Coffee Hair Dye

Keeping with the coffee theme, I decided to try coffee to dye my hair.

Directions:
1.  Mix 1 cup conditioner with 1/2 cup cooled coffee, and 1 tablespoon instant coffee.
2.  Put mixture on hair and cover with shower cap.
3.  Let mixture soak into hair for 1 hour.
4.  Rinse mixture out of hair and shampoo like normal.

Verdict:
2 stars - This did not dye my hair at all.  The concoction made for an incredible leave-in conditioning treatment.  It didn't serve its purpose, but I am happy with my hair.

Coffee Cellulite Bars

Directions:
1.  Melt 1 cup of coconut oil.  It took about 1 minute to melt in the microwave.
2.  Mix melted coconut oil with 1 cup of coffee grounds.
3.  Place mixture into muffin tins.  I used silicone ones to make it easier to remove.
4.  Once the mixture has completely cooled, remove from muffin tins.
5.  Use bars in the shower.  Freeze any bars that aren't being used.

Verdict:

4 stars - These are very easy to make.  I don't really know how well they work.  However, my skin felt incredible from the coconut oil.  It also has a nice smell perfect for waking up in the morning. The only downer with this is the mess from the coffee in the shower.  At least it goes down the drain pretty easy.

Skin Brightening Astringent

Make your own astringent to brighten your skin.  That was the claim that this astringent made. Does it work?  That was the test.

How To:

Mix together 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 1 cup of water, 2/3 cup of Witch hazel.  Apply to skin with a cotton ball.

Verdict:

3 stars - I wish I took before and after pictures, so I can really see if there was a difference.  I feel like the dark circles under my eyes went away when using this once a day.  The problem was that it really dried out my skin, even after using a heavy moisturizer after applying the mixture.  I had to stop because my face was too dried out.  The dark circles are back.  Oh well, the cons of this did not outweigh the pros for me.

Body Wrap

Going to the spa and getting a body wrap would be very nice.  The only problem is that it is way out of my budget.  To compromise, I tried an at home wrap involving only plastic wrap, cellulite lotion, and vitamin E (I used a cream that is primarily vitamin E since this was cheaper).  This wrap is supposed to remove "inches" off my body.

How To:
1.  Slather yourself with the cellulite lotion (to help with your pouch) and vitamin E (to help with stretch marks).
2.  Wrap up your self in the plastic wrap.
3.  Lay under a blanket for an hour.  That's it - although you will definitely want a shower after!

The Verdict:
5 stars - I actually measured myself and found that I did lose an inch.  The wrap didn't hurt at all, although the cream was ice cold.  I did feel like I was getting a spa treatment at home!  While I have only tried this on my stomach area, I do have a friend that does this treatment on her thighs and arms. Maybe this is something I will try in the future.

Hydrogen Peroxide as Acne Killer

Hydrogen peroxide is said to help eliminate acne when used on a daily basis.  After washing your face, dip a cotton ball in peroxide and rub over your face.

Verdict:
4 stars - I think that actually washing my face twice a day has made a bigger difference than hydrogen peroxide.  Even after washing my face, I sometimes noticed that there was additional gunk on the cotton ball.  My face felt really clean after using the peroxide.  The peroxide does dry out the face, so a moisturizer is definitely a must after using it.

Lip Balm

I loved the idea of making different lip balms in lots of different colors very cheaply.

Directions:
Heat up and mix one cup of Vaseline with one packet of Kool-aid.  Put in individual containers to cool.

Verdict:

2 stars - I did not like how this mixed together.  If you look closely, it seemed to separate a bit on top when it cooled.  This may have caused there to be no color when I first used it.  I haven't used it long enough to see how the color will look when I use the lip balm.  I also did not like the smell the Vaseline made when it was heated up.  This was strange because I did not notice the smell before the Vaseline was heated.  Even after the mixture cooled, I could only notice the smell.  In the end, it was like putting regular Vaseline on your lips.  This is something I would not make again.  Not everything on Pinterest is a winner.

Cleaning Make-up Brushes

I used to always buy cheap make-up brushes.  Every so often I would throw them away and get a new one.  This was so wasteful.  Even though the brushes were cheap, the price on them began to add up. This all changed when I decided to invest in some great brushes.  Now I need to clean them on a regular basis.  I know that I need to do this more often than I do but at least it gets done.

How to Clean Make-up Brushes:
1.  Add one tablespoon vinegar to one cup of hot water.
2.  Soak brushes for 20 minutes.  I make sure to shake press the brushes against the side of the cups in order to shake off as much gunk as possible.
3.  Run the brushes under hot water.  Make sure they are thoroughly rinsed off.

Verdict:

5 stars  - It works!  I got a lot of stuff off of the brushes.  The cup shows some of the stuff that came off.  More stuff came off when I rinsed the brushes.  It was a very easy project to complete!  Very little effort is needed to complete.

Potential Issues:

Having done this before, I did notice that there was a lingering vinegar smell long after this project has been completed.  This may bother people that are sensitive to strong smells.