Beauty Tips and Tricks

Here are some of the top beauty tips and tricks with products you probably have right in your house! I’m all about natural and easy remedies and keeping things on the cheap, so here you go…

Remedies you’ll find right in your fridge, cabinets and even your lou!

Aspirin and Lemon Juice to heal a zit!

Crush 6-12 non-coated aspirin into a powder. Combine with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Dissolve into a paste, takes 5 – 10 minutes. Lightly apply to a breakout or blemish. Remove with a cotton ball dipped in a solution of baking soda and water. Aspirin contains salicylic acid, a beta-hydroxy acid which acts as a chemical peel to reduce acne. Lemon juice contains vitamin C, with acts as an antioxidant to nourish your skin if you’ve had some sun exposure. It also acts as an exfoliant because it’s acidic, and baking soda neutralizes that acid.

Discolored nails? Use Baking Soda and Lemon!

Mix 1 tbsp of lemon to 2 tbsp baking soda, and make an exfoliating paste. Scrub into your nails and hands (or feet) for a few minutes with the paste and rinse. The acidic and antimicrobial properties of lemons, when combined with the abrasive properties of baking soda, can lighten your nails and leave them looking younger and healthier. The exfoliating power of the paste on the rest of your hands is just an added bonus!

Expresso and honey face mask!

Helps to smooth and tighten skin. Just combine 1 tbsp of ground espresso and 1 tbsp of raw honey and mix well. Apply to clean skin, and let sit for 10 – 15 minutes. The honey hydrates your skin while the caffeine improves circulation and creates tighter, more supple skin! Win win baby, and it smells DIVINE!

Espresso & Sugar scrub for cellulite

Combine 1/2 cup coffee grinds with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Rub olive oil over areas of cellulite and then rub the espresso and sugar mixture into skin in a circular motion. Scrub for 5 minutes to exfoliate. Caffeine can enhance fat metabolism, especially right beneath the skin. It is absorbed easily when directly applied to your skin. It is also a diuretic, which will remove some fluids out of the fat, making cellulite less visible. The Olive oil will help moisturize and soften your skin. The sugar exfoliates leaving your skin nice and smooth. Of course this won’t get rid of your cellulite, but it is a great temporary solution. Hello bikini season!

Shave with Olive Oil!

Both men and women can take advantage of this one. Lather your face, legs and pits with olive oil and shave. You will find it leaves your skin incredibly smooth and absolutely glowing!

Olive Oil hair mask

Massage an 1/8 cup of olive oil into your hair and then cover with a shower cap. Leave in for 10 minutes and rinse clean. It will condition your hair and add shine! The monounsaturated fatty acids help keep your hair softer and more manageable.

Dry Lips? Use Cucumber!

Just apply a slice of cucumber directly to your lips. Since cucumbers are 96% water it will help restore moisture in your lips on it’s own. Keep your yummy cucumbers at hand when dry weather hits.

Puffy eyes? Put some cucumber slices over your eyes and relax for a half hour. The cucumber will help hydrate the skin around your eyes.

Dry or calloused feet? Make a citrus bath!

Fill a deep dish or tray with warm to hot water and add slices of lemon and orange. Add a few drops of lemon antiseptic oil and half a cup of sea salt. Soak your feet until the water cools. Remove and apply a nice lotion. Lemon oil is an antiseptic that kills bacteria and calms the skin. The sea salt exfoliates and the lotion moisturizes, leaving feet soft and smooth.

Make an Anti-Aging mask with Mango, Sweet Potato and Honey

Recipe: 1 small sweet potato, 1 mango & 5 tbsp raw honey.
Cook the sweet potato, poke holes in it with a fork and microwave on high for 10 minutes or chop and boil in water for 30 minutes. Cut the mango and scoop out all the flesh, mash it with a fork. Mix in the cooked sweet potato and the honey with the mango, let cool. Apply to your face, neck and chest, and let sit for 10 minutes and then rinse with watm water. The mango and honey combat free radical damage caused by UV rays and the sweet potato is one of the best sources of anti inflammatory agents.

Give yourself an instant face lift with egg whites!

Mix the egg whites from one egg in a bowl and apply onto your face and neck. Egg whites have proline, an amino acid that is a building block for collagen. Egg whites have the highest amount of proline out of all the foods we eat. You will notice an instant difference.

Yogurt Facial Cleanser for Flawless Skin

Mix plain natural yogurt with some olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. Mix well, and apply to your face, rub it in for a few minutes and then rinse off with warm water. The lactic acid in yogurt, a type of alpha hydroxy acid, is a great skin exfoliant. The olive oil helps seal in your skins moisture. The lemon juice is a natural whitener and brightener and inhibits melanin production, which is what causes age spots.

Hemorrhoid Cream to Reduce Bags Under Your Eyes

Just apply the cream under your eyes, let it dry and the rinse clean. It works because it contains phenylephrine, which constricts blood vessels and reduces swelling. Be sure not to apply this cream everyday though, the skin under your eyes is very sensitive.

Zap a zit with Toothpaste!

Apply a good swipe of toothpaste onto your zit. Let it dry and then rinse clean with warm water. Toothpaste will dry and absorb oil, which helps heal zits. Be careful though not to use whitening, gel or toothpaste with cinnamon as they can irritate your skin.