Sometimes Your Hair Needs a Little Detox, Too...

Think of all the build-up in your hair...hairspray, product, things in the water, and even dirt and grime from everyday life. I can always feel it when my hair has had enough. It seems lifeless and feels "weighed-down". For a great at-home hair detox, all you need to do is add some course sea salt to your favorite shampoo. I use John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo, but feel free to use whichever is sitting in your shower right now!

Sea salt has the ability to de-grease hair, remove dirt and dead skin cells, and it even removes built-up products! All you need to do is mix three parts of sea salt with two parts of shampoo. Wash hair with this mixture and rinse it with as cool of water as you can stand! Also, remember not to use this every time you wash your hair or it will dry out. I do this maybe once a month and it works great!

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!