DIY Avocado and Coconut Oil Deep Hair Conditioner

Hello loves! 

So I'm currently transitioning my hair from being over processed and loaded with chemicals for the past 15 years. :o I know, way too long! Thanks to all of the beautiful naturalistas out there and their encouragement, I've been relaxer free for almost 7 months now. It would've been longer but I did relapse a while back! Never again! 

During this natural hair journey, I've come to find out that the real texture of my hair is so much more softer and wavier verse how it was when I loaded it with chemicals and heat. 

This past weekend I pretty much grabbed everything that you could make a salad with, don't laugh it's true and made a deep conditioner! 

Here are the products that I used: 

 

Ingredients: 

2 tbs of Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Organic Coconut Oil
2 tbs of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbs Tea Tree Oil
1 tsp Organic Honey
1 pkg Olive Oil Replenishing deep conditioner (substitute for any deep conditioner of your choice)
1/2 of an Avocado

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor until they are blended evenly and free of any chunks of avocado (I used a blender - ultimate fail, I'll explain later lol)

I sectioned my hair into 4 parts and distributed the conditioner from my roots to ends. Next, I put a shower cap on and let the conditioner sit on my hair for about 3 hours. You do not need to leave it on this long I just chose to do so since my hair had been in braids for almost 3 months and I needed all of the conditioner I could get. ;)

The reason for mixing these in a food processor compared to a blender (Thank you Miss Ebony) is because the avocado does not break down properly in the blender as opposed to the food processor. I learned this the hard way for sure and probably still have a bit of avocado in my hair! LOL :) 

So why in the world would I mix all of these ingredients together you ask? Well, over the past few years I've noticed that my hair is extremely dry and in need of extra moisture. Previously, I tried just honey and coconut oil as a deep conditioner but that only lasted for a few days and then my hair was dry and breaking once again. Avocados are amazing for adding extra moisture and shine to your hair. Combining all of these ingredients together have definitely made a difference in not only the moisture that is retained in my hair but it has also reduced my breakage which makes me one happy girl! 

Please let me know if you do try this deep conditioner and how it works for you! I'd love to hear your feedback. :) 

Thanks for reading! 
Radiantblends    

June Beauty and Makeup FAVS!!

Hello Loves!

June was full of new makeup releases and I picked up some great products and re-purchased a few too. Out of everything I picked up, these were my fav's for the month of June!

So here we go! From left to right I've listed the products shown above and my review for each below:


Urban Decay Defense Tinted Moisturizer in Forcefield

I was super leery to try this especially since most tinted moisturizers and I have not been getting along lately. LOL  Anywho, I'm glad to report that this little baby does everything it says and more!
When first applied it instantly covered up my blemishes and just a little dime size was enough for my entire face. This product is definitely build-able and you can even add a powder on top for a little extra coverage, if needed. I will be purchasing this baby again and it's still on sale at urbandecay.com for $9.00! :D

MAC's Riri Heaux Lipstick

So if you're currently following my blog or on IG or twitter, you know how CRAY I went over this last Riri release. Out of all the items purchased, this baby is my favorite! Not only does it go on smooth and has amazing pigmentation but it literally lasts all day!  I wore it this past weekend to Beyonce's concert and it lasted all throughout dinner, during her concert and until I wiped it off with makeup remover later that evening. If I could have,  I would have bought at least 2 of these because I know I'm going to reach for this lippie over all the others.

Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner

Just the packaging alone for this eyeliner won me over! I was pretty leery since I've previously received some Ipsy items and they were not so great. However, I'm in love! The pigmentation on the shade I received "Purple" is perfect! I added it over my shadow after swatching it and it did not smudge once! I will definitely be a customer with Cailyn now! 

Wet N Wild's Megalast in Perty Persimmon

I first purchased this item for a friends but she didn't like the shade on her skin tone so I decided to keep it for myself. If you haven't tried Wet N Wild lippies, they are very pigmented and creamy. I do like to pair this shade with a cherry liner, just to intensify the look a bit. This is also a great dupe for MAC's "Sail La Vie" lipstick from the Hey Sailor collection!


Zote Bar Soap

I actually heard about this bar soap from another makeup guru on Instagram so I decided to give it a try and it's ahhhmazing! No, seriously! This bar soap is usually used as a laundry detergent but as recommended by another product junkie, I gave it a try on my makeup brushes.

Since it comes as large block of soap I cut off a small chunk and placed it in my soap dish.


This soap includes coconut oil too and it smells amazing!


Urban Decay All nighter Setting Spray

This is actually an item that I recently ran out of and had to re-purchase a travel size for my kit. Out of all of the makeup setting sprays I've used on myself and for my clients, this one is the absolute BEST and last literally all night long!


NYX Cream Color Blush in Tickled

Another Ipsy fav from this June's Glam Bag! I absolutely love NYX products but I honestly never tried their blush until now. It goes on very sheer but its perfect for a nice summer highlight.

Urban Decays 24/7 glide on eye pencil in Zero. 

This is probably the creamiest eyeliner that I've ever used! I was previously using MAC's Kohl liner but I've switched over to this one as my new everyday liner. 

That's all for now! Please feel free to comment and follow for more updates on my blog. 

Thanks for reading!

Radiantblends  

Swatches of Riri Loves Mac Summer Collection

Hello Beauties! 

So... I finally received my RiRi order this week and you already know I'm in love with all of the items! As may of you know, there are possible dupes for each color and item however we will get into that later. 

Here are the products that I purchased: 

From L-R:

Heaux Lipstick
Riri Boy
Riri Woo
Lustre Drops in Barbados Girl

 


Swatches from L-R:

Lustre Drops in Barbados Girl
Heaux
Riri Boy
Riri Woo

As you can see, the difference between Heaux and Riri Woo are very vague in the swatch comparison. Heaux has a deep berry-red tone and it applies a bit smoother compared to Riri Woo.  Riri Boy is matte lavender and a bit creamier compared to Woo and Heaux. Honestly, this shade is not one of my favs since it's a bit pasty on my skintone. However, applied with a darker liner I think that it would work out for me. 

The Lustre Drops are amazing and you can even mix this in with your tinted moisterizer or foundation for a little glow and highlight.


DUPES!

Now if you're a MAC addict like myself, you've already grabbed up these babies. If not, there are plenty of dupes out there. 

RIRI Woo Dupes: Rimmel's lippie "#111" and Wet N Wild's "Stoplight Red." 
RIRI Boy Dupes: Revlon Berry Haute and MAC's "Up the Amp"
Heaux Dupes: MAC's "Diva" and Wet N Wild's "Cherry Picking"

That's all for now, until next time beauties! 

Radiantblends