Sunday, July 15, 2007

who'd a thunk it

(ETA: this is post #200, yay me. I should get a prize or something.)

Apparently my mouth isn't the only part of me that likes sweet things. The rest of my body does too!

THe past while I've been looking for alternative/natural body products. I have serious sensitive/dry skin issues. I've never found a face product I could use more than ever other day without getting a rash. I have to apply most lotions 3+ times a day to keep my skin from getting dry. In the winter it gets so bad that I have to always wear something soft against my skin because some of my clothes will actually hurt when they rub against me.

When I moved out here I found Lush. Absolutely wonderful products! Nothing I've tried there has ever caused a reaction, the lotions work all day, and the Dream Cream even made Hana's eczema go away! It really is wonderful stuff, but still uses additives/scents.

Then there was my hair. I have course, wavy/curly hair. For most of my life it's been dry and frizzy. I've recently learned that it needs moisture, oil, and to be left alone. So I've stopped washing it as often, wash with conditioner, don't blowdry and don't use a brush. It's much happier now, so soft and shiny.

So what does all of that have to do with sweet stuff?

Well, I've recently discovered that a bit of conditioner mixed with brown sugar makes an excellent scalp/body scrub. It's wonderful stuff. And once my scalp is all clean I deep condition my hair with a honey/conditioner mix.

Yup, sounds odd, but it works!
Here's the proof:
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I love it. I really want to grow my hair long again (like, really long), so I'm hoping using this stuff will keep it nice and shiny and pretty. Plus compared to salon stuff, this is cheep!

11 comments:

Weavers said...

Looks great steph!!! Think I might try that!

Steph said...

It works great Jess! I recomend the cheepest conditioner you can find because they usually dont' have silicones in them (anything with "cone" at the end in the ingredients) so they rinse out cleaner. For the brown sugar scrub I use about 1 part conditioner to 6 parts sugar - it was nice and gritty and made a great scrub for hair, face and body. For the deep condition do about 50/50 honey and conditioner. Make sure you rinse well. Your hair won't feel as slick in the water but it will be just as great when it's dry!

Owen said...

I miss Lush! I remember when we went in there for the first time.......:)

The whole brown suger thing is a geat idea. If you are looking for a conditioner that is WAY moisturizing- look at Nutregena's tripple moisturizing stuff. They have mask and leave in stuff that should make your hair very happy. It works better than anything I've tried in a salon. It does have artificial stuff in it though.

Maria Purviance said...

so you just mix some brown sugar in with the conditioner you use?

Anonymous said...

Ok, where did you get the Henna you used to dye your hair? Was it the place near me? I really want to try that.

Steph said...

Maria - yup! I mixed it in a mug, about 1/2 cup brown sugar and enough conditioner to make it creamy (it didn't take much, maybe a little more than a teaspoon) and it was more than enough for my whole body.

Jen - yup, got the henna at the place by you. They sell two kinds, a box and a 1kg bag. I got the bag - it's not as finely sifted as the stuff in the box, so great for hair (for skin you need to sift/strain it). It went bad pretty quick after I opened it, but if you put in in an air tight container and freeze it I don't think that would be a problem. It only cost 8$ tho so even if what you don't use goes bad it's still cheeper than dye! IF you want I could do it for you before I leave!

Maria Purviance said...

i am totally going to try that. and the honey one too. i too, have curly/wavy course hair like you. your hair looks great!

Maria Purviance said...

oh, i know my other question, do you use shampoo too, or just conditioner for your hair? well, i guess you would use the brown suger stuff and then the honey one? do you use the same conditioner for both? how long do you suggest leaving it on?

Maria Purviance said...

haha..i was just reading my first response..and then i looked at my pic...so you are probably wondering if i really do have curly hair. hehe. i do...i straightened it then..but i don't do that much cuz it takes so stinkin long.

Steph said...

I haven't used shampoo since April and I saw an improvement pretty much immediately. I used a tiny bit of shampoo with the conditioner when I hennaed my hair just to help get the henna out, but that's it. I do a scalp wash first (was using conditioner, now use the brown sugar scrub) and then condition the rest of my hair like normal. At first I was washing ever 2 days but now I can go 3-4 days without washing my hair, which makes it MUCH easier to manage, and is better for my dry scalp issues.

I straightened my hair for a while too, or used stuff to make it curlier, but it looks so much better when I just let it do what it does naturally. If I want it straighter I just wear it up in a bun for a day and it's pretty straight with a lot of body afterwards.

I use the same conditioner for both (tresemme stuff because it's cheep...it has silicones in it, but they don't seem to bother my hair, and it's what I had...) and leave the honey stuff on for as long as it takes to do whatever else I need to do in the shower, so 5ish minutes I guess? It feels REALLY good on my hair, better than any other conditioner I've tried. It just needs to be rinsed really well otherwise it's sticky when it dries. Also rinsing in cold water helps keep away the frizz because it closes the cuticle.

if you go to www.longhaircommunity.com they have TONS of tips for keeping your hair healthy, that's where I got the idea for the honey and brown sugar.

Unknown said...

Hey I think i might try the condisioning thing too. my hair is getting longer again, it is below my shoulders.