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.
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DIY Lip Balm: Flaxseed Oil + Vaseline + Honey
The Dilemma: One of the biggest beauty bummers I seem to constantly face is flaky lips. I have no fewer than seven different lip balms in my purse at all times, and I apply Vaseline before bed every night to lock in moisture.
The DIY: Henriksen suggests I try another honey-based blend. First, apply a teaspoon of flaxseed oil (loaded with nourishing omega-3 fatty acids), then layer on a teaspoon of honey for extra hydration, and finally some Vaseline to seal in all the moisture.
The Verdict: I swipe on this mix before bed one night and eight hours later, I wake up with lips that are still moist. I have yet to try a lip balm that lasts this long or tastes this good.
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DIY Body Scrub: Orange Peels
The Dilemma: DIY sugar or salt body scrubs can be a bit messy, so to avoid having to slather on a grainy concoction, dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, suggests I try an even simpler DIY body scrub -- made of just orange peels. The acid and the vitamin C contained in the orange peel help even out skin tone and firm the skin's surface, Shamban tells me.
The DIY: Peel an orange and wrap the peels in a large piece of gauze or cheese cloth, she says, then rub it all over your skin in the shower.
The Verdict: While this DIY beauty project takes a little bit longer than simply using my go-to exfoliating body wash (I have to scrub my entire body with a small sack of orange peels), I can see the results before I even towel off. My skin isn't as soft as it would have been after my usual Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish, $65, but it is noticeably tighter and brighter.
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DIY Eye Cream: Potato Slices or Chamomile Tea Bags
The Dilemma: I often wake up with puffy bags under my eyes, and I've tried the cucumber slices and cold spoon trick to no avail. That's why I've stuck with Clinique All About Eyes, $50, for years.
The DIY: Shamban recommends two DIY eye solutions I've never heard of before: Potato slices and chamomile tea bags. The starch in potatoes acts as an anti-inflammatory, Shamban tells me, while the citric acid and phosphoric acid decreases under-eye puffiness.
The Verdict: I try the potato slices first. After cooling a raw potato in the fridge overnight, I slice two pieces and place them on my eyes for about 10 minutes. When I open my eyes, I can't believe what I see -- my bags are gone. My only complaint: I smell like potatoes all day.
So I move onto chamomile tea bags, which are just as soothing, minus the odor, says Shamban. I boil water and let two bags steep for 10 minutes. After the bags have cooled, I place each one on my eyes for about 10 minutes. The process takes a lot longer than swiping my eye cream, but my eyes definitely look less puffy once the tea bags come off.
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.
