As girls, we want to look our best and have FUN in the process (cue the Cyndi Lauper background music). Each year, the beauty industry sucks up gazillions of our hard-earned dollars and often puts us through painful procedures (waxing, anyone?). Here are a few at-home recipes you can use to have fun, save money, and painlessly improve your look.
Lip Balm
Don’t know what to do with that little bit of lipstick left at the end of the tube? Turn them into tinted lip balm of course! You can choose your color, flavor, scent and container too. This project is great for you and as gifts for others.
Step 1:Choose a container or tin for your lip balm (old Altoids boxes are cute) and be sure to wash it in soap/hot water; let it dry completely.
Step 2:Ingredients: Two parts oil to one part beeswax. You can use any oil that you like (almond oil for added moisture, peppermint oil for a fresh scent, etc.)
Step 3:Melt the beeswax in a double boiler, ensuring that the top bowl does not touch the water. Once the wax melted, remove from heat. Add your oils and as much lipstick as you want (the more lipstick you use, the darker the color will be).
Step 4:Immediately pour the hot mixture into the desired tin. Let it cool overnight before using it on your lips.
Face Mask
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love face masks. They always leave me feeling refreshed (or embarrassed, if a roommate’s guest sees me… oops). Here are a variety of recipes you can try out made with easily available ingredients.
Basic –Combine 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Leave the mixture on your face for 10 minutes and rinse it off.
For Dry Skin– Mix half of a mashed avocado (use the rest for guacamole?) with 1/4 cup of honey. Leave on for 10 minutes.
For Oily Skin – Sliced strawberries, grapes and cucumbers act as natural toners to tighten skin and shrink pores. Just rub the slices over your skin after washing your face. Try sliced lemons to reduce shine.
To Exfoliate – Blend 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1/2 cup of sugar. This is double-awesome because it takes away dead skin cells while moisturizing. Use it on your lips too to get rid of chapped flakes.
Hair Repair Mask
Deep Conditioner –Blend 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and the whites from one egg. Spread and saturate your hair with the mixture and comb through it. Leave in for 30 minutes before rinsing it out with cool water (wouldn’t want to make scrambled eggs…).
Product Build-Up Removal –Mix a little baking soda in with your shampoo. This will clarify your hair and can make it more manageable over time.
Whiten Your Teeth
Brush your teeth using a baking soda/toothpaste mixture. To make this mixture, put a tiny bit of toothpaste into a small cup, and then mix in 1 teaspoon of the baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of water. Brush for 2 minutes. Just be careful how often you use this, because over time it can wear down the enamel of your teeth.
Hope to see those white smiles beaming over these fun recipes!