Tag: Hair

One Thing You Never Thought Of Doing With Oil

Published on by Lee2 Comments

It sounds extra AF, but swishing oil around your mouth might just be the best thing for your health and skin, seriously! The idea comes from ancient Ayurvedic medicine and involves taking a tablespoon of oil and swishing it around your mouth like mouthwash, for twenty minutes. Believe it or not, this detoxifying method actually has a ton of health benefits that improve oral health, and it can even improve acne, whiten your teeth, help with headaches, and detox your entire body.

How To Do Oil Pulling:

On an empty stomach – first thing in the morning is the best time – swish a tablespoon of oil around your mouth for twenty minutes (at least ten minutes if you’re in a hurry). Our preference is coconut oil, because obvs we have a ton lying around and it’s also antibacterial, but you can also use sesame, olive or sunflower oil. Initially, it might feel a little gross, but persist, and like us, you might even end up enjoying the experience! It should always be done on an empty stomach, so wait at least four hours after eating, and an hour after drinking.

Whatever you do, don’t swallow the oil; otherwise, you’ll basically allow all the toxins that have been drawn out to go into your stomach. Once you’ve swished for 15-20 minutes, spit it out in your bin. You can do almost anything (except speak) while you do this, but keep an eye on the time, as if you do it much longer than 20 minutes, it’s possible that the toxins could be reabsorbed into your body. Rinse your mouth with warm water or salt water, and brush your teeth.

How Oil Pulling Works:

how oil pulling works

It’s quite gross to think about, but your mouth is filled with bacteria, fungi, toxins, and plaque. Oil pulling literally cleanses your mouth by drawing out all the toxins from your gums and teeth, before they’re able to spread to the rest of your body.

Why Oil Pulling is Awesome:

Who’d have thought that you can forego a ton of expensive beauty products simply by following this daily ritual? Oil pulling is an amazing way to improve your health and detox your body, skin, and gums. Though there’s yet to be significant research into oil pulling, promising results have been found, and many doctors recommend it – apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow and Shailene Woodley are fans. Here’re just some of the amazing benefits:

Skin-clearing: Catching out nasty toxins before they reach the rest of your body has a huge impact on your skin. The same way washing your skin gets rid of surface bacteria, oil pulling gets rid of bacteria that causes skin problems before they have a chance to take hold. Reports have shown that oil pulling for a month has helped improve acne and eczema.

Teeth whitening and fresh breath: Oil pulling can remove surface stains from your teeth, and because the fats in oil can dissolve plaque, it prevents plaque build-up and reduces the risk of tooth cavities for an extra white smile. The removal of bacteria from your mouth also results in fresher breath throughout the day.

Detoxes your body: The mouth is our gateway to the majority of substances in our body, by removing bacteria from the mouth before it has a chance to reach the rest of your body it majorly impacts on your health.

Increases energy: Our immune system works 24/7 to eliminate toxic waste from the body. By getting rid of these nasty toxins at the source before your body has to, it saves precious energy to be spent on other activities.

Reduces headaches and hangovers: We’ll be honest, anything that promises to cure a hangover is worth trying; the process of oil pulling will remove alcohol toxins still lurking in your body from the night before, helping you and your body feel much better. Headaches and migraines can be a reaction to your body being under toxic stress; so extract the toxins, reduce the stress!

Why Coconut Oil is Our FAVE:

We’ve found that coconut oil, (try to use 100% raw organic cold-pressed coconut oil) is the best oil to use. Not only is it easy to find and inexpensive, but it’s also by far the best tasting of the bunch. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid that has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties, while Vitamin E is rich in antioxidants and it’s antibacterial. If you’re going to have oil in your mouth for twenty minutes, it should at least taste okay!

Oil pulling can easily become part of your morning routine: swish while you shower and tone, or while you get dressed and scroll your Insta feed. If you’re at home, take advantage of the period after lunch before dinner and swish on an empty stomach while you watch TV.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

BEAUTY Q&A: HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU TIP YOUR HAIRSTYLIST?

Published on by Lee1 Comment

Your hair appointment shouldn’t be shrouded in fear of tipping the wrong amount. Cutting your hair too short? Maybe. Making a huge mistake by getting bangs in the middle of summer? Definitely. Dealing with the pressure of wanting to leave the salon looking like your best damn self (even though the whole thing is kind of out your hands) is enough to deal with without factoring in tipping-related stress. So if you’ve been preemptively wondering how much extra cash you should bring with you to your appointment, quit Googling and stopping asking your friends because everyone’s going to have a different opinion. To answer this ever-so-popular question once and for all, we reached out to New Jersey-based hairstylist Jennifer Geoghan.

“Twenty percent of the cost of your service is a good rule of thumb for tipping,” says Jennifer. Simply plug the price of your haircut right into your phone’s calculator and multiply it by .20 to get the dollar amount you should give your stylist. For example, a $50 haircut will lend itself to a $10 tip; a $100 haircut $20, and a $200 haircut $40. “Hairstyling is a work of art,” Jennifer adds. “A stylist’s price depends on their education, skill, number of years in their careers, continued education and keeping their tools and products up to date. Keep in mind when paying for a service and tipping a hairstylist, you are paying for their history, not just the service itself.”

And what about the washer or assistant who had a hand in the whole thing? “Tipping the washer or assistant is ultimately up to you, but $3-$10 is always helpful and appreciated,” says Jennifer. “Even though it may seem that the assistant or hair washer isn’t doing much in the scheme of things, their wages aren’t super high, mostly because they are barely getting hours. So, the assistants and hair washers really rely on their tips. Plus, they’re helping out the hairstylist a lot behind the scenes to ensure you have a calm, successful and happy appointment. If you know that they played a big role in making your hair fabulous (say, washing it or blowing it dry) consider tipping, so they know their work was appreciated.

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Tone It Up: DIY Avocado Hair and Face Mask

Published on by Lee5 Comments

Love reading articles from, Tone It Up! We’ll be sharing Tone It Up’s best fitness and healthy living tips. In today’s, Serena and Katrina will be showing you how to add shine to your hair and a glow to your skin with two of their favorite DIY mask recipes:

Hi everyone, it’s Katrina and Serena here from Tone It Up! Today we’re excited to be telling you about two DIY masks you can make for your hair and face. They are both so easy to make and for when you are in the mood for a relaxing evening at home. Plus, they will freshen up your pretty locks and clear your beautiful skin! The key ingredients in both of these masks are avocado and apple cider vinegar, both of which will make your hair shiny and soft and add a glow to your skin.

Here’s how to make them (be sure to pin the image below to remember it for later!)…

To recap, here’s how to make these masks:

Avocado Hair Mask

You will need:

  • 1 banana
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Blend all the ingredients together and massage into your hair from roots to ends, covering thoroughly.
  2. Let sit for 30 minutes.
  3. Shampoo well, then rinse with apple cider vinegar.


Avocado Face Mask

You will need:

  • ½ ripe avocado
  • 1 tbsp of honey
  • 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

  1. Blend the ingredients together or mash in a bowl.
  2. Apply to your face and leave on for 15 minutes. Focus on your breathing and relax while letting it set.
  3. Rinse off with cool water and a damp cloth.

We love the avocado in these masks because it helps to moisturize and rejuvenate your hair and skin. The healthy fats act as an all-natural and super hydrating moisturizer. And let’s not forget about the apple cider vinegar (one of our favorite elixirs). You might remember us talking about the benefits of apple cider vinegar here on BeautyLeeBar.com couple weeks ago. Not only is it good for your body, it’s great for your hair. It closes the cuticles, allowing your locks to lay flat for shinier hair that’s easy to style. It also acts as an astringent that clears your skin as well.

Now that you’ve read a bit about two of our favorite masks, we want to know…

Will you give our DIY avocado hair and face masks a try?

Let us know how they work for you in the comments below! And don’t forget to pin the image above so you will have it for later 🙂

XO Team BLB

P.S. If you liked this post, be sure to check out last week guest blog about apple cider vinegar by clicking here.

“Just Cause” Gift Guide

Published on by Lee2 Comments

Holiday shopping can be so painful, amiright?? Running around town, looking for the perfect gifts for everyone, waiting in long lines, who needs it? It’s simply extra stress and takes away from time we could spend enjoying this magical season. I’ve made holiday shopping super easy with my no fail Gift Guide plus you can also use this guide to give someone a “JUST BECAUSE” present. Find something for everyone on your list, no matter what they’re into.

Sunday Forever:

Want to give a little magic? You can’t go wrong with Sunday Forever. They have an amazing selection from kimonos to candles and from crystals to fragrances and jewelry. They also offer gift sets, like the Good Vibes set. Bonus: They come packed in the cutest little boxes!

Contents include: 24K gold filled, adjustable evil eye bracelet, California White sage, and their “go sage yourself” lighter in a pouch. It wouldn’t hurt to get a little something for yourself too, right?

SugarBear Gummies:

Need something for the person who puts health on the top of their New Years resolution list? SugarBear has awesome vitamins that are completely personalized. Whether you want to give someone the gift of more energy, great skin, or even better health overall, they have a vitamin or set of vitamins for you! Health starts from the inside out and the new year is a great time to start a new regime.

How does the Women’s Multi differ from the Hair Vitamins?
SugarBearHair Hair Vitamins contain 13 vitamins and minerals to support normal healthy hair and nail growth.
Women’s Multi contains 5 nutrients to support healthy skin, 5 nutrients to support hair and nails, 6 nutrients to support energy for a total of 16 nutrients designed to promote total body wellness.

Can I eat the Women’s Multi and SugarBearHair Hair Vitamins together?  
Yes! They’re a perfect combination!

HANDMD SKINCARE:

In search of something for the skin care obsessed? Hand MD, has an incredible luxurious online store, which happens to be one of my new favorite shops and has a wide variety of cleansers, lotions and scrubs that are guaranteed to be free from nasties and totally toxin free. Can’t decide? Get a Ultimate Hand Care Bundle! Honestly, who doesn’t love shopping, especially when someone else is footing the bill. Check out their instagram, they are always having a great sale.

Cleanse, exfoliate, treat and moisturize your hands with the full anti-aging hand care collection. This bundle features Daily Dual Repair, Exfoliating Peel and Rehydration Cream along with the Hand Cleanser scent of your choice. 

What makes it so good? 
– Gentle ingredients Free of Mineral Oil, Paraben Free, Vegan, and Cruelty Free 
– Anti-aging elements Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, Sea Kelp, Jojoba Oil 
– Moisturizers Even better than your store-bought hand creams

” Our hands give us power. They provide us with expression. We use their strength to convey a message. You entertain with your hands. Cook. Clean. Eat. Work. Deliver.”

Hand MD has combined powerful anti-aging ingredients with luxurious moisturizers in each products to help you challenge fine lines and wrinkles. You’ll discover benefits of softer, smoother, radiant looking hands in just 8 weeks.

If you really think about it, we do everything with our hands. They make everything possible.

Until Hand MD, there hasn’t been something this revolutionary on the market that could help repair them. The main goal is to bring awareness to anti-aging and give women of any age the opportunity to reawaken their hands, so they look the way they feel inside.

Oral Care:

Need a gift for the person who has everything? Do they have a at home teeth whitening kit? Probably not. Check out White with Style to snag one. They also have the kits in different flavors. They now sell teeth whitening kits with charcoal, toothpaste and brush set too. It’s the most popular teeth whitening company backed up by top dental hygienists. Plus, their customer service is top notched and have a kit for everyone even smokers and coffee drinkers. Oh and also BLB readers get an exclusive discount! Enter code CRYSTALEE to get 90% off your enter order. You’re welcome!

Everyone loves cashmere right? It makes for the perfect and totally lux gift! Our friends at Naked Cashmere have something for her, him, and even our furry friends. From robes to slippers, they are a tad bit okay maybe very expensive but if you have a special person who loves cashmere or if you want to treat yourself then the price doesn’t matter.

Need something for a person who is hard to shop for? Get them a book or 2. Find out what type of books they enjoy and who is their favorite author. Make sure him or she doesn’t have that book first without giving away the surprise. While you are at it, get their favorite snack and their favorite candle. A book, snacks and a candle with a distinctive smell, especially one that is pleasant sounds like a great gift to me!

What are some of your favorite gifts that you received or gave?

Let us know in the comments!