DIY At-Home Facial

I love to do as many at-home beauty regimens as possible. This way, I know EXACTLY what ingredients are being used on my face and it saves a ton of money. This is the recipe to a mask that can be done twice a week. It feels great, hydrates, refines pores, fades acne marks, and prevents blemishes.

You will need:
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)

Mix ingredients together and apply to a cleansed face. Leave this mask on for 20 minutes and rinse off with tepid water. Do a second rinse with cool (not cold) water.

What are some of your at-home beauty products that you love?

A Great Use for Apple Cider Vinegar

Are you getting tired of winter? Or (like mine) are your FEET getting tired of winter? I never want to go and get a pedicure during the winter months, since my flip flops are in storage and I'm always wearing boots or closed-toed shoes. It seems pointless to pay almost $40 for a pedicure just to have my toes always covered!

A great foot soak for winter involves just two simple ingredients: hot water and vinegar. Add 1 cup of vinegar to about 2 gallons of hot water and soak your feet. This is great for feet that are tired, athlete's foot, and feet that need softening! You can also add a couple of drops of essential oil to cover up the strong smell of vinegar (although the strong smell won't stick around for too long!)

Soak for about 20 minutes and take this time to relax!

An Amazing Detox Bath

Have you been hearing the buzz about detox baths? I have and I decided to try it out for myself. The benefits to a detox bath are numerous. It is said the the skin is like a third kidney because of it's detoxifying abilities.  There are several different "recipes" to use, but for my first one yesterday, I used:

2 cups Epsom Salt
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup ground ginger
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sea salt
You can also add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to the tub for a yummy scent!

Here's a breakdown of the ingredients and the benefits they offer:
Epsom Salt draws toxins from the body and helps to relieve aching joints and muscles. It also helps replenish magnesium levels, which combat hypertension.
Baking soda helps to balance an acidic system. It refreshes and energizes.
Sea Salt has a softening effect. It also heals open sores.
Ground ginger increases circulation and increases the sweat levels during the bath.
Vinegar soothes and softens the skin.

Fill the bath with hot water (as warm as you can get it while staying comfortable--don't burn yourself!). Add ingredients and swish the water around well to mix them in. Get in the tub and soak for 40 minutes.

A couple of tips:
-If you wear contacts, take them out! I learned that the hard way. The sweat from my forehead somehow made contact with my eyes and really irritated my lenses.
-Close your eyes and RELAX! Meditate, light some candles, and add a relaxing playlist to your Pandora account, such as Enya radio. I at first attempted to bring a book to read, but I couldn't concentrate between the sweating and overall relaxation of my body--it took WAY too much effort from my body to hold a book up.
-Take your bath at night. As soon as I got out of the tub, I got dried off, dressed, and almost instantly fell asleep. It takes a lot of work from your body to detoxify.
-Drink a lot of water during and after the bath. When the body detoxifies, it's super easy to get dehydrated. If you don't drink enough water, you'll feel it in your muscles the next day!

DIY Color Booster for Brunettes

So many people prefer their hair darker in the Winter time, myself included. I always ask my hairstylist to add more low lights to my hair during the Fall and Winter. This creates a more dimensional look and is a way to change things up a bit. I would get bored of the same thing all of the time!

Brunette shades tend to fade so much more than almost any other color. The blondes in my hair don't fade at all. This is a DIY hair color booster that's easy to make and it really brings out the brunette tones in my hair.

You will need 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp honey, and 1 tsp apple-cider vinegar. Combine these ingredients to form a paste. Shampoo the hair, squeeze out the water, and apply the mask. Keep this on for 2 to 3 minutes. Drape a towel around your neck during this time, as the mask can temporarily stain skin. Rinse it out and style it as usual!