Steam Room Benefits

I hope that everyone is having a Marvelous Monday!

Since I have completed P90X (results will be posted soon), I decided to switch it up a bit and head to the gym for a month. I have had my membership to my local gym for about 2 years now and I have never used the steam room. Well I decided that I would give it a try. I have been doing 15 minute sessions after my workouts. The benefits are wonderful and I will continue to keep this as part of my workout regimen. My skin looks healthier and really clear! Also, my scalp and hair have been reaping the benefits of the steam room as well.

After leaving the steam room I go straight to the sink and do a facial scrub with St. Ives Apricot scrub. Then I rinse with cool water to close my pores. All I can say is Wow! I work out at the gym four days a week, but I do the scrub no more than three out of the four days I am there.

While I am in the steam room, I do scalp massages as well as face massages. After leaving the steam room I do facial scrubs, as stated before, and I also close the cuticles of my hair with cool water. To do this I just run cool water in the palms of my hands and rub it down the hair shaft until I feel as though I have completed my entire head of hair. I plan on incorporating deep conditioning treatments for my hair while in the steam room in the near future.

If you haven't given your local steam room a try, I suggest that you do so. I really like the results of the steam room all the way around.

That's all for now.

Take care!

Don't forget,

Follow me on Twitter 

Friend me on Facebook 

Check out my products and goodies at  Nature's Indulgence by Dionne 

Check out my videos on You Tube

My Hair is in Love

I have been on a hunt for a product that gave me twists/twist outs to my liking ever since I BC’d in February of 2006. Some products kind of did the job, but my twists and twist outs wouldn’t last. I’ve read about people making their own gel out of flax seeds, so I went out and bought some a while back. I made my very first batch last month, and I decided to go ahead and put it to the test. Much to my surprise, my hair fell in love and my twists have never been the same.

The flax seed gel concoction left my hair soft, moisturized, and it had a nice hold that wasn’t crunchy or crispy at all. I also sealed my hair with something called “Soothing Foot Butter”. I know it’s geared towards the feet but it's all natural. Everything turned out nice. Hopefully you can see enough of my hair in the pics above to see my results. I didn’t think of taking a close up hair shot of my results at the time, but I will make sure to do so when I twist again.

Flax seeds are an awesome source of Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids nourish the hair which in turn promotes healthy hair growth and a natural sheen when taken orally. I’ve seen the benefits of applying the Omega-3 fatty acids externally to my strands by way of the flax seed gel. You can use the gel on your scalp as well. It helps combat psoriasis and eczema that may be present on the scalp. You might want to think about adding some Omega-3 supplements to your daily vitamin intake to get your fair share of healthy fats. These unsaturated fats are beneficial to your cardiovascular and brain health as well as your immune system.

My Recipe
½ cup of flax seed
3 cups of water (use 1½ to 2 cups for a slightly thicker gel)
1 oz Avocado Oil
1 oz Aloe Vera Gel

Bring the flax seeds and water to a boil. Stir the flax seeds as the water boils. You will see a frothy type gel begin to form. Continue to stir for about another minute. Remove your pan from the heat and strain the mixture using a strainer with the smallest holes you can find or a tea ball. I’ve found that these work best. It can get a little messy if you use a cheese cloth. After straining, let the gel cool and stir occasionally. Once it cools, add the oil, AVG, and stir. The gel will be kind of slimy and loose if you use 3 cups of water. You may want to place this in the fridge in between uses if you are not using a preservative in your mixture. Apply as needed.



Until Next Time,
Indulgenceiskey
www.naturesindulgence.net

Scalp Exfoliation

During this past week, I was making some coffee scrub and an idea popped into my mind. If you exfoliate then you can probably relate. Whenever you come across the perfect scrub for your face or body, you slather it on and get to rubbing. You may even set the ambiance by turning your bathroom into an at home spa. After all of the pampering is done and you feel all relaxed, you kick back and enjoy the rest of your day. Well, what about exfoliating your scalp…….with coffee grounds?

Did you know that coffee beans contain magnesium, potassium, niacin, and vitamin E? Coffee beans also act as an antioxidant and have antibacterial, exfoliating and stimulating properties. I was looking at the benefits of the coffee bean and came across a recipe for a scalp scrub.
The recipe calls for sugar but I am going to try coffee. Note: You might want to try used coffee grounds as they are softer. You can even get used coffee grounds from your local coffee shop. That idea was taken from here.

I am going to try this out this weekend. My only fear is that I won’t be able to get all of the coffee grounds out of my coils with ease. Anyway, I think I am going to do it and hopefully I will master the coffee ground removal.
Have you ever exfoliated your scalp?


Things You'll Need:

• 4 Tablespoons sugar – brown or granulated (your preference, though the latter holds up better)


• Your favorite conditioner- enough to make a paste with sugar


• If desired one of the following may be added:
  Jojoba oil: for dry scalp. Helps to re-balance sebum
  Tea Tree oil: For oily or dry scalp, dandruff psoriasis or dermatitis. Tea tree oil is an Antiseptic, Anti-bacterial, and Anti fungal.
  Chamomile: Chamomile has been clinically proven to have anti-inflammatory and repairing properties.
  Lavender oil: Balances the production of sebum from the oil glands making it beneficial for dry or oily skins for psoriasis, acne, eczema, seborrhea and spots
  OR you can also add your favorite scented oil- vanilla, jasmine etc. for a bit of an aromatherapy effect.

What you need to do:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Be sure to mix well.


2. You can wethair, though it’s not necessary. You may want to shampoo first if hair is gunky with styling products


3. Apply mixture to scalp with fingers.Massage scalp in a circular motion for a few minutes.


4. Rinse mixture from hair, then shampoo and condition as usual. Recipe and Directions taken from here.

Until Next Time,

Indulgenceiskey

http://www.naturesindulgence.net/