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Household Hints for A Beautiful You
Women around the world spend billions and billions of dollars each year on cosmetics, hair care
products and other beauty supplies, and as new products and treatments for the various and sundry issues that women face are developed,
the cost of looking beautiful increases. This is probably the most common complaint I hear as a cosmetologist. However, you don’t have
to spend a fortune to look good. There are dozens of beauty secrets that have been passed down from generation to generation, and most
of them utilize items you already have in your home.
Here are some simple tips for meeting your beauty needs without using expensive store bought
products. These are perfect for women who are looking for “Beauty on a Budget” as well as those times when you discover you’re out of
your usual beauty product.
Hair Care:
• Does your hair need deep conditioning? Try mayonnaise. Simply apply the mayo
to freshly washed hair, comb it through and wrap the hair in plastic. Leave it on
for 20-30 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Mayonnaise contains vegetable oil which
softens and conditions and egg which smoothes and strengthens the hair. Be
sure to use only real mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip® or other “salad dressing”.
These products will leave a pungent smell in the hair.
• Believe it or not, a great leave-in conditioner for your hair is nothing other than
laundry room fabric softener. It's very strong, so be sure to dilute it.
Suggestions: combine 1 cup water with 1/4 cup fabric softener. It will smooth and
detangle the hair.
• Do you have problems with oily hair and scalp? Use witch hazel when you don't
have time to shampoo. Apply to the scalp and roots of the hair with a cotton ball
then comb the hair to distribute evenly. It dries quickly and leaves the hair
looking fresh and clean.
• Witch hazel is also an excellent “volume builder” for the hair. If your hair is fine
and limp, try using witch hazel in the final rinse after shampooing the hair. Blow-
dry the hair using a vented brush to lift the hair at the scalp while drying. You’ll
find yourself with fuller-looking hair that has more body and holds a style better.
• Having trouble with dandruff and flaking but don’t have dandruff shampoo on
hand? Crush some aspirin (about 30) and add it to your favorite shampoo. It will
help clear up the flakes.
• If you want to add body to your hair, try beer. Wash your hair as usual, then
pour the beer onto the hair and massage it in. Leave it on for a few minutes
then rinse it off. You’ll find that your hair has more body and will hold a style
longer. Use a full-bodied beer for this purpose, not a light beer.
• If you want to warm up the color of your brown hair? Try this: boil the skin from a
couple of ordinary brown onions in water. Allow to cool as use in the final rinse
when you wash your hair. After a few uses you should see the hair color begin to
warm up and look less mousy and dull.
• To make your hair shiny, add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to the final
rinse when you wash your hair. The acid of the vinegar helps to contract the
cuticle layer of the hair, leaving it looking shinier and healthier. It also helps to
control oiliness.
Skin Care:
• For rough dry skin (especially on hands, knees and elbows) combine equal parts
vegetable oil and granulated sugar and mix into a paste. Use the paste on the
rough areas and rub gently for about 5 minutes. Rinse the mixture away and
leave the areas if possible. If not possible to leave the residue on the skin, wash
the areas with soap and water and apply immediately moisturizer.
• If you have a problem with puffy, swollen eyes, try saving your used tea bags in
a re-sealable container in the refrigerator. Place a bag over each eye when
needed to reduce the swelling and puffiness.
• To help lighten dark circles under the eyes use raw potato slices. The potassium
in the potatoes helps to take away the discoloration, leaving you looking fresh
faced and rested.
• If you’re out of cold cream or need a quick make-up remover, use vegetable
shortening fresh from the can. It is an excellent emollient and smoothes and
moisturizes the skin while lifting away the make-up. After removing the make-
up, wash your face as normal to remove the residual shortening.
• If you are plagued by blemishes (pimples), you can reduce the redness of the
pimples by applying a dab of eye drops (the kind to remove redness and soothe
itchy eyes) to the pimple. The ingredients that soothe and clear away the
redness of the eyes helps to dilate the capillaries in the skin and lessen the
redness of the pimples in your skin.
Nail Care:
• For a quick and easy manicure, lemons are just the thing. Simply combine one
cup of warm water with the juice of half a lemon. Soak your fingertips in the
solution for five minutes, then rinse them and pat dry with a soft cloth. The acid
in the lemon juice will soften the cuticles and remove the dead skin cells. After
soaking, you can easily push back your cuticles while patting them dry. Rub the
nails with the peel of the lemons to distribute the fruit oil from the lemon skin,
and buff the nails to a shine with a soft cloth. Not only does the lemon juice help
soften the cuticles and dead skin, it also helps to fade stains and leave the nails
brighter and the free edge whiter.
• If you ever find yourself with a jagged edge on a fingernail and no emery board,
try using the striking plate from a matchbook or matchbox. They are basically
ultra-fine-grained grit panels that will usually do the trick.
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