Upcycled Shirt to Glam Knotted Headband

So after just coming off of the DIY elastic hair ties I made, I have had hair accessories on the brain! What to make? What to make? With Spring and Summer fast approaching I want to start making some cute hair bands that I could wear. I also wanted to do this on a budget and preferably with materials I already had on hand.  I have many clothes that can be upcycled in to crafts so I grabbed a stack and set out to try and make some headbands. Here is a tutorial for one of them! I am calling it the Glam Knotted Headband! I wore it across my forehead for a more bohemian look, which I am really digging for this season. You can also wear this as a regular headband in your hair. This tutorial is pretty much all pictures, because words would just be too confusing to follow! Contrary to the photos you will need 4 strips of fabric, two for each starting formation of the left loop and right > shape. I just used two in the tutorial so it would be easier to see!

Here's What You Need:

• Jersey fabric or an old shirt with stretch
• Scissors
• Glue gun

Start by cutting 4-2.5" strips all the was across your shirt
(cut through both sides so it will actually make a ring)

Cut one end of your shirt so you have a strip instead of a ring

Pull lightly on both ends of your strip so the ends curl up

Starting Configuration

Move you top left piece under the top right piece

Now move your bottom right piece under the loop on the left(see below for a better shot)

Grab top piece of > shape

Pull the top piece of your > shape under it's bottom piece you just laid under the loop

Continue to pull your piece over the loop

You should have this shape now!

Lightly begin pulling the ends tighter to bring the knotted shape inward

I cut a small scrap piece of fabric and glued the ends down on the longer sides
  to cover and glue the ends down to form the headband

You will need to cut the ends to a comfortable size for your head then put the glue down side  of your small scrap piece in the middle ensuring all the ends are tucked in

Flip it over and add some more hot glue and press the left side down

Add more glue and fold the right side down

DONE!

DIY Elastic Hair Ties

Have you heard? Elastic hair ties are all the rage! My Birchbox (click here for more info) even sent me a elastic head band last month, and I LOVE it! It doesn't give me a headache, it doesn't pull or get caught in my hair and best of all it doesn't leave a dent in my hair! Yes, dent! We aren't talking cars here but rather beauty! You know...the ugly indentation your headbands and hair ties leave in your hair after wearing them for any amount of time! Ugh...hate it! Makes it hard for us housewives who work hard all day with our hair in a ponytail to let our hair down for a date night with the hubby later that same day. I am ecstatic about the hair freedom this little tie brings me! Dramatic? I am. I picked up a couple of the actual hair ties at Target and paid close to $2 for them. Pricey! I knew I could make them for cheaper so I surfed the web so find some 5/8" fold-over elastic! I also threw together some cute holders so I could gift these to faimly and friends.  I purchased my fold over elastic online from TheRibbonRetreat.com they have a good selection of 26 colors and  I received my order in two business days! At $1 for 2 yards the price couldn't be beat! 

Here's what you need:

• 5/8"  Fold-Over Elastic in whichever colors your heart desires! 
• Measuring Tape
• Scissors

If you would like to make the holders you will need:

• Card stock print out with a table with two rows and three columns with whatever wording you choose
• Empty cereal box
• Elmer's Glue
• Scissors

 This project is super easy! In fact, it took me longer to make the little customized holders than to make the actual hair ties! Easy peasy, as my son says. Use your ruler, or measureing tape and cut your elastic at 8.5" Making sure to fold the elastic leaving the shiny side out knot the elastic into itself and pull tight. You may want to try out this sizing on your hair to see if you need to adjust it smaller or longer. Also, be sure to cut the ends at a angle to prevent any future fraying or unraveling of the elastic! I actually bought two from Target last week and they were about the same size I made tonight, so it may be a pretty good "universal" size.  I love that they look like little ribbons and you can easily wear them on your wrist while you don't need it in your hair. They don't pull at your hair, or get your hair caught on them in any way. My favorite part is they don't leave any indentations from having your hair up in a ponytail! SAVED! Sometimes we women need to throw our hair up for a short while and would like to pull it back down in to it's beauty flowing glory free of any awkward dents! Now you can! Yipee! 

              

These little hair ties are easy to make and would make great little gifts for family and friends! Nothing like a little beauty item to brighten any woman's day! Making the holders was super easy as well. I created a table on my Pages document 2 rows big and 3 columns wide. The measurements are 3" column width and 3.25" column height. I used a font called CarbonType at 16pts. for my wording. I printed this on to card stock and grabbed an empty cereal box I was about to toss out. I cut out the squares and cut squares out in the same size from the cereal box. Using Elmer's glue I covered the printed side of the cardboard from the box and placed my card stock square over it. This way the back is just brown cardboard looking. Allow it to dry and then add your ties for a sweet gift! 

Cover printed side of cardboard box in glue

Lay card stock piece on top of glue and press firmly to ensure all sides are down

VOILA!

{QoK}

Coconut Oil...Are You Ready to Jump on the Wagon?

In an effort to become more healthy and find natural alternatives for beauty I have turned to Coconut Oil! I have long head of the many benefits or coconut oil, and that it can be used for virtually any and everything! I thought it was a natural craze/phase that would soon roll in to another before long. I have continued to see pins pop up all over Pinterest so I decided to do a little searching and take the plunge! My number one reason for purchasing some was to use as a super conditioner on my hair overnight, and let me say it is awesome!  Since purchasing my first tub (Around $15 for 1.5L @ Costco)I have been adding it daily to my morning smoothie, using it so sooth my sons eczema, using it as a skin moisturizer(especially great for rough patches like knees and elbows!) and using it to condition my hair. I have been loving the results and the pleasant coconut smell reminds me of Islands of Hawaii!  I want to share just some of the benefits of Coconut Oil:

• It is a natural SPF 4 sunscreen
• It supports healthy thyroid function
• It is a great cuticle moisturizer
• It is a great massage oil
• It can be used to help with runny noses, allergies, sore nostrils, etc
• It can be used as a lip balm
• It soothes eczema
• It can be used on new tattoos to help healing
• It can be used as a face wash
• It can be used as a furniture wood polish
• It can be used to treat infections
• It can be used as a homemade vapor rub
• It works great to shave with (both men and women)
• It fights athlete's foot and toe fungus
• It helps heal bruises, scrapes and cuts
• It is a filling and gives a energy boost
• It is an eye makeup remover
• It can be mixed with baking soda for a natural "Goo Gone"
• It can be used as a home made deodorant or lotion bar
• It is a super hair conditioner
• It is a intensive night time moisturizer for the skin
• It is a great replacement for vegetable oils in any recipe cooking or baking
• It can help speed weight loss when consumed daily
• It can help improve sleep when consumed daily
• It can be used to treat lice
• It helps with bladder infections and yeast infections
• It can help prevent stretch marks
• It can help treat thrush
• It can help with ear infections
• It helps de-frizz hair
• It naturally clears up cold sores
• It can be used for oil-pulling

While this is only a limited list of it's uses you may be thinking to yourself, "This list is all over the place, there's no way it can do such a broad range of things!" Well, it can! Coconut Oil is known to be, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflmamatory, anti-viral, anti-parastic, infection fighting, non-toxic to humans and animals. the possibilities seem endless for this amazing oil and it's natural! I would suggest unrefined, virgin, organic, coconut oil ESPECIALLY for internal uses. So are you ready to jump on the coconut oil bandwagon? Which ways have you used coconut oil?

{QoK}

Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Shine Hair Care System

Have you seen the commercial for Suave Professionals new line of Moroccan infused hair care products? The hair on the model looks so incredibly shiny, smooth and silky!! "I have to have these products!!!!" My exact thoughts when the commercial ended. Then it hit me, the hair on commercials always looks amazing because they have professional stylists! My hair will never remotely come close to looking so smooth and beautiful!! *Insert sad face* I decided to take out my iPad and search the web for some reviews on this new line, but I really didn't find much of anything. It was then I knew I had to purchase it and try it out myself! I have naturally wavy hair that is more on the frizzy side and honestly most nights after taking shower I just go to sleep with it sopping wet. Horrible I know, but being a stay at home mom means that more often than not my hair is up and pulled back so there is no reason for me to spend time and product on blow drying my hair each night. With that said I decided to pick up some of these new products while I was at the store yesterday. I picked up the Shine Shampoo & Conditioner System with Moroccan Argan Oil and the Deep Conditioning Shine Mask with Moroccan Argan Oil all for around $13. Here are some excerpts from their website:

SHINE SHAMPOO WITH MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL

This shine shampoo, infused with authentic Moroccan argan oil, gently cleanses while making hair brilliantly shiny.

SHINE CONDITIONER WITH MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL

This shine conditioner, infused with authentic Moroccan argan oil, conditions hair while smoothing the cuticle to make hair shinier.

Shine System infused with Moroccan argan oil:

• Noticeable shine
• Long lasting conditioning
• Luxurious fragrance

DEEP CONDITIONING SHINE MASK

This indulgent deep conditioning shine hair mask , infused with authentic Moroccan argan oil, noticeably improves hair texture, intensely moisturizing for touchably soft hair that shines.

Infused with Moroccan argan oil:

• Noticeable shine
• Intense hydration
• Soft to the touch hair

My hair in its natural state!

I picked up the largest size of shampoo and conditioner I could find as well as the deep conditioning shine mask. Because my hair is on the dryer side I knew I wanted to start with using the deep conditioning shine mask in place of the regular conditioner to put it to the test! I shampooed my hair and it lathered up really nicely and had a pleasant but not overwhelming smell. If something smells bad, there is NO WAY I will be putting it on my hair!  After rinsing out the shampoo I opted to use the deep conditioning shine mask in lieu of the regular conditioner. I didn't want to start using the regular conditioner to start softening my hair because then I could rate the true workings of the shine mask on my very dry and wavy hair.  I evenly covered my hair as per the instructions and left it on for the full 5 minutes. As I was rinsing it out I could immediately yell my hair felt softer and less tangled than normal. I was ecstatic! After jumping out the of shower I began to blow dry my hair. My hair is usually frizzy and kinky even after blow drying so I wasn't sure what to expect. As my hair started drying I could immediately see great shine and my hair was incredibly soft to the touch!! Above is a photo of my hair in its natural raw state, see the frizzy-ness and the waves? BLEH! Below are some photos after blow drying and using the products for the first time. I used no additional products in my hair other than the shampoo and shine mask! Impressive! It was so sleek, soft and shiny it was incredible!

Sleek and Shiny!

Silky & Smooth!

Shiny!

BEFORE-Frizzy and wavy out of control hair that cant be tamed!

AFTER-Here is my hair after blowdrying with a paddle brush!
No straightening or any additional products added!

{QoK}

Have You Heard of Birchbox?

A couple months ago I found out about a awesome program called Birchbox! It is a $10 monthly subscription that delivers you the latest and greatest in beauty and skin care product deluxe samples! Sometimes you get a full size product, score! Based off of a profile you create online they customize each months box for you!
Here is an exerpt form their website:

Every month, you'll receive a box filled with beauty, grooming, and lifestyle samples from both up-and-coming and well known brands. Each delivery will include a mix of categories, as well as lifestyle items. Samples are generously sized, with enough product to allow you to figure out if they're right for you.

This months theme was Red Carpet Ready! It had five items this month, one of which I've been dying to try! One thing I immediately noticed about this box was it representing this years "IT" color in term of products! Emerald!!! I have been a life time lover of green so I am psyched to see this shade making a comeback and two of this months items were Emerald! The item I have really been looking forward is the twistband headband! As a stay at home mom, I typically keep my hair up and away from my face while at home. Regular headbands leave indentations in your hair that make it virtually impossible to re style for a date night later in the day! I have heard great things about their products as they also make hair ties that don't pull your hair or leave ponytail indentations! Yay! As a woman with long hair I have a feeling this will be my new hair go to each day! 

 Here is a list of this months items:

*Color Club-Nail Polish  in Wild Cactus

*Dr. Lipp-Original Nipple Balm for Lips

*SKIN&Co Roma-Cleansing Body Gel with Olive & Sicilian Orange Extracts

*twistband-Thick Headband

*Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares-Milk Chocolate with Caramel Filling

{QoK}