Thrifty Homemade Beauty Products and Toiletries

Look to your kitchen pantry and refrigerator for today’s “Secrets For Money.”

I give you a multitude of natural beauty ideas from your kitchen for homemade thrifty hair and skin products galore for men and women!

So don’t waste your money on expensive personal grooming products and beauty treatments any longer because you will soon learn in these 12 tips that you can use a single natural food ingredient from your kitchen that you already have, to actually replace many of the pricey beauty products that you probably buy.

All of this makes even more sense when we remember that historically these are many of the items people did use for their beauty and grooming rituals.

And now in contemporary times, companies add these very items I am recommending—to the store-bought products—I am sure that you have noticed a few, if not all of these ingredients such as olive oil, apple-cider vinegar, lemons, cucumbers, honey and so forth on the labels of  your favorite products.

Here are a dozen money-saving solutions to make deodorant, skin moisturizing lotion, teeth whitener, hair conditioner and just about everything else in-between.

1) To help lighten brown spots on your skin: rub a lemon slice on the brown spots on your hands. Repeat this for 3 days in a row, and you should see the brown spots naturally lighten from the acid that the fresh lemon contains. Do not use lemon on any broken skin, and do not use lemon if you have dry or sensitive skin.

2) Do your feet ache after a day at work? Try this natural foot bath, it relaxes and soothes aching feet: Stir ½ cup Epsom salts (available at supermarket or drug store) into a large pan of warm tap water (not hot).  You can also add a sprig of your favorite herb such as lavender or rosemary, or scatter fresh rose petals into the water to add a delightful fragrance. Soak your feet for 15 minutes, rinse and towel dry.

3) Milk and Honey Mask: This mask moisturizes your skin and leaves it feeling soft and silky. In a small glass bowl, using a fork, stir together 2 tablespoons honey and 2 teaspoons milk. Using your clean and dry fingers, spread and smooth the mask on your face. Allow to remain for 10 minutes, then rinse and towel dry. (Use this Mask right away—do not store).

4) For extra shine to your hair try beer! The protein in the beer also helps promote hair growth.  Use traditional ale (if it is leftover flat ale that works fine). Depending on the length of your hair ½ to 1 bottle of ale is enough. Work the ale through your hair (while standing in the shower) then rinse well with warm (not hot) water, and towel dry.  Men tend to really like this natural conditioner more than women because there is a ‘manly’ beer-like scent afterwards.

5) Use Baking Soda to whiten your teeth: After brushing and flossing, place a teaspoon of baking soda in a small bowl and using a slightly damp toothbrush dip into the baking soda, brush the outside of your teeth gently in a circular motion, then rinse well.  If you don’t like the slight aftertaste then simply brush your teeth again—you will notice that your teeth are whiter.

6) Eye make-up remover: Use a tiny drop or two of Olive oil on a cotton pad and very gently rub to remove your eye makeup.

7)  Reduce under-eye dark circles: Save 2 tea bags from your morning tea and refrigerate. Place a cold tea bag over each of your closed eyes for 15 minutes while you are lying down flat. The tannins in tea bags can help reduce darkness on the skin under your eyes and the coldness of the refrigerated tea bags feels refreshing and is invigorating.

8)  No more under-eye puffiness: Since cucumbers contain a high percentage of water they are very hydrating when used as under-eye pads and they also help make the skin around your eyes look refreshed. Lay a thin slice of cucumber over each of your closed eyes for 15 minutes while you are laying down flat.

9) Natural “Zit-Zapper”: In the evening, just before going to bed, using a Q-tip® cotton swab, dab some apple-cider vinegar directly on any “zits” to help remove them naturally.  Leave on overnight, and then rinse your face in the morning.

10) Manicure Soak: Pour ½ cup Olive oil into a bowl.  Place your hands into the olive oil so your nails are entirely covered. Soak for 30 minutes. The Olive oil will moisturize your nails and cuticles to help prevent dry, brittle nails and rough cuticles.

11) “Homemade Sugar Scrub”
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-sugar-scrub.html

12) “Body and Foot Deodorants”
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/deo.html

Copyright © 2009 by Mara Rogers of Secrets for Money http://www.SecretsForMoney.info

Photo Credit: This photograph “Lemon tree” by Yellow.cat. For more of this Photographer’s work: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9084427@N07/ and http://www.flickr.com/people/9084427@N07/

For more “Secrets” to making money, saving money, and managing your money go to the Archives at Secrets For Money http://www.SecretsForMoney.info/blog

This article is featured at The Money Hacks Carnival at The Penny Daily http://thepennydaily.blogspot.com/2009/03/money-hacks-carnival-hope-edition.html