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Summer hair savior….Honey silk and shine.

DSC03084In the summer, hair can easily turn to straw. Too much sun, wind, and surf can wreak havoc on otherwise happy, healthy strands.

By mid-July, curls tend to turn dull and lose their bounce and luster, while straight hair hangs limp and parched and feels like hay. Sad summer hair (and skin!) let me introduce you to Raw Organic Honey.

Yes, that’s right. Along with coconut oil, it is time to make honey a hair and skin staple. Since discovering both of these magical ingredients that I use constantly in my beauty regimen and my daily diet, I have started buying them in large quantities…If you are interested, stock up! Here is  a 15 lb. pail of Raw Organic Honey and 1 gallon of coconut oil. These will save you money over time, and last you at least a year, maybe 2.

So the other day, I took myself out to dinner and drinks and I brought along a book that I was excited to read called Better Than Good Hair: The Curly Girl Guide to Healthy, Gorgeous Natural Hair
A book by natural hair and beauty blogger Curly Nikki. I got this book free when I ordered my Q-Redew, and hadn’t had a chance to dive in.

As I ate my burger and fries and sipped my dark and hopp-y beer, I giggled out loud and felt genuinely tickled by the informative and positive guide to natural hair. It was so smartly written by a naturally curly psychologist and a slew of her best natural-haired girlfriends. Her hair and beauty views are so very aligned with my own beliefs, I felt like I had made a new hair BFF.

Near the middle of the book, Nikki lists her 5 organic products all ‘curlfriends’ should have in there collection…..

1. Shea Butter. got it. Done and done. Love this stuff.

2. Aloe vera. Great for protecting against heat damage, detangling, and adding shine.

3. Jojoba extract. A great all purpose moisturizing oil for the hair and body.

4. Extra virgin olive oil. A sealing and softening emollient.

5. Honey. A moisturizing humectant. A naturally curly girls dream. Yep.

I just so happened to have a jar of old honey in my cabinet. It is so old that it has become partially solid and grainy like this.IMG_3151

The thought of putting this stuff in my hair seemed very messy and unappealing. So, I decided to start by using it on my face to see if I could see any visible difference. If I liked what it did to my skin, I would feel better about putting this deliciously sticky stuff in my hair.

So, I smeared it on my face. It felt…….Sticky and weirdly warm.IMG_3172 It was smooth and rough at the same time. I liked the grainy-ness of it because it felt like it would do a bit of exfoliating. I let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinsed it with warm water.

I shit you not, my skin looked and felt better than it has in years.

So over the next couple weeks, I took a journey of honey-hair experimentation. Today, I am going to share with you my favorite ways to use honey in the hair.

I will first say that I am utterly impressed with the effectiveness of honey as a moisturizer on the hair and skin. I have yet to find a product that adds as much silkyness and reflective shine as honey does. This shit is for real.

Honey Silk and Shine

For this project you will need………DSC03020

    • A small spray bottle
    • A small jar
    • a funnel
    • a spoon
    • a glass
    • Organic honey
    • Organic coconut oil

This first product is a very simple honey hairspray that gives the hair shine and body and a bit of grip and texture. It is a perfect product to add to your shamphree routine. I use it on my dry hair when it feels flat and dull and fly-away. It is genius for using as a pre-styler with DIY hairstyles because of the bit of grip that it gives.

Because of its humectant properties, it is wonderful for curls. If I had naturally curly hair, I would spray it on my dry curls to add bounce, softness, and shine. I would use it with a Q-Redew
for curl perfection.

Added perk……You can spray it on your face for a skin plumping moisture boost. It will give you that instant dewy look.

I made this hairspray by mixing a tablespoon of honey with 8 ounces of hot water. You can add an optional scent to it, I recommend vanilla. Yummers. Make sure to keep this one in the fridge after you mix it up to keep it fresh.

honey

I put the honey into the funnel, and poured hot water over it till it melted into the spray bottle. You will want to keep yours in the fridge, and shake before using.

Try it!

 

The next product is a deep penetrating honey-coconut hair mask. It gives a mega-boost of moisture to sun-parched ends. It adds incredible softness and shine and rinses clean.

For those of you who don’t get as much conditioner-like slip and detangling from just coconut oil, This mask is your best friend. I use it as my weekly conditioning treatment…..I apply it generously to my dry ends and let it sit for an hour or so before shamphree-ing it out with nice hot water, and a cold rinse at the end. Happy hair heaven. And like the spray, it can be used on the skin as a soothing deep moisture mask. Bye bye fine lines!

coHere is how to make the coconut-honey masque…….First put a tablespoon of honey in your jar. Then, I heat your coconut oil so that it is easily spoon-able. You can double-boil it or set the jar directly on cast iron set on low for a couple minutes. Pour or spoon in  3 tablespoons of coconut oil. Let them sit and cool for an hour.

Then use the end of a spoon to stir them together. If they are not blending well, let them cool a bit longer and then mix them together. Keep your conditioner stored in the fridge. You will need about a tablespoon per use so your jar should last at least a month.

As I said, I am currently using and loving the Honey Coconut masque as my weekly deep conditioner, and Honey soft spray anytime I need a little boost of shiny, pretty, soft,full and bouncy OR when I plan on wearing a DIY hairstyle that needs a bit of extra grip to keep it together.

Yet again, I am blown away by the effectiveness of the simplest beauty practices. Try out these lovely honey based remedies and I promise you will not be disappointed:)

IF you like this post, and want to know more about natural remedies for the hair, check out this post about herbs for hair and beauty, and this post about juicing for your hair.

XOXO, HTHG

 

 

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