With gas prices and recession fears looming at the forefront , there’s less money to spend on beauty and pampering. But this does not mean your regimen has to suffer! With a little help from some beauty experts, I have discovered some easy, inexpensive ways to maintain, enhance and improve your looks for pennies, using products found in your kitchen and bathroom.
It is easy to mix these innovative products in with your regular products to save money and switch things up. For example, there are many great household items able to double as effective beauty remedies, which have helped woman maintain their beauty for more than a century.
Baking Soda
- One of the most versatile products is none other than baking soda. It’s an excellent, old school exfoliant that keeps skin silky smooth and glowing. Simply mix three parts baking soda and one part water into a thick paste and gently massage the area that needs sloughing in circular motions. This paste is gentle enough for the face, yet strong enough for tougher areas of the body, including knees and elbows.
- Rather than spending $30 on dry shampoo, sprinkle some baking soda onto your scalp to absorb oil. Lightly massage your scalp with your fingers, then bend over at the waist and do a quick blast with the blow dryer (baby powder also works very well to freshen up your locks).
- Baking soda also helps you get dazzling pearly whites — all you have to do is brush your teeth with a pinch of baking soda and table salt.
Apple Cider Vinegar
For shiny hair, combine one part apple cider vinegar, with three parts water in a spray bottle. After shampooing and rinsing out, then do a special rinse with this mixture, followed by cold water. This will also help alleviate product buildup.
Essential Oils
- Treating dandruff and dry scalp can be as easy as adding peppermint-essential oil to your shampoo. (Exfoliating regularly with our fave staple, baking soda, can also do the trick.)
- For dry, split ends, mix half a mashed avocado with four drops of lavender oil. After shampooing, massage the mixture on the bottom half of hair, throw on a shower cap and chill for 20 minutes before rinsing out. Your hair will be soft and silky.
Got Milk?
- A little hungover from the night before? Soak a cotton ball in cold milk and place it on your eyelids for about five minutes to reduce puffiness and help combat dark circles.
Cucumbers, Tea, Potatoes (they’re eye opening)
- Another proven method is to place a chilled slice of cucumber or a cooled, steeped tea bag over your eyes to decrease puffiness (chamomile is a good bet). Another surprising technique is to place potato slices over the eyes — this works wonders for de-puffing them.
Witchyness and Aspirin
- To get rid of blemishes, a great method is to dip a cotton swab in witch hazel and dab it on the effected area. Wait a minute and then dip another swab in calamine lotion and apply. This has the same dying effect as cult favorite Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.
- An alternative is to crush one large aspirin with a few drops of tea tree oil to make a paste, and then apply. The salicylic acid in the aspirin will attack that blemish and hasten the healing process.
Papaya, Oh My-a
- An esthetician friend let me in on a wondrous secret for those times when a peel is out of my budget. Basically, you simply mash about two tablespoons of papaya into a nice paste and apply to your face, neck and hands. Leave on for about 15-20 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. The enzymes in papaya exfoliate, diminish age spots and help repair sun damage — hence, the popularity of enzyme peels! (I was a little skeptical about putting fruit on my face, but was overwhelmingly pleased at how refreshed, bright and smooth my skin looked afterwards.)
- Another “fruity” trick she taught me is to mash one tablespoon of mango with 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and a dash of cayenne pepper to create naturally plumped-up lips. Leave the mixture on for five to 10 minutes then wipe off (do not use on cracked or chapped lips).
The Misc.
- Other budget secrets include using baby wipes to remove makeup — they are inexpensive and extremely gentle.
- And good old standby Vaseline still makes the grade as a tried and tested beauty staple, serving as everything from moisturizer and eyelash conditioner to hair gel and shoe polish.
- Don’t forget that one of the best beauty secrets is free: water. Get your eight glasses a day to maintain glowing skin and strong, healthy hair and skin.
Chaton Anderson is a Writer and the Publicity Director for TheSavvyGal.com. A product and pop culture addict, she is always looking for the coolest, hippest things on the market. Email her at chaton@thesavvygal.com with questions or leads on products and services on the cutting edge.