Beauty Product Review: HASK® Macadamia Oil Moisturizing Hair Care Collection

The weather in sunny, Southern California doesn't get quite as cold as the rest of the country, but the chillier, drier temps can still do a number on my hair. I have thick, long, heavy hair that tends to be on the dry side already, so anything that will add in extra moisture is a must-have for me. I have tried going a day or two without washing it to give my hair a rest, but can't bring myself to do it. It requires daily washing! 

What a savior products like the HASK®  Macadamia Oil Moisturizing Hair Care Collection are for those who want to give their hair a "healthy drink," so to speak. When my hair is at its driest, my hair will soak up anything added to it quickly. This goes for my skin, too. 

Macadamia oil is a great beauty ingredient for both the hair and skin because it's nourishing and hydrating. For the hair, it leads to shinier strands and more conditioned hair. The HASK® shampoo formula works into a nice lather and rinses clean, meaning that there isn't a film left behind that can be the case with certain oil-based products. The conditioner is best left on the hair for a few minutes before rinsing out with extra love given to the ends. The brush that comes with the collection helps the oil to be distributed evenly through the hair and helps gently detangle any knots. 

The shampoo and conditioner can be used daily, while the deep conditioning treatment can be saved for once or twice a week. I usually reserve Sunday nights for hair and face masks -- like a mini-beauty night to end the weekend as a treat.

After three days of using the products, I have noticed an extra softness to my hair and the oil (just a little bit will do!) helps tame frizz for styling. I tend to have hairs that need smoothed out, especially if I wear my hair in a ponytail. It helps my hair look sleeker and more pulled together.

HASK®  products can be found online or in your local drugstore or beauty store. There is also a selection of other types of oils to use on your hair. I haven't noticed a difference between argan, coconut, or macadamia oils in products -- they all work well for me. 

If you're looking for a product that will nourish your hair during the winter months or keep it healthy in the summer, this is a good one to try. It absorbs well into the hair, but doesn't leave it feeling greasy. 

I am trying new products all the time and fortunately, my hair adapts well. What's your favorite hair care product? 

This is a sponsored post by BrandBacker. All opinions remain my own.

CSA Box: What I Got, What I Made

This past week I picked up my first CSA (community supported agriculture) box, which I'm sharing with my friend, Kim, who's received it for months already. I like vegetables, but have been pretty limited in using them and usually go for the trusty, steamed broccoli as a side to mostly anything I make that consists of meat and potatoes, which is about 80 percent of the food I cook for my husband and I. We're Midwesterners, what can I say?

Enter the CSA box from Be Wise Ranch and its bounty of fresh produce. What will I do with: 

• Baby Bok Choy
• Chard
• Satsumas (had to look this one up)
• Avocado
• Carrots
• Apples
• Green Beans
• Beets
• Butternut Squash
• Dates
• Lemons
• Spring Mix
• Zucchini
• Radishes

So far, I've used a less than half the items. The zucchini I used to make zucchini bread, kind of a cheat, since I'm baking it into something and not eating it in its natural form, but rather, shredded and mixed with wonderful things like sugar, butter and nuts. The bread turned out well, but the consistency lumpier than I anticipated and different than zucchinis breads of my past. 

This isn't too much of a surprise since my baking skills aren't that great. I messed up sugar cookies a few weeks ago. The kind where you just add egg and oil to the mix. They all melted into one, large sugary cookie, which I covered with frosting and tasted incredible. 

I think this is due to my problem with patience and exact measurements. I am an oven peeker to see if things are done cooking and I eye measurements and toss them in as I go. No nos in the world of baking, I guess.

I topped the spring mix with a dressing I made of balsamic vinegar, onion, pepper, lemon (also from the box!) and oil drizzled in. I added in random stuff like artichoke hearts and satsumas (oranges from the box), all which turned out pretty tasty. 

Finally, I made bacon-wrapped dates because how else are you supposed to eat them? 

Let me know if you have recipe ideas for what I can do with the rest of the ingredients!

New Entry // 12.27.15

What can I say? It's only been five months since my last blog post. Don't think I got married and now have nothing left to say! I did get married, but still have tons to say and have been saying it...just not on this blog. 

But hey, what good's a blog unless you can care for it and pay attention to it the way YOU want, right? If it was a chore to do it, I wouldn't partake, but now I feel is a fine time to make a return. Just in time for the new year!