Natural Face Toner for Acne

Sorry I haven't posted in almost a week ya'll but life has been HECTIC.  Hailey had hours of homework almost every night and now it's red ribbon week and we had to prepare.  Hailey wanted to come up with something great for crazy hair day and I can definitely say she did.  We decided to put her hair up in about 8 ponytails all over her head.  It was CRAZY!!  She was so cute.  She got to wear my favorite sunglasses to school and was very excited.  I was surprised they came back in one piece.  I was so proud of her.  Today is crazy sock day and she has one thigh high panda sock and one thigh high heart sock on.  It's adorable.  Tomorrow is hat day, then jean day, and FINALLY costume day!  They have Halloween parties that day and a whole bunch of other stuff going on.  We are making Ghost Pops for the party and I will let ya'll know how that goes.  They should be really cute.  Okay okay, I'll quit going on and let ya'll know about this WONDERFUL face toner now.

So I'm 23 years old and I still have acne.  I don't have a single clue as to why this is but it is.  I have tried everything I can possibly think of to get rid of my acne but nothing helped in the long run.  Don't get me wrong, some things worked.  But after about two months of me using it, I would start breaking out again.  I was REALLY tired of it.

I have been, slowly, trying to go to a more natural beauty regimen.  I searched around the internet for a while for a good, natural toner but I didn't want to put any type of vinegar on my face.  I don't like the smell of vinegar and I just couldn't feel good about walking around smelling like a pickle all day.

FINALLY!!  I found an all natural toner that I could feel comfortable about using.  I stumbled apon this amazing blog post that helped me out SO much.  You can look at it at Say Not Sweet Anne.  I read that Leeds Metropolitan University presented a study with findings that show that thyme may be more effective at treating acne than prescription creams.  I found this VERY interesting.  So I knew what I was going to do.  Ya'll, I went straight to the store.

Here's how you make it.  You'll need:
  • Witch Hazel.  This is all natural and has A LOT of uses.  Luckily this is one of them.
  • Thyme.  You can use fresh or dried, just make sure there are no pesticides.  You don't want those on your face.
  • Time
I took my sprigs of thyme and just put them in the witch hazel container.  I made sure to rinse them off first because you never really know if there is dirt or any other contaminants.  It's better to be safe than sorry.  You have to let this mix sit for a few days.  You'll know when its done by the rich amber color.
This makes me realize I really need to clean my windows ya'll.  They are REALLY dirty.

After a week or so of using this my acne greatly decreased.  Now, sometimes I get lazy and don't wash my face at night.  I know I know this is very bad.  But ya'll, sometimes I've just been so busy and there is just no way for me to make myself go in that bathroom and scrub my face.  When this happens I, of course, break out.  Usually on my chin or forehead and it always hurts.  I can use this toner though and the pain goes away within two days and it's never huge and red like it use to be.

I swear by this stuff ya'll!  Just try it.  You won't regret it.  Let me know how it works for you!  I would love to hear your story.

This post has been shared at Thank Goodness It's Monday at Nourishing Joy.

Cutting Your Own Bangs

Yes.  I cut my own bangs.  I know, I know.  You're not suppose to do that right?  Well.  I.  Do.  And I have to say that this is the best my bangs have ever looked.  I have tried and tried to find someone to cut my bangs just right, but it's impossible.  They either cut them crooked or to short.  I got tired of having to pin them back for a couple weeks till I could get them cut again and start all over.  The last time someone else cut my bangs they ended up halfway up my forehead (and I have a big forehead) and it took forever for them to grow out where they looked good.  For me, the best looking bangs are these:
Do you want these bangs?  Most do.  They're the most flattering on most face shapes. 

Start by getting your supplies together.  You're gonna need:
  • Hair cutting shears.  You really want to invest in a pair of these.  I bought a pair from Walmart.  You can also find them on Amazon and at Sally's.  You don't wanna use regular scissors because they will bend the hair before cutting it and that will cause split ends.
  • Rat tail comb
  • Hair band for pulling the rest of your hair back.

    Now that we have all of our supplies, lets get cutting!  Here's what you do:
  1. Start with clean, dry, straight hair.  You will also want to start with a middle part in your hair.
  2. Take your rat tail comb and find the middle of your head (this can be modified, towards your face for thinner bangs and farther back for thicker bangs).
  3. Take the pointy end of your rat tail comb and section it off to the front of your ears on each side.  This will make a triangle.
  4. Pull back the rest of your hair with the hair band.
  5. You want the edge of your bangs to be at the edge of the color part of your eye.  So if you're looking forward, take your comb and section off one side your hair.  Take the extra hair and pin it back.  You don't want it to get in the way.  Do the same with the other side.
  6. Now comb your bangs straight and even.  If you have some hair that is under the other they will be uneven when you cut.
  7. Comb your bangs again but this time grab them with your dominant hand.  So if you're right handed take your bangs in your right hand.  If you're left handed take them in your left.
  8. Now we are going to twist.  If you have your bangs in your right hand then you are going to twist over.  So the left side of your bangs are going under and the right side is going over.  It will be opposite sides if your left handed.
  9. Grab your bangs with your opposite hand and finish the twist.  They will be twisted over only once.
  10. Hold your bangs very loose.  Don't pull them tight.  Rest your hand close to your face that way your bangs are even.
  11. Now cut!  You will want to cut in short upward motions.  Like you're cutting into the hair.  This way is much more forgivable when cutting your hair then if you where to cut straight across. 
  12. Let your hair go now and see your awesome work!  If they are too long then just start back at step 6 and cut a little more.  ALWAYS REMEMBER you can cut more hair off but you can't glue any back on.  Take. Your. Time.

Here is the video that I use


Have fun with your new look!

    Kids and Gender Roles

    I was watching "The Chew" this afternoon and they mentioned something they saw online about a father being berated for teaching his son to cook.  Of course, they all thought it was very wrong; which it is.  The father should definitely be teaching his son to cook!  Women always like a man who can cook.
    Gender roles are something I hear a lot about living in the south.  Oddly enough I hear it more from kids than I do parents.  I will occasionally hear a child say "I'm not doing that, that's a boy's chore." or "I don't have to clean because I'm a boy."  I don't know where they get it from, but it's a problem that we face head on in our house. 

    The only one I have to worry about right now is Hailey and I have (luckily) not had this problem with her yet.  Although I'm sure it will come.  Just like I'm sure it will come with Letty and the new baby when they are older. 
    Both of my daughters play with cars and tractors all the time.  They also play with dolls and stuffed animals.  There is no reason a girl can't play with "boy" toys.  Just like there isn't a reason a boy can't play with "girl" toys.  My husband and I have always let our kids pick out what they want to play with.  One of the first toys Letty ever picked out at the store was a blue and green toy car.  She loved it.  Our nephew, when he was little, loved to play with beaded necklaces and shoes.  He would run around his Nanny's house with her flip flops and necklaces and just play.  He is now 8 years old, plays football and is a typical boy.  There was no reason for us to take them away from him.  They made him happy and that's all that matters.

    Before Hailey was born, my husband and I talked about gender roles.  I was nervous, thinking that he would want the girls to have their toys and their chores in the house and the boys to have their toys and their chores outside.  Boy was I wrong!  He was very adamant about them having the option to choose the toys they want to play with along with them learning to do chores outside and inside.  I don't have any sons yet, but my daughters go outside and help out just as they help in the house.  Hailey loves to help cook and she loves going outside and raking leaves. 
    Boys and girls should both learn what it takes to cook, clean, and take care of a house.  We definitely don't subscribe to gender roles in this house.  This is something I feel very passionate about (if you couldn't tell).  What do you think of gender roles?

    Fun Family Activities for Fall

    I don't know about yall, but I love autumn!  It means football has started (hopefully the Saints will start doing better for me), and Halloween and Thanksgiving are around the corner.  This is my favorite time of year.  The family gets out in the yard and plays and rakes leaves.  It's wonderful!  We all have a great time just being together.  I believe just taking the time to be present with your kids (and even the husband) is about the best gift you could ever give your family.  They will probably never thank you for it, but I believe it makes for a great childhood. 

    I can never seem to come up with a good idea for a game or activity for all of us while we're outside.  I absolutely hate the idea of jumping in a pile of leaves because I always think spiders are going to get on the kids.  We live in the woods ya'll, so they're everywhere!  So I thought I would think really hard and try to come up with something. 

    • Build a fire pit.  Everyone enjoys a good bonfire to roast marshmallows and hot dogs right?  It doesn't have to be anything fancy.  (If you're wanting to make it really nice, Pinterest has A LOT of great ideas.)  We actually made one last weekend with some extra cinder blocks we had around the house.  It's open on one side so we can rake leaves into it, that way we can clean the yard a little before the marshmallows.  DO NOT roast your food over burning leaves.  I promise you they won't taste good.
    • If you're not worried about bugs and spiders, then rake a big huge pile of leaves and let your kids get crazy!  I promise they will have a blast jumping and throwing them everywhere.  
    • I haven't tried this yet, but I'm thinking lawn bowling would be a fun idea.  We usually have a couple of 2-liter bottles around somewhere.  I'm thinking I could fill them up half way or a little less with water and place them at the bottom of one of our small hills and let them try to roll the soccer ball into them to knock them over.  I bet they would love it.  I would probably even get in on that game.



    I hope this is a good start to ya'll fall fun!  It doesn't matter what you do, it just matters that you get out and have fun!  What does your family love to do in the fall time?

    Getting Started!!!

    Ok…..I've started a blog.  Here comes the hard part; figuring out what to write about.

    I decided to start a blog for several reasons.  I have varied interests.  I'm one of those people who kinda get bored quickly with things.  So I try several things before I figure out what I like and want to stick with.  I've realized that there are several people who are like me and I wanted to share my experiences with everyone who would listen.

    Also, I wanted to make a little bit of money.  My husband works for himself.  Well, him and his dad.  And the work is really only half of the year.  So now, with our third child coming along, trying to build a new house (on an extremely small budget) and trying to go back to school, we could really use any little bit of money I can make. 

    So let me tell you what you can expect from me.  I plan to write about everything that life throws at me.  I do a lot of DIY projects.  From building furniture to making laundry detergent.  I try to make things a little healthier for my family.  We are planning to build a house very soon so I will fill ya'll in on everything that entails (which is a lot).  And I will most likely rant about my kids and the joys and trials of raising little ones.  I also love to cook and try new recipes so I'll let ya'll know how all of that goes.  You'll probably find a new recipe to try with your family.  To me, this is truly a lifestyle blog.  This will show the true life of a DIY southern momma.  I really hope ya'll enjoy!

    Don't forget to check out the new facebook page. www.facebook.com/mishapsofasouthernmomma

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