International Beauty Show New York Recap

@IBSnewyork was awesome! I checked out some great product demos like the Diamond Flat Iron from Brilliance New York. Plus, I stocked up on a couple of my favorite Moroccan Oil products and scored a ton of samples!

Here are some images I took at the show…

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For most of us, this past winter wasn’t too harsh. Although, it was still cold enough to cause dry skin that may need to be alleviated. Totalbeauty.com recently rounded up some DIY skin care recipes consisting of ingredients straight from mother nature. Create a spa-like experience at home and prepare your skin for the summer!

Excerpted from Totalbeauty.com

EGG FACE MASK

Eggs, the symbol of spring and new beginnings, have been used by women for centuries in order to cure dry skin. They are packed with protein and lecithin, which is a natural lubricant for the skin. Adding a bit of sour cream to the mix will help slough off any dead skin cells, too. 

Ingredients:
1 raw egg
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of sour cream 

Directions: Mix together all the ingredients and slather over your face and neck. Let the mask sit for 15-20 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.

Hard Water Hard on Hair

I remember the first time I showered in Pennsylvania freshman year of college. Boy was I in for a surprise! I stepped out the shower with my skin as dry as I could remember. And the first time I washed my hair? It made my hair feel dull afterwards and at the time my hair was relaxed. While hard water is said to be great as drinking water because of it’s natural minerals and supplements, it can cause issues with textured hair.

Naturallycurly.com rounded up some of the main issues you may face when using hard water on your tresses.

• Texture: With curly hair, you’ll notice a difference in hair texture in areas with various levels of water hardness. For example, areas with soft water typically have more relaxed, soft and manageable curls while areas with hard water will note their curls are heavier and the texture is rougher.
• Frizz: Other than humidity, the most important environmental issue regarding frizz and maintenance of naturally curly hair is the minerals in the water.
• Gray Coverage: Often you’ll note increased difficulty with gray coverage because the color will attach onto the minerals and not onto the hair, making it impossible to cover up those pesky gray strands, especially at your crown.
• Longer Lasting Color: Similar to the problem listed above about gray coverage, you’re colorist will notice it is difficult to get vibrant shades to deposit onto the hair, due to the mineral buildup resulting from hard water, resulting in a lack of satisfaction with your color service.
• Blondes: A common problem for blondes who shampoo in hard water is that the color appears to lose vibrancy and appear “muddy,” which is often referred to as fading, when really, blondes don’t fade.
• Relaxer/Straighteners: These chemical services have a harder time taking in areas with hard water, which can yield to unhappy clients when the services seems to have “not worked” the first time. Often, the problem is the minerals attached to the hair, and not the salon professional performing the chemical service.

For a list of cities with the best and worst water for textured hair, click here.

(photos via naturally curly)

Hair Food

A while back, I told you how I love mayo & eggs not just for eating, but for my hair. 

There are many other foods, condiments and even alcoholic beverages that are great as DIY hair treatments! Recently Woman’s Day, featured some homemade hair treatment recipes for different hair types. I’ve tried a couple of these treatments, but I really want to try the yogurt one! When I do, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Excerpted from womansday.com

Yogurt / Sour Cream

“Lactic acid gently strips away dirt while the milk fat moisturizes,” says Lisa Belkin, author of The Cosmetics Cookbook.

To Use: Massage 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt into damp hair and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, followed by cool water, then shampoo hair as you normally would. Treatment can be applied every other week.

Lemon Juice / Olive Oil

To fight flakes—brought on by poor diet, stress and climate, among other factors—try a lemon juice and olive oil mixture in your hair. “The acidity in lemon juice helps rid your scalp of any loose, dry flakes of skin, while the olive oil moisturizes the [newly exposed] skin on your head,” says Cox.

To Use: Mix 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp water, and massage into damp scalp. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and shampoo hair. Treatment can be applied every other week.

Beer

To add body to hair, reach for an unlikely beauty beverage: beer! The fermented drink contains generous supplies of yeast, which works to plump tired tresses, explains Cox.

To Use: Mix 1/2 cup flat beer (pour beer into a container and let it sit out for a couple of hours to deplete carbonation) with 1 tsp light oil (sunflower or canola) and a raw egg. Apply to clean, damp hair, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Or add flat beer only to a spray bottle and spritz onto dry hair. “When the liquid evaporates, the remaining protein residue (from the wheat, malt or hops) continues to strengthen and structure hair,” says Belkin. Treatments can be applied every other week.

Honey

Whatever your hair-dehydrating demon—hard water, sun overexposure, your trusty flat iron—nature’s sweetener can help. “Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and locks in moisture,” says Cox.

To Use: Massage approximately 1/2 cup honey into clean, damp hair, let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. You can also add 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil to loosen the honey for easier application. For extremely sun-damaged hair, trying mixing honey with 1 to 2 Tbsp of a protein-rich ingredient, like avocado or egg yolk, which will help replenish the keratin protein bonds that UV rays attack. Treatment can be applied once a month.

Avocado

Home beauty experts swear by avocado—and not just to repair damaged hair. Its oils (which are light and moist like our own natural skin secretions) and proteins boast the best combination of nutrients for smoothing and weighing down unruly hair, explains Cox.

To Use: Mash up half an avocado and massage into clean, damp hair. Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing with water. Amp up moisturizing power by combining mashed avocado with 1 to 2 Tbsp of a hydrating ingredient, like sour cream, egg yolks or mayonnaise. Treatment can be applied every two weeks.

(photos via woman’s day)