FOOD WEEK!!

Alright ladies, I am caffeine'd up and ready to rant!

I have decided this week, in all my wisdom (and obsession) to blog all about that loved/hated constant in our lives...food. So, food-based home beauty remedies, awesome recipes and a few other little random 'tidbits' thrown in just for fun. Todays post will kick off with an answer to a request from one of my faithful followers (she has to be, she's my best friend!)...Miss Bean. She is privileged to be able to submit requests over the phone to moi!

What to do with weak nails?
My own nails have always been fairly strong, but these days they are taking a hiding from being inside wet rubber gloves far too often (the alternative is bare hands whilst cleaning other people's bathrooms...no thanks!) Therefore I will be trialling a nail-strengthening recipe found here:

http://www.ehow.com/way_5485445_home-remedies-stronger-nails.html#ixzz1AQGX49Cg

I will conduct a two week trial and rate and review at the end. The website claims I should see results in two weeks, so there you go (obviously I will be suing for false representation if it doesn't work...haha) This is it:

Lemon Juice Mixture for Strengthening Nails

Mix equal parts of egg white (one egg's worth should do it), olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Soak your nails in this mixture for about 15minutes everyday. The vitamins and nutrients from the egg white and lemon juic will help strengthen your nails and the olive oil will moisturise them. The acid in the lemon juice will initially strip away the shine from your nails, but that will come back in no time and your nails will be much stronger.

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Now, if you're anything like me...you HATE waste (it seems we are finally growing up and getting over the need for the excesses of the 80's and 90's), so if you're looking for a way to use up that perfectly good egg yolk, try out this awesome recipe.....

Enriching ConditionerThis protein-rich conditioner nourishes hair and regenerates growth, while being mild and quick enough for everyday use (if you can be assed...note from blog author)

Beat 2 egg YOLKS until frothy, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and continue beating until well combined. Mix through 1 cup of distilled or filtered water and you're ready for washing. Apply conditioner in place of usual product, after shampooing. Rinse THOROUGHLY...it is foodstuffs after all!

I've actually used this recipe already and can vouch 100% for the effectiveness. It seems to leave my hair much nicer than store bought conditioner...even the salon products! It's a thinner consistency than usual and doesn't cling to your hair as much which makes it seem like it won't have an effect, but after rinsing, my hair felt AWESOME. All the softening and moisture of a normal conditioner without that gluggy, slimy feeling!

Effectiveness:          ***** (I genuinely LOVE the way this makes my hair feel and look)
User friendliness:    ***    (it is a little messy, but you're in the shower anyways right?)
Affordability:             ****  (more expensive per single use than supermarket product, but so         worth it)
Time                         ***** (less than two minutes to prepare...perfect!)

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If you find that the TWO egg whites you're left with from the conditioner recipe will make too much of the nail bath, well, that's just a great reason to treat yourself to the....

Natural Pore-Tightening Mask

Whisk or beat one egg white until it's frothy only (we're not chasing meringue-ready peaked eggs here ladies!) and smooth evenly over your face. Allow to dry and rinse well with warm water. It's best to apply over a sink and remove in the shower as it can be a little messy!

Effectiveness:            *** (my skin FELT great but the visible effects were sadly only short term!)
User friendliness:      **** (easy, so flippin' easy) (oh god, unintentional puns are the WORST!)
Affordability:              ***** (it's leftover egg-white, it's RIGHTEOUSLY affordable!)
Time involved:           *** (prep time was minimal, however it does take a good while to dry)

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Almost done filling your ears with nonsense, I just have a couple of parting shots of healthy nail advice.

1. Calcium supplements don't do diddly-squat...your nails are NOT the same as bones. Overall diet however, does have an effect on your nails.
2. It's been suggested (although not conclusively proven) that Vitamin H (or 'biotin') can help improve nail strength. It's found in whole grains, vegetables, soybeans and other legumes, nuts, seeds and brewer's yeast.  (http://www.grannymed.com/remedies/conditions/beautiful-nails/vitamin-h-for-strong-nails)
3. Although it is technically common sense, sometimes we need to be reminded to PROTECT our nails. Whenever doing anything dirty, tough or with a high chemical level...as much as possible...wear gloves! (Preferably with little white cotton ones underneath heavier protective gloves)

Alright girls, nighty night. Keep watching....tomorrow or the next day I will be posting an ' I WANT' food blog....

Cheers

Anji