What's the SPF of Your Favorite Oils and Butters? Plus Recipe

Image via babble.com

Considering the weather conditions around the country, this post may be a little too optimistic for most, but I figure it will give us enough time to be prepared for the upcoming warm weather or learn that we should start applying sunscreen now! Besides, the American Melanoma Founfation suggests that people wear sunscreen of at least (sun protection factor) SPF 15 every day if you are exposed to more than 20 minutes of sunshine a day. That would be most of us, since the commute to and from work usually includes some sun and plenty of time... Anyway, SPF is, as I wrote above the sun protection factor of the product, and the number attached means how much more time one can spend in the sun with the product as opposed to wearing nothing at all. So if you have on a product with SPF 2, you can stay in the sun twice as long with the product as you could/should have without the product. For more information on SPF, sunscreens, UVA and UVB exposure please go to http://www.melanomafoundation.org/prevention/facts.htm. 

You know that most of the recipes for skin and beauty products are based on the belief that the products, oils, gels and butters that are purchased to make hair products can be used to make other natural health and beauty aids. In this instance, upon doing some research, I've also learned that traditional sunscreens can also be harmful to our health because they often block the vital Vitamin D from being absorbed into our skin. Vitamin D is important in that its presence assists in the prevention of certain cancers. 

I got a little off topic, but I've included some of the most popular oils and butters below, then shared some of the real SPF powerhouses, so you can work them into your hair and skin routines, or use them as part of the sunscreen recipe I've included below.

Coconut Oil:  SPF 2-8

Olive Oil:  SPF 2-8

Shea butter:  SPF 3-6

Jojoba Oil:  SPF 4

Sweet almond Oil:  SPF 5

Avocado Oil:  SPF 4-15

Powerhouses of Natural SPF!

Carrot Seed Oil: SPF 38-40

Raspberry Seed Oil: SPF 28-50

Wheatgerm Oil: SPF 20

Source - livelovefruit.com

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Powerhouse Sunscreen - as an oil or a body butter

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup shea butter (optional)

1/4 cup aloe vera gel (optional)

1/8 cup sesame or jojoba oil

2 tbsp. beeswax granules (optional)

1 tsp. red raspberry seed oil

20-30 drops carrot seed essential oil

Essential oils of your choice (but don't use citrus because it may cause a bad reaction when exposed to the sun)

Instructions for body butter

1. Using a double boiler (or your microwave), melt your coconut oil, sesame or jojoba oil, beeswax, and shea butter together. The beeswax will be the last to melt.

2. When the beeswax is melted, remove the mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. Move the mixture to the fridge for 15-30 minutes. You want it to start to set up, but still be soft enough to whip.

4. Take the mixture out of the fridge and using a stand mixer or hand mixer, start to whip it. Drizzle in the red raspberry seed oil, the carrot seed oil, and any essential oils of your choice, and continue whipping until the mixture is light and fluffy.

6. Use as you would any regular sunscreen. Application rates will depend on your activity and exposure to water. Store in a glass container in the fridge between uses.

As an oil (do not use shea butter or beeswax)

1. Simply whip together all ingredients. Note that in warmer weather, this mix will likely liquefy. 

Recipe modified from healthimpactnews.com

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Unknown beauty, DIY, essential oils, Oils, recipe, skin

Hair Inspiration - Flexirod Set by Aevin Dugas

 

I love drop curls whether you use flexirods, rollers or curl formers. I just  rarely think to do them because in my head they take a long time and I don't think they hold on loose natural hair (but I did feature them as a style in my book, One Hairstyle, Thirty-one Ways available on Amazon.com)...and the photo above proves me at least 1/2 wrong. And I need to remember that in my past attempts I did not try to set the hair with anything but water, and I think it needed more holding power than that - especially if done without heat.

I came across this photo of Ms. Aevin Dugas, Guiness Book of Records record holder for the world's largest Afro, saw that world of curls and am inspired to throw some rollers in my hair and see what happens. I know that I will likely end up with a curly puff, and not a whole head of flexirods.

I'll start with the steps I believe she used to create her look:

1. Dampen hair lightly with a leave-in conditioner and oil of your choice.

2. Section the hair into fairly small sections as you go - probably ending up with between 20 - 30 rollers (depending on the length and thickness of your hair).

3. For each section of lightly dampened hair, coat the strands with a gel or thick cream of your choice.

4. Roll each section of hair from root to tip in an upward motion - attempting to get continuous movement of the hair, so the layers of hair don't overlap on the rod.

5. Let the hair set until dry, or speed the process along by sitting under a dryer.

6. Dampen hands with oil to release the rods.

7. Remove the rods in the opposite direction from the way they were installed in order to maintain the curl. 

8. Gently split the curls until they reach the desired fullness. 

 

Remember you can do this style on loose natural hair, twists, locs, or braids. Try it out let me know how you like it, and if the steps are clear. And please check back to see my interpretation of the style.

 

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Unknown beauty, bighairdon'tcare, hairstyle, newdaynewdo

Castor Oil for Eyebrows - My Own Personal Challenge...

My eyebrows at their struggly thinnest.

In an earlier post about Castor Oil (In This Corner: Jamaican Black vs. Cold Pressed Castor Oil) I mentioned some of the ways that Castor Oil can be used for hair growth and gave a recipe for a treatment that should significantly improve issue with thinning over the course of 6-8 weeks. I also shared a story about Castor Oil and its ability to grow hair in the aptly titiled post, Castor Oil Really Does Regrow Hair, and now I'm going to test it out on myself.



6th Grade



I'm trying to regrow my eyebrows because I have an affliction that some of us that are 30+ suffer - the skinny brow...A little back story. When I was younger my eyebrows were much, much thicker than they are now. (See above) I thought that they were fine and didn't think about them much until I went to college. There I started tweezing them a little bit so emphasize their arch, and to make myself feel like I was in style. At the time though, the style was really thin eyebrows. I didn't make the full commitment, but I did make my eyebrows thinner. To tell the truth though, it didn't matter much because I had a bang that went just past my eyebrows anyway. A little later, I got hit by a car and I had some facial scarring. One of those scars ended up going through my left eyebrow, and it created a gash. I couldn't take it, so I made my eyebrows thin enough so you couldn't see the effects of the scar. I then had stylishly thin eyebrows.

Now times have changed, and the thick eyebrow is the look du'jour. I spend a little time almost every day trying to pretend my eyebrows are thicker than they actually are - I use a brow pencil, mascara, or dark eyeliner and a brush (sometimes just one method, sometimes two or all three) to make my eyebrows more in the current style. I don't want to - it adds time to my mornings, and I'd like to guaranty that if I touch my face, that my eyebrows won't come off on my hands.

Goal

So although it may not be possible to return to my former full-figured eyebrows, I would like to make them a little thicker than they are now. More like the Lauryn Hill brows that I've shown in this post. To that end, I'm using:

a cotton swab

a mix of 3:1, Castor to Coconut Oil mix

I'll apply same every night before I go to sleep, and I'll let you know how it goes over the next month or two.

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Unknown beauty, DIY, maintenance, recipe