A Stitch In Thyme…
Run out of your preferred anti-dandruff shampoo or don’t have any and wish you did? Never fear, Ms. Necessity is here! Just dash out to your thriving herb garden and pluck a handful of fresh thyme (don’t worry, mine hasn’t quite grown sufficiently for picking either *wink*) or about 4 teaspoons of dried and add to 500 mls of newly boiled water. Stir and let sit to cool. Thyme is a highly effective antiseptic or rather the essential oils it contains are and have been used to great effect throughout the ages. Once the thyme infusion has cooled, strain the thyme and compost or discard. Retain the cool infused water and use it as a final leave-in rinse. Ta da! What dandruff?
Onya, Ms. Necessity!
Don’t Forget To Comb Your…
Brush. Brush? Yep, your hair brush and do give it a regular wash as well.. If your anything like me, the brush is often the last thing to hit your head in the morning as you dash out the door to start your day and possibly waved around your hair a bit at night before bed…but only maybe. So really, while brushes are an integral part of our day, they are often used and occasionally abused without much thought. With such frequent yet brief encounters with our hair brushes, we must ensure that we comb them free of hair and give them a gentle but thorough shampooing from time to time. A dust, fluff, oil, product, skin cell and hair free brush works far more effectively and is better for our hair and scalp health than one that’s been neglected and is chockers with “stuff”. Luckily, brushes scrub up a treat when a dob of shampoo is massaged through its bristles and rinsed in warm water. After shampooing your brush, leave it to thoroughly dry with the bristled end over hanging the vanity, desk, or bench top, preferably with the overhanging end bristle-side down so any remaining wetness just falls away from the brush and the air can freely circulate around it. If there’s a great deal of product build-up in your brush, you might like to add a drop of ammonia to the warm shampooy water, as this just turbo charges the shampoo’s grime fighting powers. So how about it? Why not show a bit of love to your faithful bristled friend.
Wouldn’t You Know It.
It’s always the way isn’t it? My face, a shoe in for first runner up in the 2007 Elephant Eyes of the Year Contest and I had a meeting to attend! Don’t you hate that? No, I most certainly did not go out warts (or crepes) and all, but did my best camouflage makeup and prayed that I wouldn’t be adding insult to injury. So What did I do? I washed my face with lukewarm water only and gently pat dry with a clean towel. Then while my face was still a tad damp, I carefully pressed on a small amount of certified organic jojoba oil all over my face, including my crepey eyes. After a minute or two, I gently patted my face again with the same towel that was still slightly damp from drying my face just prior to remove any excess jojoba oil. The jojoba oil not only acted as the perfect moisturizer, as it is very sebum-like, but it also ever so slightly re-hydrated the deeper crevices that were in fact, the most sore. I then applied several light kabuki brush loads of pressed mineral base all over my face. The more matte the mineral makeup the better, as there is no need to bring extra attention by highlighting and shimmerizing the flair-up is there? After ensuring the minerals were blended in properly and not sitting up on top of the more scaly looking bits that were courteously provided by the allergy, I applied one swipe only of mineral eyeshadow to my top lids and gently blended well. I curled my lashes and applied a coat of mascara only to the top lashes. Next, I groomed and slightly filled in my brows. To finish off my look I went a few sheer slicks of mineral gloss and left it at that. Thankfully, my elephant eyes scrubbed up nicely. Phew!
OOPS! I Did It Again!
Judging from my dodgy, unintentional eye lid reconstruction, I’m going to have to keep away from the hard stuff for a little while until the newest allergic reaction on my eyelids settles and disappears. Yes, yours truly is sporting the latest in elephant eyes today. Sigh. It’s an itchy, swollen, crepey nuisance, which means I will have to give the guinea pigging of eye products a rest for a few days. Ooh, but the upside to this malady is, I now have an excuse to shop for a new pair of gorgeous sunglasses. Yes! So that’s me for the weekend: ice cubes, chilled chamomile tea bags, certified organic jojoba oil, and the odd antihistamine, if I can’t keep the swelling at bay. I’m not too worried…as sadly, I’ve been here before. I’ll just keep reminding myself that it’s worth it for posterity’s sake, right? *wink* After all, it’s just as Pierre-August Renoir said, “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”
And Now We Wait…
Okay, so you’ve made the switch to a more natural based hair and skincare range and your hair and skin are looking…um…well, let’s say…not so great (read: kaka), and you’re wondering if it was worth the switch? Well, I have no doubt that switching from harsher, more chock-full of naughties products to more skin and hair considerate products was a good thing. I, also, appreciate your valid question as to when exactly will the effects of your positive move become evident? Unfortunately, it will not be obvious on the first use of your new product, but may take as long as 3 to 4 weeks before a marked improvement is clearly seen and the good stuff can take effect. Your hair and skin may even seem worse with the new no-naughties hair and skincare regime for the first little while, without the “benefit” of all the smoothers, sudsers, harsh solvents and other questionable ingredients. Grrrreat, I hear you say? I know. *understandingly sighs* It will be worth it, just as you are, I promise. But for now, we wait. Hang in there!
Benefit Doesn’t Mess About.
Benefit Cosmetics doesn’t jive around when it comes to their nifty oil-free makeup remover for eyes and face. Benefit’s Gee…that was quick! démaquillant non gras makes light work of removing the day’s eye and face makeup in an instant without leaving a messy oily residue. A few drops on a cotton pad and it’s well and truly a case of “Now you see it! Poof! Now you don’t!” It’s like magic. Benefit’s Gee…that was quick! is that beautiful assistant you’ve always wanted.
Whipped With A Thread Of Cotton.
As beautifully asked…
I am a Middle Eastern woman, who has done nothing to her brows and they have no discernible shape. I am keen to have them look nice and shaped, as you have highly recommended in the past. But, I am certainly not keen on waxing or plucking my eyebrows. Are there any other suggestions as my eyebrow hairs are very fine and do not seem to be removed very easily, but seem to just snap off and remain as stubble?
As answered with pleasure…
Have you ever considered Threading? Threading is a long established form of hair removal in India, The Middle East, and in many other Asian countries as well, in fact. This method of hair removal is an amazingly effective way to shape your brows and remove any unwanted hair. Even the finest hairs can be removed by Threading. What’s even better is that Threading comes into its own and works its best magic on fine hairs that are generally not easily removed by waxing or tweezing! Sounds perfect, hey?
So how’s it done? A light dusting of powder is applied to hair to be removed. The threader then winds two threads of cotton between her fingers across her two hands. The hairs for removal are targeted and precisely removed by twisting the thread between the fingers, capturing the hairs in question and extracting them from the root. Since the hair is removed in its entirety by the threads, the hair is not snapped off, as some fine hair can be when waxed or plucked. The hair’s regrowth pattern seems to be the same as with waxing or tweezing, when done properly.
Even though Threading has been around for donkey’s years, it may be a bit hard to find places to have it done in your local area, but absolutely worth the hunt. Perhaps try asking in your local Indian or Middle Eastern spice shop or grocery store if anyone knows of a good threader in your area. I hope this helps and please let us know how you go. Good luck!
