DIY Yoga Mat Cleanser

   I work out at home in my carpeted living room typically so I rarely use a yoga mat.   However, I realized that my palms and knees were starting to get carpet burn so I purchased a cheap yoga mat at Tj Maxx.  After a couple of uses it began to smell and feel a bit funky.  I didn't want to spray it down with some general cleanser because I roll all over that thing so I began looking up natural alternatives.  I found a simple recipe and made up my own natural and cheap yoga mat cleanser!

Supplies Needed:
*Empty spray bottle (I used an old Lush bottle I had laying around)
*Water
*White Vinegar
*Tea Tree Oil
*Essential/Scented Oil (optional)

Directions

Step 1: Thoroughly clean out spray bottle
Step 2: Fill 2/3 of the way up with tap water
Step 3: Fill close to 1/3 (leave a little bit for the oil) with the vinegar
Step 4: Add about 7-8 drops of tea tree oil
Step 5: Add a scented or essential oil since the combo of the vinegar and tea tree oil isn't the best scent. I had only one scented oil around which was Pearberry so I added a few drops (add however little or many you want depending on the strength of scent)
Step 6: Shake, Shake, Shake

Voila! You have a super natural and super effective yoga mat cleanser.  After each use spray the mat and wipe down and it'll be nice and fresh for the next sweat session!

The Many Uses of Jojoba Oil

  A few weeks ago I ordered jojoba oil from Vitacost.com.  I ordered it mainly to use as a carrier oil for tea tree oil to use as an acne treatment.  After buying such a decent size though I decided to do some research on the other uses of Jojoba oil.  Here are some of the suggestions I came across:

*Eye and face makeup remover- Apply a few drops to a cotton pad and use to remove face or eye makeup.  Rinse off with water and follow up with your regular cleanser.

*Use as a facial moisturizer- Now this is one that I see a lot of raves about, but also a lot of rants about. People either say this gives you the most smooth and plump skin ever or breaks you out like crazy.  As my skin has been misbehaving lately I'm not going to be trying this.

*Body Moisturizer- Apply right after you get out of bath or shower to lock in moisture.

*Add a few drops to a bath for a moisturizing soak.

*Apply oil to hands or feet, wrap in cellophane and add some socks and gloves for an hour or so for a super luxe treatment.

*Add a few drops to your scalp and gently massage.  Make sure to double shampoo out.

*Use a quarter size drop to apply to damp hair (concentrating on ends) and leave in for 10-15 minutes for a deep conditioning treatment.

*Use as a cuticle oil

*Apply to lips in place of lip balm

*Use a carrier oil for stronger essential oils

*Apply to wet hair prior to swimming to seal hair shaft

*Massage into stretchmarks to use as a lightening treatment

*Apply a teensy tiny amount to dry hair to use as a shine serum



As you can see one super affordable product has TONS of uses!

 Do you use jojoba oil?

Quick Tip Thursday: File Your Clothes

   First, I want to apologize for being such a sucky blogger lately.  I don't know why I haven't been able to get into a groove or to feel inspired lately.  I've been getting myself more organized though and oddly enough the holiday season brings on a surge of creativity for me, so I'm hoping to become more my "blogger" self soon.

   Today's quick tip pertains to organizing your clothes.  I just switched from an armoire to a dresser and I was googling tips on how to organize my drawers.  I came across a post from Apartment Therapy that stated that you should "file" some of your clothes to see everything better.

   I did end up filing my tank tops, tee shirts and long sleeved tee shirts and I love it! I fold the shirts and place them in piles as I would normally and just turn them to the side when putting them in the drawer.  The site also states to do this with jeans, but I couldn't fold them nicely enough to do so.

Fitspiration: The Real Skinny Book Review

    I love heading to my local library to check out the newest health, diet and fitness books.  It's a great way to look into a lot of different nutrition plans and fitness routines without having to pay for the book.
   A few weeks I picked up, The Real Skinny: 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions.

I began reading this book as soon as I got home from the library and I really enjoyed it.  I really liked the formatting of this book.  It was written by stating 101 of the most popular "excuses" against losing weight.  Things like: I'm big boned, Healthy cooking doesn't taste as good, I'm too busy.  After the excuses, the book provides simple (albeit common sense) tips on how to fight those excuses.  

Some of the excuses and tips that I took notes on were:

* I can't live without my diet coke

*I'm always hungry

*Happy Hour is my favorite hour

At the end of the book a nutrition plan was included, along with some really great recipes.  The nutrition plan consists of 1,600 calories a day and:

-6 servings of grains (mainly whole grains)

-2 servings of fruit

- at least 4 servings of vegetables

- 2 servings of nonfat or low-fat dairy

- 7 servings of lean protein

-5 servings of healthy fats

A lot of the information in the book was common sense or commonly known if you read any fitness magazines or fitblogs regularly, but it is a good book to have on your bookshelf when you need inspiration.  I can't tell you how many times I've used at least 5-6 of the excuses in the book.  If I never use one of those excuses, I could just flip to that page and get the advice on how to break that excuse.

Any diet books you guys can recommend that are written in more of a "quick tip" format?  I really enjoy those!

Fitspiration Review: The Eat Clean Diet Recharged

   I think everyone's New Year's Resolution is to be a healthier individual.  This year I've actually been able to make that positive change in my life.  For the first time in my life I have an exercise routine that involves working out on most days (I even wake up a half hour earlier to squeeze in a mini morning work out) and have been eating healthier than I ever have.
  Now don't get me wrong, my diet still needs A LOT of help, but I've made significant progress in eating healthier and consuming less calories on a regular basis.  As I started doing research on changing my dietary habits the term "Clean Eating" kept coming up.  After doing some further research on Clean Eating I was introduced to Tosca Reno.
  Tosca Reno is a clean eating activist and author.  She has published quite a few books on the topic and her website is an amazing resource (and free!).
   I purchased one of her books, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged, from Amazon and have read it cover and to cover and refer to it quite frequently.




Here's my review on her book and on her take of the Clean Eating Lifestyle.

-Tosca is all about the eating more frequently trend.  Mini-meals as opposed to the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner is a core principle of Clean Eating.  (My lifestyle at the moment just doesn't cater to this idea)

-Her take on clean eating I find to be very strict.  For instance, I just can't take my coffee black every day and I'm not going to purchase bee pollen to use in my cereals.

-The structured eating plans provided in the back of the book are super helpful.  It gives you a breakdown of the size of meals you should be eating if you are able to follow the mini meal plan.  If you aren't able to, it still is able to give you A LOT of ideas of what a clean eating day looks like.

-There are a lot of helpful tips throughout the book- which foods are important to buy organic, restaurant survival guides, how to incorporate super foods into your everyday diet and how certain foods can help in our physical appearance.

Would I recommend the book?: I wouldn't purchase this book, maybe borrow it from the library.  I've browsed through the cheaper version, The Clean Eating Diet: Just the Rules and I wish that was the book I would've purchased as it's just a condensed version of my book.  If you don't want to read her book I would SERIOUSLY recommend her website.  The site is amazing and has some fabulous recipes.

Would I recommend the clean eating lifestyle?: I have definitely implemented some of the principals of clean eating into my every day life.  I eat a considerable more amount of whole foods (foods from the earth) and make a conscientious effort to look more into what goes into my food.  I just find it super difficult to follow the lifestyle strictly as I love me some Starbucks and Reeses!

I LOVE reading books on fitness, nutrition, health, etc.  Any recommendations?

Review: Conair Jumbo Hot Rollers

   I love the look of va-va-voom hair.  I usually have to utilize heat to get the voluminous hair I desire and not teasing, because teasing and my hair and my hand just don't combine!  Since I suck at being able to do my own at home blowout, I purchased a set of jumbo hot rollers quite a while ago to achieve my va-va-voom hair.

I purchased this set of Conair Jumbo Hot Rollers from Amazon about  a year ago.  When I purchased these rollers, it didn't include the claw clips that the set includes now.  I purchased those on my own because I prefer the clips that go all the way around the roller.  This set includes only two size rollers- 4 super jumbo rollers and 8 medium to large size rollers.

On to my review:

My major complaint with these rollers is that I don't feel they get hot enough.  I've seen YouTube review of this product and the girls seem to be almost burning their fingers because the rollers are so hot and I'm able to hold them no problem.  I'm assuming this is a problem with just my set and not with all of them.

Due to the fact that my rollers don't get hot enough, I don't feel like I'm getting the best results from this set.  My friend Mamita explained that it may be the way I roll them which is preventing me from getting the most volume at the roots, so she needs to come give me a lesson soon!

Now some pics:

When you initially look at the set of the rollers, you may not think there is enough for your entire head, but I have a lot of hair and the 12 rollers fit on my head perfectly.  I definitely recommend using these types of clips for ANY hot rollers that you may use.

As you an see the rollers do give my hair a lot of movement, but not a whole lot of lift!  

Pros:

*Very affordable

*Gives straight hair great movement

*Available to purchase at a lot of different stores

Cons:

-Doesn't get hot enough

-Doesn't provide a lot of volume at roots

Would I repurchase?: Unless I realize I'm doing something wrong and these rollers give me some volume, probably not.

If you have any recommendations as to how to use these to get more volume at the roots, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Also, what's your favorite method to getting volume at the roots? I'm willing to try anything! 

Heat Free Curls: French Braid

   I'm continuing my quest to find the best heat free curling method for my stubborn hair.  So far I've had successes with the  foam roller method , sock curl method,and  headband method and failures with the standard braid method, sock bun method and french twist method.  I've found another success in the french braid method.

This curling method simply consists of french braiding your hair when it is slightly damp and sleeping in the braid.  It's comfortable to sleep in, unlike some of the other heat free curl methods.  Only downside with this method is, you have to know how to french braid.  I don't know how, especially on myself, so my friend Danielle braided my hair for me.

From the back it looks quite crazy!  Next time I have to ask Danielle to braid further down.

However, I LOVE the way it looks from the front.  It's definitely not a curl, as much as it is a wave/soft crimp.  It looks a little like lioness hair and provides great volume.  It's a very soft look and I think it will be perfect for spring and summer.  Plus, this is a heat free method where you don't look crazy when you're going to bed!