The Dilemma: The one thing I can't live without is a great hair mask. Due to my curling iron addiction, my ends are always brittle and in desperate need of moisture. I've been slow to adopt the hair oil trend, because I thought they'd leave my hair stringy. But after celebrity hairstylist Corey Powell of Sally Hershberger Los Angeles (his clients include Margot Robbie and Nicole Richie) raves about the benefits of a DIY hot oil hair mask, I know I have to give it a shot.
The DIY: I mix 2 tablespoons of coconut oil with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a mug, nuke it for 30 seconds, and comb it through my dry hair. Yes, it's a bit messy; I find it easiest to apply in small sections, then comb through. I leave it on for about 10 minutes, then hop in the shower to wash it out.
The Verdict: After I blow-dry my hair, I notice a big difference. My hair is markedly softer and shinier than before. And the best part? Because avocado oil doesn't have a scent, it just dilutes the coconut aroma and I'm left with a subtle tropical fragrance.
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DIY Face Scrub: Oatmeal + Honey + Yogurt
The Dilemma: My sensitive skin has made me a loyal member of the Cetaphil fan club for years. So I am really nervous about trying anything new on my face -- natural or not.
The DIY: Skin care legend Ole Henriksen (clients include Charlize Theron and Katy Perry) tells me to try a simple DIY face scrub: Mix 1 tablespoon of oats (a known skin soother), 1 teaspoon of honey (an amazing moisturizer), and 2 tablespoons of yogurt (which contains complexion-brightening lactic acid).
The Verdict: While the mix seems more like breakfast than a DIY exfoliator, it brightens my dull complexion and doesn't make me break out.
I've spent too many hours glued to Pinterest, getting inspired by images of metal-studded denim shorts and ombre nail art -- only to spend many more hours ruining my favorite cut-offs with a glue gun. So, while there's a cool DIY beauty recipe that tempts me here and there, I've learned to just say no.
I'm all for natural beauty products. But creating a homemade hair mask can be a complete time suck compared to the two seconds it takes to simply twist open the one I keep in my shower. Plus, there usually aren't a gazillion reviews to tell me if the DIY recipe will be worth my while.
So color me shocked when my co-workers challenged me to find DIY beauty recipes even I could get into. And for me, that means ones that work as well as the brand name products I love so much. Their reasoning? If they could convince me, the biggest skeptic in the office, to find DIY recipes I love, then they'd be good enough for even the biggest beauty snob.
Before setting off on my DIY adventure, I decided to set a couple ground rules.
No 1: There would be no tricky recipes. I don't cook, so the instructions had to be simple -- four ingredients, tops.
No. 2: No recipes with a stench (think mayo hair mask). No matter how amazing someone claims the results are, I wasn't going to have my hair smelling like potato salad.
See if I survived this DIY beauty challenge -- and check out the recipes I'm still concocting at home.
