Etsy shop is now open!!

Check it out!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElizasVanity

Opening an Etsy Shop

Hey there!

So fun announcement; I am currently in the process of starting a small side-business!

I have officially started the page for "Eliza's Vanity" where I make hair accessories that are each unique, individual and with a little whimsey added to each.  They all have a vintage feel to them, so steampunk, and some glitter-tastic.

I will be opening my etsy shop, hopefully at the end of this week; I still need to figure out all the fees and such, but I wanted to post some of the products here. You can also view additional pictures on my facebook page: Eliza's Vanity  If you are interested, let me know and I will get in touch with you!

Matcha Latte

I've been looking for a coffee alternative to drink during my 3pm slump and I've decided I'm going to try Matcha, which is essentially powdered green tea.   This is my experience making it! 

Ingredients: 

Green tea 

Almond milk

Water 

Honey (optional) 

I didn't want to spend a million dollars on the actual matcha because it's really expensive, and I didn't feel like waiting to order some in bulk, so I bought a loose green tea and ground it down myself.

After grinding down my tea I put unsweetened almond milk and water - the ratio of almond milk to water is up to you and your taste preference - on the stove to heat - don't let it boil, but you want it pretty hot. 

Add the tea - 1 tsp should be plenty; anymore and it's going to taste too bitter 

Take a whisk and make this 

Do this

Once you have whisked the tea into the milk you're going to want to pour it into a cup - since my tea is not traditional matcha, I strained mine out

I added a light spoonful of honey and enjoyed!  That's all for now, this was a simple share today, but I enjoyed my cup o' matcha and hopefully it will be something you'll enjoy experimenting with. 

Honey and Oil Hair Treatment

I always oil my hair or do some sort of treatment before I wash it and I thought I would share one of the hair treatments I use that's very simple, easy and effective. 

Hot oil and Honey Hair Treatment 

First, you will need honey and an oil - is this instance I use pure, unrefined coconut, but you can use any hair oil that you prefer.

Combine the honey and oil in a bowl

You'll need to heat the oil - I just microwaved it, but you can double boil it too.  (I also microwaved my honey which will kill some of its peroxide properties which have been known to lighten hair.  I don't mind the lightening, I just prefer to have it more liquid than solid when I'm applying to my hair.) 

Comb your hair

And be a goof 

'Cause it's fun being a goof 

Next, apply the oil to your hair.  If it's during the cold season, wrap your hair in a hot towel to help the oil absorb more.  Keep in mind, you will have honey in your hair so it will be sticky - do not wrap the towel tightly or it will adhere and use one that needs to be washed. 

You should leave the oil in your hair for at least a half an hour.  Take the opportunity to indulge 

Or to take photos of your fish 

And you're done!  Take a shower and wash and condition your hair per normal.  The coconut is a great oil to absorb into your hair and the honey is a humectant, which means it attracts moisture.  If you are going to keep the oil in your hair overnight, I would recommend foregoing the honey because it will get messy.  

I find that in the summer months it's easier to use coconut oil because it stays solid when it's cool out and that makes it harder to apply to your hair, but I have found it to be the best oil.  I'll use olive oil as well, but it doesn't seem to absorb into my hair as well. 

I hope you like, and I'll be sure to post more hair masques and all that jazz. 

Homemade hair masque: Avocado banana

Hello all,

Well I have been dealing with a huge amount of static lately and I know some of it was due to the fact that I broke down and used a box dye and another part was that the WEN that I was using just isn't a good regular use product for me, but I wasn't able to get rid of it entirely.  I decided to try a hair masque that I made me for mom last week to see if it would help.                                                            


Avocado Banana Hair Masque
Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 Banana
2 Big spoonfuls of honey
1 Spoonful of mayo or plain yogurt
Drizzle of olive oil

I put all of these ingredients in a food processor and blended it until it was yogurt consistency.  Then, I applied it to my hair which I had oiled earlier in the day.  It actually felt really really good going on!  Once I got it all mushed up on my head as best as I could get it and pushed it in my hair, I wrapped it up in a plastic bag and put a towel over that and let it sit for almost an hour.

Washing it out was a bit tricky; there were small bits of either avocado or banana that didn't get blended (they were dandruff size) and those wouldn't rinse out very well, but I did the best I could and shampooed and conditioned as normal.   I towel dried it, combed, applied my anti frizz and then flung over my pillow and went to bed.



I really, really like how my hair feels today; it's really soft and has body and is very shiny, but like everything out there there were a few cons: I couldn't get those itty bitty pieces out of my hair so I had to wait until it was dry and shake them loose; otherwise it would have looked like I had dandruff.  Next time, I will dunk my entire head in a bin full of water before I start my normal rinsing/washing process.  The only other con I found was that after a while you got the old banana smell while it was on your head, but when I rinsed it off it was fine.

Also be aware that if you do this treatment you are getting protein from almost everything in the masque so your hair will feel not as malleable.  This will go away once it's dry, just use caution while you're combing your hair out, and rinse rinse rinse otherwise you'll have avocado bits in your hair.

There you have it!  I will keep you updated as to whether this got rid of the static.