Cleaning lint off your Hair Brush

Do you look at your brush and notice those pesky white buggers clinging on for dear life at the base of the bristles? Do you wonder if it's dandruff and, if so, what you should do about it? If you don't have a history of dandruff and it's not flaking all over your clothing, then don't worry, you don't have a severe case of dandruff. In reality, this is probably just some of your dead skin cells off your scalp, but mostly random lint that was stuck in your hair from your pillow or dust that has accumulated and gotten condensed and stuck down on your brush. This doesn't mean you have to throw away your brush either.

Some brushes we purchase can be extremely expensive, and if we were to throw them out every few weeks we got debris on them, we would be out a lot of money. So I'm going to give you a simple, yet effective, method for cleaning off your brushes completely; it involves a little bit of elbow grease and a basic solution.

- First, to get rid of the bulk of the debris, you should use a comb to take out any of the lint and hair from the bristles of the brush, all the way from the bottom to the top of the teeth. There are special combs designed for this purpose (such as the Scalpmaster Brush/Comb Cleaner) if you wish to purchase one.

- Then, you can either use a large bowl for this, or just simply the sink to fill about 3/4 of the way up and fill it with the hottest water you can get out of your tap. Pour some of your shampoo inside, about as much as you could fit in your palm and swish it around to make a lather, and do the same with about half a cup of distilled white vinegar (this is the regular, inexpensive vinegar).

- Place your hairbrush in the sink or bowl and let it sit there for about 15 minutes to soak so that your debris becomes moistened, softer, and easier to get rid of. After taking the brush out, use the comb again to remove what is left of the lint by pulling it the opposite way (pull it towards the base of the brush this time) because it will be on the top of the bristles.

You should do this every few weeks if you can, it will help get rid of all that stuff that makes your hair oily when you brush it, namely old gel residue, hair spray residue, flaked off skin cells and the oils from your hair that have accumulated on the brush. Try not to use the brush until it is fully dry because brushing your hair with a wet brush may cause it to cling to your hair and pull out pieces that should not have otherwise come out.

Remember to throw out your brush once the bristles start to break off or the protective covering fades away. You would be doing your scalp a favor because it would get irritated, red and the scratching could cause dandruff. If you maintain your brush by cleaning it and are not very aggressive, if it is of good quality, it could last for years. If you use a round brush while blow-drying your hair, you may want to keep in mind that the heat could degrade the quality of the plastic and you may have to replace it more often (as often as once a year).

Bacne: Back+Acne Treatments

Whether you're an athlete, a teenager, or just like everyone else, you may be afflicted with acne or pimples on your back. It is classified as zits that come up on your back, chest and shoulders inclusively. There are some mechanical ways to make sure that you don't breakout or contain your current breakouts. If you notice that you are starting to get some, you may want to wear loose clothing which is newly cleaned because you want only soft cotton fibers on your skin as they will remove excess sweat and skin flakes. If you're a girl and you wear a bra, try to wear a new one every day for this same hygienic reason. Your straps should fit well and not chafe against your skin throughout the day, but if you find that you get breakouts regardless, then try to switch to a strapless bra. Sometimes your acne can be an allergic reaction to your laundry detergent or the fabrics you are wearing, so try to eliminate any possible allergens. Bacne is formed when your pores get clogged by when excess sebum formed by your sebaceous glands and dead skin cells attracts bacteria. The reason why your back is so prone to acne is that there are more sebaceous glands here than most other places on your body.

Washing regularly
First and foremost, this should go without saying but it is definitely worth reiterating: if you want to get rid of your bacne, you must wash every day. Using anti-bacterial soap during your daily (and even twice daily if you have the time) wash will help eliminate the bacteria in your pores. Don't over-scrub or over-wash the area because you can irritate your skin and cause it to become too dry. If your skin is too dry it will go into panic-mode and release too much sebum to cover itself up, leading to more acne. You want to maintain a balance of moisture on your skin. Gently use an exfoliating sponge, loofah or washcloth during your shower (yes, you want to shower unless you are having a salt-water bath because soaking your skin in a pool of still water can increase your chances of getting more bacteria in your pores). Because the skin on your back is generally a lot tougher than the skin on your face, you can exfoliate gently every day and not just once a week, it is safe to do so as long as you're not worsening your irritation. Make sure that you wash your body with a medicated body wash that has two percent salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, specifically letting it sit over the area which has pimples before you rinse it off.

If you can get near a beach - alternative treatment
The simplest method to get rid of your breakouts is to visit the beach. Having your skin submerged in sea salt water for approximately ten minutes can drastically help your skin. No cream or cleanser will help your skin the way the ocean can because it has natural anti-bacterial properties. The warm temperature of the water helps to cleanse the skin. Sand also can act as an exfoliating agent and improve your complexion if you gently rub it on your afflicted area. If you can't get near a beach, then you can achieve the same effect by boiling a mixture of salt and water and letting it sit to the side until it has cooled. Use this solution to wash your face and body to get rid of dirt and oil.

Infuse moisture
Use a moisturizer after you wash your skin to increase the hydration level of your pores. However, make sure that the product you use is oil-free and medicated if your acne is severe. If you are already using a medicated soap or treatment, then use just a regular moisturizer without medication in it that is highly hydrating and is noncomedogenic, which means that it does not block pores, because this will reduce the incidence of pimples and will not allow the salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide (pimple treatments) in your other products dry out your skin.

Medicated treatments
If you use medicated creams or gels, try to go for ones that say they contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid but do not use both. If you use both of these substances together on your skin they can have negative effects on your skin and may burn your skin pretty severely. The burns from these products can be worse on sensitive skin than any acne, so you may want to consult with your dermatologist if you have a history of negative skin reactions. It is important that you use a hydrating cream over top of these treatments or after you clean them off because your skin will be dried out. These treatments are also bleaching, so make sure you don't put your clothing right over top immediately because you won't be able to repair the color.

The rule-of-thumb is that if you're using one product that is medicated, whether it be soap, treatment or moisturizer, you want them to either be from the same line of products or stick to just one of them so that there are no negative interactions between the chemicals used. You don't want to overload your skin with chemicals, it may have an adverse reaction to this. Rather than experimenting on your skin with harsher treatments if you don't know how your skin might react, I suggest going to visit your dermatologist. Some problems are too severe to take care of with over-the-counter treatments and regular body washes. Some treatments may take weeks to work and others may have no effect at all on you so you may want to seek help especially if you have deep, painful cysts on your back. If you have a serious affliction or problem, you may need an aggressive topical treatment or antibiotics, to avoid scarring and for the best possible results visit your dermatologist.

Water-Marbled Nails

Finished design from this tutorial

Do you want to achieve salon-grade manicures at home with interesting designs but you're not very artistic? Well, I have the solution for you. Don't bother spending your money on magnetic nail polishes or nail polish strips, you can learn to do this right at home without having to go out and purchase anything.

Tools for this project

What you'll need:

• Q-tips
• Toothpicks
• Nail polish colors (at least 2, must not be fast-drying)
• Top-coat (can be fast-drying)
• Nail polish remover 
• Nails (real or fake will do)
• Tape (any kind really)
• A disposable cup
• Room temperature water
• Paper towels

You will want to prep your nails before you do anything else and make sure they are well cleaned, and apply a coat of nude colored nail polish so that the variation in color in your own nails does not affect the water-design and show through. Then you will want to set up your work space by placing down a paper towel to cover the table you're working on so you don't get it all dirty. Fill your disposable cup about three quarters of the way up with room temperature water (you can use filtered or tap water, some people say filtered water is better because there will be less bubbles in it). It is important that you use room temperature water because hot water will cause the polish to spread too fast and cold water won't let it spread enough. Place tape around your nail and on your fingertips so that you don't get your fingers all messy and have to go back with tons of acetone to clean them off. This step is a definite time-saver, although it may not seem so at the beginning.

Open your nail polishes up because time is of the essence when you are doing this, this doesn't mean rush, be meticulous but quick. Carefully place a drop of nail polish in the water and then place the next color inside the middle of the previous color. Do this over and over until you have your desired bulls-eye of colors.

Then use your toothpick to swirl the polish or drag it in and out to create a pattern. My personal favorite is starting from the second line and dragging it into the middle, but make sure you do not pull up, push the toothpick into the middle so that the nail polish does not separate. Wipe your toothpick clean after each swipe with the toothpick because the colors will stay on it and affect your design in a not-so-pretty way when you place it back in.

Place your fingernail down into the water wherever you think the design looks nicest. You can even put all of your fingers in at once if you want a random-looking swirl on each finger. Do not lift your fingers out of the water immediately. You will want to leave your fingers in the water and wait about 30 seconds until you take a q-tip and clean out the excess polish in the water (around your fingers). This will clear away any potential polish like a thin skin so that it does not affect your beautifully designed nails. Then you can lift up your nails. Wait a little while for them to dry and then remove the tape from around your fingers carefully so that you do not smudge anything. Use a q-tip dabbed in nail polish remover to clean up the sides of your nails and your cuticles of any nail polish. Repeat this process with all of your nails.

Before removing the tape

After removing the tape

Apply a topcoat as the final step to stabilize your design and make it glossy and this will also help to get rid of any excess water bubbles floating on the surface of your nail. You can make all kinds of designs with this technique, I only experimented with two nails so far but I've seen some beautiful designs on Google!

How to make your own feather earrings

Since feathers are all the rage in style and accessories of all sort, including hair extensions, scarves, and jewelry, I have come up with a way for you to incorporate them easily in your jewelry making. This is a very inexpensive project for those of you who are into the bohemian chic look of recent fashion.

Supplies you'll need:

• ear hooks for making earrings - from your local craft or bead store or online
• craft feathers - from your local craft store or they can be bought cheap online
• bendable wire (preferably something you can mold but that won't come apart later)
• charms, chain or anything else you wish to attach to your feather earrings
• flat-nosed pliers
• wire cutters

What you first want to do is pick out the feathers that you would like to use, whether it be just one pair or multiple kinds of feathers. You can use various sizes and shapes depending on what your personal style is or what you think would look cutest. Trim the stem of the feather so that there is only a little bit left for you to wrap your wire around. After this you want to wrap your bendable wire around the top part of the feather multiple times. Form a loop on the end of it that is going to be attached to the ear hooks and make sure you cut and tuck the end into the rest of the wire and press it together so that it doesn't stick out (cut using your wire cutters and press the wire together with your flat-nosed pliers). The wire can be in any color you choose and you can trim it after you are finished.

Open the loop of the earring hook and place the loop extending from the feather inside the open loop. Here is your chance to further customize your earrings by adding any embellishments you would like to the earring hook. Then when you are finished adding baubles, close the loop of the earring hook securely with your flat nosed pliers to let your feather dangle freely.

Basics of Jewelry Making

Flat nose pliers, side
cutters and round nose pliers

Do you like fashion jewelry but refuse to pay a lot of money for what you want? Perhaps you're just bored with what you see in stores and what to customize your jewelry to represent your personality. Maybe you were inspired by 'Project Accessory' and want to be the next big jewelry designer. Whatever the case may be, I guarantee you'll be happier with what you've made for yourself because it will be uniquely yours and reflect your personal taste. You need a few tools (which can be found at your neighborhood Blick art store or online), regardless of what you'll be making, to start you off on your projects. These are important in rounding wires, opening spring rings, cutting wires, and much more.


First,  you will need the long flat-nose pliers (has a light blue handle in the picture) which allow you to easily grip wire and bend it without creating nicks and chips in it. Then it is advisable that you purchase a side cutter (has the pink handle in the photo) because, although the flat-nose pliers has some cutting ability, it will not be strong enough to cut thicker wire, nor will it be able to cut wider objects/findings. Finally, you will definitely be needing the round-nose plier if you plan on using any wire to make earrings or bracelet hoops/links and you should consider doing so because it will give your work a polished and finished look (it is the method that makes store jewelry look expensive as opposed to makeshift). An optional but recommended tool is the crimper - it is a tool that allows you to use little crimp beads that will push your wires together at the ends of necklaces and bracelets and press the bead to collapse in a perfect manner but if you get good at it you can also use the flat-nose pliers to do this.

Crimping tool

You should purchase beads that you like and find beautiful, I'm a big fan of Swarovski beads and glass beads, I suggest buying them in 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm sizes, and then you can combine colors that you think are beautiful together. You will need stringing wire to make soft bracelets and necklaces that dangle, I suggest working with sterling silver wire but it tends to be quite pricey so only buy however much you will be needing (measuring helps - so use a measuring tape). For earrings, you will be needing earring hooks, unless you can salvage some from your own jewelry by simply taking off the hanging parts. Make sure you get lots of these because earrings are very simple to make and you can crank out many styles that you like. Keep in mind that all of the products you get should be hypoallergenic, especially if you plan to gift your jewelry to a friend, you never know what can trigger allergies.


Collect jewelry from antique shops and thrift shops, or rummage through your basement or attic for whatever you have laying around that you're unhappy with. My motto is that no piece of jewelry is unsalvageable, anything can be transformed into a piece that is current and stylish. These are the basic tools you need to get started, obviously there are many other things you could purchase, but I recommend starting with these so you're not breaking the bank. All of these tools should cost you $30.00 or less and if something seems to expensive in a store, it probably is. I find that going to designated bead stores actually is a bad idea because they tend to have 'specialty' items and overprice for them. You're better off going to an art store, a hardware store, Wal-Mart, or shopping online (Amazon is perfect for these items). You may want to pick up general findings such as pendants, metal-earring frames, and anything you find interesting. In future posts, I will teach you how to make every piece of jewelry you can imagine, so just get your tools ready and we'll make things together! Here's a sampling of what I can teach you how to make: 

Alex's Rules of Accessorizing

This guide will show you how to turn a pocketful of baubles into jewelry and accessory treasures that you can mix and match with your colorful wardrobe!

Playing with scale
If you're going to wear big or dangly earrings, I suggest not pairing it up with a big necklace or belt because you don't want the jewelry to overpower you. Remember that the focal point should always be yourself and anything that you put on should only accentuate your best features rather than drown you in bling. Sometimes less is more and if you have too many pieces, they will detract attention from one another. Chunky jewelry is definitely fun so don't shy away from big, beautiful cuffs, bold earrings, or wide belts. Remember that the most important aspect of accessorizing is the overall harmony of the pieces and the way they look together and how they accentuate your outfit.

Classical is always in
You can never go wrong with signature pieces like pearl earrings or tennis bracelets, they are as antique as Audrey Hepburn's style but as fresh as anything you see today. These classic pieces are good for anytime of the day or night, including casual day-to-day or formal events. If you have something that means a lot to you, never hesitate to put it on, our accessories tell a story and if they don't reflect your personality, you've missed the point. Don't try to emulate what you see on models and in magazines, something that is trendy one day can just as quickly be untrendy the next. Stick to what you feel good in, what looks good on you, and what you're likely to reach for when you get ready!


Masculine vs. feminine
If you have a man's watch and you think it's too bulky or masculine to wear, think again! Androgynous style is very socially prevalent so you can pair your masculine watch with a couple of feminine bangles and dress it up a little. Also, don't shy away from wearing bow-tie or tie necklaces and oversized scarves, especially if it's in an uber-feminine finish like crystals or silk.

Iconic shapes
We all have necklaces with peace signs, crosses, and various other religious or political symbols. Whether it be letters of a foreign alphabet, heart and star shapes, or Hello Kitty's face plastered on your accessories, remember not to go overboard. A good rule of thumb is to try to keep it to one symbolic show-stopper piece, the way a lead performer would be, and keeping all of your other pieces that day as back-up performers.


Antique and contemporary 

Wearing older jewelry from your grandparents or acquisitions from pawn shops and thrift stores is perfectly great, especially when mixing it with new styles of jewelry. Clashes in culture and time-periods can make for beautiful combinations of accessories. As long as the styles are cohesive and not divisive together, they can be utilized in beautiful ways to amplify your look. Mixing and matching silver with bronze and various colors of gold or pewter also makes for an interesting look, but try not to combine too many kinds of metals together at once. Underneath, you can see various styles of jewelry, some antique, some contemporary, some bronze, pewter, and various shades of silver. There is a cohesiveness between these pieces and they can be mix and matched for numerous looks with teal, brown, or silver scarves/purses and metal-tone belts.

These are merely simple guidelines which aide in the mixing and matching of what we have to create interesting combinations, rather than going out and buying a designated set of accessories for each outfit (which isn't necessarily financially responsible or viable). In the end, it's a matter of personal taste and preference. Some people enjoy matching colors, and others swear against it, as long as you choose colors that are complementary, you will look coordinated, and polished!