Tag: BEAUTY DIY

DIY SUNDAY: The Best DIY Face Oil For Dry Skin

Published on by Lee3 Comments

Face oils are one of the most effective ways to hydrate and nourish your skin. The right blend can pump your skin with skin-enhancing vitamins and protective antioxidants and give deep hydration while smoothing fine lines. But face oils can be expensive, which is why I’ve become absolute pros at making my own blend of face oils to target different skin types.

Face oils are especially great for dry skin as they’re lipophilic, which means they have a smaller molecular structure that can penetrate further into your skin, allowing your skin to retain hydration at a deeper level. Plus, oils are one of the richest formulas, so unlike other skincare products, like moisturizers, they’re pure goodness from nature.

Understanding Dry Skin

Dry skin is often dull, especially around the eyes, accentuating fine lines and wrinkles. If your skin is dry, your pores will most likely be small and barely visible (yay for you!). Your skin might feel tight and rough; it may even chap. Although, if your skin is extremely flakey, your skin may be prone to skin conditions like eczema or dermatitis.

DIY Face Oil Rules

Face oils are made of two different types of oil: a carrier oil and an essential oil. A carrier oil will act as the base, while the essential oil is much more potent and will have more healing and nourishing power.

Best carrier oils for dry skin: Avocado oil, Sweet Almond oil, Apricot oil, Camellia Oil.
Best essential oils for dry skin: Lavender oil, Geranium oil, Jasmine oil, Rosehip oil, Cedarwood Seed Oil.

Depending on what oils you have or can find, you can mix up your own. The general rule is for every 30ml of a carrier oil, you can use 1-2 drops of essential oil. You can also mix different carrier oils as long as you keep the carrier oil to essential oil ratio the same. Try to get cold-pressed, organic oils, as these will be the purest and most potent.

DIY Face Oil for Dry Skin

60 ml of Camellia seed oi
2 drops of Sea Buckthorn Berry oil
2 drops of Rose oil

Directions: Add all ingredients into a glass bottle and roll between the palms of your hands to combine.

The benefits: This oil is super nourishing, making it the ultimate cure for dry or sensitive skin. A Japanese favorite, Camellia Seed oil is crazy hydrating because its molecular weight is almost identical to our skin, allowing it to be absorbed quickly. It’s also full of skin-boosting omegas, just like Sea Buckthorn Berry oil, which is a rich source of omega 7, a rare fatty acid that’ll nourish, heal, reduce scarring, and strengthen the skin. Finally, the Rose oil will not only instantly brighten, but also contains a powerful antiseptic that can help calm breakouts.

Have you guys tried making your own DIY face oil before? Let me know if you’re going to try this in the comments below.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?


DIY SUNDAY: This Is Our Secret To Longer Lashes

Published on by Lee1 Comment

This DIY is the secret to longer lashes and fuller brows. I swear, within weeks me and my fellow BLB SQUAD noticed a difference! If you try this hack morning and night, you’ll have lashes Bambi would be proud of and brows to rival Cara Delevigne. This has to be the easiest DIY in BeautyLeeBar history – it’s literally one ingredient – Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) but been referring to it as a gift from the beauty gods! It’s literally bursting with beauty-enhancing vitamins that’ll stimulate growth, making it the perfect remedy for short lashes and sparse brows. You can even use the oil to combat acne, PMS and insomnia… intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know:

What Makes Jamaican Black Castor Oil SO Magical?

Chances are, you’ve already heard of castor oil, but it’s unlikely that you’ve been introduced to its more powerful sister –  Jamaican black castor oil. So don’t get confused between the two, because JBCO is a lot more potent, thanks to the unique extraction process. Unlike regular castor oil, the seeds of JBCO are roasted and ground, then the powder is mixed with water and slowly boiled on a wood fire. The oil is completely natural and isn’t diluted or altered, so the nutrients and vitamins pack a great punch.


Source: Tropic Isle Living

For your lashes and brows: Castor oil is rich in omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, as well as ricinoleic, all of which will help stimulate growth, leaving you with longer lashes. It also contains beauty-boosting vitamin E, that’ll not only boost growth but it’ll leave your lashes looking thicker. We’re currently using the Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil, $8, as it’s 100% pure JBCO and is hand processed from pure wildcrafted and organic beans, so it doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals and is potent AF.

DIY Lash and Brow Serum:

First of all, make sure you double cleanse to guarantee that all your eye makeup is thoroughly removed – you’ll be surprised at how much mascara you take off with the second cleanse. Then, soak a cotton bud ( use these amazing tiny micro buds from Amazon, $7) in castor oil, then brush through your lashes and eyebrows. Massage your brows to ensure that the castor oil coats each hair. Do this every night before you sleep, and you’ll notice a difference in about three weeks – don’t worry it won’t transfer onto your pillow, it’ll be absorbed into your lashes within 10 minutes! If you’re having a makeup-free day, then go ahead and apply it during the day as well.

P.S. Jamaican black castor oil isn’t just great for your lashes; here’s how to maximize on its powers:

For your skin: Jamaican black castor oil has both anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties, which means it’s great at soothing existing and preventing further breakouts as it kills acne-inducing bacteria. All you do is massage a small drop of oil onto cleansed skin, then gently remove the oil with a washcloth soaked in boiling water (make sure you let the cloth cool a little before using it)!

For your health: Jamaican black castor oil also has some major health benefits and is used as a natural remedy to cure insomnia and to relieve menstrual cramps. For instant pain relief, massage the oil onto your skin – either to your lower abdomen or your temples. The oil is packed with anti-inflammatory properties and can even help detoxify the body.

Let me know if you’ve tried castor oil for your lashes and brows in the comments below.

IGNORE Everything You Ever Heard About Pores – This Is How You’ll Make Them Smaller

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that we’ve all been cursed with pores – they’re the bain of our lives, here to ruin our makeup! I spend waaay too much time thinking about cunning skincare regimes to get rid of them once and for all, and carefully trying to disguise them with pore-minimizing primers and HD powders. You’ve probably bought products that claim they will shrink your pores and erase all trace of them, well we’re here to get your facts straight with the ultimate tea on pores from skincare expert Dr. Kelly. Here’s how you can minimize your pores in the only way possible, but curb your expectations too – sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

What exactly are pores?
Each pore is actually the opening of a hair follicle. On the face, the follicles are tiny or sometimes even invisible, but there are oil glands that live at the base of the follicle and these can over-grow making your pores bigger and more noticeable. This often starts at puberty, and feels like it never stops!

Why are some people’s pores so much more visible than others?
The size of your pores is mostly due to genetics and hormones. You have no control over your genetics, but there is a lot you can do to help manage your pores to make them look as invisible as possible.

How can we get rid of pores?
No product can permanently shrink pores, but there are some very effective products that do a great job of making them look smaller. The best topical agent for making pores look better is the nightly use of topical retinoids or retinol, which are forms of vitamin A (a natural ingredient). Retinoids do two things: it increases skin cell turnover, which helps improve the overall thickness of the skin, and they increase the purging of oily plugs from the pores – the less packed the pores are, the smaller they look. Salicylic acid is also an excellent ingredient as it exfoliates deep into the pores, which gets rid of dead skin cells that can make the pores appear larger.

If you have large pores, do you just need to accept it and blame genetics? 
Partly, but there are still many measures you can take to help them appear smaller and to prevent them from getting bigger. The most important thing you can do is use sun protection every day. Sun dehydrates your skin and makes the oil glands over-grow, making the pores look bigger. Some people get a tan because they feel it masks the pores and makes them look smaller, but this is a temporary effect, and in the not-so-long-run, it will make the pores bigger, as well as making blackheads and whiteheads worse from the excess oil that plugs the skin.

Will controlling oil with a good skincare regime improve your pores? If so, what do you recommend? 
Ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide, caffeine, and retinol can have an excellent impact on the size of your pores. Taking antioxidant supplements like niacinamide, zinc, copper, and folic acid by mouth can also be very helpful as they have powerful antioxidant and wound healing effects. They’re also anti-aging – who doesn’t want that benefit?!

Do natural DIYs actually have any effect?
DIY masks can have a temporary effect, but not a lasting one. Using egg white masks and yogurt masks, combined with honey can be beneficial for tightening pores. Honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, and it doesn’t clog pores.

Try: A gentle steam can hydrate the skin and make the pores more receptive to products you apply. Once your skin is soft and hydrated, you can apply a mask of yogurt and honey or egg white and honey for 5 minutes, rinse off, and then apply 1-2% salicylic acid lotion to help exfoliate deep into the pores. Top it off with a hyaluronic acid moisturizer as this will offer maximum hydration without clogging your pores. The result will be radiant, smooth skin.

I also get a lot of questions about the use of alcohol wipes for the treatment of acne and pores, but this does nothing to kill the bacteria that causes acne, it does nothing for the pores, and it only serves to dry out and irritate the skin.

There’s one other alternative for reducing pores: 
The Clear and Brilliant laser is also an excellent and gentle option for an in-office treatment to help reduce the appearance of pores and improve skin texture. I also find it to be safer than other lasers for my patients with skin of color.

Now that you know the truth about pores – aka you might just be prone to having bigger pores – we hope you feel better about your options. Basically, there are ingredients you can use to minimize the appearance of pores, and by using a thorough cleansing routine and non-comedogenic products (that don’t block pores), you can help to make your pores look as small as possible. You also need to realize that your pores look bigger to you than anyone else. Why? Because you spend all day focusing on yours and not staring at other people’s! And yes, most of the images you see online and in magazines have all been airbrushed, but I can promise you, celebs and influencers have pores too!

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

How To Kick Your Chocolate Cravings With Something Better!

Published on by Lee1 Comment

Chocolate is everyone ultimate bae, but lets not deny that it’s not great for our health, and definitely not our skin. So, in my continual efforts to be healthier and control my cravings, I switched to cacao, and I’m not mad at it. It tastes like dark chocolate which isn’t my favorite kinda chocolate but still feels like I’m getting a hit of sweetness, but it’s actually a superfood that’s bursting with antioxidants. And no – it’s not a typo, and it’s definitely not the same as cocoa…

Cacao VS Cocoa

Cacao (pronounced CU-Cow) is a raw powder, derived from the unroasted cocoa beans found most commonly in areas of South America and Ghana. What makes it different to cocoa, is cocoa has been roasted at a high temperature, which reduces the enzyme content and decreases its nutritional content as much as 90%. Cocoa powder is then often processed with sugar and other chemicals, which is what dehydrates your body and can trigger breakouts. Cacao retains all these beauty-boosting enzymes and is free of any refined sugar, here’s how it works:

For your skin: When applied onto your skin, cacao will give you an even complexion and a stunning glow as it increases blood flow and hydrates your skin. It’s ideal for any acne sufferers as its full of fatty acids and raw enzymes that boost skin cell renewal helping you get rid of any acne scars. As its high in antioxidants and vitamin C, it fights sign of premature aging while keeping your skin looking firm and youthful.

For your hair: If you incorporate cacao into your weekly diet, your mane will seriously thank you – we’re talking major volume and extra glossy locks. This is because cacao increases blood circulation, boosting growth while strengthening each strand of hair, helping to keep split ends at bay.

For your body: Love to sprinkle cacao nibs (think of them like chocolate chips, but instead they’re cacao) into our yogurt, smoothie, and porridge, as it lowers your blood pressure and reduces your risk of heart disease, not to mention it helps detoxify your body. It’s a serious mood booster too and actually releases the same gooey brain chemicals as when you’re falling in love. It’s packed with other minerals as well, like iron, magnesium, and calcium.

Favorite Cacao Recipes:

You can buy cacao as a powder or as nibs, either online or at your local health food store. We like this Raw Organic Cacao Powder from Amazon, $14.

Vegan Cacao smoothie
For the perfect post-gym or afternoon refuel, blend together 1 1/2 cups of almond milk, one banana, 1 tablespoon of oats, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of raw cacao. Serve over ice and enjoy.

Cacao Fudge
This sweet treat is actually super nourishing for both your skin and your hair. In a food processor, blend together 4 tablespoons of almond butter with 4 tablespoons of coconut oil. Then add 2 tablespoons of raw cacao, 4 tablespoons of raw honey, and a pinch of sea salt. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and pop it into the freezer for an hour, then break it into pieces and enjoy!

Cacao mask
This mask is amazing for acne-prone sufferers or anyone who wants a quick glow, as the cucumber will instantly brighten the skin and the cacao is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Start by mashing 1 avocado in a bowl until smooth, then stir in 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of cacao until well combined. Squeeze the juice of 3 to 4 slices of cucumber, ensuring the seeds make it into the mixture. Apply to your face, leaving it for 20 minutes before you rinse it off with warm water.

Let me know if you’ve already tried cacao in the comments below.

And also, what do you guys want to be officially called? Comment down below and head over to @BeautyLeeBar Instagram for more fun and cute posts!