Skin Food: DIY Beauty Treatments

Here in San Francisco, it’s been starting to get colder and I’m pretty sure that I can attest for many of us and say that the cold winter weather totally dries out my skin! I know that it’s still fall and some places might still be warm, but since this is such a common occurrence and winter is almost here anyways, I started to do a bit of research and found some easy DIY beauty treatments to share. Your skin needs to be fed too! 

FACE: 
Companies are always trying to get their products out on the market and they make you think you need something like a face scrub when you really don't. Sometimes face scrubs do more harm than good because the little granules in the scrubs may be too harsh on the skin, which can cause irritation or dry out you skin, leading to more problems.
Instead, try out this gentle papaya face mask. The alpha-hydroxy acids in the papaya as well as the yogurt will help dissolve dead skin cells. While this natural exfoliant is doing its job, the fats in the yogurt will help to moisturize your face and the honey will help lock in that moisture. Getting rid of the dead skin cells on the surface of your skin will really help the moisturizing properties in the mask (or any moisturizing treatment) to sink into your skin.

APPLICATION: See image~ 

*NOTE: You can play around or adjust the measurements of the ingredients in any of these beauty treatments to your liking.

Image: http://www.thebeautyinformer.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

EYES:

During the winter time, although I don’t have this problem, I notice that many others develop dry patches of skin around the eyes. Here is a simple way to help prevent dryness around your eyes: cucumbers. Cold cucumbers work as great anti-inflammatories which reduce blood flow to the area and constrict blood vessels to help de-puff your eyes. They also have a high water content which is great for hydrating your eyes, so cut two slices of cucumbers and place them over your eyes for 10-15 minutes then follow up by gently massaging the area with your favorite moisturizer (or olive oil works too).  

HAIR:

People are always trying to find ways to keep their skin moisturized and healthy, but they often forget that the scalp needs nourishment too. Keeping the scalp healthy by doing scalp treatments will help moisturize your scalp and relieve tight flaky skin during the cold winter months (helps with dandruff) as well as also speeding up hair growth by stimulating your scalp. The recipes listed in the image are treatments that I swear by, but you can do some research to see what other ingredients are great for scalp/hair treatments and that cater to your own needs.
APPLICATION: See image~
TIP: Olive oil can sometimes be hard to get out of your hair, so you may have to shampoo your hair twice. If you feel that there is still a bit of residual grease left in your hair, you can apply a very small amount of dishwasher detergent to your hair (dishwasher detergent made especial for removing grease).
*NOTE: You can also use the yogurt and honey hair mask on the face ♥ 

As you can see, we really don’t need to be spending so much money on luxurious beauty products when we can just raid the refrigerator of youth! There are so many household ingredients that can provide the similar effects you would achieve if you had indulged in an expensive treatment. If any of you guys try these treatments out, let me know how it goes and if there are any other treatments you would like me to talk about in the future. Leave your comments below.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Until next week~

Live, Laugh, and DIY Yourself to a Healthier State of Mind

Image: http://msw.usc.edu/mswusc-blog/putting-
theory-into-practice-the-heart-of-mental-health-field-work/

Crafting has always been a favorite activity of mine. It's fun, relaxing, and it's also a great way to get my mind off of things. Only after starting this blog and thinking more deeply about crafting did I realize the therapeutic qualities that crafting could bring out. I'm sure that sometimes you will notice groups doing craft projects as a way or part of therapy. “Why do that?” I thought. Why incorporate crafting into a therapy session? These were all the questions I wanted answered and this was just such an interesting topic that I wanted to learn more about, which lead me to do some digging and my findings were just so interesting that I had to share this information with you all (as a way to justify taking some time out to have some fun and do some crafting).

Throughout history, people have been engaged in crafting, both as a leisurely activity as well as also being a job. What many do not realize is that there is actually evidence to show that there are actual health benefits that come with this activity; that crafting is a great way to maintain mental health.

Therapeutic Nature of Crafting
According to the article, Craft as a Context in Therapeutic Change by Sinikka Pollanen, the author explains that crafting as a method of therapy or including craft within therapy has been linked to improved mental state. It can be a great way to maintain functional mental health or relieve stress because crafting can help take your mind off the stressors in your life by acting like a cognitive filter and minimizing any the feelings that were overwhelming or worrying you. It’s a great way to give your brain a break, sort of like a recovery period. 

Image: http://news.yale.edu/2012/08/12/yale-team
-discovers-how-stress-and-depression-can-shrink-brain

Stress Management
Managing your stress levels is very important to part of maintaining your health as well as your overall well-being. The right kind of stress (e.g. exercise) can be good for our brains; however, research has shown that brain erosion can occur from continual stress, meaning that stress can actually shrink your brain tissue if you don’t allow yourself to take a break!

Crafting is useful in achieving changes in areas such as:

• Emotions (anxiety, depression, motivation, imagery etc.)
• Cognition (learning skills, knowledge, attitudes, short and long-term retention etc.)
• Physiology (heart rate, respiration etc.)

…and many, MANY other areas.

Made this Lumpy Space Princess pen holder
after finishing my study sessions for my midterms.

Whether we think we need it or not, we all need to take a break from our stressful lives once in a while, so take some time out of your life to craft with me or have some fun!

As you can probably tell, my way of stress relief is to do DIY projects. How do you guys feel about this? I’d love to hear about some activities that you guys use as outlets to stress, so leave your comments below. 

Until next time~