Saturday, June 1, 2013

DIY Ultra Moisturizing Hair and Face Mask

DIY Beauty Recipe: Ultra Moisturizing Avocado Hair and Face Mask
I've been doing a lot of research lately on DIY hair and facial treatments, trying to find easy recipes that will yield good results. (Yes, I have become slightly more vain of late as my wedding date nears; only 4 months...eeek!) I found lots of great recipes for each, but in an effort to remain frugal with both money and time as well as 100% natural & chemical free, I wanted to see if I could come up with a recipe that would work for BOTH my hair and my face to have me looking so shiny and smooth that people will think to themselves, "Oh my, she's too YOUNG to be getting married. For shame!" (Heheheh. I'm 35 :)

I researched lots of ingredients that kept popping up and built this concoction based on maximum effect for both applications with the fewest number of ingredients and minimum effort. I decided on Avocado Oil instead of the actual fruit for having so many benefits for both skin and hair but longer lasting (for storage purposes) and without the lumpy consistency of guacamole.

I have been using this recipe regularly for 3 and a half months now, and am confident that both my hair and skin have proven it worthy of being shared!

How to Make Your Own Ultra - Moisturizing Hair and Face Mask


INGREDIENTS:
• 2 TBSP Organic Avocado Oil
• 1/2 cup Homemade Mayonnaise* (see recipe below) or Organic Mayonnaise
• 1 TBSP Organic Raw Honey


To Make Homemade Mayonnaise:
Mix one organic (preferably pasteurized) egg yolk with 1/2 cup organic olive oil in a bowl and whisk until it looks like mayonnaise! 

*Note: This homemade mayonnaise recipe is meant for beauty recipes so it won't have much of a flavor at all. You'd need to add a few more ingredients to make this actually taste like the mayo we all know :)





DIY Beauty recipe: Ultra Moisturizing Avocado Hair & Face Mask



MIX THE MASK:

In a bowl, mix avocado oil, honey, and mayonnaise together by stirring with a spoon or fork until you have an even consistency, much like a very rich hair conditioner. 

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

Face Mask:

Apply to a clean, dry face using your fingers, working in a circular motion. Leave the mask on for 30 minutes to an hour then wash off with warm water and pat face dry. Enjoy your new beautiful glow!

Repeat once every week or two or up to two times a week for very dry skin.

Hair Mask:

Wet hair using the warmest water that is comfortable. This opens up the cuticle and preps the hair for receiving moisture. Squeeze out excess water and 'towel-dry' with a t-shirt (- did you know? Towels can actually be pretty rough on your hair. Use an old t-shirt when it's time to 'towel-dry' your hair instead!)

Apply mask mixture to your hair from roots to ends using a little bit more than you would with your normal conditioner. Make sure you coat your scalp well too. Comb through hair once with a wide toothed comb, then wrap your hair up in a hot damp towel. For best results, put on a self warming thermal conditioning cap over the towel to keep in the heat as long as possible. 

Leave conditioning mask in your hair from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Shampoo as normal. You probably won't need to use your normal conditioner for this washing!

Repeat every week or two. 

DIY Beauty recipe: Ultra Moisturizing Avocado Hair & Face Mask


Store your homemade Ultra Moisturizing Hair and Face Mask in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. I use a 7 oz hermetically sealed glass canning jar, but you can reuse an old soap pump bottle or something else instead.


BENEFITS OF THESE INGREDIENTS:


Raw organic honey has several great benefits for both hair and skin
HONEY is one of my all time favorite natural beauty ingredients. It amazes me that one simple thing can boast so many wonderful qualities! First of all, honey is a humectant. Humectants attract water to the cells to keep them plump and hydrated. It is also an excellent exfoliant, as a natural source of Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) which helps the skin shed dead cells and improves the appearance of fine lines.

Honey has mild antiseptic properties which help fight acne causing bacteria, and raw (unpasteurized) honey contains components that stimulate the growth of new cells. Finally, honey is a great source of antioxidants, which fight free radicals and reverse the damage caused by them.



Avocado and avocado oil have several great benefits for both hair and skin
OLIVE OIL and AVOCADO OIL are emollients, which help the hair and skin retain the moisture that the humectant has drawn in. Emollients smooth, soften, and increase the flexibility of the skin and hair. Both contain Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D, and E as well as antioxidants which fight the signs of aging. Both olive oil and avocado oil help promote a healthy scalp, fighting dandruff.

Avocado oil reduces age spots and sun damage, increases the production of collagen, and is also said to increase hair growth when used regularly on the scalp.

Egg yolks have several great benefits for both hair and skin
EGG YOLK reduces the size of large pores and helps fight blackheads and acne. On the hair, the cholesterol and vitamin - rich egg yolk is used to repair brittle damaged hair and leave it shiny and soft, while protecting it from harsh UV rays.

The egg yolk is also used as an emulsifier to bind the ingredients of this mask together.



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Are you a DIY Beauty nut too? Check out this fun tutorial for some multipurpose Lemon Butter Balm in Recycled Altoid Tins!


DIY Lemon Butter Balm in recycled Altoid Tins for lips, cuticles, hands, feet, etc.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you'll let me know how you like this recipe in the comments below!



See more DIY Beauty:

DIY Face Polish
DIY Raspberry Lemon Sugar Scrub
DIY Ultra Moisturzing Hair + Face Mask

6 comments:

  1. I love this! I come from an old school Dominican family and my grandmother used to use mayo, avocado, eggs in our hair all the time and every time I'd rec it to a friend they'd look at me weird. Thanks so much for posting this. My grandmother passed away late last year and seeing this brought back a whole bunch of great memories of her wrapping our hair with food masks and aluminum foil.

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    1. Hi Cristina! Sorry to hear about your grandmother but I'm happy this brought back some great memories for you!

      I am beginning to figure out that there are a lot of old school beauty treatments out there that are really worth keeping alive. I feel SO stupid for spending so much money in the past on products that don't work and that are full of junk that has no business being on my skin in the first place!! I got used people looking at me weird a long time ago :)

      My mom has a great book from the 40's or 50's (from England, I believe) that's a natural beauty book that I'm going to steal (er, borrow) next time I'm over there if I can find it. It has all kinds of kooky stuff in it that seems kinda cool!

      I would love to hear more about your grandmother's food mask hair treatments. I bet you do have a lot of great memories! Will you come back and let me know if you post about them? I think this avocado, mayo, eggs + honey combo is a real winner for both hair and skin. It's like the highlight of my weekend to slather my face and head in this stuff while I do laundry and other household chores, lol! Nothing beats that healthy glow!

      Thanks for stopping by, sweet friend. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

      xoxo
      Jessica

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  2. That's awesome about your mom's book! Can't wait to hear of more great beauty tricks. I'll definitely let you know if I post some old wives diys from her. Some were a little nutty, like the time I broke my leg and she massaged it with olive oil and salt to help it. Luckily my mom took me to the hospital as soon as I got back from vacation. But she always had good homemade tips.

    Hope you have an amazing week!

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  3. Great DIY recipe! You should share your tips on http://Bellashoot.com – a great way to reach beauty lovers!

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    1. Great site, I just joined! Thanks so much for stopping by :)

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  4. Thank you for such a great post! I’m always looking for natural, “clean” produces for me and my family!
    Homemade moisturizer

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