10 New Year’s Resolutions for a Healthier You
(Health Secrets) It isn’t vain to take a little pride in your appearance, but if you’re trying to live a healthy, natural lifestyle you don’t want to spritz chemical-based hair products into the sensitive skin on your head and near your face. You don’t have to. There are simple, easy-to-make products that can style your hair without chemicals. You can even customize your products to your type of hair, all without spending a lot of time or money, or using toxic products. Best of all, each of these is safe for children too.
Make a natural hair spray for your hair type
Hair spray is one of the most versatile hair care products with many uses, from holding your bangs in place to stopping gravity from wrecking your overall ‘do. Make your own with just a piece of fruit and water.
First, gather a strainer, pot, spray bottle, distilled water, and either a lemon or an orange. Oranges work better for dry hair. Slice your fruit into wedges and place them in the pot with two cups of distilled water. Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat when half the water has evaporated.
Wait for the liquid to cool and then use a strainer to get the liquid into the spray bottle. You definitely want to wait until the water cools so the hot water doesn’t melt the plastic bottle. Strain well so that little bits of pulp don’t get stuck in your spray bottle tube.
Do a test spray on the back of your hand. Add more water if it feels sticky. You can store the hair spray in your fridge for use up to a week.
Get frizzy hair under control naturally
Frizzy is no one’s favorite look. All you need to combat embarrassing frizz in your straight or wavy hair is a natural hair conditioner, some almond oil, and honey. Always opt for organic ingredients.
If your hair is on the straight side, get a mixing bowl and place half a cup of conditioner, a quarter cup of honey, and a tablespoon of almond oil inside. Mix the ingredients well and dampen your hair. Put the frizz controller in your hair while it’s damp. You can use a comb to make sure the mixture blends evenly. Wait twenty minutes and then wash your hair.
If you have curly hair instead, you can use aloe vera to fight frizz. Although you can buy natural aloe vera gel, using a fresh piece of aloe plant works even better.
Healthy hair gel
It may seem strange to think of flax seeds as a main ingredient for something as strong as hair gel, but it works great and is completely natural. And no, you won’t have little bits of seeds in your hair. The flax seed hair gel also has a smoothing effect that is great for coarse and curly hair.
Heat up a cup of distilled water and a quarter cup of raw flax seeds in a saucepan until it boils. Lower heat until the water simmers for at least ten minutes. Stir with a wooden utensil, not metal. You should start seeing a gel-like substance in the pan. Keep cooking until the water evaporates and you’re left with what looks like regular hair gel.
Strain the liquid over a cheese cloth to get out the seed husks. The gel might not get through the cheesecloth easily, but you can squeeze the cloth a bit to push the gel through. The thicker the gel, the better the hold, but if you’re hair is exceptionally curly you might want to remove the mixture from heat earlier, when it’s a little more liquid.
Store your gel in a glass container and put it in your fridge. It should be good for about three weeks. The gel works on both dry and wet hair.
These simple recipes for natural hair products can save you money, not damage your health, and will probably be less damaging to your hair than store-bought products. You can customize them if you’d like by adding a little essential oil for an aromatherapy benefit, but don’t use anything irritating to skin.
For more information:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/beautyhealthcare/ht/Hair_Spray.htm
http://www.longlocks.com/hair-care-recipes-cookbook-page-two.htm#smooth1
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hair-Gel
