How to Make a Hot Oil Treatment for Hair

Learn how to create your own custom hot oil treatment no matter what type of hair you have.  

Last weekend, the boys were camping, so it was a fairly slow weekend.  My daughter and I made it a girls weekend and watched chick flicks on the big screen in the living room with the lights off and did girly things like paint our nails and put weird stuff on our hair.  

I'm overdue for a hair cut, so my hair is really getting dry and looking dull.  Normally, I use a hair mask, but I needed something that would give me some serious moisture, so I decided to use a hot oil treatment.

I had some parsley infused flax oil to use, but I needed a little boost for some shine.  I added some carrot seed oil because it's high in vitamins A and E to nourish my hair.  

I was going to create a brand new recipe, but then I thought how that will only help some of my readers.  You all have different hair needs, and you may even have some ingredients at home.  Why not teach you how to make your own hot oil treatment for hair for any hair need?  

No matter what your hair type is, no matter what your hair needs are, you can use the oils, herbs, and essential oils that are best for your hair type.

Essential Charms Review and Giveaway Ends 4/4/18

Thank you to Essential Charms for providing me with a necklace and for sponsoring the giveaway.

I love using essential oils as a natural way to promote health and wellness.  I used to use a diffuser for aromatherapy, but then everyone in the house was stuck with the same oil.  And there are some times when I atually have to leave my house, and I can't take my diffuser with me unfortunately. 

Essential Charms recently contacted me to review one of their necklaces, and they are generously giving one to one of my lucky readers!

ABOUT ESSENTIAL CHARMS

Essential Charms has bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that diffuse essential oils.  All of their jewelry is made with lava stone to diffuse the oil.  

Traditionally, lava is associated with strength, power, and fertility.  It's also said to help provide stability in your life.  All important qualities for today's woman.  The lava they use is ethically sourced from the Pacific Ocean.  

Just drop one or two drops of essential oils or a blend on the lava stone.  The stone absorbs the oil and releases it over the next three to five days.  

When the scent fades, you can add more oils or wash the stone with a mild soap, dry, and use a different oil.  

Essential Charms sent me the perched owl charm and necklace, and it's adorable!  It's big enough to be seen without being too large.  I really like the long necklace so I can slip it off and on without fussing with a clasp.  I have about 5 minutes to get ready in the mornings, so the less time it takes, the better.  

Essential Charms is giving away one necklace of the winner's choice to one of my lucky readers!  Open to US residents 18 and older except where prohibited by law.  Good luck!

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Copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix Recipe

Save money with this copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix recipe.

During the summer, I go through a lot of Italian dressing.  We use it on salads, in marinates, and for other summer recipes.  

Even buying the packets and making my own was getting expensive.  I do buy generic, but there's just something about a good Italian dressing that most generic brands don't have.

I started making my own copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix recipe because it's much more economical.  I grow some of my own herbs, or I get them in bulk at an Amish bulk food store.  

Even when I buy my herbs and spices, they are so much fresher than what is in the store.  This makes all of my food taste better.

In the summer, I practically live on salads.  We have a garden, so I'm always picking right from the garden to serve with dinner.  I use Italian often because it's light.  I like the vinegary taste versus using a creamy dressing.

I also use Italian dressing as a quick marinade.  One of my kids' favorite summer foods is Italian dressing marinated chicken on the grill.  I made it last weekend, and it was all gone that night!

Another great way to use Italian dressing for a quick side dish is to cut up fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.  Cover with Italian and let sit for a few hours.  In the summer, I like making sides early in the day, so this is perfect.

I use this dressing for pasta salad.  I boil whatever kind of pasta is on sale, cut up a bunch of veggies, pour over the dressing, and let it sit in the fridge.  Again, super easy, and I can make it early in the day to free up my evenings.  

For zesty oven baked chicken, combine 2 tablespoons of this Italian dressing mix with 1 cup of breadcrumbs.  Use that to coat your chicken.  Yum!

This can also be used a rub for chicken, but I haven't tried it yet.  It sounds delicious though.

DIY Brightening Sheet Mask Recipe for the Face

Brighten your skin with this easy DIY sheet mask recipe with ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.  

Sheet masks are one of the best new trends in beauty in my humble opinion.  I love having them around because they don't work well and don't dry out.  There are few things worse than finding a mask that you love only to find out that it dried out before you could use it up.  

I do a mask every week, but I mix up what I use.  I have large pores, so I usually do a charcoal or a bentonite clay mask.  When my skin looks dull, I look for a DIY brightening face mask recipe.

I love this mask because it made my skin glow, and it softened my skin without making it oily thanks to the dry oil that I used.  

Make this delicious infused water in your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker for a healthy addition to your water.

We drink a lot of water in our house.  We very rarely have juice, and none of us really like to drink any type of milk.  The kids like flavored water (thank you Aldi for having dye free drink mixes!).  I prefer infused water.

  

I usually just have some lemon in my water.  When I try to infuse with cucumber or any other fruit, we get too impatient and drink the water long before it's actually infused.

Since I am currently obsessed with my Instant Pot pressure cooker—Seriously, is there anything that it can't do??—I decided to make some flavored concentrate for my water.

I don't mind drinking water all day.  I prefer water to other drinks, and I know I feel better when I drink enough water.  But after a long day of working, I really enjoy a flavored drink while I'm relaxing.  Hopefully soon, I'll be sitting on the patio relaxing while I sip my Instant Pot pressure cooker infused water recipes!

My kids, of course, prefer to drink something with flavor.  I don't care as long as it isn't filled with sugar or artificial dyes.  They will add some of the infused water concentrate to their waters or put in a few of the ice cubes for some extra flavor.   

The possibilities are endless with these infused water recipes.  You can make them however you want with whatever fruit you want.  You can even add herbs to your fruit.

I made two kinds of water this week: Peach raspberry and cucumber lemon.  What I love about this easy infused water recipe is that it makes a concentrate.  You can freeze it or use it right away, so you can buy fruit when it's on sale or when it's ready to pick and make a few batches to freeze for later.

The peaches I used were from our orchard last summer.  I can them, but if I have a few cups leftover, I just freeze them.  They had thawed for about half an hour when I put them in.  I don't see why you can't add frozen fruit, but it might take longer to get to pressure.  

Before you make this, I suggest using a separate Instant Pot ring or washing the one you have.  If you make this after making a roast, I guarantee you'll be drinking roast flavored water.  As much as I love roast, I don't want the essence of roast in my water! 

I have two rings, one for sweet and one for savory.  I bought a set with different colors so I know which one to use.  

INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER INFUSED WATER RECIPES

Links in this post may be affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission from sales.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 to 1.5 cups fruit or herbs (see below for ideas)
• 5 cups water 
• 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker
• Strainer for Instant Pot

DIRECTIONS

STEP #1

Prepare your fruit by cleaning it.  I clean my fruits and veggies by soaking in 3 parts water to 1 part white vinegar solution.  

STEP #2

Place the strainer in the bottom of your Instant Pot.  Add fruit and herbs.  Cover with 5 cups water.  If you don't have a strainer, you can make it without one.  You'll need to strain the water with cheesecloth or a strainer.  

STEP #3

Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.  When done, quick release.  I use a spoon handle to release it.  Take the lid of and let sit until cool.  Carefully remove the strainer and discard veggies (or feed them to your chickens or put in your compost pile).  

STEP #4

The infused water will be strong.  I use up to 1/4 cup per 8 ounce glass of water.  

You can also freeze the concentrate.  Then let them melt or just add them to a glass of water.  They would look really pretty in a drink for a party.  I prefer these silicone ice cube trays because they are so easy to unmold.  

I poured my infused water into my 8 quart Pyrex measuring cup.  If you do any canning or make jam, this is an absolute must.  I have two of them that I use constantly.  In fact, if you come over, there's a good chance it's sitting on my counter drying because I seem to use it almost every day.  

I plan on using the peach and raspberry concentrate in iced tea this summer.  I think it will taste amazing and be very easy to whip up when company stops by unexpectedly.  

Normally, I'm all about doubling recipes to save time.  Although I'm fairly comfortable using an Instant Pot, I don't mess with adding extra ingredients because I don't want a disaster.  

I've made batches back to back to back letting the unit cool long enough to dump the fruit and water using hot pads, rinsing out the pot, and starting over.  

I used a 6 quart Instant Pot.  I know there's a bigger size, but I don't know if you can increase the ingredients.  

INFUSED WATER RECIPES

You can really get creative with these recipes.  As long as you use about 1 to 1.5 cups of fruit, you should be good.  Here are some recipes to get you started.

• Blueberry Lemon 1 cup blueberries plus the juice of one lemon 
• Peach Raspberry 1/2 cup raspberries plus 1 cup peaches
• Cucumber Lemon 1 cup cucumber plus juice of one lemon
• Peach Berry 1 cup peaches plus 1/2 cup mixed berries
• Strawberry Mint 1 cup strawberries plus 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• Apple Cinnamon 1 cup apples plus 2 cinnamon sticks
• Orange Basil 1 cup orange slices, orange zest, and 5 basil leaves
• Orange Blueberry 1 cup blueberries, orange zest, and the juice of an orange
• Cucumber Mint 1 cup cucumber plus 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• Pineapple Basil 1 cup pineapple plus 5 basil leaves
• Strawberry Lemon 2 cup strawberries plus the juice of one lemon
• Cherry Limeade 1 cup cherries plus the juice of one lime
• Mango Pineapple 1/2 cup mango plus 1/2 cup pineapple
• Grape Orange 1 cup halved grapes plus the juice of one orange
• Watermelon Basil 1 cup watermelon plus 5 basil leaves
• Watermelon Mint 1 cup watermelon plus 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

BENEFITS OF INFUSED WATER

We all know what we need to drink water every day for our bodies to work properly.  Drinking infused water can help you meet your water goals without adding sugary drinks.  If you don't like water or get bored with water, this can help you stay on track.

Water soluble vitamins like B vitamins and vitamin C do dissolve and get transferred to the water, so you'll be able to boost your vitamin intake by drinking these Instant Pot pressure cooker infused water recipes. 

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