It is Summertime: Keep Your Hair and Skin Soft and Smooth

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by: Maddie Ellison
Tags: skin, smooth, health news

(NewsTarget) It's officially summer and that means lots of time in the sun and water. But all that exposure can leave skin and hair dry and damaged. Thankfully you don't have to buy expensive products to soften your skin and repair your dry hair. Most likely you have what you need in your kitchen cabinets.

Lots of things can dry out your skin in the summer - salt from the ocean, water from swimming pools, over exposure to the sun. If you're left feeling a little dry after a day outside try a little honey and aloe vera juice. Take one teaspoon of raw honey and mix it with one teaspoon of aloe vera juice. Apply the sticky mixture to your skin and let it sit for 15 minutes; then, rinse. The honey grabs onto water creating a water tight film that locks in moisture. Honey also heightens your skin's natural bacterial fighting power and will help fight breakouts. The aloe vera is not only a powerful hydrator, but it also contains almost 75 nutrients that help treat sunburn, cuts and even breakouts.

Your hair can dry out for the same reasons as your skin does. When your hair is dry it can become dull, frizzy and brittle. If this happens to you grab half a banana and 1/4 cup of plain, regular yogurt. (Don't get the low fat variety. You need the extra thickness so the mixture will stay on your hair). Mix the banana and yogurt in a blender until it has a smooth texture (about 45 seconds). Work the mixture into your hair, wrap a towel around your head and wait 10 minutes. Then rinse, shampoo and style.

The potassium in the banana will fill gaps in the hair's cuticle which will make your hair feel smooth. Plus the many vitamins in bananas will improve your hair's elasticity and over time will lessen breakage. The lactic acid in the yogurt helps maintain the ph balance of your scalp and hair so your hair will stay shiny and manageable, no matter how much time you spend outdoors.

References:
http://www.hairfinder.com/tips/damagedhair.h...
http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-care/c/386...
http://www.ehow.com/how_2320347_make-hair-co...

About the author

Maddie is a health and fitness enthusiast who likes to research and write about all health and green living topics. She writes about herbal remedies for Sassafras Station, a health and fitness website, and edits the blog at http://www.sassafrasstation.com/blog/ .