Nourishing Banana Honey Hair Mask

Recipe #7 in the "10 minute a day - DIY - Because I Deserve it - Spa Week"

We're getting towards the end of the week and it's time to give our hair a bit of a treat.  This mask will deeply condition and nourish your hair, leaving it smooth and shiny from root to tip.

Nourishing Banana Honey Hair Mask

1 Banana

3 Tbsp Honey
5 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Egg

3 Tbsp milk

You'll also need:

2 small bowls (1 microwave safe)
a shower cap/ glad wrap or plastic bag
a bath towel

• Mash the banana until there are no more lumps.
• Warm the honey in the microwave to soften it a little an stir it into the banana with the other ingredients.
• Apply to damp hair starting at the tips and working up to the roots.  Comb through to distribute evenly.
• Put a shower cap on or wrap your hair in the plastic bag or glad wrap
• Put the towel in microwave to warm it up (be careful it doesn't get so hot it will burn!) and wrap it round your head.  The warmth will help your hair absorb more of the nutrients.
• Leave it on for 10 - 20 minutes, then shampoo as normal.  You will probably need to wash you hair twice.  There's no need to condition afterwards, but if you want to that's up to you.
• Smile and admire your silky soft, shiny locks.

Pick Me Up - Peppermint & Lime - Foot Soak

Recipe #6 in the "10 minute a day - DIY - Because I Deserve it - Spa Week"

Well this week has been a lovely but busy one!  But no matter what kind of week it is, there's always a lot of running around with 2 little ones in the house... so what's the perfect Friday night treat for tired feet?  A soak and scrub of course!

There are lots of soak recipes out there, but this is my version:

Pick me up - Peppermint & Lime - Foot Soak

1 cups of Epsom salts

1/4 cup baking soda

Zest of one lime (or lime juice)

1-2 bags Peppermint Green tea (or other green tea you have in the cupboard)

A bowl large enough to fit both feet

A towel to dry them

A good book, your TV remote or favourite chill out music

• Combine all ingredients in the bowl fill with enough water to cover your feet.
• Pop your feet in and enjoy the warm tingling (that's the Epsom Salts at work!)
• Soak for as long as you want, 15mins - 20mins is great!  Top up with more warm water when it cools down.
• Feel free to use up your leftover "Citrus by the Seaside Body Scrub" to give your feet a bit of a polish afterwards and wash off before rubbing in the remaining oil and drying off with the towel.
• Follow with your favourite moisturiser

What a way to finish off your busy week and start a wonderful weekend!

Softening Hand Soak

Recipe #5 in the "10 minute a day - DIY - Because I deserve it - Spa Week"


Softening Hand Soak
1C milk powder (or 3C whole milk)
1C Oats (ground in a blender)
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Sweet almond oil (or olive oil)
1 Tbsp Green or Fruit tea (to add antioxidants and yummy scent)
Enough warm water to cover your hand(s)


You'll also need:
a bowl large enough to soak one or both of your hands
a towel to dry them
your favourite book, or TV show or music ready to go.

• Get everything ready - ie cushions on the couch, TV or music on and book open to the right page.
• Combine all ingredients in the bowl and place your hand(s) in up to your wrists.
• If you are planning on reading or changing channels soak one hand at a time.
• Soak your hands for 10 - 15minutes, if you want you can use the oats to gently scrub away any dry patches.
• Then pat them dry with the towel and run in any remaining oil.
• Follow with your favourite hand cream.
• Admire your soft smooth hands and all the important work that they do :)

Feed your Face Fruit Masks

Recipes # 3 & 4 in the "10 minute a day - DIY - Because I deserve it - Spa Week"

So this time I thought I'd put together a choice of 2 fruity masks.  Fruit and veges, as we know, are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other healthy bits and pieces. They're great to eat, but also great for our skin.  We often forget that our skin is an organ and drinks up everything we put on it... so what better way to feed it than with delicious fruit mask??

I've made a choice of 2 so you can choose one that is right for your skin type.  Bananas are full of Vitamin A and Potassium and can be mashed and used as a face mask all on their own.  It'll leave your face feeling soft and moisturised and can help heal blemishes.  Strawberries are rich in Vitamin C (great for acne prone skin!), antioxidants and alpha-hydroxy acid - heard of an AHA or acid skin peel?  Yup - that's the key ingredient right there!

As for the other ingredients:

Yoghurt is soothing, toning and reduces pore size
Honey is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin and keeps it there!
Lemon juice helps with exfolitation and reducing pore size.
Oats are soothing and nourishing, calming irritation and helping heal eczema and acne breakouts.

 I've gathered these recipes from a few places including:  Our Best Bites and Inhabitat and you can find more great recipes there. But here are my choices (slightly tweaked):

Soothing & Moisturising Banana Mask

½ Banana

1 Tbsp Oats (best ground in a blender)

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp yoghurt

 Cleansing & Nourishing Strawberry Mask

1/4 C roughly chopped strawberries

1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp yoghurt

1 Tbsp honey
3 tsp cornflour

Tightening & Brightening Strawberry Mask

This one is great for oily or acne prone skin!

1/4 C roughly chopped strawberries
1 tsp lemon juice
 3 Tbsp corn starch

• Mash fruit well and stir in the other ingredients,  you want to make it thick enough that it won't all end up on your collar!  If it's a bit thick, add some lemon juice, or add cornflour if it's too thin.
• Smooth over your face, avoiding the eye area, and leave to dry - 15 to 20 minutes is best.
• While you're waiting, why not make a yummy smoothie to feed your insides as well - if you have some of the mask left over and don't plan to keep it for another time, you can throw that in too!
• Wash off with a soft face washer and then top with your favourite moisturiser.
• Smile and admire your soft, smooth, bright skin :)

I hope you'll love these as much as I do!  Let me know below!

"Citrus by the Seaside Body Scrub"

Recipe #2 in the "10 minute a day - DIY - because I deserve it - Spa Week"


Otherwise known as heaven in a bottle!  Refreshing, energising and most importantly skin smoothing!

There are quite a few different citrus scrubs out there, but this is my version.

 In the past I've made a scrub with coconut oil and citrus essential oils, which was solid in the jar but melted on the skin, which was nice.  This one is more like a salt slushy and looks gorgeous and lemon-y.  I also like that this one uses kitchen cupboard essentials and is easy to put together, so you can whip it up whenever you need it.

A lot of the recipes out there use olive oil or sweet almond oil, which are both wonderful for you skin, but I've chosen rice bran oil, because it is rich in fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins B & E, which help increase the skins elasticity and keep it hydrated and soft.  It's great for sensitive or mature skin. (And also for cooking, which is why I had it on hand!)  If you don't have any in your cupboard olive oil or almond oil will also make a beautiful scrub.

For the salt, I used a mixture of coarse and fine sea salt.  The coarse salt looks great, but I find that the fine salt does a better job of polishing your skin... you can choose whichever you'd prefer :)


"Citrus by the Seaside Body Scrub"

1/2 C Sea salt
1/4 C Rice bran oil
1 lemon
1 orange
A pretty jar or small bowl

Combine the sea salt and oil in a small bowl.
Use a fine grater to take the zest off both the lemon and orange and add them to the salt mixture.
Squeeze the juice of the lemon and half the orange into the salt mixture - be careful to catch any pips! Squeeze the juice from the other half of the orange into a glass and drink it - Yum!
Give the mixture a good stir and add more salt or oil until your desired slushy-ness is reached

In the shower (or bath!) after washing yourself scoop some out of the bowl and gently rub it over your skin in a circular motion - you can also use a wash cloth for this :)
Breathe in the yummy citrus aroma!
Wash off all the salt and rub the leftover oil into your skin
Finish your shower and pat your soft, smooth skin dry.
Smile and thank yourself for making the effort to show you care ;) 

You can also keep a jar at your sink - I've just used it on my hands and  they feel wonderful - they were so dry before, but now they're smooth and soft!

I hope you like this scrub as much as I do!  Let me know what you think, below!

Cloth Nappies Explained

New to Cloth Nappies and completely overwhelmed?  I was too!  

The world of cloth nappies can be such a minefield - not only learning about the different types and how they all work, but fabrics, accessories, and caring for it all!  That's why I've decided to compile as much information as possible to help you as you're starting out.  Below is a list of all the topics I'll be covering.  There's already a lot of info on my Store Site Bumpy Buns so a lot of the links will go there to start with, but I'll also be updating and adding to it over the next little while. If I haven't answered your question, leave a comment below and I'll see if I can help you out :)


Getting Started

Why Use Cloth Nappies

Economics of Cloth Nappies - Cloth vs Disposables

Cloth Nappy Anatomy - explaining the different parts of a cloth nappy

Nappy Fabrics

Types of Cloth Nappies

Cloth Nappy-ing Accessories

Which Cloth Nappies For Me? - Choosing a cloth nappy system

Cloth Nappy Reviews

Shopping for Cloth Nappies

Getting Started Checklist


Using Cloth Nappies

Using Cloth Nappies

Laundry Time - Washing Cloth Nappies

Out and about with Cloth Nappies

Cloth Nappies at Night

Cloth Nappies and Daycare

Travelling with Cloth Nappies

Cloth Napies for Dad/grandparents

Avoiding Nappy Rash


Nappy FAQs

Tips & Tricks

Troubleshooting Leaks

Nappy Dictionary

Nappy Directory

I hope this helps you!  If I haven't answered your question, please leave a comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can :)
 

The "Good Morning - Wake me up - Mocha Scrub Mask"

 Recipe #1 in the "10 minute a day - DIY - because I deserve it - Spa Week"

I'm so excited about getting into this Spa Week!  I'm really looking forward to a bit of pampering and love that I don't have to put aside a whole afternoon to do it :)  But lets get into the first recipe...

My favourite thing about a lazy morning is a good coffee with my eggs on toast.  I don't bother making coffee at home most days, but when it's the weekend and I allow myself to take time off from the housework and relax a little, that's when the coffee machine gets turned on and it's delicious aroma fills the air. 

I found this recipe on Beauty Banter and have tweaked it a little.  It's like a bit of weekend heaven in a bowl - smells wonderful and leaves your skin feeling even better.  This time we're not sitting down for a relaxing weekend, but I think we can squeeze it in to our routine.  Here are some options:

• While you're making brekky, whip up this mask as well and let it set while you eat.  Then wash it off in the shower.
• Mix it up while you're making tea and let your family giggle at you while they're eating.
• Or, if you're like me, reward yourself once you've finished doing the dishes, washing the nappies and tidying the toys, and wash it off when you brush your teeth before bed.

 

The "Good Morning - Wake me up - Mocha Scrub Mask"

1 tbsp Ground coffee
1 tbsp Cocoa powder
2 tbsp Whole milk (or almond milk)
1 tsp Olive or almond oil (for oily skin, use lemon juice)
1 tsp Honey (for extra oily or acne prone skin, use lemon juice instead of honey)

Combine the coffee, cocoa and milk and mix to a paste.
Stir through the oil and honey or lemon.
While you're at it, make yourself a nice cuppa, or better still a mocha!
Smooth the scrub mask over clean face and gently scrub.
Leave to dry for 15-20 minutes before washing off with warm water using a soft face washer.
Follow with your favourite moisturiser.

Here are the benefits of the ingredients:

Coffee Beans – Reduce inflammation, redness, and the appearance of under eye circles. As an exfoliant, they remove dead skin and “wake up” a tired complexion.
Cocoa Powder – A good source of antioxidants - repairs damage due to environmental pollutants and free radicals. Contains high levels of sulfur (great for fighting acne).
Milk – It is said that Cleopatra bathed in milk to give her skin a healthy glow. Lactic acid exfoliates while natural enzymes help to smooth skin. Amino acids keep skin hydrated.
Lemon Juice – Acts as an exfoliant. Contains natural vitamin C to lighten, tighten and brighten. Great for regulating oil production.
Honey – A natural humectant that locks in moisture.


My 2 yr old daughter was so gorgeous when she saw me with this on - she said "Mummy face dirty" and couldn't stop looking and wanting to touch it.  Then she went over to her box of dolly toys and got a washer out and came up to me "Mummy clean".  Made my day!

I hope your experience of the mask is just as good as mine was - let me know what you think!

Note:  You're welcome to join our Spa Week event so you don't miss any of the recipes!

The "10 minute a day - DIY - because I deserve it - Spa Week"

Its a well known fact that mothers (and fathers!) often spend lots of time and energy helping everyone else, but neglect to look after (let alone pamper!) themselves. But the truth is, we'll do a better job of looking after others, when we're refreshed and well cared for ourselves.

Being kind to ourselves doesn’t have to take hours. I reckon it’s possible to pamper yourself in 10 minutes a day: whip up a face mask while you make breakfast, and then wash it off in the shower!  It will do wonders for your skin, but from my experience it also helps my mood and attitude :)  Don't get me wrong, I love looking after my kids - they are the most beautiful things and make me laugh every day!  But when I've done something a bit special for me, I feel like I've got that little bit more to give... my patience seems to stretch that little bit further... and things seem more manageable... and for me, that's worth doing :) 

I think you'd be surprised at how cheap and easy it is to make up a very effective skin or hair treatment.  A lot of things you find in your fridge and pantry do wonders when used on the outside as well as the inside.  Did you know that avocado, olive oil, banana and even coffee are great for your skin and hair?

So, having said all that, I’d like to propose that we spend a little time each day for a week doing something nice "for me" :)

So, I've done some research, (read: browsed Pinterest!) and come up with some good recipes.

This is the Plan so far:

Monday – Face scrub & mas

Tuesday – Body scru

Wednesday – Moisturising/cleansing fruit mask

Thursday – Hand soak & manicure

Friday – Foot soak & scrub

Saturday – Hair Mask

Sunday – Bath soak + mask (face & hair?)

And here is the Ingredient List, so you can get ready!

Ground coffee beans (you can grind your own or buy pre-ground)
Cocoa powder
Whole milk (or substitute with milk powder & water or almond milk)
Vegetable oil (olive, almond or rice bran are all good)
Honey

1 Lemon (for zest)
1 Orange (for zest)

1 Lime (for zest)

Lemon Juice (for oily skin)

1 Banana (2 for dry skin or 1 banana + Strawberries for oily skin)

2 Eggs
Oatmeal
Corn flour (corn starch)
Tea leaves (Green tea & peppermint or other fruit or herbal tea you have on hand)

Epsom Salts

Baking Soda

Sea salt

Notes: organic is obviously better, but not essential – the idea is to be able to use what you have in your cupboard to make it easier and save money.

You’ll also need:

A small microwave safe bowl

Towels – bath towel & tea towel

A shower cap / plastic bag / glad wrap

A tub / bucket big enough to soak your hands and feet in (not at the same time ;))

And now, we're all set to go for our "10 minute a day - DIY - Because I deserve it - Spa Week"!
(Recipes to come :))