natural beauty

I kind of hate how I’m always accumulating so many different beauty products. Even though I’m a minimalist in product USE, I’m sometimes totally not in product PURCHASE! I’m trying to kick the habit of buying lots of “miracles” in a bottle, find some tried-and-true SIMPLE solutions, and pare down my beauty budget.

I have some home remedies I use regularly, and every once in a while I give myself a complete break from makeup and hair products just because! I feel like I usually look my best when I’m not torturing my hair and skin with things that are supposed to make it look better! I’m wondering, what are your favorite natural beauty tricks/home remedies for skin and hair/etc?

Here are some of my faves:

***SKIN***

Almond oil on the eyebrows – I read a bit of light olive or almond oil will help restimulate eyebrow growth so I’m rubbing a bit on the eyebrows twice a day. I went a little pluck happy in the 9th grade, maintained skinny, waxed brows for years, and now they don’t grow back!  Anyone else tried anything? If nothing else, the oil darkens/plumps up the brows and gets rid of the dry flaky skin I get there.

Sugar and almond oil scrub – mix a tsp of sugar and a drizzle of almond oil and mix together. Rub onto face with finger tips and rinse off with water. Pat dry. If you have dry skin at least, this shouldn’t make you too oily at all. The sugar sloughs off the dry skin and the oil replaces moisture and your skin will be super happy! Great for elbows and heels, too.

Water – If I don’t wear foundation/powders I don’t use soap or astringent. Really! I use water twice a day and a wash cloth, then exfoliate 3 times a week for the dry skin. {When I do wear makeup, I use Dr. Bronner’s magic soap to wash it off}.

Aspirin – crushed up and mixed with a bit of water to make a paste, dab it on a zit. It’ll dry it up in no time.

***HAIR***

Baby powder – If I don’t get a chance to shampoo for a few days {camping or something} or I get sweaty working out and still have a stop to make before I get a shower, I sprinkle baby powder into the top of my head and massage in with my fingers and it absorbs the oil fast. Wish I’d known this in my grungy college days! 🙂

Beer – once a month, I rinse my hair with a can of flat beer. The cheap stuff, of course. 😉 This makes my hair look shinier for a while, and gives it a lot of body for the first styling after the rinse especially.

***

Other stuff I’ve tried, though I don’t make them a regular part of my routine:

• Lemon juice makes stained fingernails nice and clear and clean.
• Avocado dabbed on the skin is very moisturizing {true, but at $1 EACH I’d rather indulge in guacamole}
• Baking soda and peroxide whiten teeth. During my college days I tried this a few times with a Crest SpinBrush and it does remove a bit of surface stains. Great for right before an event.}
• Visine takes the red out of zits. Not a “natural” remedy, but it’s alternative to makeup covering it up, so I added it. 😉

Other unconventional “beauty” tips:

• Prepare for emergencies: Have on hand: headbands and bobby pins to pin back bad hair days {Way easier and less stress than fighting it}, giant sunglasses to cover tired eyes, a shimmery brownish/peachish/pinkish cream eyeshadow can go on lids, cheeks or lips for some shine to make you look immediately less exhausted/hung over/ ill/ lazy, and an oily/gooey substance like lipgloss for lips obviously, and to wrangle wayward hair strands.

What have I missed?

PS: Have you tried Sally Hanson nail decals? They are kinda awesome. ^

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