Nature vs. Nurture: Facial Mask

I'm continuing my series of Nature vs. Nurture with a facial mask experiment.  I'm a huge believer in taking care of your skin, but often lack the funds to treat myself to fancy spa days.  I've always tried at home masks to revive my skin without spending the big bucks for the results.  Today I'm going to compare an at-home kit with a homemade face mask recipe.

Nature: Half an avocado, 1 Tbsn warm water, 2 Tbsn honey. Prep skin with normal cleanser.  Mix and massage on face.  Leave set for 10 minutes and finish with normal toner and moisturizer.

Results: My skin felt immediately tighter, refreshed, and clean.  I was definitely not expecting this.  It was very messy, as I've found homemade recipes to be, but it offered a nice, refreshing scent.  If you have any pets, they may want to lick your face!

Nurture: Nu-pore Aloe & Cucumber Facial Mask.  Remove from package and place on face for 15 minutes.  Remove mask and massage collagen into skin.

Results: Afterwards, my face felt very moisturized.  However, the mask itself was awkward and ill-fitting, especially for 15 minutes.  (And steer clear of anyone seeing you.  It's particularly embarrassing looking.)  Prepare to cease talking or moving during this time.  The next day, I had a few blemishes on my forehead.  I did not like that at all.

Verdict:  I'm going to go with Nature on this one!  Although it was messy, my skin felt amazing and I didn't experience any negative side effects.  My skin is extremely sensitive, so I loved that fact that it wasn't irritating at all.  It's also easy to create in the kitchen and is extremely low-budget.

Nature Vs. Nurture: Hair Mask

I've always been curious about the home remedies for sicknesses and beauty solutions.  Whenever I ask my mom about a good moisturizing product for my color-treated hair, she says the same thing: eggs and mayo. Yes, really.  So I gathered up the courage and went for it.  In this post, I'm going to put it up against Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Pak, which is a long-time favorite.

Nature: Equal parts egg, mayo, and olive oil.  Treat as conditioner and leave in for 15 minutes.

Results: It was messy and stinky, as you would imagine.  I wanted to walk around, but it really wasn't an option without leaving a trail of the mixture.  If you try this, stick to the shower.  Once rinsed, my hair felt stringy, not moisturized.  However, it went very wavy, which is my natural hair texture.

Nurture: Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Pak. Treat as conditioner and leave in for 15 minutes.

Results: It's easy to use, doesn't have a real scent, and makes my hair feel like silk.  The one disadvantage is that it is almost too moisturizing and my hair ends up holding a lot of water and feeling heavy when wet.
Verdict:  I'm going to go with Nurture.  The egg/mayo/olive oil mixture was just too messy and it didn't moisturize my hair at all.  It felt like the quality of my hair actually went backwards.  The Kiehl's treatment gives my hair a baby soft feel and seems a lot stronger after use.