Tag: diy cosmetics

Exfoliating Shampoo….Whaa??

exfoliating shampoo

So you may have noticed exfoliating shampoos popping up on your Insta feed or when you’re shopping on Amazon. Are we really exfoliating our hair now too?

Washing your hair less than daily has become a trend in recent years. As such, so has the use of oil-absorbing products like dry shampoos. Add in color processing hair on a regular basis and your scalp begins to have needs that traditional shampoos just can’t touch.

Exfoliating shampoos aren’t meant to scrub the hair shaft.  They work on the scalp at the “root” of the problem.  Ingredients such as sea salt, sugar, charcoal, corn meal, baking soda and fruit acids can break down the buildup on your scalp.  This can help trigger new skin cell growth, clear away dead skin, and clean your hair follicles.  A healthy scalp needs oxygen, moisture, vitamins and other nutrients to remain healthy.  An added bonus?  Scalp stimulation (exfoliation and massage) can increase healthy hair growth.

Do you often have a tight, itchy scalp?  Do you have flakiness on your scalp, but know you don’t have dandruff?  Then you may want to jump on this trend.  How often should you use an exfoliating treatment?  Up to once a week if you are a heavy product user and are starting to see signs of scalp stress (flakies).  Monthly if you wash your hair more regularly and don’t often use lots of hair products.

Here are some recipes to try.  You can either add each blend to your shampoo, or use the treatment alone before you shampoo.

Clarifying:  1 T. cornmeal, 3 drops peppermint essential oil

Gentle Scrub:   1 T. brown sugar, 1 tsp. olive oil

Cleansing Scrub: 1 T. apple cider vinegar, 1T. fine sea salt

Rub into your scalp vigorously but gently (as if you were exfoliating your face), then fully rinse and follow with conditioner.

Proper Makeup Etiquette For The Girl On-The-Go

article-0-065a38e3000005dc-835_468x428

Running from one place to another, whether in early mornings or long commutes, can be rough. Those solid fifteen minutes to an hour sitting on a train can become vital time to get yourself looking and feeling ready for your day. Applying makeup while on public transportation is nothing to be frowned upon or embarrassed about; rather, it can be seen as use of otherwise ‘dead’ time.

Now, there is an etiquette to doing your makeup without disrupting fellow commuters and avoid eye rolls. Here are some Honeybee approved etiquette guidelines to putting on your makeup on-the-go.

Don’t take up more than one seat. We all pay the same price for our cramped commute. Be courteous and limit yourself and your possessions to one seat. The new mother who has been up since 4 a.m. will thank you.

Don’t use strong smelling products. We understand you want to smell nice, but everyone in your train car may not want to smell like you too.

No plucking, clipping, or trimming. There is a fine line between beauty and personal upkeep. Plucking your eyebrows, clipping your nails, or trimming of any sort are habits better kept in your bathroom at home.

Don’t make putting on your makeup an excuse for taking a seat. Common courtesy and giving up your seat for someone else makes your far more beautiful that any amount of makeup can.

Keep it simple. Use multipurpose makeup. You shouldn’t be hauling your entire collection of makeup with you on your commute. Select a handful of quick and easy applicable products that can be used in multiple ways.

Our Honeybee Beauty Ambassador Erin Bell shares “Bathroom toilet paper or paper towels work as a great multitasker to simply blot skin anywhere from an oily t-zone to lips.” Also, speaking of multipurpose, she adds “Lipstick can be used as a last minute blush”.

Share these quick tips with a friend and have a less stressful on-the-go fix up!

Top 5 Herbs For Glowing & Gorgeous Skin

This week I was going to write an article about herbs that are good for the skin, and I came across this. It is well-written, and I couldn’t agree with the author more. So I’m re-posting.

Written by By Daisy Raybould for MindBodyGreen

Everyone wants to achieve glowing, gorgeous and perfect skin. Often we go about it the wrong way and apply harmful chemical laden synthetic beauty products that end up causing more harm than good.

If you want to make a real and lasting change for your skin, opt for natural alternatives such as these magical herbal agents.

1. Chamomile Chamomile is one of nature’s miracles. It has an incredible number of benefits, and none more so than for our skin. Alpha-bisabolol – a compound found in chamomile – reportedly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by accelerating the healing process of the skin while also possessing anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory properties. Applying a cooled cup of chamomile tea as a face wash or applying the tea bags onto your skin are two of the most effective ways to take advantage of chamomile as a natural skin healer.

2. Witch Hazel Produced from the leaves and bark of the North American Witch Hazel shrub, millions of people swear by witch hazel for its acne relieving properties. Witch hazel is an anti-inflammatory that helps to reduce inflammation of pimples. It also clears away excess sebum without drying out the skin too much. Witch hazel is also an astringent meaning it helps to tighten skin tissue and can reduce the appearance of dark under eye circles.

3. Aloe Vera Aloe vera is another of the more popular herbs for treating skin. Applied most commonly as a gel, women use aloe vera gel prior to applying make-up to keep skin moisturized while men often apply to skin after shaving to rehydrate and treat small cuts. Like witch hazel, aloe vera is another important natural remedy in the fight against acne. Its anti-inflammatory properties reduce pimple size while its anti-microbial properties kill bacteria. Rich in vitamin C and E – two of the most important vitamins for our skin – aloe vera is another of nature’s miracles for achieving healthy, gorgeous skin.

4. Calendula Calendula is a garden plant in the daisy family that, like aloe vera and witch hazel, has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It is also a vulnerary agent that helps to heal wounds and soothe damaged skin, such as sunburn, cuts and scrapes. Many have also used calendula oil to treat eczema.

5. Lavender Lavender may be more famous for its relaxing effects of the mind, but it also helps to soothe skin, too. It is rich in a compound called linalool that assists with skin healing while also preventing tissue degeneration keeping skin firm and preventing wrinkles. To make lavender even more of an anti-aging wonder, it encourages the growth of new skin cells due to its cytophylactic properties. Lavender also helps to heal wounds, scar tissue, acne, eczema and problem skin. Being anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-toxic, anti-bacterial and an anti-septic just serves to show how incredible lavender is for skin.

Our skin is the largest organ we possess so looking after it is of the utmost importance. Avoid harmful chemical laden treatments and instead turn to the wonderful herbs Mother Nature has to offer us.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Summer is finally here!  Our calendars are filled with much-anticipated beach vacations, gardening, outdoor sports, picnics and other fair weather fun.  I am a true sun worshipper, but we all know that too much sun exposure causes dryness, wrinkling, premature aging and even skin cancer.  What is a sun lover to do?

Keep Skin Exfoliated and Hydratred:  Exfoliation removes dead, dulling skin debris to prevent congestion and improve hydration from toners and moisturizers. Exfoliating the facial skin by means of a homemade scrub prepared using half a cup of yogurt, five tablespoons of ground oatmeal, a dash of turmeric and six drops of rose water can prove to be an effective option.   Perform in the mornings prior to toner, moisturizer, SPF and make-up application. Tip: Make-up will last longer on an exfoliated skin.  As an alternative to traditional moisturizers, juice extracted from cucumber or watermelon may be used for moisturizing facial skin.  Toners are a refreshing moisturizer prep, working to even out skin porosity. Our Alcohol Free Facial Toner made with rosewater and witch hazel is gentle and effective  Tip: Refresh with a revitalizing HydroSol spritz at your desk, in the car, at the gym, on the plane!

Keep Your Inside Hydrated:  Higher temperatures and more time outdoors leads to internal dehydration, which can result in headaches and dizzy spells!  Eight 8-ounce glasses of plain, filtered water every day help maintain critical moisture balance of the body and skin, and assist in detoxification. Tip: If you drink caffeinated beverages, you should triple the amount of water you drink!

Stay Dry Too:  As the mercury climbs, we naturally sweat.  Sweating is good.  But no one wants to be stinky.  So apply deodorant in the morning as usual, but keep some on hand if you know you’ll be swimming or participating in active sports.  Avoid chemical antiperspirants that keep your body from sweating (sweating is a good thing).  Our Deodorant Powder is the perfect solution.  We’ve combined the natural deodorizing properties of baking soda with the superior absorbent properties of cornstarch and arrowroot. The result is a clean, soft, delicately-scented natural powder with the odor fighting capabilities of the toughest deodorants on the market.

Apply & Re-Apply: It’s not enough to just apply sunscreen; you must apply enough, and apply frequently.   Studies indicate that most people do not apply nearly as much daylight protection as they should.  Make sure that the sunscreen used is applied at least fifteen to thirty minutes before stepping out in the sun.  There is always confusion over which SPF number to use. The truth is an SPF 30 only offers 4% more protection than an SPF 15. You would have thought it was double the protection, right? As you get up in the higher numbers (SPF 45, 50, 70+) that percentage comes down, but you’re also exposing your skin to more chemicals which might result in a negative reaction on the skin. The key to protecting your skin in the sun is to re-apply your sunscreen generously at least every two hours.   Tip: Stay out of the midday sun from mid-morning to late afternoon whenever you can. HBG recommends natural nonchemical sunscreens with “physical” blockers like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, not chemical sunscreen formulations.  The benefit of a physical sunscreen is that it acts like tiny mirrors deflecting all spectrums of the radiation away from the skin, including the dangerous ultraviolet [UV] rays.  Wear sun-protective clothing and seek shade when you can.  One blistering sunburn doubles your risk of melanoma.  Remember to get a yearly skin exam by a doctor and perform a self-examination once a month to detect early warning signs of carcinomas and malignant melanoma. Look for a new growth or any skin change.

Take Care of That Sunburn:  Hard as you try, sometimes you wind up with a sunburn.  Apply cooling preparations generously over-exposed skin, preferably at the first sight of a pink glow.  A common misconception about soothing a sunburn is that you should keep re-applying lotion (especially aloe vera-based lotion) to keep the skin moist.  But layering lotion on sunburned skin traps heat, keeping the skin red longer.  Skin must breathe to let out heat. Cold plain yogurt applied to the skin works as an anti-inflammatory and heat remover. Apply, let dry for 15 minutes, and rinse. Repeat every hour.  If that’s too messy for you, you can use my favorite remedy – a cold, wet wash cloth.  Unfortunately I have lots of experience with sunburns, and over the years I have found that soaking a wash cloth in COLD water and applying it to the burn does wonders to pull the heat out.  Once the wash cloth gets warm (and it will) soak again in cold water and reapply.  Do this until the burning sensation goes away.  Looking for an internal remedy?  Recent research reveals that consuming green tea and curcumin (an anti-inflammatory compound found in the curry spice turmeric) may help combat skin cancer. Packed with potent antioxidants, green tea may also reduce DNA damage to skin cells when applied topically, according to animal studies.  In addition to choosing green-tea-infused sunblocks and lotions, drinking 3 cups of green tea daily and regularly including turmeric in your cooking may provide protection, says integrative physician David Rakel of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health.

Get a Glow without the Wrinkles:  The #1 cause of lines and wrinkles is sun exposure. If you want to look young, avoid the sun. It’s really that simple.  But there are those of us who still think we look better with a summer glow.  Fake it!  There are lots of fake bake products on the market (self-tanners) that can give you the look of a suntan without having to lay out for hours.  Or use a bronzer instead.  A bronzer will darken the complexion subtly and “warms” your skin tone without making it look fake.  Our Health Glow Mineral Bronzer gives you the flexibility to cast a hint of sun or give you that beach babe look.

Don’t Have a Hair Emergency:  Exercising in the scorching heat or swimming laps in the pool can zap the radiance right out of your locks. Boost your shade with these DIY tips:

Blondes –  Counteract brassiness and remove product buildup by mixing together a quarter cup of mild shampoo and one tablespoon of baking soda. Coat dry strands with the paste, leave it on for 10 minutes, and then rinse.

Brunettes –  After shampooing and conditioning hair, combine a quarter cup each of white distilled vinegar and distilled water and two drops of peppermint oil (to offset the vinegar scent). Saturate damp hair with the leave-in mixture before blow-drying to add instant vibrancy.

Redheads –  To reignite your hot hue, boil a quart of water and drop in three chamomile tea bags; steep for five minutes. Remove bags and cool the liquid in the fridge. Then spray the infusion on clean, damp hair and sit in the sun until hair is dry.

So get out there, have fun, but stay protected.  ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

Brush Your Way To Better Skin


A few months ago, I became interested in “dry brushing”. Now that I’m in my 40s (*gads!*) it takes more effort to make my skin look its best. This means eating clean, drinking lots of water, NOT tanning, moisturizing regularly, etc. Dry brushing is purported to promote healthier skin by removing dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, allowing it to breathe and absorb more nutrients. It also stimulates and increases skin cell production, stimulates the lymphatic and circulatory systems, and boosts your immune system. The gentle pressure and brushing sensations are said to have a calming effect; increasing your blood flow reduces stressed areas of the body and stimulates nerve endings in your skin which in turn rejuvenates your nervous system. Last but not least, dry brushing supposedly reduces cellulite by increasing blood circulation to the skin, helping to break down and release toxins that cause cellulite in legs and hips.

This I had to try.

I went on line (amazon.com) and purchased a Yerba Prima Tampico Skin Brush. If you’re going to try dry brushing, you want a natural bristle brush or loofah. Look for bristles that are made from plant fibers. Synthetic bristles can be too harsh and cause irritation. The brush I chose has a removable handle so you can use it in the palm of your hand, or use it with the handle for harder to reach areas like your back.

So how do you do it? It’s best to dry brush when you first wake up in the morning, before you jump in the shower. Here is the recommended dry brushing process:

1. Start with your feet, moving in soft circular movements (always moving towards the heart) first on the bottom of the feet, and then on the top.
2. Work up each leg, one at a time, first the back of the leg (using the same soft circular, always towards the heart, movements) up through the buttock and then the front of the leg. Avoid any delicate skin, like the skin on the insides of the thighs.
3. After you are finished with the lower half, start at the fingertips of one arm; move up the arm (palms of hands, back of hands, forearm, bicep) and towards the heart. Repeat on other arm.
4. Move to the back working your movements towards your stomach, starting and finishing with one side of the back and then the other.
5. When you get to your stomach, start at your lower abdomen and work your way up (make sure to steer clear of delicate areas like the nipples) and end at your chest in an upward stroke.
6. Rinse off and shower as normal.

Skin brushing Tips:
1. Avoid the face! While dry brushing is excellent for exfoliating skin, this body brush will be too rough for the delicate skin on your face.
2. It’s sometimes best to dry brush in the shower (with the water off) since there may be a lot of dead skin brushed off.

How often should you dry brush? For best results dry brush at least two times a week.

I started looking into some of the grand claims of dry brushing. It DOES get rid of dead skin cells, increase circulation (as a brisk walk would) and help the lymphatic system work better, and decrease bloating (as a massage would). However, the grander claims are more suspect. Even if done religiously over time, will dry brushing reduce the appearance of cellulite? Experts like Dr. Carolyn Jacob, a dermatologist in Chicago, feel probably not. Why? Cellulite is a complex problem that involves thin skin and the kind of fibrous bands holding in women’s fat. Dry brushing “won’t change fibrous bands at all,” Dr. Jacob said — a dagger to the hearts of women with cottage-cheese thighs. Twisting the dagger, Dr. Jacob cautioned that avid dry brushers put their skin at risk for inflammation, redness and an eczema-like itchy rash.

So is dry brushing for you? As long as you don’t have any severe skin irritation (acne, rash, eczema, open sore/cut, etc.), I say yes. It is an invigorating way to start the day, and it really does make your skin feel smooth and healthy.