Pampering tips for ladies (& men)

Howdy! I think I found a new calling. As many of you know when we were living on the island of Utila (Honduras) last May I had big time problems with my hair. My hair turns to dreadlocks over night. The salt air mixed with my thick course mane is disastrous. LOL! Today I'm not wearing my hair as long as I did on Utila but still fighting that "dead" feel. Thanks to an Oprah show I saw a few months back which got me interested in Homemade Masks for hair and face. I've been experimenting and having so much fun trying different things out. I thought I'd share a few things with you ladies. Like I said, Oprah was my inspiration. On her show she talked about the benefits of raw eggs. We all know they are full of proteins but did you know they make excellent masks? I separate the egg white from the yolk and apply the whites for 15-20 mins. At first I was only applying to my face now I apply to my neck, chest, hands and nails. Anyway, leave the whites on for 15-20 mins and rinse off. Next apply the yolk and leave on for 30 mins (longer if you have time). You can just feel your skin tightening. It's amazing and one egg is all you need. You will love what it does for you nails. I know who has time to do this? I do but, I've also had time to look up other "natural" ingredients used for masks. I thought I'd share some of my favorites although, I have a long list of others to try too. The egg wash is a little time consuming but definitely noticed sun spots on my hands fade and my skin tighten. But, my next favorite is dissolving 3 Tbls spoons of sugar into 4 Tbls of warm water and applying to face. Double the batch and use on your neck, chest & hands. Hands need to be pampered too. Leave mask on for 15 mins and rinse with warm water followed by cool water. Leaves your skin feeling soft. Of course an avocado mask is fantastic too. Just mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture and apply for 15-20 mins. But did you know that bananas work wonders for wrinkles. This one was a little messy so make sure to have a towel nearby. Mash a 1/4 of a banana until creamy and apply to face. Again leave on 15-20 mins, rinse with warm followed by cool water. I had fun with that one. These two are simple smashing no need to mix with anything and your skin feels great. Next Hair Masks. Now not everyone has thick course hair like mine so this may not be the type of mask you'll need for your type of hair. But if you do have hair like mine...You'll love this. Whisk 5 Tbls of Olive Oil with 2 full eggs. Massage thoroughly & cover w/plastic shower cap. Leave on for 30 mins & shampoo out. This mask can get a little messy too as you sit and wait. The heat from your scalp will cause some of the oil to be runny so have a small towel near by. The 1st time I did I was worried after I shampooed. My hair felt tangled but I followed w/my normal conditioning process and wow...my hair was silky and shiny. Loved it. For those just wanting to put shine back in their hair try this one. Mix 1 tsp of honey with 4 cups of warm water. Make sure it's well dissolved. Use as a rinse. After shampooing apply the Honey mixture and don't rinse out. Style hair as normal. Of course I had to condition before applying my honey mixture. Really liked the feel of this one too. I know kind of corny but this has been fun for me. What else am I gonna do? Let me know if you have any favorites or try any of these. Also, don't forget to pamper your neck, chest, hand and nails. Since using the eggs on my nails...they are long and strong. O' I had also learned, tried and it works a trick about clear nail polish. Mince a 2-3 cloves of garlic and put in your favorite clear nail polish. Let it sit for 7 days before using. After polishing your nails apply a coat of clear nail polish and see how strong your nails are. So you see my new calling... A tester! Who knows maybe I'll treat my guests to a little pampering when I open up my tiny resort. Hope you take the time to pamper yourself. Love -Bonnie. (Bob took no part on the testing- I tried)