Balm Balm Frankincense Deep Cleansing Balm review

So my  skin LOVES this stuff! 

The Balm Balm Frankincense Deep Cleansing Balm is fast becoming a skin saviour.

When I originally received my natural skincare haul I did think wow that is a tiny pot.

 What was I thinking?

I can hold my hands up and say I was pleasantly surprised.
This balm goes a very long way and after 7/8 weeks of using it at least 3-4 times a week.
I have just about made a dent and I can be heavy handed!

My skin really enjoys creamy cleansers and balms but this is next level.
I am not the biggest fan of frankincense but it is something I can get past with this product.
 I have been using this in conjunction with my Alba Botanica Hawaiian Facial Cleanser which I reviewed here and have really seen a difference in my skin texture and brightness. I still get a few small blemishes but the difference is really great.

The balm helps to ensure the gel cleanser which I think would suit an oil skin type (me occasionally in summer when hayfever hits) perfectly. It doesn't unbalance my skin but works in harmony to allow both to do their jobs and improve/ cleanse my skin.

 I alternate these as my second cleanse and my skin feels utterly stunning and well moisturised.

 There is no excessively oily residue left either as I wipe my face down twice with a warm flannel.

The balm is incredibly smooth and you only need half a finger tip (even that is heavy handed once you become comfortable with the product) to cover your whole face where it liquefies. Massaging it in and letting it sit for a minute ensures all debris is removed and you skin is infused with moisture.

I wish this came slightly bigger as it is only 30ml but compared to other 

balms that aren't natural or of a better quality it is affordable.

 If you like or can over look the heavy frankincense aroma this is a great natural product to try. 

The packaging is nice with an apothecary vibe and would be great as a reusable container after the product is finished.

The balm feels really luxurious and as it is 100% organic. I will definitely be buying this again.
All the ingredients (Shea butter, Beeswax, Sunflower, Jojoba, Calendula, Frankincense and Grapefruit ) used have a purpose e.g soothing, removing impurities, smoothing, healing or rejuvenating. 

You can see the formulation has been well thought out for maximum results. Each use feels like a soothing mini pamper session. Result! 

About Balm Balm: This is a family run company, that use all natural and organic ingredients in their products. They are also against animal testing and strive to be as green as they can. Click here to find out more.

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Alba Botanica: Hawaiian facial range review

Hi Guys, 

I am back to review my 3 picks from the Alba Botanica Hawaiian facial range.
which you would have seen in my
Finding natural and organic skincare brands post .

Bit about Alba: Their products are made from 100% vegetarian ingredients.
They do not test on animals, use artificial colours, add synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate or sodium myreth sulfates.
On top of all that goodness, their bottles are made from 100% recyclable materials!

"We make natural, 100% vegetarian personal care products that do beautiful for you and your friends: people, animals + earth. This means we DON'T use parabens, sulfates, or phthalates." read more here

I have to say the stand out product for me is the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Facial Mask 85g  , which I started using 3 days after incorporating the Alba range into my routine. My skin feels smoother, the small area of visible pores on my inner cheeks looks smaller and less obvious if my skin is dehydrated. A big bonus is that my skin is brighter too.

 Papaya is well known for it's healing and youthful skin boosting properties and I am super happy to have this mask in my arsenal. I did experience mild stinging the first time I used it. I used the cleanser to cleanse my face and applied the mask about 6 minutes later and I think that is what caused the stinging the first time. Since then I have used the mask weekly whilst using a balm cleanser first and had no issues. Just to make sure my skin wasn't reacting badly to the product without the balm cleanser, I repeated the first routine again and I didn't experience that same level of stinging just a mild prickle for approx 8 seconds then it was fine.  

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Facial Cleanser 237ml  I like this gel cleanser formulation but it can be slightly drying and astringent if I use too much. As I said in my Summer skincare haul I am usually combination/ normal but during summer I felt like my hayfever made my skin feel more oily-oddly so I think this would be great for summer cleansing. I also think those with oilier skin would benefit from this cleanser. 

The first time I used this cleanser my face felt super clean, refreshed and a little dry. However a pesky little spot that had come up on my chin had all but disappeared the next morning. I have definitely had to experiment to make sure I am making the product work well for me. I have found that less than a 1/3rd of a pump is more than enough to cleanse my face each time. I use a flannel and rinse my face twice as this cleanser doesn't come off straight away. A good test is to finish your cleanse and wipe your face off with your flannel/ muslin cloth and then wet your finger tips and rub your cheeks in a circular motion to see if there is any lathering. I also use a balm cleanser (review coming soon) 3-4 times a week to ensure that my skin doesn't get super dry and remains balanced.

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Facial Toner 251ml  for me this isn't a everyday toner, although it is cooling and does calm any blemishes I may have. I do think this is a little too astringent to be an full face everyday toner. Especially as it is getting colder, I think this could be too drying for me so I have been using it every few days  and apply it with a cotton swab to any blemishes in between. I have noticed that my skin and complexion seem brighter and a little more even, which this toner promotes with hibiscus. I think this is another great one for those with predominantly oily skin or if you want something with a bit more ommphff in summer.

 I do think all three products have made some difference to the smoothness and appearance of my skin but I have had to adapt these to myself to ensure the all natural ingredients are giving me the best performance. I will definitely continue to use them with other products and definitely want to try out a few other products from their range.

As a woman of colour it is extremely important to find products that help to brighten and rejuvenate skin as darker skin is prone to hyper pigmentation and scarring. These products fit that brief perfectly.
As we get older some may become more apparent or take longer to fade so this is great for your skincare stash.
I have noticed a few small areas of hyper pigmentation from blemishes in the last year and these products have really helped with the process of smoothing out my complexion.

It's a thumbs up from me!

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

D.I.Y: How to make homemade virgin Coconut oil

Fun fact I adore fresh young coconuts but loathe the desiccated dried flake stuff! yuck!!

Don't waft a Bounty bar at me as I will definitely have to consider what we have going on here! 

What do we have going on here?! lol

So my Mum went a little over board and bought about 9 coconuts and after eating a few and savouring that delicious coconut water, we were at a loss with what to do with them.
 The logical answer was to make virgin coconut oil.
It is pretty simple ( can be time consuming)  to do and the end result is soooo rewarding. Coconut oil can always be found in my house. It is great for cooking, skincare, haircare and medicinal purposes. 

Tools needed:

I used 6 coconuts

1. Coconut grater.

 If you don't have this chopping the coconut and putting into a blender with a small amount of water works well too.

2. Cheese cloth or small holed metal sieve

3. 1 large pot

4.1 large container

5. soup ladle

6. clean sterilised containers for storage

 Step 1 - Drain the coconut by piercing 2 of the eyes with a clean knife or screwdriver and empty coconut water into a container. (This great by itself or in smoothies)

Step 2 - Crack Coconuts in half and shave or remove from shell and cut the coconut meat into uniform sizes.  

Step 3 - Place all of the Coconut meat in a clean container and add double the amount of cold water to the amount of Coconut leave for 45 mins and then strain creamy coconut water into a separate container.

*Step 4*- If you used the grater ignore this step. Pour your coconut meat and cold water into a blender and blend until you have a smooth creamy consistency. 2- 3 mins max.

Step 5 - Once you have your Coconut meat separated by using a sieve or cheesecloth,  from your Coconut milk allow the milk to settle in a cool place overnight to 2 days. The cream will rise to the top and have sediment in the bottom. Carefully scoop out the  Coconut cream and place in another clean container. Then drain the liquid and collect the sediment at the bottom. Throw the water away.

As this is a D.I.Y coconut oil extraction it wont be cold pressed as we don't have a machine to extract and will be doing it by hand. Plus we want to extract a maximum amount of Coconut oil.

Step 6- Place the Coconut cream in a pan and cook on a gentle heat. The cream will begin to turn brown and you will see oil collecting.

Step 7- When the cream is dark brown but not burnt remove from heat and pour oil into your sterile containers using a sieve to remove sediment.

6 Coconuts should yield 5 60 ml jars and 1 500 ml jar for cooking minimum. 
Please do be aware however that there is no set amount of meat inside a standard sized mature coconut so results may differ.
F.Y.I for those who have pores that clog easily Coconut oil lists high on the comedogenic ratings scale. It is not an issue for all but I would highly recommend doing a patch test just in case.

P.s the leftover coconut flesh is totally usable and can be used in food or desserts. You an freeze them in ice cubes so you have usable portions. the same goes for the coconut cream and milk which is great in Thai curries/ smoothies etc.

So that is it guys incredibly simple and cheap as chips! 

Your hand may ache but they be looking cute and moisturised lol!

Until next time................

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Naturally Thinking haul

My Haul

Hiya loves,

a few weeks back I ordered a few essentials I needed from Naturally Thinking  and wanted to share.

This is my second haul from them and I a really happy with my stuff . I first ordered last August I believe and I still have some of those products left. Delivery was pretty quick less than 9 days from placing the order to receiving the items.

I ordered last August I believe and I still have some of those products left. Delivery was pretty quick less than 9 days from placing the order to receiving the items.

Aloe vera juice £ 7

Aloe Vera juice is like gold in my house! It is one of those items that has sooo many uses. The mother now steals it from me lol.  I put a small amount in a spray bottle and use it to refresh and add moisture my hair before putting in a moisturiser and sealing with oil. It is very nourishing and does a ton of good things for hair health. It is a pretty much a god bargain at £7 per litre.

£6 each on sale normal price £8

I have really enjoyed using  these shampoo. I reordered the Super Organic All Hair Types Brazillian Andiroba Shampoo with Siberian Buckthorn 250ml and I find that it lasts a very long time. You don't need a lot of product for your hair to feel really nourished, It also doesn't lather up a lot but rest assured your hair is being cleansed. I haven't had that squeaky stripped feeling some shampoos give you. It leaves my hair feeling moisturised. I am not the biggest fan of Lavender but it isn't overwhelming and very subtle. It contains pretty simple ingredients such as natural glucosides, gums and oils so click the link above to have a look.

I also ordered a bottle of the  Super Organic Dry Hair African Savanna Baobab, Orange & Basil Intensive Hair Shampoo 250ml.

 I ordered this one as I foolishly ombred the ends of my hair with a dye that had a mild bleach in a while back. (I have dyed my hair in the past but never with bleach/ peroxide). So as you can imagine the ends were a bit dryer than the rest of my fro. I have cut a fair amount of the ombre out as I got bored of waiting for it to grow out then trim and repeat. This shampoo is specially formulated for dry, sun or chemically damaged hair and claims to revitalise/ rehydrate hair. I have used this once and you can see a difference in the ends of my hair. There isn't a drastic difference in my hair textures normally but I can feel it. 

Andiroba Seed oil £7 and Baobab seed oil £5

I purchased Andiroba oil last time and have maybe a third of a bottle left but wanted to stock up as my hair looooooves this stuff! A few of my friends use this in hair and body moisturisers so I wanted to try it and loved it. It does say it is good for afro hair so check it out if you have thick curly hair.

Baobab is now the new super fruit here in the UK that cures just about everything (slight exaggeration) but this has been a essential and well kept secret for most of Africa and Asia for centuries, so isn't that new to me. Really good Baobab oil is really expensive but this was really reasonable. I have also been using these and a blend of other oils I purchased in my first haul as a face oil and have seen really good results.

Peppermint £3.40,  Eucalyptus £2.30 and Tea tree £3.40 essential oils

This is my trio of essential oils. I use them in the bath, in moisturisers, spritz and hair masks. A little goes a long way. I enjoy the menthol feeling and they are priced well.

Conditioners £7 per bottle
bottle

Another of my favourite from Naturally Thinking are the Conditioners. I do add a few oils and or Shea butter to these and it makes the best hair masks! But back to the conditioners I find the blend and consistency really work for me. The Super Natural All Hair Type Brazilian Andiroba Conditioner with Siberian Buckthorn, Lavender and Geranium is an old faithful and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

The Super Natural Dry Hair Hydrating Argan Conditioner with Wild Carrot, Spanish Orange & Brazilian Rosewood is a new purchase that I bought in regards to the dry ends I spoke about earlier. I have used this once by itself and very much enjoyed the sedate smell as well as its moisturising and softening properties. I felt this conditioner defined my curls more and boosted hydration to another level.

That's it guys I am really happy and impressed with the quality of products and ingredients used. I will definitely be going back to purchase more products.

What are your natural hair and skincare holy grails?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Homemade Hibiscus hair mask

Hey guys,

It's March already and I am sad to say I have only done 2 hair masks this year ahhhhh!

I know, not hitting them life goals lol.

I am really into natural, homemade masks so I think I am getting away with it as one of my fav masks incorporates Hibiscus which packs all kinds of goodness into your hair. Hibiscus is a really good natural remedy for so many things. It strengthens weak or damaged hair, promotes hair growth and reduces shedding and nourishes the hair shaft. To find out more click here.

Mixture includes:

6 heaped tablespoons of hair conditioner (whatever you use)

4 heaped tablespoons of plain natural yoghurt or Greek

1 table spoon of fresh ground dried Hibiscus petals

3 drops of tea tree essential oil

2 drops of peppermint essential oil

2 teaspoons of natural honey

2 tablespoons aloe vera water

1 tablespoon of Castor oil

1 tablespoon of Coconut oil

1 teaspoon Jojoba oil

1 teaspoon Grapeseed oil

keep in for 30 mins to 1 hour minimum.

If you have short hair this will make enough for 2 masks for store the remainder in the fridge for a maximum of 2 weeks. With my big fro I can use all of this if I am going for a really deep mask conditioner. This mixture softens, moisturises and strengthens you hair. you will definitely see a difference in shine and the general feel of you hair.

You will need to rinse you hair thoroughly and give it a shake to ensure no bits are left in your hair.

ALERT: those with blonde or lightened hair may experience slight dying of the hair so if lavender isn't your look for SS15 maybe steer clear!

What is your go to hair mask?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Baby you should try some new thangs..... French plait braid out

Hey dawls,

So I did a really cute French braid hairstyle for work and it got good reviews so I am gonna share it.

I washed my hair really late at night and couldn't be bovved to blow dry it so I conditioned, moisturised and did two French braids thinking I would get a bit of stretch then put it in a bun for work.

I woke up however and was feeling the sleekness so off I went to work.

I haven't done French braids in ages as I am terrible at doing cornrows on myself so I was rather pleased with the outcome. Practice makes perfect I guess.

 

Morning bus selfies lol

This is the braid out, I redid my plaits after seeing the definition on the first day and here is the outcome. I didn't blowdry it so there is some shrinkage but I am loving it.

 

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays