How to Use Hair Extensions

If you want to quickly change your look without cutting your hair, try using hair extensions. You can wear them just a few days for a special occasion, or your can leave them in longer Extensions are made with real or synthetic hair. Synthetic hair is cheaper, but real hair looks more natural and can be heat styled. Read on for hair extension tips and tricks to keep them looking great.

Earth Day 2015 + Natural Chocolate Lip Balm Recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturalGoodness #CollectiveBias

April 22 is Earth Day, and we celebrate each year by volunteering at our town's recycling center as a family.  We help anyone who comes in needing assistance unloading their cars, and we talk to our kids about what recycling is and how it helps the planet.  

We celebrate Earth Day all year too.  We recycle, we grow our own garden, and I make many of our cleaners and bath products.  All of these help our earth by saving natural resources and energy.  We also get our three kids involved in taking care of the earth.  They clean and sort recycling at home; they help plant, weed, and harvest our garden; and my daughter loves to help me create new recipes, like the chocolate lip balm recipe below.  

Best Hair Products for Fine Hair

I know what you're thinking: You have thick hair, you've told us!  What could you possibly know about fine hair?  And you are correct.  I do have thick hair.  But for as thick as mine is, my mom's is that fine.  For the last several years, I've been helping my mom find and test products for her hair.  Some work, and some haven't.  Here's a list of things that do work well for fine  or hair.

Even if you don't have fine hair and just want some volume, you might want to try some of these products.  I have the inverted bob, and I need some help getting some lift in the back even with my thick hair.  

DIY Hair Mask for Dry Hair With Moringa Oil

This post and information is sponsored by Green Virgin Products.  As always, all opinions are my own. 

A few months ago, I posted about an amazing skin and hair care oil called Moringa Oil. Morgina Oil is often called a super food because it has over 90 types of nutrients, including proteins, fiber, minerals, vitamins, anti-inflammatory agents, and amino acids. The Moringa Oleifera plant is used for its flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, and leaves, with the leaves being the most nutritious part of the plant.

Many people add Moringa powder to their foods because it is high in potassium, vitamin C, calcium, and protein. It is higher in protein than soybeans, and it has more protein per gram than any other plant!

I made this Moringa infused hot oil treatment as a DIY hair mask for dry hair with the powder because its nutrients and protein are excellent for hair. You could also use this oil infusion in other recipes like sugar scrubs or use it in place of a carrier oil in any recipe that calls for a light oil.

I chose grape seed oil because it's non-greasy and odorless. It's said to be a natural sunscreen for hair, which is important in the summer. It is a popular oil for dandruff, and it's said to repair damaged hair and strengthen hair.

How to Create a Skin Care Routine + $100 VISA Gift Card Giveaway!

I’m excited to share with you a post today that’s all about staying confident even when you’re battling a cold sore.  If you suffer from cold sores like I do, you know it isn’t easy to feel confident when you get one.  With the first sign of a cold sore coming on, I reach for Abreva® to get rid of it fast.  Then I follow the following simple tips to help keep my confidence high!

It never fails.  I get busy, then I get stressed out about being busy, and then I get a cold sore.  From the first tingle, I get paranoid thinking it's all anyone can see because it's all I can feel. While I wait for Abreva® Cream to heal my blemish, I stick to my skin care routine so my skin looks amazing, which gives me the confidence to face the world.  

At the first sign of a tingle, I grab the Abreva® Cream because it can heal cold sores in as few as 2.5 days!

Here are my secrets for looking confident, even when I feel anything but confident.

Be sure to enter the $100 VISA gift card giveaway at the end of the post!

If I have one blemish on my face, I don't want another one to pop up while my cold sore heals.  I spend more time taking care of my skin, and that really helps me feel better about myself.  Here's how to establish a good skin care routine, no matter what your skin type.

How to Create a Skin Care Routine

Always wash your hands before you wash your face.  Select a facial cleanser that's made for your skin type, and do not use hand or body soap on your face because it can be too harsh.  If you have oily skin, look for an oil-free cleanser.  If you have dry skin, you might want to try a moisturizing facial cleanser.

After you wash your face, use a toner to dissolve any remaining dirt or oil.  Toners also soften and smooth your skin.

If you use an eye or face serum, now is the time to apply it.  Serums get deeper in to the skin than moisturizers can.  You can use one for your eyes, one for your face, or use both products where directed.

Finish with a moisturizer for your skin type.  This is applied over the serum, but the serum should have time to dry before you apply the moisturizer.  You can also add a separate eye moisturizer if desired.

You should follow this routine each morning and evening.  Once a week, you can exfoliate your skin as long as you aren't using a cleanser that exfoliates every day.  If you do exfoliate, you should do it after cleansing and before using a toner.

Free Printable 

Do you need a reminder that confidence leads to beauty?  Click here to download this printable 8x10 photo.

You could knock out your cold sore in 2.5 days*. Only Abreva® can do it, when you treat at the first sign**. Try Abreva® Cream during your next cold sore!  Click here to learn more about Abreva® cream.

*Median healing time 4.1 days. 25% of users healed in 2.5 days.

**Among Over-the-counter products.

How do you stay confident with a cold sore?  Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card.

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
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This sweepstakes runs from 3/23/15 – 4/17/15.
Be sure to visit  Abreva brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Muscle Rub Recipe with Cayenne Pepper and Peppermint

Thank you to InstaNatural for providing the peppermint essential oil for today's post.  As always, all opinions are my own. 

My husband has a bad back, so I made him this homemade muscle rub recipe to help him while he goes through treatment.  It warms slightly when you apply it to your skin, and it's just the right consistency for a gentle massage while you're applying it.  I carefully selected each ingredient, so read on to learn how they all work.

Snow Flower Creme Review and Giveaway Ends 4/18

The information and giveaway are brought to you by Devera Naturals.  As always, all opinions are my own.

I'm so excited to introduce you to Devera Naturals, a natural skin care company.  I'm even more excited to tell you that I have a giveaway at the end of the post!  Devera Naturals is offering a Snow Flower Creme to one of my lucky readers.

Green Tea Face Mask Recipe

Most of the face mask recipes that I post are for one use.  This one is a little different because you make the powder and then add the liquid when you're ready to use it.  You can use cooled brewed green tea, aloe vera juice, or water to make your scrub.

The kaolin clay is very soothing, so it won't irritate your skin.  Milk powder nourishes your skin.  Green tea is full of antioxidants, and it helps when drank or applied topically.  Tea tree oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, so it can prevent or heal other blemishes.

Green Tea Face Mask Recipe

List of Carrier Oils and Their Benefits

I've been posting a lot of recipes lately, and I hope you've been enjoying them.  When a recipe has a carrier oil, I give the one I used and sometimes recommend a few more oils.  Sometimes I say that any carrier oil can be used.  A few readers have asked what carrier oils are, so I decided to dedicate an entire post to them.  I just picked up several new oils, so you'll be seeing new oils in the near future.  

5 Reasons Why Your Excuses for Not Exercising Aren't Valid

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FitToPlay #CollectiveBias

When was the last time you said you'd exercise?  Did you?  Are you like me and have several excuses why you can't exercise?  I'm pretty creative, so I can always come up at least three reasons why I can't exercise.  Deep down, I know they aren't valid.  With my readers as my witnesses, I will debunk my excuses for not exercising. 

Thank you to InstaNatural for providing the lemon essential oil for today's post.  As always, all opinions are my own.  

This rosemary lemon kitchen soap recipe smells amazing sitting on a soap dish next to your sink, and it works hard to reduce cooking odors on your hands.  Use this after cutting onions or garlic to wash your hands, and you'll smell lemony fresh.  Lemon essential oil has natural purifying and astringent properties, so it also leaves your hands feeling great after using it too.  

Lemon essential oil fragrance has a tendency to fade over time in soaps.  This recipe will make four 4-ounce bars, so you might want to cut it in half or give a few bars to friends as a gift.  

Rosemary Lemon Kitchen Soap Recipe

RESCUE Yourself With a Bubbling Bath Salts Recipe

Let's talk about something that I know affects all of us: Stress.  Whether it's bad stress or good stress, it affects us mentally and physically.  I know that when I'm stressed, I get very tired and very grumpy.  I'm just not a good wife, mother, or friend when there's too much going on in my life.  I don't want to be cantankerous, and I need some help to get back to myself.

I prefer natural remedies when possible, so when I knew I had to make changes in my lifestyle, I did some research.  Here's how I get through each day with natural stress relievers.

Rose Salve for Dry Skin Recipe with Rosehip Seed Oil

The rosehip seed oil for this recipe was provide by Foxbrim.  As always, all opinions are my own.  Links in this post may be affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission from sales.  

Today, I'd like to introduce you to a new oil that you'll be seeing in future recipes.  Rosehip seed oil comes from rosehip fruit seeds.  The oil is very high in essential fatty acids, so it's great for topical use on your skin.  It has vitamins A and C, which area also great for your skin.  

I made a salve with the oil because it has so many skin loving properties.  It's great for eczema, psoriasis, burns, scars, and stretch marks.  My eczema is giving me problems again, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make salve to heal my skin.  This salve is also great for dry, cracked heels and dry cuticles.  

I made this rose salve recipe with the rose oil that I made last week.  I highly recommend making the rose infused oil because it has skin benefits of its own, but you could substitute it for olive oil or jojoba oil.  

Keep reading below the recipe for more ways to use rosehip seed oil.

Rose Salve for Dry Skin Recipe

How to Make Rose Oil at Home

Roses aren't just beautiful; they also have properties that make them excellent for skin care.  The oil from roses has been said to be anti-inflammatory and help with skin irritations.  I'll be featuring some recipes with rose oil over the next few weeks, so this is a great ingredient to have in your stash.

Last week, I showed you how to make rose water, which makes an excellent toner.  Now I'll show you how to make rose oil from rose petals.  I used one dozen roses to make both recipes, so start with at least 6 roses to make this recipe.  

How to Make Rose Oil at Home