Total Hair Repair Oil [Natural & Organic] Review

 As a new mom to two young girls I don't get time to pamper myself anymore. Like ever. While I am nursing my newborn I sometimes find myself longing to try the DIY hair treatments on Pinterest. Well, this month I finally got around to trying one out. Sort of. It came ready and prepared for me in a bottle... with a handy pump already attached. 

It's the Foxbrim Total Hair Repair Oil. It's made with Organic Argan Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Shea Butter. And according to their Amazon page these are the functions of the different ingredients -

Bottled Nature for Hair Beauty. 100% Plant Oils include: + Jojoba Oil - Strengthen hair fibers from the inside out + Organic Argan Oil - Effectively create a tight seal for your hair cuticle + Sunflower Oil - Prevent hair thinning and foster healthy hair luster and full texture + Grapeseed Oil - Provide nourishment from the root for every strand while also sealing in moisture 

I was a little hesitant because I thought all of these oils would weigh my hair down. I've heard horror stories about people trying oil treatments and ending up with greasy, oily, heavy hair that wouldn't wash out. I don't know about you, but that's not a side effect I'm willing to deal with after a treatment that's supposed to fix my hair problems.

But of course, if you know me then you know I still gave it a go. I have to know. Curiosity killed the cat, but sometimes it doesn't. And this time it gave the cat a lovely sheen and silky smooth touch. Ok, did I really just call myself a cat?? Yes I did. RawR! (Say that in your head and make it sound like a cat, not a dinosaur. lol)

I usually only wash my hair every 2-3 days in order to keep the natural oils on my hair to try and make it a little healthier. 
But by the 3rd day I have to pull it into a bun of some sort because it's not a good look when it is down. 
So, my hair is a little kinked from being pulled up in this photo. But that is what my hair looks like two days after straightening it and not styling it at all. 
And when I straighten my hair I even spritz it with a treatment that is supposed to protect it from the heat and keep it smooth and silky. 
This is what you get...

On the bottle it says that you can do a 10 minute, 2 hour, or overnight treatment. I didn't have time for a shower that night because I was really tired and it was already 10:30PM. So, I chose the overnight treatment. This momma needs her sleep.

Squirt one pump into the palm of your hand. Rub your palms together and then rub them through your hair using your fingers like teeth on a comb. I repeated this process until I felt like it was thoroughly spread across each strand. And then I panicked. I was terrified that I might've added too much and was gonna end up looking like a Greaser from the 80's. But it was too late to do anything differently. So, I pulled it up into a ponytail and headed off for bed.

When I awoke in the morning I had totally forgotten that I had put a treatment in my hair. And my pillowcase didn't know the difference. I thought for sure that there would be a HUGE grease stain on my pillow, but there wasn't. HooRaY! Point #1 for Foxbrim.

I looked in the mirror and my hair did seem pretty oily. I pulled out my hair band and noticed that my hair felt quite funky. I don't know quite how to describe it. The only word I can think of is - coarse. But it seemed like my hair had soaked up some of the moisture compared to how it felt when I had pulled it up the night before. Hmmm.....

I hopped in the shower and began my 3 hour routine. Jkjk. It doesn't take me three hours to shower, but it sure feels that way. I washed my face, shaved my legs, and then went about washing my hair. I noticed my hair seemed noticeably smoother to run my fingers through. And it was super slick and easy to run my comb through. I wasn't sure what that meant though. I had to wait until it was dry to know if that easy to comb hair meant I was going to look like somebody with a jar of lard on their head. 

I don't use a hair dryer except in emergency situations. I had to be patient and wait for my hair to dry. This was hard to do. I wanted to know my fate after my experiment. I am one of those people that like to be surprised though. So I avoided mirrors, touching my hair, or potty breaks.

I waited...

And waited...

And waited...

The anticipation was killing me. And so was my bladder. Finally it was dry! I tentatively entered the bathroom and turned on the light. It looked just fine. Actually, it looked great! It didn't look greasy at all. Best of all, it felt smooth! Really?! It worked?! Wow! Point #2 and #3 for Foxbrim. I could almost wear my hair down without styling it.

And did I mention that it's winter? In Utah. And when I say Winter I mean it's been in the negatives. This is some seriously cold weather. Most people are going to be dealing with dry, brittle, frizzy hair, but not me! YaY! All thanks to Foxbrim's Total Hair Repair Oil. If youwant to try it out for yourself head on over to their Amazon page here. 

And the best part for you is that you can try it out without any worries - they have a 100% money back guarantee. If you're unsatisfied for any reason they will "refund every penny!"

I even tried it on my 2-year-old's curly, knotted, and snarled hair. Absolutely amazing results! I wish you could touch her hair. It's like running your hands through fine strands of silk! Love it!

AFTER

BEFORE

BEING TREATED

Gurin Touch Professional Digital Scale Review

 I have been using an old school food scale my entire life. My Mom had one and when I got married I bought one. It's the kind that you have to calibrate by hand each time you use it. For those of you that have used one you know what that entails. For those of you that haven't let me explain the process a little...

1. Put the scale together (it usually comes in 2 separate bulky parts that take up half your cabinet space)
2. Line up the arrow with the number 0
3. Add pressure to the scale and release
4. Try to realign the arrow with the number 0
5. Add pressure to the scale and release
6. Try to realign the arrow with the number 0
7. Add pressure to the scale and release
8. Try to realign the arrow with the number 0
9. Add pressure to the scale and release
10. Try to realign the arrow with the number 0
11. Add pressure to the scale and release
12. Try to realign the arrow with the number 0
13. Repeat this process a billion times until your fairly certain it's accurate
14. Place item on scale to be weighed
15. Look how many lines over the arrow lands and count about how many ounces that is
16. Remove food from scale
17. Now scream at the top of your lungs and pull your hair out because it was not accurately calibrated and the arrow no longer lines up with 0
18. Repeat steps 2-16
19. Repeat steps 17 and 18 if necessary
20. Now repeat the process, but with a bowl added to the scale because your next item is a liquid ingredient....

You get the idea. After a while you stop measuring because you'd rather eat a miscalculated grotesque dish than recalibrate your scale again. Just kidding. Sort of.

Well, I received one of the most fabulous gifts a few weeks ago. It's a Gurin Touch Digital Professional Scale! I wanted to use it for my meal prep each week. But since I just had a brand new baby girl come into my life 3 short weeks ago I have not meal prepped. So instead, I recruited my brother to teach me how to make a special treat for the Christmas season.

Let me start off by saying that my Brother is AMAZING! He is in culinary school right now. And he is a chef at The Roof Restaurant. It's no ordinary restaurant. It's the type of place you go once in your life. Or at least it'll be somewhere I go only once – and it will be for my 25^th anniversary after I have saved up to go there. Ok it's not that expensive. But for me it is. It's $40 per person and that does not include parking, gratuity, or tipping the people that hang up your coat. Not to mention the new outfit, jewelry, shoes, and coat I would have to buy before I could go there. Lol. So, ya my brother is a chef there. He is pretty amazing!

Since it's the week before Christmas we decided to make a dessert. He chose something “easy” to teach me. Sprtiz Cookies. I had never heard of these cookies before. But if they are classified as a cookie then you know that I'm game for sure!

The process was simple. Or at least I can say that now. I have never baked using cake flour before. And I have never had to sift my flour before. If we had been using my old scale then this process would have taken us years. Luckily, we were using my new Gurin digital scale and it only took us like 20 seconds because we could sift the flour as we poured it onto the scale and had no question in regards to the accuracy. Each time we changed ingredients we had to place a different bowl onto the scale and recalibrate the scale. Which took 2 seconds. Here's the process:

1. Place bowl on scale
2. Press button on scale to zero out machine
3. Wait 2 seconds or less
4. Add ingredient and scale will automatically read you a digital number of exactly how many ounces you have added. No more guessing!
5. Done!
   
   
   

We were baking these delicious morsels at our mother's house which is why we ended up having extra hands and eyes in the process. My Grandparents decided to stop by for a visit, and my Uncle and his family are visiting from Idaho and staying with them this week. It was a full house. A lot of pressure when you're experimenting with a new gadget, new recipe, and new techniques. But it was lot of fun! People came and went during the process because it's a rather small kitchen and not much room to linger while you wait for goodies to eat.

My Grandpa came in and joined us during the hardest part of the process – piping the dough. We used the only icing bag he had, an 8” piping bag. If you've ever worked with frosting then you know that this is way too small and makes everything more difficult. But of course my brother had no problem with it and made it look way too easy.

 I had never piped dough before and so mine did not look anything like my brother's designs. My Grandpa had never piped either and he is hard of hearing (he couldn't hear my brother's instructions very well) and cannot see as well either. But he did a beautiful job!

When we brought the cookies out of the oven to cool and I sat down to feed my daughter the kitchen was raided. People came out of nowhere and came all at once. They ate half the batch before I could even taste a crumb of my hard work. And they probably would have eaten them all if I hadn't stopped them. But that's what family is for. Needless to say, everyone loved the cookies! They were a huge hit!

Here's the recipe if you want to make a cookie that's sure to please:

Citrus Spritz Cookies

8 oz. Unsalted butter, softened

4 oz. Granulated sugar

0.21 oz. Grated lemon zest

0.05 oz. Salt

0.15 fl. oz. Vanilla extract

1.6 oz. Egg

10 oz. Cake flour, sifted

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the grated lemon zest. Add the salt, vanilla extract and egg; beat well.

Add the flour, beating until just blended. The dough should be firm but neither sticky nor stiff.

Press or pipe the dough onto an ungreased sheet pan, using a cookie press or a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.

Optional: We pressed the centers down slightly and added a small amount of peach jelly to the middles.

Bake at 350°F until lightly browned around the edges, approximately 10 minutes.

Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy with everyone!

If you're still using an old school scale you should definitely upgrade. P.s. the Gurin Touch Professional Digital Scale is cheaper than any good ones at the store. Check it out! It's my new favorite thing!

You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Gurin-Professional-Digital-Kitchen-Tempered/dp/B00O96ZGSM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419464239&sr=8-2&keywords=gurin+scale

Foxbrim Vitamin C Lotion Review

Every year I go through the same battle... Dry Skin! Ugh. The dry air wreaks havoc on my skin as soon as the temperature starts dropping. If you have ever lived in Utah then you know what I am talking about.
I moved to Utah from the East when I was in elementary. It was summer so it was no big deal. Even though we had lived out here before (my Dad was military) my body was not prepared for the change. When the leaves started falling my skin started drying out. By the time there was snow on the ground I was in pain. My hands would actually crack and bleed from being so dried out. And I'm not talking about a pin prick. Imagine having like fifty paper cuts on each hand. It was so painful! My parents tried everything that they could think of to help my poor hands. We tried Vaseline, Neosporin, every type of lotion, and wearing gloves 24/7. Nothing seemed to help. We finally bought some lotion, called Udderly Smooth,  that is meant for chapped cow udders. It helped, but not as much as I would have liked.
I have now lived in Utah for the majority of my life and my skin has acclimated for the most part. My hands no longer crack and bleed. But I have dry skin naturally anyways. When I put liquid foundation on my face it emphasizes my flaky skin. I HATE it! But I can't use powder because it dries me out even more. I am meant to live by the beach. If only I could afford it, all my problems would be solved. lol.
And if you know me then you know I have serious problems with acne as well. As soon as I hit puberty my face started breaking out, and it has never stopped. I gave up hope a long time ago because my mom and older sister still battle with acne. But I always had it the worst. My face was almost unrecognizable at times. I spent my teenage years hiding from cameras and society. When I finally met a boy that was willing to marry me and look at me for the rest of my life I was in shock. But he started receiving the torment instead of me. His coworkers would razz him about me all the time. They would tease him about having a 13 year old girlfriend at no expense. And no, they weren't talking about an age difference because we're less than a year apart. It was about my acne.
Two years ago I finally found a dermatologist that found a solution for me. It didn't cure my acne, but it rid my face of the majority of the bumps. I have stuck with the same expensive washes, lotions, and routine ever since to prevent any major breakouts. But I had to stop using my prescriptions last March when I found out that I was pregnant. I kept using everything else the same just in case though. Every now and then I have a breakout and I always have a couple of bumps and stuff, but nothing serious like what I used to deal with. Thank heavens!
Last month I received an offer to try out a new lotion. I was extremely excited, but also very very nervous. I was already having dry skin issues since it was November. I didn't want to change my routine and chance any catastrophic events on my face since I was not on my medications. But the lotion sounded pretty good, so I was willing to take the chance.
It's made by a company I have never heard of - Foxbrim. But it was filled with ingredients that I knew were good...

• Vitamin C
• Green Tea
• Aloe
• MSM
• Shea Butter
• Jojoba Oil

Here is the product description from Amazon:
Expect MORE from your Daily Moisturizer. It Starts With Quality Skin Protection With Proven Vitamin C.

Moisture and More. All The Benefits In A Single Bottle.

Is your skin looking it's best? Create healthy hydrated skin that radiates. 
• Effectively lighten spots and discoloration. 
• Reduce wrinkle formation and existing wrinkles. 
• Refine and even skin texture. 
• Promote skin cell turnover.

Enjoy the many benefits of an advanced natural lotion with effective ingredients. The simple and essential step to healthy glowing skin. The results you've come to expect from Foxbrim.

• Natural & Organic ingredients make up the most advanced facial moisturizer available. 
• POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE combination of Aloe + Vitamin C + MSM. 
• Absolutely no parabens, additives or fragrances. 
• Comprehensive benefits for hydrated and beautiful skin.

We encourage you... Try Foxbrim's Vitamin C Lotion. If you're unsatisfied in ANY WAY we'll provide you a total refund (for every penny!). No Questions Asked! It's that simple. What do you have to lose?

I never trust what the bottles claim though because I've never had the results. But this product actually surprised me. I've been using it for one month now and have had great results!

The first night I used it I was taken back by how moisturizing it actually was. I washed my face and removed my makeup like I usually do and then applied Foxbrim's Vitamin C Lotion. I squirted a full pump onto my palm and soon found out you shouldn't do this. I ended up rubbing the extra on my hands and arms because it was too much for my face. That's how moisturizing it is. When I awoke in the morning my face felt amazing. Not dry at all. My hands felt great too!
I did learn it's best to wait 5-10 minutes to apply my makeup after applying the lotion though. I'm used to my face soaking up all my lotion before I get the chance to rub it all in. This lotion actually moisturizes though and so it takes some time.
After using it for a couple of weeks I could tell that my face didn't seem nearly as dry as it did before. There was even a day when I was too busy with my sick daughter to get around to my morning face routine. By 4pm I noticed my face felt greasy. I have never had that issue before. It was quite impressive.
But get this - No breakouts! Of course I have had a couple of smaller annoying zits, but I haven't had my enormous, painful whiteheads. What?!?! I thought for sure that switching over to this unknown lotion would cause my face to go into revolt. But nope, it's been happy and calm. Amazing!
My face feels so much better! It is such a relief to not be fighting flaky, acne-ridden, or chapped skin this year. It's like an early Christmas present. I have even used it on my hands when they start to look like lizard skin. This stuff is wonderful. If you're looking for something that will actually moisturize then you should give Foxbrim Vitamin C Lotion a try.