....But What About Aloe Vera?....

We have all heard about Coconut Oil and the magical things it does for our skin, hair, nails and food. It has become the trend thing over the past couple years and is staying at the top of the line when it comes to beauty DIYs. But, what about Aloe Vera? We use it after a long day at the pool or beach when you look like a lobster and you need soothing on your skin. So, what if you used it as an everyday moisturizer? Not only on your skin, but your hair too. For the past week I have been experimenting with Aloe Vera. I used it every day on my hair, and twice a day for my skin. 

Now, I didn't just use Aloe Vera that is for sunburns specifically. I did some digging and thanks to my bestie Amazon, I found one called SEVEN Minerals Aloe Vera Gel for roughly $15. Awesome deal. What made my experiment a bit better on the bottle it said it could be used as, "aftershave, mixed with shampoo/conditioner for your hair, and as a daily moisturizer". So I put this company's statement to the test. 

Hair

Every day for five days I used Aloe Vera with both my shampoo and conditioner. I mixed a quarter amount with each and with the conditioner I left it in while I shaved, washed etc. When I did wash my hair out I noticed it to be stiffer than usual. However once I put in some leave in conditioner, it brushed perfectly and was fine. I went on to blow dry and style. I honestly was amazed, it was so sleek and my cuticle looked smooth and I barely had to run my flat iron through my hair. Usually, my hair isn't that smooth when I just blow dry. It felt so healthy, and it shined! Over the course of the five days, I tested some things out. I would add a nickel size more before I dried it, and then a pea size after I flat ironed it. The results just increased. My hair looked amazing and felt amazing. I can tell such a difference with my hair and the health of it. No doubt about it-this has been added to my daily regime. 

Skin/After-Shave

I did the same thing for my skin-I used it for five days and let my skin tell me exactly what it thought. I first used it in the shower, directly after I shaved. I honestly was nervous about it making my tub slippery since I applied it without mixing anything with it but it didn't at all. My legs felt so supple and soft, which I loved. I decided I would use it as a replace for lotion also, not just in the shower. One thing I hate about lotion, it makes you feel greasy and sticky. I feel like I can't wear anything until it is completely dry. The Aloe Vera dried miraculously fast and my skin was smooth and it even glowed. Pulling on jeans was a wonderful feeling, they slid right on. Once night came around my skin was still smooth, but I still applied more to see more results. As the days went on I could tell such a difference in the way my skin felt and looked. 

One area of skin that worried me about applying this was my face, I have always been super sensitive on my face and have battled with oily skin/acne. I didn't want a breakout scene. I first just started with a pea size at night, just to see what would happen to test it out. When I woke up, my face looked so much better. Redness was disappearing and it was glowing. Once I saw this result, I decided to apply it before I put on my makeup. It worked perfectly as a facial moisturizer, and I had no oily skin when I took my makeup off at night. Just like with my hair, this has been added to my daily regime. 

In conclusion, Aloe Vera should be given more props than it usually is. It really has helped both my hair and skin, in many different ways. So, yes Seven Minerals. You were completely right. (: 

Beauty Foods

When it comes to our hair, skin & nails it usually  shows directly how well our diet is affecting our outside body. When I have fresh fruit, and vegetables my hair feels strong and my skin is glowing. I can also tell when I've been overindulging in too much processed foods, based on my complexion and hair strands. 

I wanted to give to you some of the top ten "beauty foods". These foods are full of nutrients needed for clearer skin, healthier hair, brighter eyes and much more!

1) Lemon

Lemon has many health benefits, not just for your skin and hair! It's a natural detox which removes awful toxins from your body! Lemons are also known to help promote weight loss, and rid of bloating. Which is prefect if you are feeling puffy in your face. Start your day with a glass of warm lemon water and revitalize yourself. 

2) Edamame

Edamame is high in isoflavones, which help preserve skin-firming collagen. You can find Edamame at a sushi bar, so be sure to grab some to achieve young-looking, wrinkle free skin! Not a sushi fan? Grab some fresh ones at the store and dash a little bit of salt onto them for a tasty snack!


3) Cucumbers 

The flesh of cucumbers contains water along with ascorbic acid, (Vitamin C), and caffeine acid. Which all helps you heal irritated skin and reduce swelling. You commonly see it being put on eyes during a facial service, which is to help reduce the look of dark eye circles. Cucumbers can be enjoyed by itself for a snack or even in water! 

4) Wild Salmon

Wild Salmon is full of Omega-3 fatty acids, which keeps your skin supple and your hair shiny. Salmon also actually has UV protection in it from the mineral selenium. Vitamin D also keeps bones and teeth healthy too! Salmon can be cooked in the oven or even on the grill. Add some lemon zest for a tasty dinner!

5) Beets

Beets naturally flush out your lymphatic system, which removes toxins from the body and brightens your eyes. Raw or roasted or even in a smoothie, these are a delicious super-food. (Sorry Dwight is hilarious)

6) Cilantro

Cilantro has the ability to remove heavy metals that remove enlarged fat cells from your body. Enlarged fat cells increase the appearance of cellulite. Cilantro is good to add to a salad if you want some zest, or can be added to a pasta dish.

7) Walnuts

The healthy fats in walnuts can keep your scalp and hair healthy. It can also make your skin supple and resilient to issues such as age spots. Walnuts can easily be added to yogurt for breakfast, or thrown into a salad. 

8) Tomatoes

Tomatoes have the best source of a powerful antioxidant, lycopene which fights against aging. Tomatoes are also rich in immune boosting Vitamin-C, which helps the body's natural healing of damaged or irritated skin. Chop some into your salad, or even add some onto your favorite pizza!

9) Blueberries

Blueberries are addicting. One of my favorite fruits(I find I can eat the whole container of them in a sitting). Luckily, it's full of wonderful antioxidants and vitamins such as A, C and E. Blueberries can help create a youthful, glowing skin, and can help diminish sun-damage. Not tot mention- they help control hormones. So goodbye to period induced breakouts and hello clear skin!

10) Water

H2O is everything when it comes to beauty. When you are dehydrated every inch of your body suffers- from your skin, hair, nails to your eyes. Water can get boring sometimes so I love mixing fruit with it (lemons, raspberries, blueberries etc.) Sometimes I'll even make a pitcher of water with fruits and let it sit in the fridge to really get a refreshing glass. The best part is you can be creative with it, and make your own favorite drinks and experiment! 

The Horrors of DrugStore Products

Many people go to their local CVS to pick up shampoo and conditioner. It's affordable, accessible and the commercials catch our attention. Underneath it all, Selena Gomez and Zooey Deschanel probably aren't using Pantene, and you probably shouldn't either. Why? Let me explain. 

Know Your Ingredients:

It's always good to know what's in your products and why you need it or don't. 

Remember the ingredient listed first is the strongest, last is the weakest. 

Here are some ingredients commonly listed among the first items in drugstore products. 

Water: When a product is made with a lot of water that is highly diluted making you use more of it to get the result you want. Meaning you buy more often. The industry gets your money. 

Alcohol: Talk about dry hair and more dry hair. Most drugstore products have high alcohol content. Yes, your hair may feel smooth at first, but the alcohol is removing the protein and moisture it needs. 

Sulfates: Lately, we have all been hearing about sulfates and to stay away from sulfates. The sulfates are used to make it sudsy and lather well, which strips your color. A big danger with sulfates is they can weaken your hair follicle, leading to weakened hair structure and diminished hair growth. Some studies have also found that it can cause cancer, immune system damage and damage to the skin. Scary!! 

Waxes & Silicones: If your hair tends to become greasy and easily weighed down, the cheaper products will only exacerbate these problems due to the waxes and silicones in them. Why are they in there? To make your hair look shiny and healthy in the short term. In the long term, waxes and silicones create build-up and prevent any nutrients to get into the hair shaft. Often consumers think they should use MORE of the cheaper shampoo to fight the grease. As a result, people can go through many bottles of cheap shampoo in the same amount of time you would use 1 bottle of salon product! Spending roughly the same amount! 

Parabens: These are used as preservatives for their strong antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Unfortunately, they have been found in low concentrations in tumors and believed to disrupt hormone functions. So not only are they messing up your hair but your whole body. 

Color: If you color your hair, you want to preserve that color since it can be an expensive service. If you come home and wash it with something cheap you are washing your color down the drain. The drying ingredients mentioned above also strip the color out the hair. Using cheaper products means you'll be back in the salon faster. I said this once and I'll say it again, use quality shampoos and conditioners as well as quaility heat protectant products. When you use the right products, you can have luscious, healthy colored hair. 

Where Can I Get These Products?

A storefront option I like is Ulta. Ulta carries many professional product lines. The salespeople are often knowledgeable if you have questions. Ulta does offer sales and specials throughout the year as a well as a reward card program. 

Buying online is convenient, but know your seller. Do your research to ensure you are buying a quality product, not a watered down or expired or recalled version. 

Most importantly ask your stylist! If you are on a budget, tell your stylist! Ask for some options. Ask about rotating products or addressing specific needs first. We are here to educate you and meet your needs so you can have gorgeous AND healthy hair.