Fun "Do It Yourself" Projects

The other day I was passing through the HUB around 12, like I always do, and was stopped by a representative from “Campus Tour.” Prior to this encounter, I had no idea what Campus Tour was or what it entailed. They had about five tables set up with products ranging from food, to clothes, to face products. I was brought around to all of the different tables and given free samples for the products that they were advertising. When I got to the table displaying products that one applies to their hair or skin, one of the representatives told me something that really got my attention: Your skin absorbs 60 % of what you put on it. So, when using Bath and Body Works and other Products that use Chemicals to make them smell better, your skin is absorbing and taking in all of these chemicals. This fact inspired this week’s passion blog: homemade face and skin products.

1. Instead of going out, purchasing an acne cream, and using a cream that consists of countless toxic chemicals the solution to acne is simple: Apple Cider Vinegar. At night, I will apply a little bit of this onto wherever I am breaking out and the next morning, although the acne is not completely gone, it definitely is shrunken. If you repeat this process the next night, the pimple should basically be gone. Some people say that you should mix the apple cider vinegar with a little bit of water but I personally believe that applying the vinegar straight to the skin yields the most results.
2. Honey and Cinnamon Mask: I actually tried this out over the summer and surprisingly it worked really well. All you have to do is mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to make a paste. Take the paste and basically massage it into your skin. Leave it on for about 15 minutes. I promise you, it works really well.

There are a lot of other remedies but these are the two main ones that I have tried and have experienced good results from.

Additionally, I want to look into some skin care products that are all natural and easy to make. I have always used lotions that smell good rather than looking into what is actually good for me and my skin. Some things that can be bought at any local pharmacy or grocery store are coconut oil, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar (again), raw honey, and avocado. If you apply these products onto your skin as if they are lotion products, apparently it yields very good results. I have never tried any of these (although I have tried apple cider vinegar on my face and coconut oil on my hair). But after reading these articles, I will definitely be trying these products out and posting a future blog on the results. Feel free to comment any experiences (good or bad) that you have had with these products or other products!

– Em

How many of you have gotten your hair dyed at a local Salon? When you get your hair dyed, you always want to go somewhere reliable and, more often than not, those reliable boutiques or salons can be fairly pricey (typically over 100 but under 200). Some people, however, need to go back multiple times, depending on what they want and how they want their hair to look in the end. I, for one, refuse to buy into this. Although I do have a lot of friends who’s dyed hair I absolutely LOVE (ombre, balayage, highlights, you name it), I have never once gotten my hair formally dyed.

I, instead, have a cheaper trick: Sun In. Doesn’t matter which bottle you purchase (the pink or the yellow) both work just the same.

Although it does have some chemicals, like hydrogen peroxide, the main ingredients are lemon juice and water. So, not only is it cheaper but it is much better for your hair than getting it bleached is.

When people hear that I use sun-in to lighten my hair, most inquire: Doesn’t Sun-In only work in the Summer? Isn’t that the point of it? Technically, yes. Most people put the product in their hair when they go on vacation to some tropical place, as it is advertised as being most successful in the sun. But, Sun In is actually heat activating. So any combination of heat with this product and your hair will make it work.

What I do is after a shower, I let my hair dry for five to ten minutes until it is damp (not soaked). I then spray my entire head (or generally the areas I want to lighten) with the product. All you have to do next is use a hair dryer and dry your hair. That’s it. It’s so simple. (For maximum effect, I usually use a hair brush and comb out my hair as I blow dry, to get the maximum amount of heat onto the areas doused with the product. Although heat is not too good for your hair, it is not as bad as bleach and other harmful chemicals would be if you were to get your hair done at the salon).

That is all. I hope this is useful to you and your hair. If not, tell your friends or do it to your pet or something lol, its kinda cool.

– Em

Surprisingly, I have yet to do a passion blog on baking even though this is one of my favorite things to do in my free time when I am home and have a functioning kitchen. This passion for baking dates all the way back to my fifth birthday when I received an Easy Bake Oven from my parents as a gift. I have baked everything from Christmas cookies, to pies, to cakes, to monkey bread; you name it and I have probably baked it at some point. The one thing I have yet to try is Macaroons; not because I don’t love them (they are probably my favorite dessert aside from ice cream), but I have just heard that they are very difficult to bake. So, in this passion blog, I plan to provide a solid recipe for macaroons and outline the techniques that are required for being successful when baking them.

To start off, the recipe for this particular dessert is at the very bottom of the page under this link: http://www.birchtreebaking.com/a-macaron-tutorial/

Unlike any other dessert, however, you cannot just go completely off of the recipe and expect everything to go as planned. There are specific instructions that need to be followed in order to make something that looks and tastes like this:

1. Ingredients:
   1. Almond Flour: This is not something you can sub out for regular flour, you MUST use Almond Flour (also sometimes known and labeled as Almond Meal)
   2. Room Temperature Egg Whites: They must be at room temperature and they must just be the white of the egg; so make sure you set your eggs outside the fridge (or just the white) the night before or a few hours before
2. Measuring: One thing about macaroon recipes is that you have to be super duper precise, meaning that when you measure you cannot estimate or go a little under; the measuring cup must be to the brim. The best way to measure, if you have one, is using a scale.
3. Sifting: make sure you use an actual sifter to sift the Almond Flour (don’t skip this step; sift two times if you can). After you sift there may be pieces of almonds left over. Make sure that you remove these carefully and do not leave them to mix in the batter or your cookies will be chunky.
4. Meringue:  When making the meringue, make sure that you separate the eggs (don’t skip this step!) Beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed with an electric mixer for about a minute. Add in the sugar and mix on high until it is completely blended and mixed together. (here you can add food coloring and beat again if you would like)
   1. Next (the hardest part) you have to fold in the almond flour and the meringue into the mixture (it says this takes 30-50 minutes)
5. The final big tip is the actual baking part. The best results this blogger has received is baking the cookies for 15-20 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, making them not too soft or too hard. This is probably the most important part because the texture is really what makes the macaroon cookie what it is.

Hope you enjoyed my blog; maybe try it out someday (even though it seems really hard)

– Em