Winter is well-settled in Shanghai now (and the rest of China) and so new habits and ways of living come back into our routines:
- Heating our homes
- Wearing multiple layers of clothes
- Consuming hot beverages
- Taking hot showers
- ...
Our bodies are also adapting to this weather, some better than others, through burning more calories when faced with the cold winds, but also stocking more 'reserves', we need more sleep, and our skin is dryer.
My morning routine when it comes to skin care is fairly minimal: shower + oil to moisturize my face and body and if needed some thin layer of light foundation by Elate (Refillable, vegan, natural skin care brand, that my friend brought me from Canada for me to try - love it!).
So my skin is in general is doing pretty ok, except for my hair skin. I got occasional itches on my scalp and checked for anything, until I realized that my skin was just getting a rough time because of the cold weather.
I am not in the habit of oil pulling from my hair, I'd like to get into this over Chinese New Year maybe, so if any of you have any feedback on this, I'll take it!
Meanwhile, I was looking through the internet when I stumbled upon this recipe for a winter hair mask through LeeFromAmerica (you can find her on Instragram [leefromamerica] or her website: www.leefromamerica.com for some yummy food and other wellness tips).
She explained her symptoms: itchy scalp, dandruff, ... and I was like: 'save it' - 'get to the market' - 'try it out'
And it worked like a charm! Itchiness is gone, my hair is soft, much healthier!
Recipe:
1 TBSP of honey
2 TBSP Bentonite Clay (Find it on taobao/tmall with this: 皂土, or in some Chinese pharmacies)
5 Drops of Rosemary Essential Oil
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar (Find this at Lianhua, Carrefour, laowai stores or any other larger supermarket.)
Instructions:
Mix everything together
Apply evenly (with a brush or your hands) through your hair, make sure it's at your hair roots as well.
Let it sit for 20 min.
Rinse off with warm water
Worked like a charm for me and the itchiness is gone!
Any other tips or suggestions for a good zero waste hair mask? Or any good tips to start oil pulling?
Share them below!
