How I Keep My Hair Tame In The Winter

Living in the Midwest has it's ups and it's downs. Unfortunately the climate change in the winter is definitely a huge down side; It gets cold, dry, and windy. Trying to stay warm, yet fashionable is quite difficult during these months; you put a hat on and you get frizzy hat hair from the static, or you leave your hair down and gets whipped around from the wind.. not to mention your ears will get nipped at.

To solve this problem, I use 3 products during my morning routine to tame my dry frizzy hair, and keeping it soft and healthy.

First, I wash my hair with Toni & Guy shampoo and conditioner for damaged hair.

Then, once I am out of the shower I gently towel dry my hair and throw it up in that towel while I dry off, get dressed, brush my teeth, and apply my makeup. After that I take my hair down and apply a leave-in conditioner. The one I use is from my local barber shop and is part of the "olive oil" line. I use about 2-3 pumps of the product and apply it to my hair, starting at the tips and working my way up to the roots.

Once the leave-in conditioner is applied, I either blow-dry my hair if I'm in a hurry then apply a restoring oil, or if I'm staying in, I'll apply the oil and leave my hair to air-dry. Again, I use an 'olive oil' product, however I use a very tiny amount (I'm talking a pea size amount). A little bit goes a long way. Before applying it to my hair, I rub the product between the tips of my fingers and the top of my palm. I focus more on the bottom half of my hair than my roots, since I don't want my scalp to become oily right after getting out of the shower.

And that's it. I wash my hair every other day, and this method keeps my hair tame the entire time. I also made a video over on my youtube channel, if you'd like to check it out. It might be easier to see it visually than trying to decipher my descriptions and instructions.

Here are a couple additional tips that may or may not help tame your hair throughout these cold dreadful months.

Tip #1: Drink plenty of water. You want to stay hydrated all around the year, but it's important that everything is balanced so your body is awake and healthy. I must admit I'm not 100% sure that this will make a big difference, but every little bit helps, and you should be drinking around 60 oz of water each day anyway.

Tip #2: Along with keeping your body hydrated, make sure you're getting all of the nutrients you need. Eat full course meals and take vitamins daily. Another bit of advice is look into taking coconut oil supplements; something about it makes your hair soft and healthy.

Tip #3: Turn on a humidifier. If you don't already own one, I recommend you purchase a humidifier. You don't have to spend a lot of money on a big heavy duty one, but a cheap tiny one should suffice; although it depends on how big your living space is. The humidifier will put some moisture back into the air, relieving your dry skin and hair.

I hope this helps!

Much Love! Xx

Hunting for a Christmas Tree

Every year, my dad, brother, and I go to a tree farm and cut down our own Christmas tree. This is probably my favorite tradition; hunting for the perfect tree is always so exciting; it has to be the perfect height, the bushiest, the greenest and you have to choose the type; short pokey needles, or long flimsy ones. Or in other words: do you want to stab your feet every time you walk past the tree or have a hard time hanging ornaments/keeping them on the tree? Picking out a winner and cutting it down is just the beginning; you then have to haul it to your car, tie it down, and transport it safely to your home without it falling off. But then it's the rewarding part: decorating!

Maybe it was because we went so late in the season, but I noticed that the lot was bare and the tree's weren't looking the best like they have in year's past. My guess is that the prime time for this lot is coming to an end and now the owners need to plant new trees and wait a few years for them to become Christmas tree candidates. Nevertheless however, we still managed to find a good one, and quite honestly I reckon that this was the fastest we have ever decided on a tree. Let me tell you how much of a big deal that is, because the Osterbrinks are extremely indecisive; I'm proud of us. 

 I highly suggest doing this if you don't already; it's a great family activity and gets you outside. Plus it's a lot more fun than going to a parking lot and picking one out that is pre-cut and tied in that netting.

Much Love! Xx

Winter Pinspiration

After doing an 'Autumn Pinspiration', I felt that it was only right to do one for winter. The weather so far hasn't been ideal; normally I enjoy the warmth and rain, but this is not like the Midwest at all. Over the weekend it got up to 60 degrees fahrenheit .. normally it's in the twenties this time of year, and this gloomy weather is bringing me down. I enjoy having snow throughout the month of December, so I'm hoping that Jack Frost will get it in gear and bring on the snow ASAP. Without further a do, here is what usually makes me happy this time of year, and hopefully this post will bring some Holiday cheer.

I have never gone ice skating, but I really want to; hopefully some of my friends will be up for it when I go back home. There's an ice skating rink that is located down town and is actually outside instead of in a hockey arena. They provide skates, for a fee of course, and I believe they sell hot chocolate; although I'm not 100% sure. It sounds like the best winter activity and I'm so excited to try it! I just hope the weather starts getting colder and snow starts falling from the sky ASAP! Wow - that is something you'll almost never hear from me! Other than ice skating, I enjoy being outside in the snow: making snowmen, building snow forts, having a snowball fight, tubing, driving around on the snowmobile trails etc.

All of the winter accessories that you get to pull out from your closet are always so exciting: scarves, mittens, that cute winter jacket, and of course knee high socks. I get cold quite fast during those brutal winter months that are drawing near, that some times I end up going out looking like Randy from "A Christmas Story", when his mother dressed him in his snow suit. . . not the prettiest sight, but at least I'm nice and toasty! (:

Sometimes I wish that I grew up in a small town that goes all out with their decorations. I think it just looks so lovely and festive. I've often heard stories from my mom that when she was younger the shops down town would decorate the square and Christmas lights would hang over the streets and walkways. In addition to the decorations, you'd be able to buy yourself a hot beverage, while you walk up and down the street popping into different shops or peering through shop windows to see Christmas toys and goodies [Much like in Christmas movies].

Growing up, my mom had the loveliest Christmas village that we would use to decorate above our kitchen cabinets, and let me tell you, at night when it was dark and that tiny village was light up in our kitchen, it was absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn't think of a better way to get you in the Christmas spirit. It was always a tradition to set it up together, but it took a lot of work and it was time consuming so I'd always imagine what it would be like to live in a place like that. There was an ice skating rink, a church, houses, and my favorite; a candy shop that made chocolate and/or fudge in the front window. Unfortunately, my mom now lives in an apartment and there is no place to put them, so they sit in a box in storage collecting dust. I hope someday in the near future I'll be able to bring them out and light them up at night like all those years ago. Just thinking about it brings warmth to my heart. 

So there you go, that is everything (for the most part) that represents what warms my soul throughout these chilly months. (:

What is your favorite Christmas tradition, or winter activity?

Much Love! Xx

Christmas Candle Overload

Lately, I've been in this mood for loving candles and burning them every chance I get. I soon came to realize that my candle inventory is slimming down quite fast, and I found that I don't really own any festive holiday scented ones. It was absolute perfect timing to hear that Bath and Body Works had a sale exclusively in-stores and today only on candles (well now it was a couple days ago, but I hope you get the point). The 3-wick candles are usually $22.50, but today they were $8.50 ... a MASSIVE sale. That's like getting two candles for the price of one, plus an additional 20% off.  I was so excited to get these deals that, well, let's just say I went a bit overboard, and I wanted to share with you what I purchased; incase any of you are candle lovers like myself.

The first one I grabbed was "Mahogany Teakwood". I actually already have this one in a smaller size, but I have this fear of burning candles that smell out of this world; just in case they are limited edition and won't be coming back. I guess you could call me a candle hoarder? Does anybody else do this? Please tell me I'm not the only one.. Anyways, this scent is ah-maz-ing. Basically, take the most mouth watering, panty dropping men's cologne you know of and ta-da, that is this candle. However, they describe this scent as "The luxurious scents of fine woods - mahogany, cedarwood and oak - are enlightened by delicate lavender and geranium notes".  I think my description is much better to be honest.. 

The next one I went for was "JOY". This is a very lovely scent if I do say so myself. I wanted a candle that smelled of peppermint, but everything was very overpowering; until I found this one. This candle actually makes my mouth water; it of course smells like peppermint, but also a nice warm vanilla marshmallow and a hint of spices. It's almost as if you walked into a candy shop at the North Pole. I love how they described the scent of this candle: "Indulge in the fragrance of fluffy vanilla marshmallows, which are full of holiday sweetness and peppermint joy". Isn't that cute?! 

I then found a candle called "PEACE". This candle may be my favorite of them all. It's a very relaxing scent in my opinion. If any of you are familiar with the kiosk "The Almond Tree", this candle reminds me of that stand. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a stand that sells various types of roasted nuts; from pecans to almonds, and cashews. They are always warm and just melts in your mouth. This candle has a subtitle that says "Iced Vanilla Woods", which also basically sums up this scent. It reminds me of snowshoeing through the woods, or walking through a field of pine trees. It has that nice Christmas tree smell that's not overpowering, and is toned down by a warm vanilla fragrance. On the bottom it says "Enjoy a peaceful holiday with this soothing blend of sweet vanilla, smoldering woods, and iced lavender".

Next, I picked out "Spiced Apple Toddy". It's basically a classic go-to fragrance. If you enjoy the standard apple and cinnamon scents, this is the candle for you. It's a lovely baking kind of smell that tickles your nose. They describe it as "A sweet mixture of winter fruits, apple brandy, and spiced plum will warm up all your winter celebrations". 

I picked out another baking themed type of candle called "Salted Caramel". The name says it all; a nice warm salted caramel scent. I feel like this candle needs no other description since it's pretty straight forward. At first I was kind of skeptical, but after smelling it a couple 3 or 4 times, I knew I had to grab it. I feel like if you are a coffee lover like myself, you'll enjoy this one a lot. On the bottom of the candle it says "Indulge on a chilly winter day with this blend of buttery soft caramel, flaky sea salt and a hint of roasted chestnuts".

"Snowflakes & Spruce" is the next candle that I grabbed. It's a nice tree scent but isn't overpowering. I feel like this and the "peace" candle are similar, but this one leans more to a strong tree fragrance instead of a subtle tree smell. It is calmed down a bit with vanilla, but the vanilla isn't as pungent as it is in the "peace" candle. I feel like this scent is kind of like the artificial tree sprays you can get to make your fake trees smell real, but this is better quality.  On the bottom, it says "kick off the holiday party season with an outdoorsy blend inspired by snowcapped spruce, and sweetened by a touch of creamy vanilla".

The Next candle is "Fresh Balsam". Very similar to the last candle, but is quite overpowering. This candle smells like you are at a Christmas tree farm cutting down your own tree. It's that freshly cut tree scent that strikes your nostrils. To compare this candle and "snowflakes & spruce", I'd say that this is freshly cut tree scent that will knock you over, while "snowflakes & spruce" is maybe a couple days old, sitting in your living room all decorated. If you like strong scents, I'd say this is the candle for you. [It's a straight-out-of-the-woods candle].. I only picked it up because I have a fake tree in my apartment and I am missing out on the real Christmas tree smell; therefore, I am hoping this candle will make it seem a bit more real and festive.

The last candle I picked out was "Winter Candy Apple". This candle is SO nice. It's basically a candied apple with a hint of citrus fragrance. Similar to "Spiced Apple Toddy", but without the spice. If you are looking for an apple based candle but aren't too keen on the cinnamon and spice mix, then this candle is amazing, and in all honesty, I think you could get away with burning it all year 'round. They describe it as "A sweet, yuletide blend of candied apples and spiced orange zest, with a touch of winter musk".   

And that is all of the candles I purchased; I'd say I am all set for the holiday season, and will probably still be burning these through July. Otherwise, I can always give them as gifts or I can save them for next year, but there was no way I was going to pass up such a great sale! 

I feel like Christmas candles fall in two categories, baking kind of scents (including food/drink smells), and then tree scents. It's kind of like a teeter-totter, where they meet in the middle and form candles that smell like the "peace" candle I purchased. With that being said, what is your favorite holiday scent? Is it a baking type, or a tree type?

Much Love! Xx