Olive oil your hair!

Looking for a hair treatment that is convenient and affordable? I was a couple months ago since I'm a broke student and one day I thought to myself, "Why can't I just use olive oil?" Basically everyone has it in their house and it's a natural and inexpensive way of treating your hair!

I'll admit, the first little while I was using olive oil I didn't really see a big difference because my hair was just so dried out and damaged that there was no way it was going to magically restore itself overnight. Now that my hair is MUCH better I can most definitely see its effects. I only use it once a week and not much is needed.

How I oil my hair:

1. Make sure hair is dry and brushed out.
2. Section off hair around the head for a more thorough application.
3. Take some olive oil in your hand and finger comb it through the section of hair.
4. Take a comb or brush (preferably an older one) and gently work the olive oil through so all the hairs are covered.
5. Once all sections of hair are oiled, you can either wrap it up in a towel or sleep on it (depending on when you shower, etc.). If I do this during the day I heat the towel up in the drier so that my hair takes in the oil better. Leave it in your hair as long as you desire, but the longer the better!

Doing this will gradually restore the natural oil to your hair that leaves it stronger, smoother, and shinier! :)

All the best,
Average Allie

Freeman Facial Enzyme Mask

For some reason whenever I try to moisturize any dry areas on my face (usually just my cheeks), my skin decides to declare war and my entire face turns into a battlefield. I've tried tons of different lotions and moisturizers, even those specifically for the face, but all of them break me out. Right now I know of only one moisturizing product that doesn't set off land mines on my skin:

It's the Freeman Facial Enzyme Mask that "gently exfoliates while lightly moisturizing". I only use this product every other day since I don't actually struggle with having dry skin, but it works wonderfully for me. Immediately after I use it my skin feels hydrated and glowy without having that oily sheen left over (this has to be rinsed off). I've been using this one bottle for over two months now and it was pretty inexpensive when I bought it. So far this is the best moisturizing product I have ever used on my face, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has sensitive, acne-prone skin!

All the best,

Average Allie

Getting more water into your diet

I make it a habit to drink about 4 tall glasses of water a day to filter out my body because:

a) It makes me feel more energized and healthy
b) It helps clear my skin
c) It boosts my metabolism

I think water is pretty dang awesome. However, I sometimes find the last glass or two a little boring to drink and almost dread it, so I bought these Nestea flavour packets to mix in with it. I try not to consume regular sugar because it really does a number on my skin and, let's face it, it's not too good for the body in the first place. But these are sweetened with Splenda so they don't break me out and I don't feel gross after consuming them! Even though one box only contains six packets, I can get twelve uses out of them because I find just half a pack is enough for a big glass of water. Drinking water can be fun! It'll make you look and feel so much better by cleansing you from the inside out.

All the best,
Average Allie

Simple, Everyday Hair Routine

As you probably already know, I am trying to bring my hair back to its best health by practicing several different things. So far my products and routines have helped tremendously over the last few months and will only continue to restore my poor abused hair. Aside from using my natural shampoos/conditioners and banning away all heat, the way I brush and treat my wet hair has a large impact on its overall state. Here's my wet hair routine:

1. When conditioning in the shower, finger comb out any tangles present.
2. Soak up excess water with a towel until hair is damp. Spray in some detangler and then gently brush through the hair with a wide-tooth comb, starting near the bottom.
3. Once hair is tangle-free, apply a few pumps of the orgnx Moringa Oil Complex throughout the hair. This is a styling cream, but I use it because it contains natural oils to moisturize and it helps smooth down my fly-aways.

After that I usually pull my hair to the side in a loose braid to air dry a little bit. Each of these bottles last me a month to a month and a half and are pretty inexpensive. The styling creme smells amazing too! :)

All the best,
Average Allie

Books I Love

Five years ago I bought the first novel in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy and stayed up all night reading it with a flashlight. It's not easy for me to be so quickly drawn into a book (I've always been more of a movie person) but this series had me by page 5. I'll admit they seemed a little silly at first since they're about magic realms, but the author totally made it work. Set at a finishing school in Victorian England, all three of these books are dark, magical, mysterious, and packed with the cultural pressures young girls faced at that time. I don't know how many times I've read the trilogy over the last few years, but it never gets old. Definitely a good read if you're into these types of stories.

All the best,
Average Allie

More Salvation Army Buys

A couple days ago I got back from my vacation and wanted to see if anything awesome came in at the Salvation Army while I was gone. Within a period of about seven minutes I found two sun dresses and two shirts all in perfect condition and I only spent $12!!! Thank you to all those women who spend their money on nice clothes, wear them once, and decide they don't like them after all... :)

Check out your local Sally Ann! You never know what you'll find there. 

All the best, 

Average Allie

Zinc for Acne Treatment

For the past 4 or so months I have been taking zinc supplements in order to help me with my breakouts and I must say it has been working well alongside my regular routine. Zinc is a mineral that your body needs in order to maintain protein synthesis, a healthy immune system, and collagen formation. To me, however, zinc's most appealing role is that of healing wounds. Ever since I started taking it I've noticed that there is less acne scarring on my chin and the acne I do get heals much faster than it used to. ZINC IS AWESOME!!! Although, I've read that it's not recommended to take more than 50mg of zinc a day because it affects the absorption of copper in the body which can lead to a deficiency. So, I've been taking a 50mg tablet once every two days to diminish this risk--so far so good!


All the best,
Average Allie