Pumpkins in all of their glory: Bringing Fall into your beauty routine

The fall season is upon us and Thanksgiving is right around the corner
and everyone is now making plans and preparing their bellies for the amount of
food they are going to eat. On a more serious note, however, with this time of
the year the weather is changing and so must our beauty regimen in order to
keep our skin in top condition.

 

Cold weather
leaves your skin feeling parched and dull. Fortunately for us, this fall season
is not only good for decorating our houses with pumpkins but these vitamin
packed mega squashes can protect our delicate skin from premature again,
clogged pores, and an uneven complexion.

Pumpkins are
enriched with many vitamins and anti-oxidants that can boost the elasticity of
our skin. So after carving those pumpkins don’t throw out all the puree instead
we are going to put it to good use.

So, to keep with
the holiday theme, here are scrubs and masks to keep every area of our body
hydrated and glowing. After all with the holidays come family photos, which you
want to look your best for.

 

 

Pumpkin Body Scrub:

This body scrub
will gently and effectively exfoliate your skin giving your skin a healthy
glow.

Combine, in a
small bowl:

1 Cup Pureed
Pumpkin

1 Cup Sugar

1/8 Teaspoon of
Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon of
Coconut Oil

Blend all of
these ingredients and apply it to your body. Gently scrub in circular motions,
using your fingertips. Rinse off with warm water and you are set, see the
difference?

 

Pumpkin Facial Scrub:

This will no
doubt cleanse your skin, removing excess dirt and leave your skin feeling clean
and soft, while giving your skin a lift.

Combine these
ingredients in a small bowl:

½ Cup of Pureed
Pumpkin

3 Tablespoons of
Sugar

½ Teaspoon of
Pumpkin Seed Oil

¼ Teaspoon of
Ground Cinnamon

Mix well. This
will give you a thick paste. Massage this scrub into your skin. Let this soak
into your skin for a few minutes before rinsing off with warm water. It is that
easy!

 

 

Purifying Facial Mask:

This facial mask
will help to give your skin a natural glow, aiding in moisturizing your skin.

In a small bowl,
combine these items:

2 Tablespoons of
Pureed Pumpkin

2 Teaspoons of
Honey

1 Egg Yolk,
beaten (until you see little bubbles)

Plain Yogurt (add
just enough to reach a spread-able consistency)

Cleanse your skin
before you apply this mask. Spread this mask onto your skin and relax, and let
this mask do its job for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, moisturize, and
enjoy smooth skin.

 

 

Now, you either have oily skin or dry
skin. You know who you are. Here is a mask for each of you, to help you get
through this season.

 

 

Face Mask for Oily Skin:

Add all of these
ingredients together and blend.

¼ Cup of Fresh
Pumpkin

1 Teaspoon of
Pumpkin Seed Oil

1 Tablespoon of
Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Egg Yolk

Apply this to
your face and leave it on for 20 minutes. Wash off with warm water and enjoy.
This will help you control the shine.

 

 

Face Mask for Dry Skin:

The creamy
consistency is amazing for dry skin and will help nourish your skin.

Mix together:

¼ Cup of Fresh
Pumpkin

1 Teaspoon of
Pumpkin Seed Oil

1 Teaspoon of
Almond Oil

Plain Yogurt; add
just enough to get a creamy consistency

Apply this
mixture to your face and leave it on your skin for 30 minutes. Rinse off with
warm water and moisturize right after to lock in the effects.

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Foot/Hand Scrub:

If you are like
me your feet crack and your hands become ruff when the weather outside starts
to become cold. This foot and hand scrub will help exfoliate off the rough
skin, leaving your skin soft and moisturized.

In a small bowl,
add all of these items together:

¼ Cup of Pureed
Pumpkin

4 Tablespoons of
Sugar

2 Tablespoons of
an Essential Oil (jojoba, grape-seed, almond, or olive oil)

1 Teaspoon of
Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon of
Honey

Over
a large bowl or the way I do it, sit on the edge of the tub, and massage this
mixture into your feet or hands. Focus on the rough areas and cuticles. To
enhance the benefits, allow this mixture to remain on your skin for 5 minutes,
and then rinse off with warm water

 

Pumpkin Hair Mask:

Yes, we are even
going to put pumpkin in our hair. Pumpkin is an excellent conditioner for dry
hair, as it is packed with vitamins that aid in softening. This recipe promises
to make your hair shiny and soft which is the ultimate goal, right?  

Combine in a
bowl:

½ Cup of Pureed
Pumpkin

¼ Cup of Plain
Yogurt

2 Tablespoons of
Honey

Apply
the mask to your entire head (it doesn’t matter if you have dry or oily hair.
If your hair tends to be very oily, simply avoid adding this mask to your
roots). Once your hair is fully saturated, you can either put on one of those
old-fashion shower caps or you can wrap your hair in plastic wrap. This allows
your hair to soak in the full benefits of the mask. Leave this on for 30
minutes. Rinse off with warm water (you can either wash your hair as normal or
just rinse the mask out). This will also help tame the little strands of hair
that tend to dance on the top of our heads. Enjoy!

 

Did you ever
think you could use pumpkin for so many different things besides cooking? You
are now taking the use of a pumpkin to a whole new level.

Each one of these
mixtures will help you keep every area of your body in perfect condition
despite the weather outside. Who knew these mega squashes could be so useful
for beauty?

Hopefully,
these masks and scrubs will help you radiate in those family photos and help
you make it through this holiday with ease.

 

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The Benefits of Coconut Oil

If you are anything like me
having a million different bottles of beauty products overflowing on your
vanity can be a pain, downsizing your beauty clutter may sound ideal, but who
wants to risk sacrificing radiant skin and silky hair for a little
organization? Fortunately there is a single item that can replace a handful of
those products and better yet, it is one hundred percent natural: coconut oil. 

 

 

I have compiled ten ways for
you to skip the beauty middle-man (and harsh chemicals) and create a brand new
beauty routine centered around coconut oil.

1: It is a top quality
moisturizer. Coconut oil has a high moisture retaining capacity, which acts as
an excellent source to fight dry skin. Make a moisturizing body scrub by
blending coconut oil with sugar.

2: Helps in the battle of
aging. Wrinkle- free yes, please.

3: Coconut oil is one of the
best oils for removing your makeup. It is perfect for removing stubborn eye
makeup. You can even use it to clean all of your makeup brushes.

4: It is the perfect tool to
use to penetrate into your locks, giving you a deep condition and regaining
shine. Leave it on your hair over night and wash it out in the morning. It will
help repair any damaged hair.

5: Get smooth and silky legs
by replacing your shaving cream with coconut oil. It will make your legs
hydrated without being greasy.

6: Treat dandruff and frizzy
hair by applying directly to your dry scalp.

7: Fight acne with coconut oil’s
antibacterial properties by combining it with baking soda to create an
exfoliating scrub. This will help your skin to heal quickly.

8: Make your very own
all-natural toothpaste. Mix baking soda with coconut oil and get the creamy
texture you are used to, without the chemicals.

9: Natural deodorant! You are
probably thinking “no way” but it can be used to kill body odor. Who knew?

10: Coconut oil is perfect
for cleaning your face after a long day, since it is antibacterial. Massage
into your skin and wash off the residue with your regular cleanser. It will
improve the quality and appearance of your skin by eliminating dead skin cells.
Making you look younger and healthier.

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Cropped Stories: Interested in a make-up tutorial?

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101 things to do when you're bored

1. 
   drink some tea
2. 
   go for a walk
3. 
   watch a movie
4. 
   turn on some music
5. 
   dance
6. 
   check out videos on YouTube
7. 
   bake some cake
8. 
   send an encouraging text
9. 
   go wild food foraging
10. 
    create an inspiration board or book
11. 
    knit or crochet something
12. 
    write a letter
13. 
    sit in a cafe and people watch
14. 
    figure out exactly how you'd spend a million
15. 
    sing
16. 
    meditate
17. 
    clean & tidy your room
18. read
19. 
    change your desktop picture
20. 
    organise your recipe folder, and go through your recipe books and mark ones you'd like to make.
21. 
    have a nap
22. 
    update your budget
23. 
    write a blog post
24. 
    play with your makeup
25. 
    dress up
26. 
    draw
27. 
    try out a new hairstyle
28. 
    call someone
29. 
    chew some gum
30. 
    find 5 new words in the dictionary
31. 
    scroll through old photos
32. 
    organise your wardrobe
33. 
    play the cloud shapes game
34. 
    plan a party
35. 
    video yourself
36. 
    paint your nails
37. 
    weed the garden
38. 
    follow some yoga on youtube
39. 
    make some homemade almond scrub
40. 
    have a bath
41. 
    light a candle
42. 
    find new blogs to inspire you
43. 
    go to charity shops and play the £5 challenge (basically see what
    amazing thing you can get for £5, good fun by yourself or with a friend)
44. 
    write to your local council
45. 
    write a "happy list" of 10 things that make you smile
46. 
    make some bunting
47. 
    origami
48. 
    watch catch-up TV
49. 
    open a tin from your pantry
50. 
    tie dye
51. 
    make pancakes
52. 
    learn a phrase in a foreign language
53. 
    alter a piece of clothing you never wear
54. 
    put stuff on ebay
55. 
    clean
56. sprout some seeds
57. 
    make an indoor tent
58. stumbleupon
59. 
    go to your local petshop and look at the fish
60. 
    skip or hopscotch
61. 
    make the ultimate sandwich
62. 
    poach an egg
63. 
    offer to babysit for a friend
64. postcrossing.com
65. 
    go to the library
66. 
    brush your teeth
67. 
    doodle nonstop
68. 
    plan a roadtrip
69. 
    do laundry
70. 
    get friends round for a sleepover
71. 
    make a chickpea pizza with interesting toppings
72. 
    walk barefoot
73. 
    pack a picnic
74. 
    lie outside on a blanket
75. 
    sew up a bag out of an old shirt
76. 
    go fishing
77. 
    play boardgames with your family
78. 
    lay the table and have 'high tea' with friends
79. 
    watch the sunset or sunrise
80. 
    practice creating perfect winged eyeliner
81. 
    write a gift list for Christmas
82. 
    make a mixed CD
83. 
    scavenger hunt
84. 
    create some art for your bedroom
85. 
    make homemade applesauce
86. 
    catch a bus
87. 
    barbecue
88. 
    rearrange your room
89. 
    ride a bike
90. 
    camp in your own garden
91. 
    draw with chalk on the sidewalk
92. 
    make paper flowers
93. 
    wash your car
94. 
    take a photograph every hour
95. 
    fly a kite
96. 
    visit your nearest art gallery
97. 
    pluck your eyebrows
98. 
    alphabetise your books
99. 
    volunteer for charity
100. 
     make a snowflake paper chain
101. 
     go for a torchlight walk

more ideas for things to do when you're bored at home, or with friends and family:

 - laugh hysterically for no reason at all

 - pray

 - go wild swimming

 - make and eat cookie dough

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Beauty Tips: learning to embrace my natural curl and growing my...

Today i want to share with you how i am learning (because i am still
learning) how to embrace my natural curl and grow my hair out.



firstly my hair history... i've use hair straighteners on my hair for
the last 10 years, the first half of which i actually straightened it
and the second half of which i use it to curl my hair. they were GHDs
but were still very damaging to my hair. any time i wanted to let my
hair dry naturally it would be a very frizzy mess of curls and straight
bits and ringlets and waves, it couldn't decide what it should do
because it was so damaged.



then one day in may this year, when we were celebrating my husband's birthday in london with my cousin everything changed.



i had been feeling strange about how 'natural' my hair was, i talk about
natural haircare and natural beauty all the time on my youtube channel,
but i felt like my hair was the one area in which i wasn't really
practicing what i preached.



so that weekend in london i washed my hair as normal and let it dry
naturally over breakfast with my cousin. before showering i had asked
her if she would help me sort my hair for the day, saying that i'd leave
it to dry naturally but that 'because it would be such a mess' i could
use some help putting it up. anyway, once it had dried she looked at me
and told me that i'd be crazy to do anything to it, rather it looked
amazing just left down. her husband and mine agreed so profoundly that i
spent the day in london with my natural hair (yes, i was looking in
every window and bus reflection to check it throughout the day).



the only other time i'd had an epiphany like this about my hair was when
i went on a lake adventure day in a wetsuit and i knew there'd be no
power socket. that was when i was dating Pete (my now husband), and it
would be the first time he'd see my real hair. i had spent a long time
the week leading up to it dreading him seeing 'the real me'. BUT, when
he saw my natural curls he didn't laugh, he didn't joke, instead he
stared. and later he told me that he dreamt that his future wife would
have hair like that. awesome!



so, with these combined experiences i really felt i had the confidence
to go for it. i spoke with my cousin about how i should manage at work,
as i felt i looked unprofessional with my hair all in 'disarray'. she
said 'wear a killer outfit and do your make-up properly, then whack a
grip in the front bit' - very sound advice to which i still keep.



so i've only used heat on my hair 3 times since may. once at the hairdressers and the other two for special occasions.



i've had to have a lot of encouragement along the way to stick with it.
Pete has been really amazing at boosting my self-esteem where necessary
and tell me that i look beautiful when i look as though i'm faffing.
particularly when i was going on my birthday meal back in july...



my family are the most lovely and awesome bunch of people i know, and i
respect their opinions greatly, and on the odd occasion they'd seen my
real hair they had been less than complimentary, instead they had called
it 'frizzy' or 'messy' or told me to go and sort my hair out. it was
with sincere trepidation that i would ever let them see my real hair for
fear of their comments really shaping the way i saw myself.



so for my birthday meal i spent a lot of time preparing myself and Pete
spent a lot of time encouraging me and told me that he thought i looked
beautiful and that it didn't matter about anyone else's opinion. and he
was right. as it happens it seems like someone had forewarned my family
that i was nervous about my hair and that they should all compliment it,
so they went out of their way to be nice about it - which (although it
was a little disingenuous) i loved and did improve my mood a lot.



since then, they've got used to seeing my real hair and they actually
like it! at my grandads 80th, he said 'i can't believe you ever
straightened it'.



yes, there's a lot of emotional baggage attached to my hair, it is after
all supposed to be my crowning glory, and the thing that makes me
attractive to men, it's supposed to be sexy and lustrous and shiny. it's
supposed to look polished and healthy.



i think i'd really reached a tipping point in May, further helped by my
having found plenty of split ends, and realising that my hair was not
growing out, however much i wanted it to.



so, in the pursuit of long hair and gorgeous shiny natural locks, i
embarked on this crazy journey to just let my hair be. here's some
things i'm doing to help my hair restore itself:

• trimming my split ends - i bought a pair of professional hair
  scissors from boots, and have been using them to trim off any split ends
  i find. there were loads to begin with, and by removing them have
  noticed the shine come back to my hair, and the curls start to look more
  even. (be careful because trimming split ends can be really addictive!)
• haircuts - i hadn't had my hair cut professionally in 4 years,
  instead i've been doing it myself and so it had lost some of it's shape.
  i spent a lot of money on a professional cut and it made me feel like a
  million dollars, so i'll probably go annually from no on.
• shampoo and condition - every  2 days i shampoo and condition my
  hair. i'm currently using that Jason Biotin range, which seems to be the
  first natural conditioner to moisturise my hair without leaving it
  feeling greasy. 
• finger combing - i do this when i get out the bath and shower, and this helps the curls to dry more evenly.
• gently does it! - as with my face, the best way to look after your
  hair is to be gentle with it and respect it. instead of roughly towel
  drying as i used to, i just gently pat it and smooth the towel over it
  to get rid of excess moisture before just leaving it to dry.
• eat well - this is something i've always done for the functioning of
  my own body, but it's important to remember that shiny hair is
  encouraged by a plant-strong, nutrient-dense diet. get as many fruits,
  veggies, nuts and seeds into your diet to help it grow. i don't take
  supplements at all, instead i just eat real food and lots of it.
• water - again, like with your skin, your hair benefits from you
  drinking water, so get as much in as possible. i try to get at least 8
  pints a day!
• exercise - now this is an area i'm definitely learning in. i haven't
  been the best exerciser in the past, and i am constantly changing my
  routine because of the changing seasons. however the majority of the
  year i spend on my bike riding long rides in my local forest and no
  matter the season i am always walking everywhere, and hiking on holidays
  too. one thing i need to work on which will help a lot with the shine
  of my hair is making sure i sweat more, so i'll be working on that one
  in the coming months!
• silk pillows - i have one which i don't use, but i might get it back
  into use to see how it goes. this should really help prevent split ends
  and encourage shine.
• invisibobbles - i find sleeping with long hair very tricky, and currently pop it up using an invisibobble.
  it doesn't catch and stays in my hair all night. i'm not sure that it's
  particularly eco-friendly, but it does the job for now.
• coconut oil - the magical wonder product that works for everything -
  popping this on the end once in a while will help provide moisture to
  your hair and is the best and only hair treatment i would ever use or
  recommend.

So here's my video on the subject in case you haven't already seen it:

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