diary of soft, lustrous hair

about every month or so, i try to give my mane a bit of extra love. i figure, my face gets a good detoxifying mask or two a week, and my fingers and toes get weekly lovin' too, so why not treat these locks of plenty to a little r & r as well?

now, this gal's pockets are not quite deep enough for a day at the spa. although i wish. ;) what's a girl to do? it's called diy beauty care, ladies. i pulled together a few things from my cupboard, tidied up a bit (because who can relax amid a mess? i can't, that is for sure), set the a/c to a comfortable temperature, and allowed the silence of an empty house to set the tone. mellow tunes are usually right up my alley, but after the week's busy hustle and bustle, i was craving complete peace and quiet. 

there are numerous diy hair masks that call for taking a bit of this and mixing it with a bit of that. i chose the simplest of ingredients. choose what suits your hair and your mood.

my hair tends to be dry at the ends and greasy near my scalp. the second is especially true after a few days without a washing. for this reason, i decided to treat my scalp and ends separately. i worked with the following two ingredients.

• baking soda - aids in removing oil and build-up from styling products
• coconut oil (at its liquid state) - its high fatty acid content nourishes and hydrates hair, as well as adds shine and softness

everyone has their own process. here is mine . . .

diy spa day - hair care

1. werk with whatcha got:
good golly all mighty do i have a mess of hair! hidden from view are the snarly tangles and rat nests. 

2. smooth dem locks:
before doing anything to my hair, i like to start with a smooth, brushed coif.

3. gather your ingredients:
i mixed a few tablespoons of baking soda with just enough water until it became a paste. you'll want to give it a good stir to ensure every last bit of baking soda is saturated.

the coconut oil was already at its liquid state, so i simply spooned 2 tbs into a small bowl.

4. take it from the top:
to keep things as uncomplicated as possible, i always start with my scalp. using small heaps of the baking soda paste, i slowly worked it through every bit of my noggin. getting the hair at the sides of my head was a bit challenging. the paste began to dry quickly once it hit my hair's natural oils.

5. bring on the moisture:
next, i put my mane into a high pony tail, and starting from the ends, worked the coconut oil through the length of my hair.
confession: the coconut fragrance was 100% intoxicating and had me craving an almond joy by the time i was done. i can't even remember the last time i had or saw an almond joy! funny how smell is so intricately tied to memory.

6. work that updo:
i don't know about you, but i don't want my freshly masked hair floppin' around all oily and such. thank goodness for the bun.
to get the maximum benefits of the mask, it's recommended that you leave it in for at least an hour. i was in no rush, and kept it in for about two hours this time.

7. the waiting game:
not sure what to do while you wait? here's a few things i did for inspiration. ;)

have a snack.

find your zen.

practice flying.
still working on my bakasana.
better than yesterday,
not as good as i'll be tomorrow. :)

8. squeaky clean:
after waiting at least an hour, grab your rubber ducky and get ready to rub-a-dub-dub. you may need to shampoo more than once to get every last bit of the mask (especially the coconut oil) out of your hair.
i even took advantage of my freshly showered skin and applied a face mask. ;)

9. style as you like:
and last step . . . style your soft, freshly hydrated locks. this is the only step i neglected to take a picture of, so we will just pretend that i am not a dummy and that there is a picture below. ;)


***

do you have any diy spa-like ways of pampering yourself?  

peace. love. :)
yay