Hair:
I'll start here with a "what not to do"...Never put lemon juice on your hair! Unless, your hair is in perfect condition and can withstand a little damage. I know all of us tried this in high school. You put lemon juice on your hair, sit in the sun, and you'll get highlites. Wrong... The highlites are really nonexistent, and the lemon juice dries your hair out so bad, it looks like straw. Don't do it!
However, if you have brunette hair, or red hair, there are some natural ways to get highlites. For brunettes, you can use chamomile. For redheads, cranberry juice works good, and I just heard that this is what Nicole Kidman uses on her locks.
Flat Beer will give your hair volume! I know it sounds weird, but it will. Let a can of beer go flat, and rinse your hair with it. The smell leaves as soon as your hair is dry, I promise! But the volume is there to stay till your next shampoo!
I had a friend in high school who used olive oil on her hair, and she bragged about how shiny her hair was. Yes, it was shiny. But that was because of all the grease! I don't recommend using this for dry hair. Banana works much better on dry hair. Banana Hair Mask: Mash 1 ripe banana with a tsp. of almond oil. Massage onto dry or damp hair, leave on 20 minutes, rinse. Your hair will be more moisturized! Naturally.
I'm one of those people who disagree with the whole "get your hair cut every 6 weeks". Now, for some people, that might work great, but for me, my hair just will not grow if I don't leave it alone! For hair growth, I take Biotin. I take a multivitamin with Biotin in it, and I also take a seperate "hair vitamin". You gotta nourish your hair from the inside too!
Skin:
There are some great at home-facials you can do, without paying for a pricey salon facial. Most of them contain honey. Sometimes if you just rummage through your kitchen and throw ingredients together, you can come up with some great skin care! That's what I did....
Banana Facial: For dry skin: Mash 2 medium bananas with a tsp. of honey with a fork. Don't over mash, or it'll be runny. Apply to face, let sit 10 minutes, rinse with cool water.
Carrot Mask: For normal to oily skin: (great for occasional montly break out prone skin) Cook 2-3 carrots, then mash and mix with 4 1/2 tbs. of honey. Apply to skin, leave on 10 minutes, rinse with cool water.
Peachy Keen Mask: For Normal Skin: Cook 1 medium peach till soft. Mash and mix with 1 tbs. honey and some oatmeal. Stir till a thick consistency. Apply to skin, let sit 10 minutes, rinse with cool water.
Oat and Brown Sugar Scrub: Mix 2 tbs. ground oatmeal, 2 tbs. brown sugar, 2 tbs. aloe vera, and 1 tsp. lemon juice till a smooth paste develops. Massage into damp skin, and rinse with warm water. Triple recipe for a great entire body scrub!
For Pimples: Mix brewers yeast with plain yogurt. Let sit on pimple prone areas. Wipe clean.
Tea Tree Oil is awesome for spot treatment of pimples. It dries them up almost overnight.
Facial Toner: Mix 8 oz. mineral oil with 2 drops essential oil, such as peppermint or lavender. Store in refrigerator and use when your skin needs a "pick me up"!
Just about anything you can find in your fridge or kitchen will make a good nourishing mask for your skin. Egg whites will tighten your pores. Honey will moisturize. Strawberries will moisturize. Avocado makes a great moisturizing mask, and also is good for your entire body. Sweet Almond oil is a good ingredient to add to masks. Believe it or not, kitty litter, (clean of course, haha), will make an excellent cleansing mask. It's a cheap version of a clay cleansing mask! Mix it with water and apply to your face. It draws out impurities! I swear!
Miscellaneous:
For longer eyelashes, rub sweet almond oil over them before you go to bed at night.
For a homemade shimmery body lotion, use this recipe: 1 tbs. baby oil, few drops of the correct color (very important) foundation, and a pinch of shimmer powder. Rub over legs. Or you can buy Michael Kors Leg Shine, which is the same exact thing. Both of these will subtly highlite your legs muscle tone. Very sexy.
For homemade lip stain: Don't throw away lipstick tubes that you think are empty! Dig out the remainder of the lipstick inside. Mix a little of your favorite color with some petroleum jelly. Put the result in a pill case, or some other little container. Not only will you have a subtle lip "stain", but it will go farther, because you're mixing it with petroleum jelly!
For a waterless pedicure: Warm some lotion in the microwave for about 5 seconds. Smooth lotion over feet, let sit for 3 minutes, then buff feet with a pumice stone. Better than using water, because the lotion makes skin softer and easier to remove dead skin!
For at-home waxing: Apply a dusting of baby powder to skin before waxing. It creates a barrier between the wax and the skin, making it less painful!
For white teeth: In addition to using a whitening toothpaste, once a week, mix baking soda with peroxide, form a paste and apply to teeth. Works great!
For knockout eyes: Apply a dark shadow to the crease and blend outward. Use a shimmery pale shadow on the browbone. Line eyes subtly for day wear, but at night, knock em dead! There is some controversy on whether or not you should line the inner lining of your bottom lash line. I do. And when I don't, my eyes just don't "pop" like I want them to. Also you can use a white eyeliner to make the white of your eye appear whiter. Do NOT be afraid of false eyelashes! Especially for going out, or when you really want to make an impression! I started using them after I ordered the Alexis Vogel line, which I'm now addicted to. I don't like the full one piece kind, I use the individual. Buy the individual flair black medium lashes, and the individual clear glue. Curl your lashes, and apply your mascara. Put a drop of glue on a piece of foil. Wait till it gets a little "tacky", so it applies easier. Pick up lashes with tweezers, dip tip in glue. Wipe off any excess, and carefully touch lash to your natural lash line, starting in the middle of your eye, above your iris, and working toward the outer eye. Hold there for 5 seconds. I use a hairdryer to speed this along. When you get the hang of it, you won't want to go out at night without your "secret weapon"! Your eyes will look amazing once you get used to it!
Well, I guess that's all for now. I will probably add more later when I think of it! Hope I was helpful!!! Feel free to sign the guesbook and submit yours, and I'll add them to my page!
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