Time to Exfoliate!

Clearly I haven’t been the best at keeping up with my blog but I have a list of items I’ve tried and want to share, recipes I’ve created and lifestyle tips I can’t wait to write about.

This summer I have focused on my health. I’ve always been on the healthy side of the spectrum when it comes to consuming food and in high school I was very active but when college rolled around I became quite lazy. When classes were over all I wanted to do was take a nap or watch television with my roommates. Now that college is over I can’t have an excuse not to exercise, this is the youngest I’ll be and this is the time to create healthy habits and body image.

New exercise habits and living in the southeast equals sweat and buckets of it.  Not only am I covered with sweat and dead gnats after a run, I’m pretty sure I’ve inhaled quite a few as well.  Sweat and dead bugs clearly create build up on my skin and I noticed my normal exfoliant wasn’t cutting it. When I don’t exfoliate my skin breaks out more easily due to the build up of oils and dead skin cells, looks dull and my acne scars are more prominent. When I first heard that most scrubs can cause microscopic tears in the skin I switched over to more expensive products but not only did I burn a hole in my pocket but my face wasn’t happy with these products. Yes, they made my face smooth but that’s about it. I wanted one that makes my skin feel fresh, clean and fights blemishes, evens out my skin tone and fades acne scars. I’m well aware that’s quite a list for one product but that is the purpose of exfoliating and after trying scrubs from Origins all the way to Michael Todd True Organics, the scrub I recently fell back in love with is St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. I used this product back in high school, rarely had breakouts and now it accomplishes everything I want.  I really enjoy the smell and it feels amazing on my face after a sweaty workout. I also use it on my shoulders and chest. It has reduced the appearance of acne scars and limits the amount of breakouts.

St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub benefits include:

-       100% Natural Exfoliants

-       Paraben Free

-       Oil Free

-       2% Salicylic acid

-       Dermatologist tested

-       Hypoallergenic

It contains corn kernel meal and walnut. Always exfoliate with gentle circular motions to prevent redness and microscopic tears. If you want a scrub that is less abrasive, I recommend products with rice starch or jojoba beads!

What are some of your favorite face scrubs? 

Homemade Hair Mask!

Hello Beautiful readers,

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite homemade hair masks which I use once a week along with a plain coconut oil treatment. This is a really simple recipe with ingredients you can find all around your home! What you will need: 1 Avocado, 1/2 Banana, 1 Egg, 1-2 Tbs Honey, 2 Tbs Coconut oil. You can experiment with the mixture depending on your hair length, I would categorize mine as long and this is a perfect amount for me. 

When you have combined all the ingredients blend it using a blender, ninja, food processor etc. You want it all to combine nicely. One of my favorite things about this mask is the texture, I've made other masks and they were either to runny, or chunky and it was not pleasant. This is a whipped texture that stays in your hair with no dripping and rinses out with no hassle. 

Apply this mixture to hair until it is all covered, use a plastic bag to cover your head so the mask won't get on your towel, then wrap your head in a towel and let it sit! : )

I love doing this mask on a lazy day when I have no where to be, I am able to leave it in my hair for hours while cleaning, doing homework or watching a movie. You don't need to leave it in for long, just 20 minutes and wash it out. When ready to rinse use cold water then a hair cleansing shampoo, this will help rid the hair of build up from the mask, and other hair products, condition, and you will be good to go :)

If you can, let your hair air dry without brushing it. This will help restore your hair without breakage when your hair is wet. 

Enjoy!

Anna x

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