My coconut oil and honey hair mask!

I'm terrible at keeping my hair in good condition. I used to think my hair was my favourite feature about myself because I was so happy with the length, the colour and it's condition. However in recent weeks it has become very dry, lacklustre and lost it's shine.

I dye my hair every few months or so and have had colour on it for the last two years or so now which means I've always got to take a bit more care with it as it's already got bleach and dyes on it. Equally I'm a devil for abusing my locks with straighteners, curlers, crimpers, hair dryers you name it! 

This is my 'before' picture. I don't know whether the picture really shows but my hair was feeling very dry, especially at the ends. 

I had a little look on the web for a good, nourishing hair treatment to get and found that coconut oil is incredibly popular for homemade masks. I have a large jar of this in the kitchen which Mum uses for cooking but coconut oil is brilliant and so multi useful as it can be used as an alternative to cooking oils or butter, on the skin and hair or even I've read some people eat it by the spoonful..I like coconut but I don't think I'll be doing that! 

So I grabbed a bowl and put a spoonful of coconut oil in the bowl. Coconut oil forms into a liquid over 24.5 degrees Celsius so it was a solid lump at this point. You can melt the oil to a more malleable consistency which would make it easier and quicker for you, which is something I did not do and should have done! I added in a little squeeze of honey and whisked it up until I got a consistency I was happy with. 

Et voila! The finished mask. Ready to apply to my hair. Word of warning; if you are thinking about doing this I would recommend wearing an old top or something as it can be quite messy. 

So I wet my hair first and then slathered this all over my head from roots to ends so every last split end was covered. I tied my hair up in a top knot using an old hair scrunchy and wrapped an old towel round my shoulders in case any of the mask gets onto my clothes. 

I left this on my hair for a good twenty to thirty minutes and watched a bit of TV and read some of my book. Then when it was time to take it off I washed my hair making sure to get into every hair strand and used a cheap shampoo and conditioner to really get the oil off the hair.  I found that with using coconut oil a little will go a very long way so use it sparingly otherwise you may run the risk of looking like you've got greasy hair. 

And here's the finished look. It may look visibly look too different but it felt so much softer and sleek. Plus it smelled absolutely incredible too! I'd definitely recommend making this if you're in need of a pamper. 

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this post! Love, A. x

A few homemade face masks to try!

Banana face mask
Especially effective for oily skin types

To make the face mask you will need:

1 Banana, preferably ripened

2 tablespoons of honey

An orange or a lemon (I prefer lemon)

First mash up the banana and then mix in the honey. To have the best results blend the ingredients. Then add a few drops of juice from a lemon or an orange. Apply to your face for a maximum of 15 minutes, wash off when done with warm water then apply moisturizer as  you would normally. 

Aspirin and lemon juice mask

Especially good for acne

To make the mask you will need:

3-6 aspirin

1 lemon

Baking soda

1 cup/glass or something similar to crush the aspirin up in

Warm honey or a natural oil like coconut, olive or almond

Shallow dish

Crush the aspirin into small pieces and place in the dish. Squeeze the lemon juice on top so the aspirin starts to dissolve, forming a paste. If you have quite dry skin add the honey or oil now, but if you have a more oily skin tone skip that part and perhaps add more drops of lemon juice instead. Apply to your face, once the mask has dried, with a wet flannel/cloth which has been dipped in baking soda.

Strawberry, honey and brown sugar mask

Also good for acne sufferers.

To make the mask you will need:

6 fresh strawberries

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

De-stem the strawberries then cut them up into small pieces. Create a pulp/mush from the strawberries by mashing them up together.  Then add  the lemon juice, brown sugar and honey. Stir until combined. If you want you could add more of any of the ingredients to create a consistency you like. Apply to your face for 10 minutes and remove with a warm wet washcloth.

Avocado and lemon mask

To make the mask you will need:

1 Avocado

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of avocado oil

cornstarch if needed

Firstly, carefully peel the avocado and pit it. Puree the avocado whilst stirring in the the lemon juice and avocado oil. If at this point the mixture is too runny then add in some cornstarch. Spread the mask on your face, carefully avoiding the eye area. Leave for 15-20 mins and then wash off with warm water. 

A face mask for sensitive skin

Soften a tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add a small handful of rolled porridge oats and a tablespoon of  some natural yoghurt. Blend together until fairly smooth. Apply to face. wait for 15-20 mins and then wash off with some warm water. Using butter on your face may seem a little strange, but butter is actually a really good source of vitamin A and can help rejuvenate the skin, whilst porridge oats will calm your skin and the natural yoghurt will be very soothing. 

Cucumber and yoghurt face mask
Use about a third of a cucumber and puree it. Then pop it into a blender along with a heaped tablespoon of yoghurt, once fully blended apply to your face for about 15 mins then wash off with warm water.

Thanks for reading A. x