Self Tanning Prep

It’s finally sunless tanning season! Maybe you bother year ’round, maybe you’ve already started for the year – but for the rest of us, here are some tips on how to achieve a great sunless tan regardless of the products you’re using.

Shower

Self Tanning Prep - Original Dove Beauty Bar

For best results, you should always apply to just-cleaned skin! When I’m showering with self tanning prep in mind, I use a mild soap like classic Dove (which is what I use in the shower most of the time anyway). Some of the richer, creamier body washes contain oils (great for ultra-moisturizing, not great for self tanning prep). While you’re at it…

Shave

remingtonshaver

…at least the areas you wish to tan with coarser hair, such as the lower legs. Don’t feel like you need to shave everywhere – for instance, I don’t shave my forearms; the hair that grows there is fine and light.. If you wax or have removed the hair via a laser device, you get to skip this – lucky you! Still, you need to…

Exfoliate

Self Tanning Prep - Eco Tools Shower Gloves

While in the shower, exfoliate your skin to remove any dry or errant patches. Sunless tanner works best when everything is smooth; otherwise you risk a patchy or muddy application. No product can prevent it – you simply have to do your due-diligence. I use a pair of scrubby shower gloves or a sugar- or salt-based scrub. If your scrub has oils (many do!), you might want to do this before you suds up to remove any oils.

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Pedicures, Revisited

Tools for PedicuresImplements for Pedicures

We’ve officially hit Spring (though tell the weather in my area that). We are now closer to the start of sandal season than the start of boot season! That’s celebration-worthy. When the chill of and Winter set in, though, a lot of people relax their attitude towards certain areas of grooming – like shaving or pedicures.

Before I continue, this post is not intended to judge or slam your personal choices. At the end of the day, you should absolutely do what you’re comfortable with, what you have time for, etc. If it means taking a break from the tedium that is regular shaving with a classic razor, cool (though I recommend at least trying an electric or laser option). 

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DIY Lip Scrub

In light of my post the other day about my new almost-favorite probably-too-dark-for-me matte lipstick and the fact that autumn tends to bring around more matte or matte-ish lips anyway, I figured this was timely and appropriate. Not that lip care is inappropriate at any time, but YOU KNOW.

As much as pricey lip exfoliants may entice (looking at you, Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Lip Scrub or Fresh Sugar Lip Polish), they really aren’t worth it unless you’re that hung-up on branding for something that just whisks away dead skin from your lips. Using chemical exfoliants isn’t a good idea for our lips, so these (just like what I’m going to show you in a moment) are sugar-based scrubs. Check out the ingredient list on both – Bite’s is a nice blend of oils…and sugar, and Fresh’s has a bunch of oils as well as some less-familiar chemical components (not to scare you – chemicals are not always bad. Do your research, as always). Why pay $18-23 for something that is basically oil and sugar? I wish I could channel Sam from Batalash Beauty when I say that it is crazy (crasy! By the way, go check out their blog and YouTube channel. They’re hilarious and damn good artists to boot).

001

You need:

  • A container with a lid
  • Coconut Oil
  • Honey
  • Olive Oil or Almond Oil (not pictured because derp)
  • White or Brown Sugar
  • bonus points if you sub it out for something grainier like Sugar in the Raw
  • Vanilla Extract (artificial is OK)
  • Mixing utensil
  • Optional mixing bowl if you want to make an unreasonably huge batch

Spoon your sugars into your container – I like to do two parts white sugar to one part brown sugar, but 1:1 would be fine, too. Combine them well.

002

Squeeze in some honey… I started on the conservative side with it because I didn’t want this to wind up too sticky:

003

Add your olive or almond oil. You can use both if you want, but I just went with one.

004

Then mix it up…

006

Add your vanilla extract, mix again.

007

Add a dollop of coconut oil, ideally solid.

005

GENTLY combine with the existing mixture, you don’t want to wind up with liquid.

008

Transfer it to your storage container if you didn’t mix it there, then chill for 15 minutes. Now you can use it, just scoop out a bit and apply to lips, rubbing in circles. The oils will allow to sugar to move with ease and will hydrate your lips. If you want to apply lipstick right away, pat them dry afterwards – oil isn’t the best base for a lipstick, after all.

009

The beauty of this recipe is that it is so simple and very adaptable. Hate vanilla? You’re crazy, but the good news is that you can sub in any flavoring you please. Dig orange? Go for it. Hell, zest an orange into it. Want cherry without dropping $18 on Bite’s scrub (I mean, that’s a tub of Dipbrow. More than a MAC Lipstick. Come on)? Visit your baking aisle and pick up some cherry flavoring. Very easy. Not a fan of how olive oil makes this taste? Use an oil with a subtler flavor.

Your lip scrub should be stored in the fridge and can be kept for two weeks.

Do you have any neat DIY beauty recipes?

At Home DIY Hair Glaze

Hey! This is a legacy post – some products are sadly discontinued! You can find my (2019-present) hair glazing process can be found in this post! I also tone my highlights with this method; when this went live, I wasn’t highlighting yet!

(2014) I am very lucky in that my hair is pretty awesome on its own (LOL. Seven years later, it is not–thanks Tresemme, stress, and aging!). I wanted to make it unreasonably shiny without weighing it down with a lot of product (I am lazy). So, for me, for a friend, for you, and for science, I endeavored to guinea pig an at home DIY hair glaze treatment.

If you were planning on a salon hair gloss or glaze treatment (which costs $30 even at a beauty school’s student salon where I live!) for a wedding or just because, keep reading because learning is fun. This is a glaze/gloss-only treatment – no color means easily achievable without professional expertise!

Get it Together

Here’s what you need (most of which can be acquired at Sally Beauty):

At Home DIY Hair Glaze - What You NeedSupplies needed for an At Home DIY Hair Glaze
  • A Hairbrush – I have a classic 9-row Denman ($20) here, but I <3 the Wet Brush.
  • Clarifying Shampoo (2021 Update: Photo includes a Tresemme variety I used for this purpose, then. It was not problematic for my hair or scalp. Read labels and proceed with caution! Here’s one from Neutrogena for $4)
  • Clairol Professional Radiance Colorgloss in Clear Shine [[discontinued]]
  • Clairol Professional Radiance Color Infuser [[discontinued]]
  • Graduated Salon Mixer/Applicator bottle [[similar, $3]]
  • An awesome conditioner. Feria is discontinued, but Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle is cheap and FANTASTIC. You can get the small bottles for under $5 at drugstores/Target/Wal-Mart, or the link above is a *steal*.
  • Gloves – Nitrile, latex, vinyl, whatever. [[similar, $29 for 100. gloves are expensive in 2021 due to the pandemic]]
  • Two combs – you won’t want the teeth much closer than the black one pictured [[similar, $5]], and a wide tooth one [[similar, $4]]
  • Section Clips – will make your life a lot easier if you, like me, channel Cousin Itt [[not similar, but better. the ones pictured sucked, $6]]
  • An old shirt you don’t care much for

Prep

First things first – brush your hair out, then wash with your clarifying shampoo. Afterwards, use your normal daily conditioner, rinse, detangle if needed with a wide-tooth comb, and let it air dry. Do not apply any product to your hair – no mouse, heat protectant, nothin’. Just let it be. Here’s what my hair looks like after it is dry:

At Home DIY Hair Glaze

The Approach

If you have a friend that can help you reach the back sections of your hair, that would be awesome. If not, you can manage (it will just take longer). Brush your tresses out again. You need to start with completely tangle-free hair, or else you’re gonna have a bad time.

Throw on a t-shirt you don’t love as much as you probably should, gather your supplies and head somewhere with a mirror and sufficient lighting to see what you’re doing – for me, this was my bathroom, but if you have an awesome vanity that would work, too. In addition to the items shown below, be sure to get your gloves, section clips, and combs.

At Home DIY Hair Glaze

Gettin’ Mix-y With It

Grab your graduated mixing bottle, unscrew the cap. Now, you CAN add the entirety of what you need at once, but to ensure thorough mixing, I did it in two parts, so that’s what I’ll explain:

Pour one ounce of the Clear Colorgloss (half the bottle) into your graduated mixing bottle, then one ounce of your Color Infuser. You should be up to the two-ounce line, it will look like this:

DIY Hair Glaze Mixing

Now, violently shake it! But not like a polaroid picture, got it? Settle down, we’re just making our hair shiny.

Add the last ounce of the Colorgloss (the little bottle should be empty now), and another ounce of the Color Infuser. Shake again!

DIY Hair Glaze - Mixed SolutionDIY Hair Glaze

Mine appears to be just under 4 ounces because the product (from shaking) is on the side-walls and has not yet settled. It will, though, so don’t sweat it.

Application

From here, section your hair. If you’re already used to sectioning it to blow dry or style, do what you normally do. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the nice folks on YouTube can definitely help you out.

With gloves on, apply the solution from your mid-lengths (below your ears) to ends, really concentrating on your ends (where most dullness occurs). Comb through each section to ensure even distribution of the product, then run through the section again starting the comb a little closer to your roots. This approach enables the hair closest to your scalp to get some attention from the product without overdoing it. Repeat this for each section.

If you have product left in the bottle after each section, go back and use the rest (unless your hair is short, then just discard what you don’t need); I actually squeezed it onto the “roots” of my comb and raked it through my hair this way. Once your hair is coated, comb through once more with the regular comb, clip it up, and let it be for up to 20 minutes.

Cautionary Tale

I actually wound up with some tangling during this (my hair does not like being handled with latex gloves, so I learned), so keep a wide-tooth comb handy to detangle as you go. Since my hair is so long, it took a while to get the product on and distributed the way I liked; once I was satisfied with how everything was coated I only waited about ten minutes.

Removal

Now, remove your gloves and rinse your hair. While you’re at it, rinse your wide-tooth comb, too. Do not be alarmed if your hair feels a bit tacky to the touch before rinsing, this is normal.

Gently squeeze excess moisture from your hair and generously apply your conditioner. Wait one minute then comb through it with your wide-tooth comb. Wait four minutes, then rinse.

Squeeze excess water from your hair again, then wrap it in a towel and ever-so-gently towel dry a bit, then air dry. If you REALLY want to, you can dry and style as normal, but if you want to really see the before-and-after, no-product-added difference, let it air dry like you did before you started playing mad scientist.

The Aftermath

While my hair was air-drying (so before it was fully dry), I could already notice a difference. Here’s what it looked like afterwards:

At Home DIY Hair Glaze

I really lament not having better lighting conditions to give you a better idea of the difference it made, but it was a massive change from my already-reasonably-shiny hair. My hair has no product in it, was not heat styled, and was just air dried and brushed.

Enjoy the shine for 6-8 weeks depending on your environment, haircare, and the conditions subject your hair to. Bear in mind that this IS a chemical process; my hair has not been damaged from this and the texture feels unaffected, but your results may vary if you have hair that has already been heavily processed by color, perms, etc.

Additionally, if you have hair that has been subjected to the aforementioned processes, you may need to process this DIY Hair Glaze treatment for a shorter amount of time (like 10-15 minutes). Beyond that, the Colorgloss bottle does claim that it is conditioning. I’m skeptical of this claim, and you should be too.

Comprehensive Costs

Assuming most people already have brushes, combs, and section clips (which really are optional but you’ll thank me), you can accomplish this process in about a half hour for under $15 for the first time, assuming you have a Sally Beauty membership.

You won’t need to repurchase conditioner, the bottle, or gloves (if you buy reusable or already have them) for a while, and the Color Infuser (I bought the 16 fl oz bottle) can be used for EIGHT applications ($0.50 per application!) before you’ll need to repurchase.

Use a thick, awesome conditioner two times weekly (if you don’t use it every day) to help maintain your hair’s new-found glossy awesomeness.

The Bottom Line

Finally, here’s a before-and-after side-by-side for you:

At Home DIY Hair Glaze Before and After

Whether this is a treatment you’re already paying for at the salon, if you’re curious about it but didn’t want to shell out, or if you’re like me and just wanted to do something nice for yourself, I hope I was able to help you with this at home DIY hair glaze tutorial.