Gel Nails Tutorial~!

Why go to a nail salon when you can do that ish at home?! I mean like, seriously, why go to a place filled with fumes of acetone where the stylists does a lousy job while talking shit about you in her native language?

IDK about you, but I much rather be at home in my Spongebob PJs, feet up, sipping tea, watching Pretty Little Liars as I do my nails myself!

Let me show you how to do your nails like a pro!

What you will need:UV Nail Dryer
Nail file
Nail buffer
Cotton Balls
Primer
 Gel Base Coat
Gel Nail polish
Gel Top Coat
Alcohol

Step one: File your nails down to your desired shape.

Step two: Buff your nails not to much tho, we just want a slightly textured surface so the polish will stick!

Step three: Take your favorite primer and prime your nails, one thin coat will suffice.

Step four:   Now take the gel base coat and apply one generous coat. Make sure to even it out so it isn't to (c)lumpy. Wait for it to dry a bit.

Step five: Press the automatic timer button and stick your hand under the UV dryer. When the light goes off, you may take your hand out. Should only take about 45 seconds to a minute. MY UV nail dryer is by Nailene, and can range from $45-60 dollars. You can purchase it on amazon! :)

Step six: Apply your gel color coat in one coat, and wait a bit for it to dry.

Step seven: Stick your hand under the timed UV.

Step eight: Apply another coat of the gel polish, wait for it to dry again.

Step nine: Stick your hand under the timed UV.

Step ten: Apply your gel top coat. A thin coat will do. Wait for it to dry a bit.
Step eleven: Stick yo hannnnd under that UV light.

natural light

flash

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! PROFESSIONAL NAILS THAT'LL LAST YOU 2 WEEKS OR MORE!

 SAVE TIME AND MONEY AND DO YOUR OWN GEL NAILS AT HOOOOOME!

How to Make Whipped Shea Butter - The Simple Way

You simply can not have natural hair and have never heard of shea butter. Sorrynotsorry, but no. It is not possible. Weather you use it in your regimen or not, you know what this yellow stuff is. I know you do!

I'm sure 'whipped shea butter' tutorials have been done and made probably 622 times, but I promise you that my tutorial is nothing but simple, only four easy steps to follow. My tutorial does not involve every oil that you can possibly find in your pantry! (though, if that's what you want, go for it). All you really need is two main ingredients. 

I will be using 100% natural shea butter and my oil of choice is coconut oil. You can substitute for any oil you'd like. In the past I've used olive oil and sometimes argon oil. I stick with the coco'o' (haha) because it's very light. Shea butter is already thick and sticky, olive oil and other heavier counter parts just make my hair feel weighed down. And you don't want that! You want airy, light, bouncy locks! Oh, and please, use 100% natural shea butter...please! So here we go:

Step One: You will need a large bowl. Fill your bowl half way with shea butter.

• Step Two: To soften it up, and to get it ready for whipping, microwave your shea butter for 20-30 seconds. It's okay if it's not entirely melted.
• Step Three: Add your oil of choice. About 4 table spoons will do.

After that, it's time to get whipping...or blending if you don't have a beater (is that what their called? idk).

Step Four: Put your machine settings on the highest possible, and whip for 5 minutes. The more air, the better.

Voila, the final product! It should look creamy and it should feel creamy. It will not remain like this: do not be alarmed. It will solidify, but when you rub it between your fingers, it'll melt back to that desired consistency. It'll also darken a little bit.

I looooooooooooooooooove shea butter. It has been my staple product for me for the last 1.5 years. I promise you, I have not spent any money on natural hair products AT ALL. I do not buy moisturizers, leave ins, sealents, none of that. I use shea butter for ev-ry-thing. OH! You can find natural shea butter online or your local asian beauty supply. :)

AND look what it does to my hair!

On the left you see my hair dry, limp...not cute looking. Add water and shea butter then BOOM! Curls instantly be popping. In other words, it's great for defining those curls in hiding. ^_^;

Hope this helped. :D

Green Tea Rinse

So I did this green tea rinse a little bit ago. My house is swimming in tea, so y'know, I thought: why not?

What does green tea do to your hair exactly? "Apparently, the tannins in caffeinated tea help thicken the hair shaft and make hair appear fuller. Also tea is a natural astringent, which means that it penetrates the pores of the scalp and dissolve excess sebum (oil produced by the glands).

Tighter pores, means the skin is better protected from excess oil and dirt. Believe it or not, excess oil and dirt are what actually make your scalp flake off. It’s kind of your scalp’s emergency response to not being able to breathe. So tea rinses can keep you from “shedding” both your scalp and your hair, making them more resilient. The combo of tighter pores and thicker hair means your scalp is holding onto the hair better, and more resilient hair means it won’t snap as easily. This causes less hair to be pulled out, or break off when detangling. Tea rinses benefit all hair types." (Savvy Brown)

The Recipe:

4 Tea bags

5 cups of water

The Directions: 

Boil your 5 cups of water

then steep and brew your teabags for an hour

and let it chill in the fridge

it smelled so good~! I just wanted to dunk my head in it and sip away.

Now, continue on with your regular washing regimen.

(For me, I washed my hair with Aussie Moist Shampoo, then conditioned it with the same brand. I left the conditioned on for about 10 minutes maybe. Then proceeded to detangle.)

Then you dip a cup into the bowl of chilled tea and pour it over your hair. Beware: It will be cold. It was so cold, I screamed.

Cold is good though, it shocks the hair cuticle closed which prevents moisture from escaping. :)

After you drench your hair with tea, put a plastic bag over it and wait for a minimum of 15 minutes.

and then yeah, wash it out.

I didn't see any immediate results. My hair still has as much breakage as it did before. Perhaps because I only did it once? The only benefit for me was that my scalp felt so refreshed and cleansed.

Will I do it again in the future?

Sure. It's not costly, doesn't take long and my hair smelt great.