It is Wedding Week in my life. A dear friend and honorary sister is getting married this week and I am delighted to be a Bridesmaid. My friend is blessed with hair I used to pray to God to get as a little girl. Super curly. Perfect, tight ringlets curly.

Being the not-so-proud owner of limp, flat, body-less hair myself I haven’t had much compassion for the occasional whining about frizz or the inability to run a brush through her hair my friend would indulge in every so often. Still, her gorgeous hair fascinated me and I began hounding her a few months ago to let me experiment with a Hot (Warm actually) Oil Soak for it. After quite a bit of reading I became convinced this would be the cure for her frizz problem and result in those tight, kinky curls loosening a bit into softer, gentler versions of their former selves.

Understandably a bit skeptical it took her a few months to give into my wheedlings that bordered on out right bribery on occasion. Tonight was the night! Some might say I was taking unfair advantage of a stressed out Bride-to-Be who has too much on her plate. (ahem) I neither deny nor confirm any such rumor. Upon getting her long awaited for yes I delightedly scampered off to blend the concoction that has been burbling around my head for months. While I was at it I decided to try a facial that my wonderful Cousin Anna told me about.

Into the Hair Bowl went:

1/3 Cup Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Sunflower Oil

Splish/splash of Extra Virgin, Organic Olive Oil (Nope, I didn’t measure on the others, just guessed. Not really sure how to translate a splish splash into measurement so you are going to be stuck with what I know. Splish Splash is it.)

1/4 Cup Jojoba Oil

15-20 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil

6-8 Drops Geranium Essential Oil

Was supposed to have some Rosemary Essential Oil, about 8 drops worth but I couldn’t find mine in the oils cabinet (Probably still packed with the camping stuff from this last weekend) and did not want to take the time to dig it out.

The oils gently warmed together in the bowl in the toaster oven while I mixed up the facial.

1/4 Cup Raw, un-refined Honey (the kind that has been exposed to cold and is as a result is thick and grainy)

1 Tablespoon Local Bee Pollen. This Bee Pollen is in large round chunks/blobs that looked like “Boogers” according to one slightly queasy and grossed out looking on-looker. Don’t let the looks intimidate you. This stuff is magic. Seriously.

15 Drops Jojoba Oil

Stir together vigorously. The Jojoba Oil should be well emulsified into the honey and the biggest crystals broken up.

Scuttling over to my friend clutching both bowls before she changed her mind I quickly set to work.  Towel around her shoulders I began gently massaging the oil into her hair. Most resources I read recommended first dampening the hair before adding Oil.  I chose to put this oil mixture straight onto her hair dry. If her hair were any less coarse/damaged than it was I would have dampened it with water first but in her case I wanted the maximum amount of oil possible absorbing in for the moisturizing-healing effects.  Once her entire scalp and last bit of hair was thoroughly saturated (take the opportunity to give a nice scalp massage while you are at this. Feels amazing, or so I’m told) I wrapped her head in Plastic Wrap to control any drippies and moved onto the facial.

The texture of the honey mixture was stiff but became easier to work with. I gently massaged it into her face and neck for ten to fifteen minutes while her hair soaked. The large kernels of Bee Pollen acted like gentle exfoliators while the honey conditioned, toned and moisturized with all the live enzymes restoring and rejuvenating. Fearing the subject of my experiement was going to fall asleep on me I sent her off to the bathroom for a shower in an oily sticky state that was somewhat startling to look at and anxiously awaited her return.

She came out with the most gorgeous dewy glow to her skin I have ever seen. “You have GOT to feel my face” she said. I did. UnbeLIEVably soft. The hair was also a pleasant surprise. The tight kinky curls, usually tighter than ever after being wet lay in soft, relaxed ringlets. She said she had shampooed her hair twice to get the bulk of the oil out. We watched until some strands dried to see if it would boing back up but it didn’t! The true test will come in the morning, to see if it makes it through the night in it’s current state of relaxed, healthy, glowing vibrant and oh so soft state.

Seeing these impressive results I had to try the left-over facial myself. I am sitting here writing this with a goofy grin of delight on my face. This post is taking about five times longer than it should because I keep stopping to rub my cheek and feel how awesomely soft it is.

It’s late and there is a big day of Birthday Celebrations and last minute Wedding Shopping Things to be done tomorrow starting early AM (I pick up my Bridesmaids dress from being altered, hurrah!) but I wanted to share these things before life shoved it down the chain of priorities. Let me know if you try either of these recipes! =D I owe my Cousin Anna a big “Thank you” Hug the next time I see her. If you should happen to get soft glowing skin from this experiment I’ll accept a hug of thanks for it too. =D