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How To Save Your Sun Damaged Hair

24 junio, 2019 by Admin

Going swimming and hanging out all day at the beach: super fun. The tangled and brittled hair that results from all the chlorine and salt build up afterwards? The complete OPPOSITE.

Fearing the damage that may come from giving yourself a much needed day-cation shouldn’t be holding you back from enjoying your summer. However, if you feel like your strands needs a serious boost from all the fun in the sun, we have these five foolproof ways to save your damaged locks.

Hydrate Hair with a Treatment Mask

Woman getting hair washed in a salon with a treatment mask. — Face of relaxed young Latin American woman enjoying hair washing in salon. Hairdresser washing hair of woman with shampoo

The combination of sun, salt, and chlorine is sure to dry out even the smoothest of strands. If you often go swimming, a deep treatment mask is essential to use at least once a week in order to prevent dry split ends and an overstressed scalp. Packed with natural oils and extracts, there’s a perfect mask for all hair types to make sure your strands are silky soft this summer!

Boost Shine With An Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Jars of Apple Cider Vinegar. — Fresh apple juice close up shot

Apple Cider Vinegar has many nutrients and minerals that help with digestion, but did you know this health food is also incredible for your hair? ACV helps with restoring the pH balance, so it leaves your hair shiny and dandruff-free. After washing your locks, mix some water with a few tablespoons of ACV to massage into your scalp and leave in for a few minutes. Rinse out when done and you should see the glossy results after a few uses.

Supplement Your Diet To Heal Hair

Hair growth and health starts from the inside, meaning what you eat can have a great impact on hair’s strength and appearance. Eggs are the ultimate power food for your locks, with proteins keratin and biotin to ensure both strength and shine. If eggs aren’t your thing, berries, sweet potatoes, and a list of other foods are great sources of nutrients for your tresses. If you find you aren’t getting enough necessary proteins and vitamins vital for hair growth, you may want to consider a supplement to help combat deficiency.

Cut Back On The Heat

We don’t mean your outdoor time spent in the sun (although you should be careful of that too, for your hair AND skin’s sake)! We mean heat stylers like straighteners, curlers, and hair dryers. While it’s common knowledge that heat stylers can cause serious damage, their effects amplify if your hair is already dead and dry from the sun. Instead of grabbing for the straightener, try doing an alternative no-heat-needed updo, like braids with a conditioning treatment or a messy low bun. Stylish and healthy!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Yet another all-star health food on our list that doubles as a wonderful treatment for your hair. Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used either as a leave-in Mask or Hot Oil Treatment, both of which give your hair a powerful boost thanks to the many vitamins found in EVOO. This trick is best for when you have time to lounge around the house, as the treatment is most effective when left-in for a minimum of 30 minutes. Finally an excuse to watch that latest series on Netflix and beat the heat (indoors)! You and your hair will be happy with the results.

Photos: Pixabay and Freepik

Soft Glowing Skin This Summer In 5 Easy Steps

21 junio, 2019 by Admin

You are super excited about your next summer beach vacation, but absolutely horrified at the thought of taking pictures due to that new planet that just popped up on your face. With the heat and humidity causing *endless sweat* that can clog pores, it can be hard to have flawless skin in the summer. These 5 easy steps will help you to get glowing in no time.

Exfoliate For An Immediate Glow

One of the easiest tricks to getting skin that literally glows in just a matter of minutes is by exfoliating. Using a nice sugar scrub or body scrub will help to slough away all the dead skin cells and peeling sunburnt skin to reveal your fresh face underneath. Just remember to not over exfoliate- too much can actually dry out and strip your face of natural oils. A safe bet is two to three times a week.

Switch Up Your Moisturizer

In the winter months, our skin is typically dry and in need of more moisture, so heavier creams are ideal for these months. However, if you’re still using that same bottle from January, or no moisturizer at all, we’ve found your main culprit for breakouts! You might feel like you’re skin is «moisturized» from all the sweat you produce, but sweat is high in sodium which dries out your skin. This can leave your face looking patchy and red. To keep your skin supple (and not overdo it so that you’re a literal greaseball), try using a lightweight oil-free moisturizer that has SPF. Simple and smart!

Hydrate From Within

While hydrating your skin with a good moisturizer is key, the best hydration starts from within. Yup, with water! It’s easy to forget to get your daily 8 glasses (or more) during the hot months, but doing so will flush out toxins in your system. The result is a fresher looking you all around!

Wash Your Face (And Body) With Cold Water

You might already be showering in cold water as a cool relief from the heat, but if you aren’t you should do so ASAP this summer. The hot air and humidity combined with an extra dose of both from a hot shower work to dehydrate your skin. This in turn can cause unwanted breakouts. Plus, the cool water can provide an immediate «wake up» on days you’re feeling sluggish.

Up The Antioxidants

The amazing powers of antioxidants are endless, and when it comes to your skin these damage fighting molecules can do absolute wonders. Antioxidants can help protect your skin from damage caused by the sun, improve inflammation, and increase collagen necessary to keep your face smooth and wrinkle free.

That said, you can get your much needed dose of antioxidants both from external serums, which admittedly have a hefty price tag, or the easy cheap route- eating them! Many foods that are common in summer are packed with antioxidants, like mangoes, cantaloupe, and berries. Snack up- your skin will thank you!

Photos: Freepik and Unsplash

DIY acrylic nails: a salon finish from home

19 junio, 2019 by Admin

Haven’t we all dreamt about permanently having perfect nails? The reality of it is that we can’t really keep running off to the salon whenever a nail breaks off, because of both the hassle it means, and the money we spend on it. Because let’s be real, getting your nails done is not exactly cheap.

Always perfect

Either because you believe your nails look better, or because you’d like to finally get rid of your ugly nail-biting habit, acrylic nails are an easy go-to when paying a visit to the nail salon.

We show you how you can get that acrylic nail finish without leaving your home, and for both less money and effort.

Prep your nails

Pour some hot water into a bowl and let your hands rest in it until you can feel your cuticles softening. This will make pushing your cuticles back much easier, which will in turn make your nails look longer.

Get rid of your cuticles

Get hold of a cuticle remover and use it to take away excess skin. Then, push back the cuticles surrounding your nail arches to create visually longer nails. Now you’ve gotten them to look longer, you can go onto the next step.

Remove excess oil

Before continuing, make sure you remove any excess oil that might remain on your nails with polish remover. Thanks to this, you will notice how your fake nails stick in place for much longer.

The process

To obtain the desired «acrylic nail» look, you will need nail glue, like this one, as well as full sized fake nails, like these you can find on Amazon. Once you get hold of your material, you will have to find out which nail sizes are suitable for your own.

If you choose slightly smaller fake nails they will probably look more elegant and natural, rather than using those chunky fake nails; this would create a tackier look. But it really depends on your own preferences.

Time to stick on the fake nails

Start by applying a small drop of glue on each nail, on top of which you will later stick the plastic ones. You will notice how much glue you need as you go: apply enough so that the nails stick on, but not that much that will cause the glue to come out from underneath. If you feel like you haven’t applied enough glue, you can always add a bit more after.

Trim & file

Once you’ve stuck on the plastic nails, it’s time to trim them down, because it’s most likely they are now super long. You can take a regular nail-clipper and cut them off a bit.

After, you can go onto filing them: take a regular file and start shaping them. Bare in mind not to file the sides too much, as we’re not looking for a claw-like shape. We are rather going for a long, elegant look.

Throw in some colour

Choose the colour you want applied. We recommend the polish be of quick dry, as it will be more easily aplicable. A great trick we’d like to share with you, is that, in the case of applying too much product, or if you’ve «coloured out of the lines», you can always take the file you’ve used and gently remove it, instead of using polish remover. This will assure a nicer finished look.

Apply two layers of polish to your nails in order to obtain the desired «gel effect». They will look as if they came straight out of the nail salon. Lastly, apply a transparent top coat, and let dry.

Photos: Pixabay, Unsplash and Amazon