Ok, we’re T minus 2 weeks guys.  Nervous? No.  Excited? Very!   I have to give the nightly lavender vanilla partial credit for that.  The pre wedding regimen has been absolutely helpful.

• My skin is still holding up well, I’m determined to keep away any last minute blemishes.  I’ll still be keeping the same morning ritual, and will be adding the Oil of Olay Deep Cleansing clay mask to it 2 evenings a week over the next two weeks.  This will replace the need to go get a facial at the spa.  Exfoliate, replenish, renew, and clean the pores…under control at home.

• I didn’t get my eyebrows waxed as intended and my makeup artist silently gave me a piece of her mind about the two bushes I have growing up there right now (which is why I didn’t do a video blog for this post as I originally intended to; I can’t let ya’ll see me like this!) She very politely informed me that in the future it’s not necessary to let your eyebrows grow completely out to correct what some happy go lucky “brow artist” messed up. There’s your beauty tip for the day ladies.

• My hair is soft and growing and forcing me to rework my bedtime ritual with it.  We had a detangling battle this morning due to my lack of combing it for a week, instead of my normal every 2 – 3 days.  We’ve come to a mutual agreement and I don’t expect we’ll have any more problems.  I’ll comb it as promised, put a few loose braids in it at night and cover it with a bonnet and I expect we’ll both be happy from here on out.  I’ll be doing a trial run on the planned wedding hairstyle this evening, just to be sure, what I have envisioned will work in real life.  This gives me plenty of time to rework as needed.  I’ll deep condition it this weekend, and next weekend in preparation for my color touch up.

• Lastly I went to the nail salon to get a manicure and pedicure today to do a trial run of the colors I’ll wear on the big day.  Sadly, I can’t get a manicure without the nail tech cutting my cuticles too deep resulting in an ugly scab.  Not very attractive for pictures.  This way I won’t have any color mishaps, or nicks and cuts on my cuticles the day of.  My nights from here until the night before will include thick, cotton socks and a healthy dose of body butter on my feet to keep them soft.

That’s my latest update on Operation: Get Me Down the Aisle.  I’ll let you know how things are going the week before the big day.  I’ll be checking out everyone’s entries to the Spa at Home Ritual contest in the meantime and if you have any at home spa/beauty suggestions you think I should try out between now and then, leave a comment and let me know.

I am exactly 30 short days until my big day and I would be in denial if I said I’m not a bit nervous.  I’m heading into my second marriage full of excitement and joy to be marrying my best friend of 12 years.  I’m heading in to it with a lot of insight, thankfully, as it’s my second trip down the aisle and I’ve learned a lot in the ten year gap between my first and second marriages.

In preparation, I’ve set a plan in motion to relax and indulge my body, mind and spirit so that I go into my day as stress free and relaxed as possible. Since I don’t have the luxury of time, I’m doing it all myself, at home.  There’s the challenge in itself, since I am quite the busy bee. Nevertheless, today at the 30 minus mark, I’ve started the following rituals:

• Nightly bath before bed with a lavender vanilla bath bomb and body wash.  I prefer the warmth of the vanilla in this scent (not that I don’t love serenity LOL) and as restless as I am, the combination of warm bath and aromatherapy guarantee I fall asleep pretty much as soon as I hit the pillow.
• Morning sugar scrub using only sugar, jojoba, and aloe gel.  I don’t want any blemishes to jump up and show themselves in my wedding pictures so I’m determined to keep my face fresh and free of any blemishes
• Added coconut oil to my hair routine to beef up the shine factor so that when the big day comes my fresh face matches my luxurious hair

I’ll also be heading over to get my eyebrows threaded this weekend. I stopped waxing because it’s just too harsh on your skin.  The irritation after waxing just became more of an annoyance and I find threading lasts longer.
I’ll be keeping this up from now until the big day and I have a bit more preparation to do at the two week mark so I’ll keep you posted as to how Operation: Get Me Down the Aisle is going.  Do you have any tips you’d like to share with me on how to keep my sanity and remain beautiful at the same time? Let me hear them, I’m all ears!

For the DIY’ers out there, I bring you a simple yet very effective scalp and hair oil blend that results in a healthier head of hair with regular use.

neem seeds

• 1/2 oz neem oil
• 3 1/2 oz jojoba oil
• 2 ml of rosemary essential oil

Normally I suggest adding a few other essential oils for a lovely scent of your choosing. However, this is not an oil blend that will land on your favorite list because of the scent. Personally, I find the smell of neem oil to be unpleasant. Because of its fantastic properties for hair and scalp, I choose to deal with it anywhere from an hour to over night until I wash it out. This is a heavier oil (somewhat heavier than olive oil) so you may need to combine your normal washing process with an apple cider vinegar or baking soda rinse to strip away the buildup. With regular use, you will have a healthier scalp and hair.

Last week’s post made mention of being able to find hair pampering products right in your kitchen.  There are plenty of commonly known ingredients: olive oil, honey, eggs, mayonnaise, and apple cider vinegar.  There are also a few less commonly known times that can do wonders for both your hair as well as your skin.

• Baking soda – an excellent replacement for an apple cider vinegar rinse, normally used as a clarifier.  Baking soda will displace the residue left from hair products, without stripping the healthy nutrients from your hair.  It’s a great alternative for those who don’t like the scent of apple cider vinegar and who find the scent lingering in their hair after clarifying with it.

• Tomatoes – provide a variety of benefits to healthy, beautiful hair.  Tomatoes restore your hair color when you’ve been exposed to damaging chemicals such as chlorine.   They also strip away odors that have settled into your hair even after washing.  From tomato juice to sauce to freshly crushed and squeezed tomatoes, use tomatoes to restore your hair’s pH levels back to normal.

• Coffee- an uplifting source of shine for your treasured tresses.  Applied as a rinse, brewed coffee provides not only shine but stimulates hair growth also.  Ground coffee is excellent exfoliating, and has tightening and firm qualities for skin as well.

• Coconut oil – keeps your roots and scalp moisturized without clogging pores.  Coconut oil absorbs easily into skin, is an excellent deep conditioner for restoring health to dry scalps acting as a great combatant against dandruff.

• Bananas – another source of sheen and shine for your hair.  Alone or combined with olive oil or avocado, bananas provide protein and soften your hair.  This is an excellent ingredient to use when you spend a lot of time in the elements to replenish nourishment.  Bananas, mixed with milk or yogurt, can also be used on skin as a mask to combat aging skin.

Take a peek in your refrigerator and cabinets and add one or two of these common kitchen ingredients to your hair care routine today.  Luxurious, healthy skin is just a few steps away.