Tag: easy 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?

6 Super Easy Detox Drinks That Will Enhance Your Skin

Published on by Lee2 Comments

If there’s one thing we should all do, it’s drink more water. When you’re dehydrated, it’s not only bad for your health, but it can wreak havoc on your beauty regime. No matter how many miracle products you apply, if you’re not drinking enough water, chances are your hair and skin are never going to reach their full potential. Not drinking enough water can also make your body less efficient at metabolizing fat, and the more water you drink, the better your kidneys and liver can perform to keep your body in the best condition. So to help you drink more H20, I got six ways to spice up your water that are so yummy, you’ll be sipping away all day long! Plus, all these recipes contain other beauty-boosting ingredients so you can ditch the sugary drinks for these delicious healthy concoctions:

The Hit Of Hydration 

Last summer months, I had this watermelon and basil concoction stored in my fridge, as it’s so hydrating and refreshing (watermelon is 92% water). It’s great for combatting water retention and bloating, and because watermelon contains lycopene, it’s a strong antioxidant that can decrease inflammation. Basil is also an insane anti-inflammatory, and it has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, so it can help improve skin and regulate oil production. If your skin is oily or acne-prone, this drink is ideal for you!

Recipe: Add around 2 cups of chopped watermelon to a large glass jug. Add a handful of basil, followed by 1 liter of filtered water. Refrigerate and leave to infuse for four hours.

The Detoxifier  

I’m sure you have ordered a lemon water, but did you know you can order all three at the same time?! It’s not just good for IG, it’s actually super beneficial for your health. This is because lemons are the ultimate detoxifier; for both your body and your skin. Lemon water can stimulate your lymphatic system’s ability to remove toxins that build up in your lymph glands, bladder and colon. Mint is also amazing for the skin as it has powerful antibacterial properties and is packed with antioxidants to protect your body and skin.

Recipe: Cut 2 lemons in half and gently squeeze the juice into a glass jug. Finely chop 1 cucumber and mix it in with the lemons. Grab a handful of mint and clap the mint together in the palm of your hands to intensify the flavors, then add it to the jug and mix. Pour in approximately 1 liter of filtered water and refrigerate for 2 hours to infuse.

The Antioxidant Boost

This fruit mix delivers a huge hit of antioxidants and vitamins, so it’s perfect for maintaining a glowing complexion and healthy hair. They both also work as an anti-inflammatory, making it the perfect morning drink to help get rid of any puffiness. This mix also works so well as a refreshing ice tea recipe!

Recipe: Place a handful of raspberries and 3 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds into a glass jug filled with ice cold filtered water. Muddle together and sip away!

The Youth Reviver 

This collagen water recipe is slightly different, but the addition of collagen gives massive benefits, and don’t worry it doesn’t taste gross (we love the fruit flavored versions by Vital Proteins). By adding a collagen supplement to your water, over time it will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve your overall complexion, as it boosts skin-correcting collagen. It’s great for your bone health too. Find out more about the benefits of drinking collagen here.  

Recipe: Add to two tablespoons of collagen, $24, to half a liter of water.

The Beauty Allrounder

This mix of strawberry, lemon, and basil is one of the most delicious water mixes, and the benefits are endless! It’ll help remove toxins from the body and promote a healthier complexion and scalp. It has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties too, so it’ll help to keep your skin looking clearer too. And of course, it’s mega hydrating, so it’s great for your body, skin, and hair.

Recipe: Mix together 4-6 sliced strawberries and 1 sliced lemon with a small handful of basil in a glass jug. Add 1 liter of ice cold filtered water. Leave to infuse for 20 minutes and enjoy!

The 2 for 1 Mix

This mix of cucumber and coconut water is so good for your skin; you could even apply it topically as a toner. This refreshing mix will instantly hydrate your skin, and it’s also packed with vitamin C to boost your immune system and your glow.

Recipe: Thinly slice 1 cucumber and place it into a glass jug with a large carton of coconut water. Mix together and leave in the refrigerator to chill. Alternatively, store in a glass bottle to use as a toner.

Check out more details about what drinking more water will do for your skin here.