DIY hair mask

One of the challenges of moving to another country has been starting from scratch. Whether it has been making friends, finding a routine to my new life, or finding doctors, grocery stores and shops, I often found myself feeling stifled by the sheer number of things I had to start from the beginning. 

Even after three months of being here, I'm still in the process of settling in and adjusting. But slowly, one by one, I am ticking off the list of to-do's and to-find's. 

One, being finding a hair salon. I wasn't willing to dish out a boatload of money to go to an upscale salon, but I was also hesitant to walk into any neighborhood salon. I know, I know... hair grows back. But hey, if I'm paying money to get my hair cut, I would rather go with the assurance that my money will be well spent. 

I was thrilled when my friend S told me she has a place she loves. We went together on a Sunday afternoon. I had my hair shampooed and then I sat in the seat ready to meet my stylist. Little did I know the actual owner of the salon would be working on my hair. S introduced us and then began working on my cut. She was easy to talk to and knowledgable. We talked about my hair style, color, the condition of my hair. As she blow-dried my hair, she noticed my hair had a lot of static. She explained that it was due to my hair being dry and suggested I go home and try out at-home hair treatments. 

I got home and googled at-home hair masks for dry hair and found one using an avocado. I happened to have all the necessary ingredients so I whipped it up.

Here are the three simple ingredients: 

1 avocado, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of olive oil

1. Cut avocado and scoop out. Mash up in a bowl. 
2. Squeeze lemon juice and add in olive oil. Mix the mixture up well. 
3. Dampen hair with some water. You can use a spray bottle or just dampen hair with your hands over the sink. 
4. Apply mask evenly throughout hair. 
5. Leave mask in for 20 mins then wash out thoroughly. 

Both olive oil and avocado have moisturizing properties: avocado apparently contains biotin, a vitamin that makes nails and hair stronger while olive oil smoothes out frizz and treats damage. Lemon juice can assist with removing build up and excess oil in your hair that causes it to be weighed down. So with their powers combined, this mighty concoction will leave your hair feeling smoother, silkier and shinier! 

I am looking forward to doing this mask periodically. 

But note to self: Next time, heat up olive oil before mixing in so that the heat will open up the hair follicles more for better absorption! 

Homemade Banana Mask

I hate overripe bananas. I had four of them and they were wreaking havoc in the kitchen with their accomplices: fruit flies. I made a trap for the fruit flies but I still had to figure out what to do with the bananas. I typically cut them up, put them in a ziploc bag and freeze them to throw them into smoothies but I already had a large stash of them. So I began brainstorming ways I could use overripe bananas. 

I used three of them to make this delicious banana bread. (First time making it from scratch at home!) 

With the remaining lone banana, I decided to make a homemade face mask. Like last week's homemade coffee scrub, this week's mask only requires three simple ingredients. 

Bananas are packed with nutrients that are beneficial to your skin: 

• Vitamin A: fades dark spots and blemishes while smoothing out rough skin
• Vitamin B: moisturizes and lightens skin and prevents aging
• Vitamin E: fights free radical damage, helps strengthen the skin's UV resistance, anti-aging as it reduces appearance of wrinkles
• Potassium: moisturizes and hydrates skin

Lemon contains citric acid which assists in lightening the skin and helps with hyperpigmentation. 

Honey has anti-bacterial/anti-microbial properties which help to prevent pimples and blemishes. 

Peel overripe banana, place in mixing bowl and mash it up with fork. 

Squeeze about 1 tsp of lemon juice into banana mixture. 

Add about 1 tsp of honey and mix all the ingredients well. Wash face, pat dry. Tie hair back and use a headband to keep hair out of the way. Apply a thick layer of the mask, leave on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. 

And don't throw out the banana peel! My mom told me to take the overripe banana peel, sprinkle some raw sugar on the peel and use as a scrub to rub on heels and elbows! I tried it and it was wonderful. 

Enjoy! 

Homemade Coffee Scrub

I may never have to buy a scrub ever again.

Several months ago, my fellow blogger friend, Jasmine posted an Instagram picture of herself using Frank's coffee body scrub. It left me intrigued.

Fast forward. Recently, I have been watching a Korean YouTuber, SoYoung and in one of her videos, she featured two all-natural ingredients she incorporates into her skincare routine: coconut oil and coffee. 

Today, I decided I would make my own coffee scrub. I had all the ingredients on hand and was in the mood for a mini at-home spa treatment. 

Coffee is packed with antioxidants and caffeine, making it anti-inflammatory and a great exfoliant. 

Coconut oil is a wonderful, multi-purpose ingredient. It is beneficial to your health when consumed, but it is also great when used topically as it has antibacterial, anti-fungal properties. It is also incredibly moisturizing. 

Brown sugar acts as an additional exfoliant with its coarse texture. 

Ingredients: 

• ground coffee - I used leftover French Vanilla coffee I had at home that I was not planning on drinking anymore. You can even use coffee grinds after drinking coffee or even use the grinds in pods (Nespresso, Keurig) 
• organic brown sugar 
• coconut oil - Our house was pretty warm today so the coconut oil had already been in liquid form. You could also substitute with olive oil, jojoba oil, vitamin e oil. 

I used equal parts of all three ingredients (about 3 tablespoons each. It made enough to use on my face and entire body). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and add a bit more coconut oil, if needed, until you reach the desired consistency. You can store it in an air-tight container if you want to make a bigger batch. 

The scrub left my skin feeling soft and moisturized, without being overly greasy. I plan on making this a weekly ritual. (Next time, I may add some cinnamon and honey - both are antibacterial.) 

Warning: It may leave quite a mess in your bathtub/shower. But I can guarantee, use of this scrub will leave your bathroom smelling like a beautiful coffee shop!