Saturday, May 14, 2011

How to Clean Hairbrushes and Combs

Howdy (wow, so old West!), it's been a long hiatus from posting.  I thought of several topics to blog about but was just too lazy to do it - it's been SO HOT (apart from last weekend's typhoon - why does it always seem to hit on a weekend??)

Anyway, the topic today is how to clean hairbrushes and combs.  No tiptoeing round it - hairbrushes and combs get dirty too.   Our brushes and combs pick up the sebum and grease from our hair, and over time this results in a visible build up of gunk on the bristles of hair brushes and teeth of combs.  Here's the step by step procedure to rid your hairbrush and comb of the gunk and have them all nice and clean again.

1.  Weed off any strands of hair that may have gotten tangled round the bristles of your brush.  You may use your comb to weed them off.  When your hairbrush/comb is rid of these, you're ready for the next step.

2.  Have ready a basin large enough to contain your hairbrushes and combs.  You're going to put them in the basin.

3.  Lay your hairbrushes and combs in the basin and pour water over them, enough to cover - you want even the tips of the bristles to be clean.

4.  Get some baking soda - in the tin canister or in a packet, it doesn't matter.  Sprinkle baking soda onto the base of the bristles/teeth.  A tablespoon should do one hairbrush and one comb.  Use more if they really need cleaning.

5.  Leave your hairbrushes/combs to soak for 30 minutes (or more, if they need serious cleaning).

6.  When you next check on them, you'll notice scum floating around - this is the dirt from the brushes/combs.  If the bristles are white, you'll notice they're back to their pristine white state.  Your brushes/combs should now be clean.  Pour out the water.

7.  Rinse your brushes and combs, and dry them face down.  Viola!  They're all clean and ready to be used again.

There are other methods I've read about, like swishing your combs about in washing liquid or shampoo - but this, to me, seems the absolute best way to get them really clean.

Now, please do tell me if this works for you..!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Dry skin, meet your match .. AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion !

There are  hundreds of drugstore body lotions out there, but for dry skin, I'd recommend AmLaction Moisturizing Body Lotion.  I first read about it in a site specifically for sufferers of the skin condition "keratosis pilaris", which is characterized by little red bumps on the skin of the upper arm, and sometimes the back of the thighs.  Supposedly it is little plugs of keratin which the skin produces, that do not properly come off.  Hence, the cure is for something (the lotion) to help ensure the skin is exfoliated and the plug removed.

AmLactin says it is a "clinically proven formula - Alpha Hydroxy Therapy"  and that it "Moisturizes and Exfoliates Rough, Dry Skin."  The lotion does its work of softening the plugs for easier removal the next time you buff your skin (the exfoliation part), but it's not 100% successful as a cure for KP as the redness and the rough skin remain.  Not a surprise really, since as of this date, if you do a search of the medical websites, you'll find there is no definitive cure for this condition. The lotion is runny, however it absorbs well and there's no greasy feel after.

It's as a dry skin reliever that it comes into its own, however. My mom has really dry skin on her legs (you can see that it's dry because of the tracery on her skin, and the papery sound it makes when you rub it), and smoothing this on has made her skin less dry (no more papery sound, and the lines get a bit evened out) and more supple looking.  It leaves a sheen on the skin, making it look glowy.

The bottle (225g or 7.9oz) says that it's fragrance free but it does have a strong medicinal smell, which wears away after a few hours.

Five thumbs up for AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion!