Beauty

Calling all who have dry hair! BECAUSE I have the best DIY treatment for your hair!

In junior high and high school, I was on the swim team and that meant that my hair was always dry due to the chlorine. I would buy those little plastic packs of hot oil treatments at the drugstore…I’m honestly not sure what they’re called but I doubt they’re ‘clean’, as in no shitty chemicals.

It had been YEARS since I’d done a hot oil treatment on my hair, and one day I had the bright idea to give it a go myself. I did a bunch of research on the best kind of oil to use for an at-home hot oil treatment, and coconut oil was the winner because it can penetrate the hair shaft.

Let’s get into the sciency part a bit:

All fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The first is based on saturation which many of you have probably heard of. You have saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.

Another system of classification is based on molecular size or length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. Fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. In this system you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).

The main fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid. In fact it’s about 44-52% lauric acid. What’s so special about this fatty acid? It has an affinity for hair proteins. This means that lauric acid LOVES, LOVES, LOVES hair protein. It has a low molecular weight and straight chained structure. This means that it can penetrate INTO the hair shaft. {source}

Let’s get into the benefits of using a coconut oil treatment:

1- It penetrates your hair’s shaft, in addition to sealing the surface: most oils seal the surface, but fail to moisturize your hair’s shaft. Coconut oil has low molecular weight that nourishes your hair from within (as seen above).

2- It softens dry hair: a little coconut oil is used as “silicone” to soften and remove the frizz without weighing it down.

3- It seals scales: coconut oil covers your hair with a protective layer that fights static.

4- It increases shine due to the large amount of fatty acids, it rebuilds and strengthens your hair to help fight damage caused by external agents.

5- It improves hair growth and the secret is to use it every week. Apply coconut oil by massaging it into you scalp and leave it on for about half an hour.

6- It is good for all hair types. It hydrates and nourishes dry and chemically treated hair, and also regulates your hair’s oil and pH.

8- It is antibacterial and antifungal, which means that it helps treat dandruff and seborrhea.

9- It is rich in essential nutrients for healthy growth such as vitamins E, K and iron.

10- It is easy to find in stores and is affordable.

{source}

Here’s my step-by-step process:

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Okay, this is going to get kind of gross but stay with me because this is just so important. TONGUE SCRAPING. You need to be doing it because it’s just as important as brushing your teeth.

I first heard about tongue scraping a couple of years ago from Sahara Rose – LOVE her podcast. It’s a must listen if you haven’t tuned in yet.

Anyway, if you’ve experienced bad breath or have seen a white cast on your tongue, it’s from toxins that are sitting in your mouth. Yes, you can (and should) brush your teeth, but scraping those toxins off of your tongue is so important for your health (and for the sake of whoever you’re in close quarters with). And not with a toothbrush – I’m saying this because I used to brush my tongue with a toothbrush. Not gonna cut it, sorry.

If we let the toxins sit in our mouths without removing them, they get reabsorbed by the body and can cause digestive issues, a weak immune system and a host of other imbalances. {source}.

♡ Benefits of tongue scraping:

♡ Enhanced taste buds

♡ Improved digestion

♡ Increased immunity

♡ Improved dental health

♡ Less gum infections and recessions

♡ Enhanced salvia production to break down foods

Now that we have the why and the benefits covered, let’s talk about what kind of tongue scraper to use. Backing up for a sec: I used to use a stainless steel scraper, but switched to copper simply because it’s an Ayurvedic classic. Copper has been used for medicinal practices back to the 5th and 6th millennia B.C. The Egyptians used copper for their water pipes because water stored in copper gave health benefits for those who drank the water. Copper is also antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal, making it used for everything from IUD’s to tongue scrapers. HERE is the one that I use and love.

How to use a tongue scraper:

  1. Use it first thing in the morning – I try to use mine before I even have a sip of water or coffee in the AM because I don’t want to be downing toxins.
  2. Take the scraper as far back on your tongue as possible, without gagging and use gentle pressure to scrape the surface of your tongue.
  3. Rinse the scraper with warm water – you will see white stuff on it. Keep repeating the process until your tongue is clean. At first, you might need to repeat 5-10 times.

So, do you tongue scrape?

Real Sh*t

It’s been a minute since I’ve shared wedding content, so herrre we go again!

I wanted to talk dresses with you because I feel like the dress is one of the most important aspects of a wedding. I mean…I could have worn several different dresses if I had the time to change my look and the budget. For my wedding in Kauai, I knew I wanted something modern, classic, and a little sexy. Not too try-hard bride. Ya know what I mean? I knew which dress I wanted before I even tried it on. It was a one and done type of deal. HOWEVER, even after I bought my dress, I still longingly looked at these gorgeous lacy, sparkly gowns. I don’t regret my decision AT ALL, but I just appreciate a lot of other looks. I was lucky enough to have found my dress on a second-hand site and I had a seamless experience, but I normally probably would not recommend that route because I’ve heard some horror stories.

And that’s where Kinsley James Bridal comes in. If you haven’t heard of Kinsley James and you’re a bride in California, you MUST pay them a visit.

As experienced wedding coordinators in the Bay Area and recently married themselves, the owners Dawn and Amber saw the need for a couture bridal salon in the East Bay Area.  During their engagement and specifically their search for their wedding dresses, they had to travel to San Francisco, down south and even to other states to try on some of their favorite designers.  So they opened up Kinsley James to serve brides in Walnut Creek, CA and in Los Angeles, CA. Their goal is to bring you the couture and style a bride needs.  They travel to bridal fashion week in New York twice a year to hand select well known, unique designers and dresses to represent Kinsley James.  They have personal working relationships with their designers and they partner with them to find the perfect dress for you!  

Their shops are just so chic and the KJ Girls just GET IT. So I am SO excited to have partnered with Kinsley James to bring you this blog post on how to choose your wedding dress.

Let’s get into it…

But first, know that there are no rules. These are just things that helped me decide on my dress.

1.} Don’t go with the trends

And by this, I mean don’t just wear a wedding dress because everyone else is. Do you. If you’re loving a mermaid moment, wear a fitted gown that flares out, for example. Who cares what is ‘in’?! Going this route probably means that you will be satisfied with your choice years after your wedding.

This is the Gala gown by Galia Lahav. It’s a mermaid dress with a deep plunging v-neckline made of fully embroidered lace.

2.} Consider your venue

First things first, if you want to wear a ballgown to your beach wedding, DO IT. There’s nothing worse than following rules when it comes to dressing for your wedding. But do consider the location and decide what you think would look best given the setting and the vibe. Whether it’s being a princess on the beach with an all-out glam dress and decor to match or a classic and simple dress to your ballroom wedding, do what makes you feel like your best self. It’s so fun to tie your dress in to the whole vibe and theme of your wedding, so if it’s a juxtaposition like a ball gown on the beach, maybe incorporate glam details here and there into your decor. Get what I mean?

This is the Gia gown by Galia Lahav. It’s a sheer strapless corset dress in shades of nude and blush, with a pleated silk tulle skirt adorned by beaded and crystal encrusted dramatic appliques.

3.} Let your body shape lead the way

If you don’t know where to start, I would start here and just begin trying on all kinds of different styles and shapes. You’ll know pretty quickly what you think looks best. If you’re looking to flaunt the girls, try a low-cut dress, maybe with a plunging neckline, if you want to show off your ass, a mermaid style dress is the perfect option. If you want to just enjoy food and let things hang, try an A-line dress. There are SO many options.

This is the Phillips gown by Tara LaTour.

If you have the chance to visit Kinsley James, you will be amazed at their talents. When I went in to pick out a few dresses to photograph, Alexia at KJ Walnut Creek got my style instantly. She pulled a bunch of dresses and I liked them ALL. It was a hard choice to even pick 3 that were the winners.

If you’re a current or past bride, what style are you wearing/did you wear?

xo,

Lynn

This post is in partnership with Kinsley James Bridal. All opinions are my own.

Beauty

The vibe for my wedding makeup was natural-ish with a BIG focus on the skin. Like, lots of highlighting, contouring, bronzing, and shimmer pops going on. I wore very little eyeshadow and a very simple lip. Why so NATURAL? Well, I’m not really a ‘natural’ kind of person in a lot of ways, but I like for my skin to look its very best…and that means no cake face. Plus I am personally not a huge fan of a lot of eyeshadow in my everyday life, so I did my wedding makeup based off what I look like everyday. I just added some pops of glam, like subtle shimmer on the lids, bold lashes, and accentuated my eyes with contouring.

Get the deets:

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Double cleansing is such a THING right now, and before I knew what it meant, I thought…okay? Big deal. Not really. It honestly sounded like a big waste of products.

What it actually means is that you’re using two different types of cleansers to properly remove impurities and cleanse your skin. The term is a Korean skincare term – not at all surprised by this – and it means that you’re using an oil based cleanser and a water based cleanser.

Ok, so why the f would you double cleanse your face? And why use an oil if you already have oily or acne prone skin? Because oil is a lot more effective than any water based product to lift away sebum, sunscreen, and makeup. So cleansing with oil actually helps to PREVENT you from breaking out.

I always use an oil based cleanser first, and then follow it up with a water based cleanser.

Following the oil cleanse with a water based cleanser allows the surfactants (cleansing agents) to more penetrate the layers of skin a lot easier had you not used oil. This is because you have cleared away the oil barrier that otherwise would prevent this from happening. Water based cleansers get rid of water based impurities such as sweat and environmental pollutants.

I’ve tried and tested what feels like a 8 million cleansers, oils, and balms by now, but these are my top 4…

OIL BASED CLEANSERS

1.} Farmacy Green Clean: Omggg this stuff is seriously the best makeup remover of all time. You need it now, regardless of your skin type. And yes, it can absolutely be used if you did not wear makeup today. If you wore sunscreen and other oils on your face, please use this before using a water based cleanser. The consistency is so luxe and it makes removing makeup and other impurities on your face just SO easy. I use a damp white washcloth and there is no pulling involved at all.

2.} BOSCIA Makeup Breakup Cleanser: I used this stuff for a good 6 years and I can’t really remember why I stopped, but it is damn good at removing your makeup. If you’re looking for something that comes in a pump bottle (vs. the Green Clean that comes in a tub), this is your product. It’s really just effortless to use and you’ll have zero excuses to be lazy when it comes to makeup removal.

WATER BASED CLEANSERS

1.} Acure Brightening Cleansing Gel: Acure is KILLING IT with their skincare products. Pretty soon I think my entire skincare routine will be filled with Acure products. This cleanser is fabulous for keeping your skin feeling fresh. Plus it’s so inexpensive…yet it WORKS, as do all of the other Acure products I have used.

2.} Saturday Skin Rise + Shine Purifying Cleanser: Not only is the packaging so fun and Instagrammy (you know I live for some beautiful packaging), but the product is just as good. Saturday Skin’s cleanser contains apple and peach extracts whisk away impurities without stripping the skin for a fresh, revitalized complexion.

xo,

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