Revisiting Dry Brushing + My Current Skin Care Regimen for Soft Glowing Skin by Spring

My poor little loofah…….. Soon as the cold weather came around I have basically abandoned it. Which has really been a shame considering how dried out my skin has been this winter. But now that the warm weather is approaching it will make a much welcome come back into my skin care regimen (along with my body scrubs and new found love for body butters).

Everyone is familiar with the bath loofah, however like I mentioned in my last post not all loofahs are created equal. I won’t get into too much detail in this post but you can check out the post here where I elaborated a bit on it.

I use my loofah while in the shower but every now and then I like to dry brush. Dry brushing not only exfoliates your skin leaving it soft and supple, but it can also benefit your health in many ways.

The Many Benefits of Dry Brushing

Tightens Skin

Stimulates Circulation

Helps with Cellulite

Strengthens Immune System by stimulating The Lymphatic System

Aids the body with Detoxification

Benefits the Nervous System

Promotes Skin cell renewal essential for soft and healthy skin

You don’t necessarily need this type of loofah to dry brush, so long as you find something with natural bristles. I’ve seen exfoliating gloves and brushes at my local drugstore and natural health store so look around and see what you find. It’s recommended to dry brush in the morning since dry brushing tends to stimulate you, but I have found that it helps in the evenings as well. So it can be a great way to get your day started feeling invigorated and refreshed.

For more info on dry brushing check these sources out:

Jash Botanicals

Natural Health Techniques

Healing Lifestyles

So right after dry brushing I jump in the shower and grab my homemade body scrub I make every couple of weeks. As you all know Vanilla Oil and I have an amazing affair and I still can’t get enough of it, using it in everything.

What I Used

1 cup of Brown Sugar: Contains Glycolic acid which gently exfoliates and dissolves dead skin

1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil: Contains antimicrobial and anti oxidant properties also softens and moisturizes the skin

1/2 Tsp of Sweet Almond Oil: Moisturizes, soothes and softens dry skin

1/2 Tsp Grape seed Oil: Antioxidant, Antinflammatory, Astringent and antiseptic (ideal for oily acne prone skin) Tones and tightens skin

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essential Oil: used for scent which helps relax

1/2 Tsp Vitamin E Oil: Antioxidant and used as preservative

In my empty container I added the brown Sugar Followed by Coconut oil

Then I added the rest of the oils about 1/2 tsp of each

I just mixed it all together and started scrubbing away……

For an even more ultra amazing silky feel I followed up with my home made body butter. This time around I whipped it which left me with a very nice texture.

This batch came out a lot better and I got the consistency and texture I was looking for after about 20 minutes of non stop whipping, by hand! It was worth it though because I just loveeee how soft and smooth my skin feels. Definitely posting my tutorial soon.

So basically that’s my routine now, Dry brushing, exfoliating and experimenting with body butters, soft glistening skin just in time for summer!

Read Full Post »

Amal Oils: Moroccan Argan Oil Giveaway (CLOSED) + Sugar Cane Syrup Face Mask

Earlier in September Jalila Bouchareb of Amal Oils (100% Organic Argan Oil), a company founded by Jalila, contacted Hell Notes for Beauty to sponsor not only a review but a fabulous giveaway to a lovely reader as well! Amal Oils is a fascinating company considering it stands on the foundation of Jalila’s sensational entrepreneurial spirit and her strong connection with the women of her native country, the beautiful Morocco.

Argan Oil (argania spinosa) exclusively known to Morocco, has been all the hype lately, especially in hair and beauty products. Coming from a tree that can live for up to 200 years, withstand droughts and overall difficult conditions, it is of no wonder why Argan Oil has been used to also withstand and tackle the ravages of aging skin and dry hair for generations.

 Amal Oils 100% Organic Argan Oil has been a great treat because when I started hearing all the rave about Argan Oil I was rather discouraged because most products were made with Argan Oil. It wasn’t the Argan oil itself. I wanted to try the oil itself, not products infused with it.

 This is why I was excited that Jalila had contacted me because not only did she have the highly talked about Argan oil from Morocco, but 100% organic, free of parabens, toxins, preservatives and fragrance. I finally had the main ingredient itself not just a product with the oil, which is usually found at the bottom of the ingredients list anyway.

  Argan oil also possesses a variety of culinary and health uses as well, not just cosmetic. For generations it’s been a part of Moroccan cuisine as well as known to help with cholesterol levels making Argan Oil even more interesting. However, Moroccan women use it for a variety of beauty regimens and here are some of the reasons why:

 
***
Antioxidant properties

High Vitamin E content

Anti inflammatory

Improves skin elasticity

Gives hair and nails strength and shine

Softens skin

Anti aging qualities

Eases skin issues such as dry skin, eczema, psoriasis 

Heals sun burns
Reduces excessive skin oil production

Treats acne
***

Amal oils (hope in Arabic) is dedicated to not only the preservation of beauty and youth but also preserving the livelihood of poor Berber women. In turn this ensures that the women who help produce this oil are fairly compensated for their very hard work by donating a portion of sales back to the women of Jalila’s country. It’s great that Amal oils is part of a cooperative that prides itself in helping women take part in their local economy. This gives poor Berber women hope through health care, education and overall woman power in a largely male dominated society.

I have tried several products that contain Argan oil and in fact have had great experiences with them, however as a lover of all things natural, I had to give Amal Oils a try and the first thing I started off with since receiving the oil 3 weeks ago was with my hands. I use about 5 drops for my hands and cuticles and my hands feel so velvety and soft I almost feel guilty using such a luxurious oil on my hands.

 I also incorporated it into several deep conditioners I have been meaning to get rid of. I’ll have a hair review coming soon in the mean time here’s a face mask I did using:

Read more to Enter the Giveaway and see how you can make you own fabulous Argan Oil facial using

Sugar Cane Syrup (melao in Spanish )

Amal Argan Oil

Plain Greek Yogurt

Banana

Leave mask on for 15 minutes until it dries
I like to use it maybe once or twice a week especially before a special night out, party etc.

This is a great facial mask because it contains 3 of the 5 main Alpha Hydroxy acids I mentioned in my earlier post.

Bannana (Malic Acid)

Bananas contain antioxidants as well as a variety of vitamins protecting and nourishing the skin. Malic Acid is also found in bananas which helps increase collagen production, minimize fine lines and tightens pores.



Plain Yogurt (Lactic Acid)



This is my first time trying Greek Yogurt and have to say its so much better because it’s so thick, feels like a cream and smells like vanilla even though it’s plain! I love using yogurt because the Lactic Acid that yogurt contains helps sooth the skin and refine pores. Yogurt’s antibacterial properties are also ideal for oily and acne prone skin types.



Amal Oils Argan Oil (external use only)



Argan Oil contains a vast amount of Vitamin E ideal for softening the skin and treating scars.

Argan oil is also great for those who deal with eczema or severe dry skin. For oily skin types Argan Oil also reduces excessive oil production.

Sugar Cane Syrup (Glycolic Acid)

Last but not least, Sugar cane which contains Glycolic Acid. Glycolic acid helps exfoliate, soften and even skin tone as well as promote collagen production essential for supple skin.

I’ve always loved adding bananas to my face masks because when you put it on you feel a tingling sensation which lets you know the ingredients are working. This was one of my first facial mask I experimented with when trying out natural facial recipes, I usually add honey but lately I’m using Argan Oil for most of my facials and love how soft and clear my skin has been feeling.

Amal Oils Argan Oil is stored in a glass bottle, similar to the bottles most of my essential oils are stored in which helps preserve the oil much better. It has a very light, almost faint scent which you have to really stick your nose into your skin to catch it’s light nutty scent. Which I prefer, since I tend to be a bit sensitive when it comes to scents.

It also has a handy built in dropper so you use just the right amount you need.

So it’s finally time that you try this oil out for yourself. This is why One lucky reader will go away with a 2 oz bottle of Amal Oils 100% Organic Argan Oil!!!!

******

Rules

*Must be a Subscriber of Hell Notes for Beauty

*Open to US and Canada Residents Only

*Follow Amal Oils Via:

Twitter

and

Facebook

*Simply leave a comment telling me you have done the above mentioned……

*****Giveaway Ends Friday October 22*****

Hell Notes for Beauty is my personal Blog. The product was sent for review purposes only. Review of this product is based purely on my own experience and opinion. I’m in no way paid/work or am affiliated with Amal Oils.

Read Full Post »

Homemade Body Scrub: Lavender, Vitamin E and Almond oil

Every couple of weeks or so I like to try different types of homemade body scrubs. Usually my body scrubs always contains honey (to preserve), but this time I decided to skip honey and use oils primarily instead.

You will need:

Brown Sugar helps to exfoliate while the naturally occurring Glycolic Acid from the sugar helps open pores, smooths the skin, fine lines, also helps minimize ingrown hairs.  

Vitamin E is a great antioxidant ideal for wrinkles, fine lines and sun damaged skin.Vitamin E is also great for scars, is an ideal moisturizer and also helps preserve this mix.

Sweet Almond Oil is a very light oil with a variety of benefits especially for those with dry itchy skin. Helps bring a natural and soothing glow to the skin

Essential oils: I love oils they are very versatile and each one possess an array of benefits. Here I’m using Lavender oil which helps give the the scrub a light sweet scent known to relax. Lavender oil also helps regenerate new skin cells ideal for soft glowing skin. *Lavender oil can be photosensitive meaning that your skin combined with lavender oil and exposed to the sunlight can cause irritation* So when using Lavender oil for your skin care needs use it 12 hours prior to sunlight and always DILUTE your essential oils.  

You can get any type of container. The one I use for my scrubs is from a left over container from a deep conditioner.

Simply add your sugar to the container (I used about a cup and a half) followed by 1 teaspoon of almond oil, 2 teaspoons of Vitamin E oil, and 1-2 drops of essential oil

I love this body scrub, it’s very fluffy and light

This scrub lasts me about 3 days, I put it in the fridge just in case the vitamin e oil is not enough to preserve and I always make sure I close the lid tightly to prevent bacteria, usually honey helps prevent bacteria for my mixes but since I skipped honey I opted for Vitamin E to help preserve my small batch.

So there you have it a scrub that will leave you with smooth glistening skin. I usually always Dry Brush (review here) before I do my body scrubs and have to say my skin looks so much more moisturized and feels very soft and silky.

Read Full Post »

Loofah & Dry brushing: A Review

Growing up my mother always had this weird thing in her shower. It was a loofah and a weird one at that. As a child you don’t really worry about exfoliating so knowing my mom would intentionally scratch her skin with that thing confused me. But little did I know what this thing actually was. The real original loofah is not that plastic mesh we are used to seeing. It’s actually natural and a vegetable in fact. The Loofah is a vegetable in the cucumber family and when it eventually dries out it becomes a sponge and exfoliant at the same time with a wide range of uses. The loofah vegetable is very popular throughout African and Asian cooking. As well as a very interesting vegetable to grow.

Not only is the loofah great for exfoliating, but can also make a great natural dish washing scrub as well. Many people grow and use their own loofahs which makes it the more interesting and useful. I wont be growing any, but I have been interested in dry brushing and what better way to put my mom’s weird bath tool to use.

 So last week I decided to buy one. It took me a couple of days to find it but I finally found it near my sister’s house at her local Indian shop. I got this big Ol’ loofah and started laughing when I saw it. The lady just looked at me but it was just a funny looking thing. It cost me $3 which was a great deal considering how many sponges and uses I could get out of it.

I was curious about using this loofah and had been contemplating on dry brushing for quite sometime as well. Which was the main reason why I purchased this type of loofah. Dry brushing is a technique used to not only help make the skin smoother and softer but also helps rid the body of toxins.

Here some of the great benefits to dry brushing:

– Helps with cellulite

-Helps boost immune system by stimulating lymphatic system

-Helps rid body of toxins

-Improves circulation

and many more important benefits

Dry brushing is just that, brushing your skin dry before you shower. To get the best results you must not wet your skin or the loofah. At first this was very weird but once I read the benefits to dry brushing I thought why not give it a try.

I of course cut the big piece of loofah with a knife and put the rest away in a bag where it would not gather dust. I cut a nice piece and there were seeds in them which you can see in the photo above. I left them in since they don’t interfere whatsoever. It is recommended you start right before a shower, start with your feet, exfoliating upwards towards your heart.

Below is the video I watched to give me an idea which is pretty simple:

I keep my loofah by a window to prevent mold. I have been dry brushing before my showers about every 2-3 days but you can dry brush everyday if you would like. When I first tried it I noticed my skin shining as if I had just polished my skin. And that was before the shower. Also my skin felt tingly which was very interesting. When dry, the loofah feels coarse but not that rough either and my skin felt very smooth afterwards. I either use shea butter to moisturize or coconut oil and so far my skin is feeling and looking great. Not only is this great for the immune system but also helps with cellulite as well as stimulates the body to naturally detox. You can also use this loofah wet which I love to use on my elbows and feet. So far I will be adding this to my skincare regimen especially with the added health benefits.

 For more information on growing your own loofah and dry brushing check these websites out:

How to make and grow a luffa

Benefits of dry brushing

Read Full Post »

Exfoliate! Shea Butter Scrub

Lately I have been reading about many types of butters (not regular consumption butter but for cosmetic use), like mango butter, apricot butter, Aloe butter and many more exotic ones. One of the main butters that I have always heard about besides cocoa butter, is Shea Butter. The Shea Karite tree, from which Shea butter is derived is original to certain parts of Africa and is very popular for it’s moisturizing and protective qualities for both the skin and hair.

There are two types of Shea butter, refined shea butter and unrefined Organic shea butter. I have never tried refined Shea so I would not know how it compares to organic Shea. However, organic shea is my new best friend. Organic Shea is expeller pressed and free of harsh solvents and chemicals. Shea butter has this very light scent, however some people can’t tolerate Shea’s natural earthy scent. To me it’s a soft scent and reminds me of palm oil in terms of scent (although some yellow shea contains palm oil too). In the jar, my Shea butter seems hard but once my hands get on them it starts to get really soft and melts right into my skin. Typically unrefined organic Shea will have this smooth feel along with its vibrant yellow color.

Refined Shea butter however is odorless and has this white Ivory color. Refined Shea butter is extracted using using toxic and harsh chemicals, bleached and also contains many fillers. Most of the cosmetic products that claim to be infused or made of Shea butter are using refined Shea butter which most likely lacks all the proteins, vitamins and minerals pure Shea can provide. However there seems to be a huge debate and confusion as to which kind of shea butter is really which or better. Some shea however , depending on the region the shea nut is derived from, can vary widely from color to potency.

Shea Butter is a rich moisturizer great for wrinkles, blemishes, scars, wounds, eczema and a host of skin problems. Shea butter also protects against harmful sun rays, as well as containing the same moisturizing properties produced by the sebaceous glands of the skin. Shea also restores the skin’s elasticity making it a great anti aging moisturizer.

So with all that being said I decided to put my Shea Butter to good use. Despite Shea butter being a great moisturizer and treating blemishes and scars, my  face considers Shea to be too heavy and at times Shea breaks my face out pretty bad. So if you tend to have oily or acne prone skin take precaution when  using shea on your face. I tend to use it mostly for my body scrubs and recently as a daily moisturizer and soon with deep conditioners. I ‘m not a fan of lotions but these past few weeks I have been using shea on my legs and thighs and my skin feels so much smoother. A few years back I got the bright idea of shaving my thighs, and as a result have had a lot of problems with blemishes and just stubborn stubble which will not go away. But so far I have noticed shea has helped improve my stubbly thighs drastically these past days. The dark prickly spots I had on my thighs are basically smoothed out. So I’m loving shea for the summer and as a daily moisturizer.

My favorite exfoliant for the body is brown sugar (regular sugar is fine also) you can use it with basically anything such as honey, olive oil and essential oils. I usually use it with coconut oil but this time I added Lavender oil and of course Shea butter. This smelled heavenly and my skin felt extremely soft and silky. I tend to focus on my knees and elbows and I have to say the rough dark patch I had on my elbows are smooth as ever.

I try to do small batches with honey and or 1 drop of tea tree oil to minimize bacteria. Not only does honey works as a great humectant but it also works as a great preservative against bacteria as well. Honey is a great anti bacterial agent doubling up as an on the spot pimple treatment. Just dab a little honey on your pimple and honey will work it’s natural magic.

Ingredients:

Brown Sugar

Coconut oil

Shea Butter

1 drop of Lavender oil 

Honey/ and or 1 drop of tea tree essential oil

I keep this for about a week or less and keep it in my fridge, depending on how frequently I may use it.

 For More info on shea check these out:

The Complete Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/sheabutterexp.htm

White shea vs. Yellow

Read Full Post »

Exfoliate! Brown Sugar & Coconut Oil

So spring is right around the corner and soon our elbows, knees and everything else will finally see the light of day. This means that keeping the skin soft shiny and moisturised will be a weekly ritual for me. During the warmer months I tend to exfoliate more often and what better way to exfoliate than with brown sugar and coconut oil.

Today I made a small batch since I had some brown sugar left and and needed a soothing body scrub. I just took about half cup of brown sugar and 2 spoons of coconut oil and mashed together and voila a brown sugar and coconut oil scrub. This scrub leaves your skin feeling so supple and leaves a great shine also. If your elbows or knees tend to be darker you can add about a teaspoon of fresh lime juice to help lighten the skin on your knees and elbows.

You can use any type of sugar I tend to favor brown sugar for my scrubs. Happy scrubbing.

Read Full Post »