How to Get Million-Dollar Hair for Under $10

Today, I read that Rihanna spends $1 million dollars on her hair every year. That's INSANE!!! Then again, her perfectly styled, fiery red locks are a huge part of her image and stage presence. (Plus, she has the money to spend, so why not?) Celebrities like her have teams of people who work around the clock to keep her looking gorgeous.

As for poor little ol' me (emphasis on the word "poor"), I don't have the dough for celebrity hair maintenance. My wallet already takes a beating from my financially-crippling online shopping addiction. :(

Horrible spending habits aside, I've recently made it my life's mission to have hair as shiny as Camilla Belle's. Luckily for me (and anyone else on a budget), getting super shiny hair is pretty inexpensive.

Camilla Belle, you are my hair idol

 

After reading the book Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?, I found out that avocado and coconut are two of the best things to put in your hair because the oils penetrate the hair shaft better than other oils. I break out from using avocado oil or coconut oil directly on my hair or skin but, for some reason, I don't break out when I use mashed avocado and coconut milk. I make a hair mask every once in a while with both of those ingredients to strengthen my hair and hydrate it a couple days before coloring:

 

Ingredients
1 Can Coconut Milk
1 Avocado
Medium-Sized Pot
Mixing bowl
Stirring Spoon
Shower cap
Someone to help you (if possible)


Directions
1. Simmer down the coconut milk on LOW heat until it is a thick cream. Stir constantly to prevent burning/sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2. While waiting for the water to evaporate from the coconut milk, scoop out the avocado, removing the skin and the pit, and mash in a bowl until smooth.

3. Pour the coconut cream into the mashed avocado and mix until blended.

4. Let this mixture cool until lukewarm and then massage into DRY hair from ends toward roots. Saturate well and cover your hair with a shower cap.

5. Let the mask sit for as long as possible (at least 30 min). You can wrap a hot towel (fresh from the dryer) around your head to help it penetrate your hair better/faster.

6. Rinse the mixture out of your hair in the shower and shampoo and condition your hair.

Short and Sweet: Do this avocado and coconut hair mask a few times a month and you'll have crazy shiny, healthy hair, sans the huge dent in your non-celebrity bank account.

Customize Your Own Forever 21 Charm and Tassel Necklace

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
Ornamental Cluster Necklace, $5.80

Long Nose Pliers, $2

Step 1:
Lay the necklace out on a flat surface. (I put a paper towel down so that the charms wouldn't slip around as much and so it would be easy to find any charm connectors that fell loose from the chain.)

Step 2:
Using the pliers, carefully separate all 10 charms from the necklace by bending the little circle-shaped charm connectors just enough to release the charm from the cluster. (Make sure that you don't separate the charms from their charm connectors because you'll need those to re-attach the charms to the chain.) You should end up with a plain gold necklace, 9 charms, and 1 tassel.

Step 3:
Now you're ready to customize your necklace with any combination of charms you want! Just hook one or more of the charms onto the chain and rock it out! (Tip: If you're using several charms, hook their charm connectors together to form a drop chain instead of just hooking them onto the chain side by side.)

 

I customized mine with the navy blue bead, the jade green pendant, the multi-faceted turquoise bead, the gold flower with a rhinestone in the center, and the gold tassel. (Notice that all of the charm connectors form a drop chain so that only ONE of the charm connectors is actually attached to the necklace.)

Here's a picture with flash.

What do you do with the remaining charms? You can create another chain of charms to switch out with your other charms later on, using the same gold necklace, OR you can buy a separate gold necklace to put the other charms on and then you'll have two separate necklaces. Either way, don't throw any of the charms or connectors out because you may want to use them in the future.

DIY Skin-Softening Oatmeal and Honey Milk Bath

This DIY milk bath is perfect for fall and winter because the pampering ingredients soften and hydrate your skin:

You'll need:
1 cup of whole milk
2 tbs. of honey
1 cup of liquid strained from cooked oatmeal (you can use whole oats but it can be a nightmare to clean them out of the drain)

Give yourself the royal treatment by adding flower petals or candles to get the full Cleopatra experience

Pour these ingredients into your bath water and let your skin soak for at least 15 minutes. The lactic acid in the milk helps slough off dry skin while the honey and oatmeal comfort and moisturize your skin.