just rinse off if you are in the shower. I keep a bottle (yes, its the little bear kind) of honey in the shower just for this purpose.
In the Pm. -Simply repeat the Am method, using a warm wet washcloth, but , if you wear makeup you MUST remove it with oil first . Honey will not remove all your makeup by itself. I generally prefer coconut oil as my makeup remover because I have alot of it and use it for my hair, but really any old oil will work. This includes plain old vegetable oil, even though it does not seem very elegant. I am currently infusing olive oil with rosemary and plan on trying that soon. The makeup removal part I am not picky about, if you like baby oil- go for it it will remove your makeup wonderfully. Since I am trying to be more natural I don't use baby oil anymore. So, oil your face first then wipe it off with the warm, wet wash cloth. Rinse the cloth well with hot water. Apply your honey, massage it around then wipe off with the warm wet cloth ( I prefer microfiber, you can buy them in a pack of 3 at the Dollar Treee store for yes, one dollar.)
I have only been using the honey on my face for 2 weeks and really am amazed. My skin is soft and smooth and is becoming more even toned. My skin has always been blotchy and uneven. I do have very oily skin, (though not blemish prone), but it seems to be much more balanced now. My pores look smaller but my skin looks "plumper". I use less foundation. Even though my skin is oily I used to use a moisturizer at night, probably because my previous face wash ( either Dove soap or baby wash, both of which worked good for me but perhaps a tad drying) no need now. I just wash my face use a homemade toner ( I will post that recipe also) and thats it.
I cannot believe how well honey is working for me. There may actually be a point where I don't need to cover my skin with a layer of foundation because my skin is that good! We will see, but for now honey is my end all be all face wash!
I really think anyone should try honey as a face wash. Its 100% natural and has anti- bacterial and healing properties. Of course, if you are alleric to honey don't try this- thats common sense- but for anyone else give it a go for at least a good 2 weeks to see how you like it. I don't think I will go back to anything else now. Plus there is a whole range of scrubs and masks you can make with honey ( I will post on those at a later date)
I am always on the lookout for cheap yet good ways to keep up with my beauty needs -I am a beauty junkie, and I am totally crazed about hair care. I am really not "green" per say but I am always surfing the web for "the best" or "alternative" hair care. I have done the whole co-wash thing, and been through everything from the cheap-o ( Suave ,VO5, Dollar store) stuff, to the heavy silicone laden ( Pantene, Herbal Essences) stuff, to silicone free ( Suave Naturals) stuff . I have decided to go to the more natural homemade route for many of my beauty needs. Honestly, nothing has ever worked better for me than this simple homemade hair rinse recipe- best part its CHEAP!
I have seen many posts using a honey rinse to add shine and help condition hair and I have also seen many posts using coconut milk as a conditioning treatment. Well, I got to thinking, (bad thing when I do that), and came up with a conditioning rinse that honestly I love so much I doubt I will ever go back to store bought conditioner.
Here's the recipe- ( It makes 12 or so cups- a gallon is 16 cups so this is quite a bit)
-4 cups coconut milk ( if using canned and not homemade- just get 2 cans it will suffice, its thicker than homemade - I prefer Goya brand if your going with the canned- I will tell you how to make homemade coconut milk at the end of this post)
-8 cups water (boiled then cooled a bit- so its basically distilled- this is important for preservation sake)
-1/3 cup honey ( I use the plain old honey from the grocery store, no need for organic)
-containers to store it (I use a re-purposed squirt bottle for in the shower and empty glass jars - like from pasta sauce or mason jars for storage in the fridge)
-Large container to mix it in ( old milk gallon jugs work good)
Pour your 1/3 cup honey into your large container- add your water, but make sure its still warm to hot as to melt the honey. Let that cool a bit then add your coconut milk. Stir very, very, very well, even shake it if your container has a lid, then pour into your smaller containers.
I use an old plastic squirt bottle (it was a ketchup container ) in the shower for my mix and store the rest in glass jars in the fridge for latter use. Since this is a rinse and not a traditional conditioner it is very thin and I use alot since I have rather long hair that I wash daily. I have a 25 oz. bottle in the shower that lasts about 3-4 days, depending on how heavy handed I get.. You need to shake well before each use as it does seperate. I really have no idea how long this would last out in the open but personally I wouldn't push it past 4 days in the heat, maybe a week in the winter. This is, after all, all natural with no preservatives other than whats in the coconut milk and the honey. The milk will spoil. When I need to refill my shower container I make sure I pull it out of the fridge the night before so it sets to room temp. You can tell when it goes bad, it will not smell light and conutty any more. For me, homemade coconut milk seems to stay fresher a bit longer than the canned. The 12 cup batch only lasts me about a week or so, with daily use. I do not know how long it will keep in the fridge, I have not had it go bad in the fridge for up to 10 ten days so far. You may be better off making smaller batches more often if you are worried about freshness or do not wash your hair daily.
This mix leaves my hair so, so soft and shiny. Plus it feels moisturized to the very ends and it NEVER builds up. Now, it is NOT detanging by any right. Honestly, I had to take an ungodly amount of time to untangle my hair after first using this. It was so bad nad I pulled out so much hair, that I thought I was going to throw out the whole batch and go back to store bought. However, it was worth it in the end and the more I use it the better it seems to be plus I have found a semi- homemade detangler recipe that helps with the tangle issues. I will post on that later.
I have to say I will never go back to a store bought conditioner after using this ( unless I go back to co-washing). My hair is finally perfect ,as perfect as it will get, every day, it has no build up and I swear is starting to grow. I also use straight coconut oil as as leave or an overnight conditioner with this mix so it may be the coconut oil that is actually helping, regardless, this coconut milk/ honey rinse is my holy grail hair conditioner.
To make homemade coconut milk (easy way)-
put 1/2 cup of packed coconut flakes into a blender- I can only find sweetened coconut flakes in my area (they are in the baking aisle) They do contain propelene glycol as a preservative. Propelene glycol is found in tradition conditioners as a humectant so I have no problem using sweetened coconut flakes. Besides I think the propelene glycol helps my homemade coconut milk last longer than the canned.
add
2 cups boiled and cooled, but still hot, water
blend till flakes are pulverized- just a few minutes
Strain very well with strainer or cloth, reserve coconut milk, throw out flakes, and repeat with fresh boiled water and flakes till you get your desired amount of milk.
This makes the best coconut milk in my opinion. If you want richer milk add more coconut (like 1 cup per 2 cup water), thinner milk, use 1/2 cup coconut to 4 cup water.
You can also add all kinds of stuff to this rinse if you so like. I have infused rosemary ( 1 tablespoon per cup water) and green tea ( 2 tea bags per cup) in the water I use to make my rinse. It smells lovely, works great, but has an ugly brownish shade to it. You can also add essential oils if thats your thing ( I love lavender) . If you have really dry, thick, coarse hair add some lighter oil like safflower or sunflower oil to the mix. Make sure to shake extra well if you add additional oils beacause the oil will settle on the top of the rinse.
This really is a basic recipe, and I am only posting about what works for me. Please feel free to experiment and have fun. After all thats what beauty should be about.
I am so exicted. While browsing the web I have come across alot of posts for homemade face powder. I'm so impressed! It actually works- like really, really good!
Now, I have long used baby powder as my setting powder. I used to use the talc based powder as the cornstarch based one can cause blemishes. However, I have recently changed to the cornstarch based powder as it seems to give me a better (softer) finish and its more absorbent (at least for me) than talc. I have oily skin (like the desert of Kuwait) but its not really blemish prone and I haven't had any problems with the cornstarch. But don't say I didn't warn you in case you try it and break out a week later.
The only issue I have ever had with baby powder is that it can be too white, especially in the summer months when bronzer is better. I remedy this by applying it very lightly and wearing a slightly darker foundation. Now, I have found an even better solution.
Pure cornstarch (in the baking aisle)
and
unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, like Hersheys- also in the baking aisle)
I was amazed. Pure cornstarch is actually finer milled and more absorbent than the baby powder version and its cheaper but its really, really white.
Cocoa powder has natural antioxidant properties and isn't a skin irritant plus it has that lovely neutral, natural, soft brown color.
Mix them together and Ta-da ! Perfect oil absorbing loose face powder.
I am light so I started with 1/2 cup cornstarch to 1 teaspoon cocoa powder. Yes, thats alot to start with but for some reason I can't do anything in small batches. This mix is perfect for me. I mix it up then put it in a old glass jar. I sprinkle some on the lid, use a big fluffy brush, swirl and tap, then buff onto skin over my foundation. I am perfectly matte and shine free all day. I love it.
Now, you need to custom mix this for your skin tone. Perhaps start out with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and a 1/8 teaspoon or a sprinkle of cocoa, adding more cocoa to deepen the shade. To much cocoa, add more cornstarch. Record your efforts so you have the correct measurments. It really is trail and error. Once you have your perfect blend you will never go back to regular powder. Since I am light I can actually get away with no cocoa powder in my cornstarch, especially in the winter, so for me the small amount of cocoa to large amount of cornstarch was fine, I didn't have to try too hard.
A couple of tips-
-This is really messy to make so beware, you are working with 2 finely ground powders.
-You can also make this with baby powder, not just pure cornstarch, and if you are blemish prone you may want to use talc based baby powder ( there is alot of information on talc out there about how bad it is, supposedly, so do your own research. I personally don't have a problem with talc, but to each his own.)
- This may be to drying for dry skin, it is very absorbent.
- This can double as a sheer powder foundation for those who have great skin or just want a very natural look. The cocoa seems to give enough color along with the mattifying cornstarch to just even out your skin tone. It won't cover anything but it will even it out.
I use this and am matte and touch up free all day. I usually have my makeup on 12 or more hours so this really is a remarkable feat. I am waiting for the real test to come in th dead of summer so I will update then but so far I have never ever found a better face powder.
I was reading how you could use tea or coffee to dye dark hair. Its supposed to be a natural replacement for commercial hair dye. I have naturally dark brown hair that I dye black. Every 4-6 weeks I need a root touch up. I don't want to have to dye my hair that often (even if its only the roots with a 2-3 times a year full head dye job) as it is damaging so I decided to give this a go.
The recipe is simple. Basically the stronger the brew of the tea the stronger the dye. You need to use plain old tea bags- not green tea, as green tea is to light. Look for tea that contains orange pekoe and/or black. Orange pekoe is a black tea. I use a no-name brand I get at my local grocery. Its .99 cent for 100 bags and its the same tea I make iced tea with.
I boiled 2 cups of water and added 6 tea bags. I put it (including the tea bags) in a glass jar and let it sit overnight.
The next morning I poured it over my brushed yet unwashed hair. I worked it into my scalp, wrapped my hair up in a plastic bag and then a towel and let it sit for one hour.
I squeezed out the leftover teabags into a small cup with a squirt or two of my shampoo. Use whatever amount of shampoo you would normally use.
After the hour I shampooed, with the teabag/shampoo mix and conditioned my hair ( I use my semi-homemade coconut milk shampoo, which I previously posted on, and my coconout milk honey conditioning rinse, which I will post on later.)
I was shocked that it actually worked. Now there is not a major difference in color like you would get with commercial hair dye but my roots were noticably darker. If you are going from, lets say blond to dark hair, this isn't going to cut it. However, to freshen up already dark natural or dyed hair this is great. I need to see how long this will last but I am thinking this may really help me stretch some serious time between colorings. If I have to to this every week ( or even twice a week) it will be worth it to me. I wont do it daily a it is way to time consuming so I am hoping it will hold up through at least a few shampoos. I shampoo daily.
I am also planning on making a stronger "dye" next time. I will use 1 cup water to the 6 tea bags. I felt like the 2 cups was way to much to just do my roots. It drips everywhere and I felt I wasted half the mix and made a mess. You will make a mess anyway since this is only "tea water" and has no thickness whatsoever. It drips everywhere. That is why I wrapped my head in a plastic bag and then a towel, it really helped.
Im impresed, really, who wuld have thought little old tea bags could dye your hair!
I came across a few post that claim using a honey hair rinse as a cheap, homemade replacement for conditioner. Intrigued I just had to try it.
It is quite simple to do all you need is
1 tablespoon of honey
4 cups very warm/hot water
What I did was add the honey to a large, easy pourable container of hot water and stirred until the honey melted.
After shampooing ( I used my semi- homemade coconut milk shampoo - my previous post) You simply squeeze the excess water out of hair and dump the whole 4 cups of honey water over your head ( I avoided the front and top of my head as my roots are oily) and work it through hair. Let it sit while you do other shower things and rinse well.
After air drying ( I do not blow dry) I was quite impressed. With just honey and water my hair was soft and pretty shiny BUT, and thats a bit BUT, there were some issues.
First of after rinsing my hair was a bear to untangle. I had so many tangles I had to go very slow as not to pull out my hair.
Second, while my hair was soft and shiny my ends still were a bit dry and looked dull. I know thats weird to have both soft yet dry hair but that is exactly what happened. I applied my coconut oil as a leave in to remedy the dryness, which worked fine, but had to use a bit more than usual.
Third. I felt the whole 4 cup water thing was way to much. I have long hair (bra strap legnth) but its normal to thin in thickeness. I really could have just used a cup and been fine with that "rinse".
While I think this honey rinse is a decent conditoner alternative I think my hair needs a bit more on a daily basis, which is why I used this as a base for my coconut milk honey conditoning rinse that I will post on later as I need to perfect it.
While fishing around the web one day I came across a few recipes for homemade coconut milk shampoo. Most call for liquid castille soap which I don't use and won't buy so I experimented a bit and came up with the PERFECT shampoo for me.
I generally co-wash with a weekly shampoo but it never fails every 2-3 months or so I go back to a "normal" shampoo/ conditioner routine because I miss the feel of shampoo sudsing, then after a week I hate it, so I go back to co- wash, then back to shampoo, etc..
Finally I found the answer- Coconut milk shampoo.
The recipe is so so simple-
1/3 cup baby wash (not baby shampoo, I will explain why)
1/4 cup coconut milk (homemade- how-to to follow)
Stir gently together and pour in any old shampoo or squirt bottle. Shake before each use.
HOMEMADE COCONUT MILK-
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2-4 cup very hot water
Put coconut in blender, add 1 cup hot water, blend for 30 second to a minute ( I actually have a liquify button on my blender so thats the button I hit)
Strain through cheesecloth if you have it, if not a small holed strainer or even a coffee filter would work. I have flour sack towels so that is what I use.
Squeeze the pulp to get it to release more milk
Put the pulp back in the blender, add another cup water and repeat the process. Can repeat up to 4 times
I usually only do 2 "rounds" total because I blend the coconut so much by round 2 I'm left with basically coconut flour. If you blend gently, you can get 4 cups of coconut milk out of the original 1/2 cup coconut flakes.
Most recipes call for unsweetend coconut flakes but I only have sweetened coconut flakes at my local stores. Now they contain sugar (of course) but they also contain propylene glycol, which is a perservative in this case. Many regular shampoos and conditoiners contain propylene glycol as a humectant. So I have no problem using the sweetened coconut. I am hoping the propylene glycol actually will keep my milk fresher longer. This homemade coconut milk is thin, much like regular milk. I like it. You could use canned coconut milk (I have never) but I think that is probably much richer and thicker than the homemade so your results may be different. Plus the homemade is fun and cheaper.
Also, the reason I use baby wash instead of baby shampoo is that baby shampoo simply doesn't work for me. I have tried. It doesn't produce a lather I like and it seems hard to work through my hair. Plus I feel like I need to shampoo twice which is something I have long since gotten away from. Good baby shampoo (like Johnson's) only has very gentle cleansers which don't cut it for me. I want gentle but I still want clean.
Baby wash on the other hand, while still gentle, has more cleaning ability and produces a more bubbly lather. Most baby washes use sodium laureth sulfate somewhere on the ingredient list ( so do some cheap baby shampoos but if you don't want to scan all the labels just buy whatever baby wash you grab) If sodium laureth sulfate is first on the ingredient list its a stronger wash- I tend to purchase those that have it third on the list. Sodium laureth sulfate the only sulfate my hair likes. If you are anti-sulfate or sulfate free go ahead and try the baby shampoo but I feel the results are far, far (like 100 times) better with baby wash.
Using the shampoo my hair is soo soft, managable and moisturized. Plus its clean and I get my suds that I like so much. I use it along with my homemade coconut milk and honey conditioning rinse that I will post about later (I am still perfecting that recipie a bit) and my coconut oil as a leave in. This combo is giving me perfect hair, well, as perfect as my hair will get. Its soft, shiny, moisturized, feels thicker and looks better. The only downfall is my hair is very tangly after rinsing. There is no detangling agents in this homemade mix. So, I just take more time detangling. The results are worth it. I am on day four and I swear my hair keeps getting better daily which is something I can never ever say after day four. Usually by then I need a clarifier or I need to alternate my co-washing conditioner beacause my hair is greasy or flat or just plain "not right". Im sure I will need to clarify eventually (maybe a week maybe two) because the oils will eventually build up but so far I am one happy camper.
One last note- I have no idea how long this will stay fresh for. Coconut milk will eventually sour. This is why I make it such a small batch . I do double my recipie beacause it is watery and I use alot shampooing daily. I have no problem after four days but I don't know how far I can push it. Will update on that one later. So, your best bet is to do small batches more frequently. The homemade coconut milk itself will keep in the fridge at least a week . Since I use it both in my shampoo and conditioner I don't have much leftover anyway.
This recipe is just what works for me. I have normal to thin hair with oily roots and dry legnth and ends. My hair is long and has a slight wave. I do color it. There are many variations you could try. You could even use your own favorite shampoo and just use the coconut milk as an added moisturizing agent. You could lessen the shampoo, add more coconut milk, less coconut milk, mix 50/50 etc.
This may work great with Suave coconut shampoo as a double coconut whammy. Whatever, try it, have fun and your hair will thank you.
