Last week was a rough one. A really rough one. Both of my little ones and I were sick. There was an irregular cold front in South Florida and we were stuck inside, in our misery for the entire week! On Friday morning when I looked in the mirror, I groaned to see my messy, unwashed, and practically matted hair. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I like to have my hair done. It's one of my little hang-ups. I don’t travel anywhere without my blow dryer. In fact, I have special travel ones that work in various countries. I know, that's a bit much. But for me, having my hair done makes me feel human. With my first pregnancy, when my OB told me to go home pack a bag and head to the hospital, I made sure to blow dry my hair before getting in the car. Sounds a little shallow? Perhaps, but maybe all women have these little quirks and beauty must haves that make them feel themselves.

So on Friday, I knew I my hair needed some love, but with 2 bored and sick kids, a trip to the salon was out of the question. I would have loved to go for a professional blow-dry, to feel a little glam again, but it wasn’t going to happen. Then, I remembered that a few weeks ago, I ran into a hairdresser friend of mine. I was telling her some of my hair woes, including how dry and brittle my hair had become after coloring it in the Fall. She offered some natural “diy” tips I could try at home, while I give my hair a much needed rest from any “chemical processing”.

She mentioned that one of the best kept secrets of “Dominican hair care” (she is from the Dominican Republic, land of hair goddesses), is an avocado mask. She instructed me to mash a ripe avocado together with a few drops of vanilla and massage it into my clean hair from roots to ends. She promised that the result would be amazing softness and shine. At the time I made a mental note, but never had the time to try it. I decided to make it happen!

I pulled the remaining half of a ripe avocado from the fridge, mashed it and dropped in some vanilla extract. I pulled some toys into the bathroom and lured my kids in, so I would have 10 minutes to wash my hair without worrying. Of course that meant removing all dangerous things and toilet paper from their reach, to avoid mass destruction. I washed my hair with only a few instances of screaming, and proceeded to put the mask in. I combed it through with a wide tooth comb for maximum coverage!

We then went on to paint, color, make play dough snakes and build a castle with blocks! When it was nap time about 4 hours later, I jumped back into the shower to wash out the avocado mask and blow dry my hair. Washing it out was easy, and my hair was noticeably softer, but still tangled a bit. I used a little extra leave in conditioner and then blow dried it. The result was a major improvement, in my mood at least (giggle). It was almost enough to just have clean blow dried hair. But I can say for sure, that my hair did come out softer and shinier than usual. I would totally invest another half-eaten avocado at some point in the future.

Self-care doesn’t always have to mean an expensive trip to a salon or spa. Sometimes good old leftovers and a little strategic time management can do the trick. This mom was able to get her glam on, all on her own with this “diy” tip. Many thanks to my friend for her advice and my toddlers for cooperating to the max of their capacity.

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