Just a spoonful of (brown) sugar makes the medicine go down.....

Well I don't know if  that is true Mary Poppins, but what I do know is that brown sugar is a great natural exfoliant!! Good grief, I spent tons of money looking for an awesome exfoliant, when I had the inexpensive option at home all along. For the past 3 weeks or so, I have been exfoliating with brown sugar, honey and lemon juice mixed together. The results were, a fresh,soft,silky face. Now hear me out, I do have work to do on my face. I came from a very humid Miami Florida, to a wintry Sweden and it took a toll on my face 
(and not to mention the added stress of moving and my grandma in the hospital).

Today, I decided to take step-by-step snapshots of doing a Brown Sugar (babe), Honey & Lemon Juice Facial....without the babe of course haha.

                                           

Step 1: Please, before any facial, cleanse your skin. I don't have an organic cleanser just yet, so I use Cetaphil and it has been working with me for the last 6 months. This bottle lasts!

Step 2: Get your ingredients out and measured. I don't have an organic option since we are in a tight budget at the moment, but I do recommend it. Lemon juice, Brown Sugar in the middle, and Honey. A small plastic/glass bowl, and a teaspoon.

Step 3: Mix in 1 teaspoon (or 2 if you want to use more in other places such as underarms,knees,elbows), 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of honey. Mix until it has a runny consistency but the brown sugar feels grainy, not too thin.

Step 4: Apply to freshly cleansed face and scrub. Now don't go scrubbing and taking out your frustrations at the same time. Put a little pressure on your fingertips and  move them in circular motions, even in your chin and neck. Leave scrub on your face for 5-15, depending how much time you have. PLEASE!!! Avoid your eyes. It will be red due to the exfoliation but it's normal, it will subside.

Step 5: Rinse with warm water, and finish by splashing some cold water to close the pores. Use a CLEAN hand/face towel and pat dry, don't rub the towel too hard on your face, you will strip the moisture from it.

And Voila! You've got a soft, clean face! I would recommend doing this only at night since your face has just been exfoliated and shouldn't be caught in the sun. Do this 2-3 time a week.

Now the benefits of the ingredients: Brown Sugars texture is almost like sand, removes old skin cells without causing skin irritation. Its moisture won't dry out your skin and is a source of Vitamin B due to its content of molasses. Honey has antibacterial properties and is considered antiseptic ( I use it for small pimples, dab a very small amount on it and leave it overnight). It also helps with making your beautiful face lighter!  And Lemon also serves as a dead cell remover,blackhead remover and a skin brightener. What else can you ask for??

Sources: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g

blogID=1454921159426192212#editor/target=post;postID=6947038020570842186

http://www.livestrong.com/article/260345-what-are-the-benefits-of-lemon-juice-for-the-face/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/156037-what-are-the-benefits-of-brown-sugar-as-a-skin-exfoliator/

Now as you may have noticed above, my hair had some serious TLC deprivation! My poor hair. This weather is a stranger to these tresses, so I will fight back and add moisture, MOISTURE, MOISTURE! People, your hair can never thank you enough for adding moisture to it.

Most of you know that Im trying to grow my hair back to its natural state. Kinky curls and all. But with that comes work and a lot of love to it. The below pictures are how I add moisture to my hair and with what products. My goal is to find natural products but one step at a time. And $1 at a time ;)

Step 1: Get your conditioners and oils out. Use a wide tooth comb to detangle. If you use the thin black one with the pointer, your hair is going to scream its life out and not love you. Unless you have silky straight hair, great, but I don't and I need to pamper it.

Step 2: Mix in any oil. I used Extra Vigin Olive Oil, maybe a tablespoon. You can add Argan, Coconut, Peppermint, Moroccan, Avocado oil. Any oil that is good for the hair. Do some exploring :)

Step 3: Mix all ingredients together until well mixed and oil is incorporated. I forgot to take a picture of this process :(

Step 4: Section hair into 4 or if you have longer hair, maybe 6, and start placing the mixture (ends first), until all  the sections are covered and set for overnight. Place a plastic shower cap on. The heat will keep itself inside.

Step 5: Wear a silk head scarf or bonnet. Silk keeps the moisture in and doesn't rip your hair like cotton does. Adding this scarf or bonnet not only ensures that your mixture won't leak but it adds a bit of extra heat.

The next day just rinse and style. This is my deep conditioner so I will rinse, shampoo, condition it again and do the final rinse.

Next DIY is how to take off.............CALLUSES!!! How embarassing but it has to be said and done. Summer is coming around and Im sure we all want pretty feet!

I hope this has been helpful to any of you and would like to hear from you. I have changed my comment box situation and now anyone can comment AS LONG AS IT IS POSITIVE, if not, please don't even think about it. I love to help people if any way I can, so don't try bringing someones spirits down.

With  love,

Ileana