Women spend billions of dollars each year on beauty products. But you don’t have to spend a fortune to have healthy skin and hair. Nature has provided all you need, and some of the best beauty secrets are likely in your kitchen right now.
1. Moisturize Skin
Soothe dry skin by applying olive, jojoba, almond or coconut oil after bathing. You can also soften skin by adding a cup of heavy cream or whole milk to warm bathwater.
2. Yogurt Facial
Combine a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt with one mashed strawberry. Massage into damp skin, leave on for several minutes and rinse well.
3. Avocado Facial
Mash half an avocado with one tablespoon of heavy cream and one tablespoon of honey. Massage into damp skin, leave on for several minutes and rinse well.
4. Try a Herbal Tea Facial Sauna
Facial saunas use steam to open pores and cleanse skin. To experience a facial sauna, add two chamomile, peppermint and/or lavender tea bags to a quart of boiling water. Remove the pot from the stove, cover, and steep the tea for about five minutes. Cover your head with a towel, making a tent over the pot. Remove the pot cover and stay under the tent for ten minutes.
5. Make a Skin Scrub
Combine ½ cup finely crushed almonds or rolled oats with one tablespoon of heavy cream, honey or olive oil for an effective skin scrub. The scrub can be used anywhere on the body, including the face. Rinse thoroughly after application.
6. Soothe Skin with Aloe Vera
Aloe juice is great for soothing sunburn. Keep a spray bottle of pure aloe juice in the refrigerator for a rejuvenating face mist. Aloe can also be added to homemade skin preparations to relieve general irritation.
7. Perk up Eyes
Help perk up tired eyes by placing cool cucumber slices or wet black or chamomile tea bags over closed eyelids. Leave on for up to fifteen minutes.
8. Keep Lips Luscious
A few drops of honey added to olive or almond oil helps soothe chapped lips. Coconut oil makes a great lip moisturizer.
9. Banish Bad Breath
To keep your breath smelling sweet, chew fennel or aniseeds, fresh parsley or fresh peppermint.
10. Remove Warts
Soak a small piece of cotton in apple cider vinegar and place over a wart. Cover with a bandage and repeat the process daily until the wart disappears.
11. Diminish Tooth Stains
Brushing your teeth with crushed strawberry may help remove tooth stains. Because strawberries are acidic, use this remedy sparingly and rinse your mouth thoroughly after brushing.
12. Help Hard-Working Hands
Pamper your hands by soaking them in a mixture of warm water and olive or almond oil for ten to fifteen minutes each day. Add a teaspoon of sugar or ground almonds to exfoliate skin while soaking.
13. Soak Tired Feet
Fill a container large enough to soak both feet with warm water. Add one cup Epsom or sea salt and one herbal tea bag such as peppermint, lavender or chamomile. Soak feet until water cools.
14. Fight Foot Odor
Add a tablespoon of baking soda or dried sage to the foot soak above. Be sure to dry feet thoroughly after soaking.
15. Keep Hair Healthy and Shiny
Highlight hair by rinsing with chamomile tea and/or lemon juice; combine a small amount of baking soda with your shampoo before applying to remove hair product build-up, and occasionally wash your hair with a fresh can of
beer to add body.
16. Remove Make-up
Coconut or olive oil gently removes make-up, even in the eye area.
17. Lighten Age Spots
Reduce age spots by dabbing them with fresh lemon juice every day.
18. Get a Temporary Face Lift
For a non-surgical “face lift,” dab a whisked egg white onto your face and let dry for five minutes, trying to keep your face still while it dries. The egg white helps temporarily tighten skin.
19. Make a Hair Mask
Combine one egg yolk, a small mashed banana and one tablespoon mayonnaise. Massage the mixture into your hair and wrap in a towel. Leave on for about ten minutes. Rinse thoroughly and shampoo hair.
20. Reduce Cellulite with Coffee
Combine ¼ cup coffee grounds with two tablespoons olive oil; apply to cellulite-prone areas of the skin in a circular motion with a brush or loofah, and rinse thoroughly.
