Category Archives: At Home Spa Treatments

Apple Cider Hair Treatment

Posted on

After the success of my Coconut Oil hair treatment I thought I’d tackle another DIY home beauty remedy I’ve been wanting to try for a while – rinsing my hair with Apple Cider vinegar. Gross. I think the idea of pouring warm vinegar all over my hair (and subsequently body) just wasn’t that appealing for obvious reasons, but seeing this John Masters Organics cider vinegar treatment at a recent trip to the store re-ignited my curiosity for what has long been one of the most popular (and easiest) home hair treatments out there. I convinced myself to go for it, but I’d mix my own – the John Masters version was mainly vinegar anyway with just a few natural extracts splashed in there to neutralize the scent, I thought I could get the same results at home for less than the $17 they were asking.

I thought the treatment was only used as a clarifier, something to remove reside from the hair and scalp but I was happy to find out how much more it actually does. I mixed together about 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water into a plastic cup. After shampooing twice (as I always do), I slowly poured the cider over my head until I felt it reach my scalp and trickle down the length of my hair. No rubbing or massaging required – just leave it in a few minutes to absorb and give it a quick rinse. This is about the time I started to worry about my thick, coarse hair not being conditioned enough to comb it out. I was sure I’d have giant knots and dried out hair without the usual slab of conditioner I carefully work into my ends – I thought I’d have to jump back into the shower and re-wash and condition to undo the mess I thought I was making.

I was pretty shocked when I was able to comb right through my hair (after my styling products were applied) just like usual. After it dried I could see that this was the best hair treatment I’ve ever used and my hair never looked better. It didn’t leave a squeaky clean feel like most clarifiers do (a good sign that some natural oils were left in) – instead it rinsed out enough reside and build-up to create a really intense shine. Best of all, my hair had a crazy amount of softness which I didn’t expect, it felt like I just left the salon with the kind of bounce and life that typically only happens after my stylist works her magic – but nothing I’ve ever created on my own.

Not knowing if it was just some crazy hair fluke, I did it again a week later. Again, magic. I’m addicted.


After my first treatment. Click to enlarge

I’ve read varying reports on whether it strips color from hair, but I’m not concerned about it since it’s so gentle and the John Master’s version claims to neutralize your hair’s pH that can get out of whack after coloring so it’s actually good to keep your color fresh. One thing of note: I used Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar ($5.50) some of the best around, it’s unpasteurized with a low acidic level. I read that the type of vinegar you use does make a difference since a high acid cotent can actually be too harsh and not deliver the same results, so grab a good quality vinegar – it’s still a fraction of the cost of the store bought treatment and worth every cent.

Best Skin Lighteners for Fading Discolorations

Posted on

I’m slowly starting to figure out that the all-natural stuff just doesn’t make my skin look as good as it does when I throw something more advanced its way. I’d love nothing more than to use straight nuts and berries on my face, but unfortunately it’s not helping to fade out some old scarring and redness I have going on. Believe me, I’ve tried.

In the cluttered skincare landscape filled with claims and promises, I can say that skin lighteners typically live up to their hype and are worth a try. There are so many ways to fade out age sun spots (sounds nicer), scars, discolorations and add more clarity and tons of radiance, it’s just a matter of finding something that works for your skin (and budget). I’ve put together a list of skin lighteners I’ve tried and ones I hear work great- look into them to see which might be best for the changes you’d like to make in your skin.

Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation $45:

I’ve read so much about this line and heard stories from people who are crazy devoted so I bought Sheer Transformation to see if I can kick out the last of my scarring and redness. It’s especially effective when used over Invigorating Night Gel but I use it over Obagi Exfoderm Forte that also has Glycolic and Lactic acids for cell turnover and brightening so it’s along the same lines. It’s a weightless gel/cream that absorbs quickly and gives your skin a dose of vitamins, fruit acids, and licorice for non-chemical fading and brightening. I love the way it feels so far, can’t wait to see the results.


Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum $60:

Murad’s serum uses known skin lightener Hydroquinone (2.0%) for a quicker approach to fading out those age spots within weeks. Most people in their trials saw a difference in their spots in just two weeks in fact. If you’re looking for something to work quickly and effectively, this is a serum to check out. There’s still some back and forth about the safety of Hydroquinone (typically when it’s used in a much higher concentration), but it’s still regarded by many as the gold standard for skin lightening.


Estée Lauder Idealist $85:

Idealist has been the most effective in fading out the freckles on my chest that I’ve had since forever. It uses a more gentle approach so the results aren’t instant but if you hang with it you’ll definitely see even, more radiant skin in about a month with better and better looking skin over time. $85 is an investment, but so are the laser treatments I was looking into. I’m glad I found something much less invasive for a lot less money.

Iman Time Control Skin Tone Evener $16:

This treatment is the least expensive of the bunch and hydroquinone free. It’s meant for all skin tones, but it’s especially effective for fading spots on darker skin tones which can be harder to lighten.

Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution $50:

Clearly Corrective is a new lightening serum free of silicones, fragrance, and parabens using vitamin c and white birch to get skin glowing. You should see some changes in just a few weeks with full results after 8, and continued use will help keep future spotting away.

Spots and uneven tone are easy problems to fix, so start with a skin evening treatment before thinking about Botox or more invasive things. You might find that your skin looks so great, you don’t need to do anything else.

Coconut Oil Hair Treatment

Posted on

My hair itself doesn’t get nearly as dry as my scalp does in the winter which is why I rock a Coconut Oil treatment from time to time. I love me some Coconut Oil, it’s what I normally use post-shower instead of lotion because it absorbs fast and moisturizes like crazy. It’s fantastic on your hair too for a quick treatment to perk up your strands and get the dullness out. Here’s how..

- Warm a little coconut oil so it liquefies, I just zap it for about 10 seconds in a bowl in the microwave.

- Spritz your hair so it’s damp and run a comb through it so you’re able to really work the oil in.

- Drizzle the oil onto the hair and massage it into your scalp.

- Toss a towel into the dryer just long enough for it to heat up and wrap your hair.

The oil isn’t heavy so it shampoos right out without any lasting residue. It feels like an expensive salon treatment – you’ll be addicted and want to use coconut oil on everything all the time like I do. Any kind of coconut oil will do, but the one I use is shown below.

Personal Microderm on Sale Now at Groupon.com

Posted on

Remember my face-scraping Personal Microderm experience I wrote about HERE? Probably not, but in a nutshell I used this little handheld at-home microdermabrasion thingy without reading the directions and ‘over exfoliated my skin’ which is another way of saying ‘took most of it off.’ I still love the damn thing now that I know it means business and I’ve been without incident since.

Anyway, I just received a Groupon alert for it (now called PMD) and it’s marked waaaay down from $209 to $89 – a $120 discount! Buy it for you or a holiday gift- it’s pretty cool.

Facial Cupping

Posted on

Facial cupping. While it sounds like a frat house dare, it’s actually a cheap, easy, chemical-free way to fight skin sagging and puffiness. There isn’t anything terribly advanced or complicated about cupping either, just press the bulb at the top of the cup and place it along the bottom of the face creating a suction on the skin. Let go of the bulb to create suction and move the cup going upward sucking sections of the skin into the cup until you’ve done the whole face which takes only a minute or so. Cupping immediately increases circulation and also drains stagnant fluid from the face so it decreases puffiness, brings nutrition to the skin’s surface, and helps to keep sagging away by tightening up the contours of the face. Weird but it works.

My esthetician Tjaden at the Skin Studio here in Denver uses it on her clients for those very reasons, and to also help vitamins and other serums better penetrate into the skin. You can get a set of cups HERE, HERE, or a ton of other websites when you google ‘facial cupping.’ Just make sure they’re the smaller size and not the larger ones for the body.

if you want to see cupping in action (and a really sweet t-shirt with a big red fish on it) check out the vid below. If you received this via email, click HERE to watch the video.