I hear complaints all the time about how pricey it is to go green, especially when it comes to beauty. As a spirited green beauty enthusiast and blogger, I tend to think I have a few beauty secrets up my sleeve that might make magic for you! Here are 12 highly effective kitchen ingredients that you can add to your medicine cabinet. And thankfully, they won't break the bank.
Lemons - Use them to correct self-tanning mistakes! Holistic Practitioner and author of Chill Out & Get Healthy, Aimee Raupp says to add the juice of a half a lemon into a mug of hot water every morning to get your digestive system working and help flush out toxins. Use lemon juice and brown sugar as a base to scrub dead skin off your feet, elbows and heels.
Epsom Salt - Actually pulls toxins from your body and renews your energy making you feel less tired. It is also, of course, a great exfoliating scrub that can be added to a warm bath. Give up those expensive bath salts and exfoliators and buy a 64 oz container of epsom salt for only $6.99.
Cocoa - Organic, fair-trade cocoa makes a soothing drink to calm your nerves OR a color-reviving mask for dark hair. Add a tablespoon of honey and olive oil for a truly nourishing hair pick-me-up!
Potatoes - Grate a raw potato and wrap it in gauze or cheesecloth and use as a refresher for eye-lids or dark circles.
Green Tea Extract - Great as a skin cancer preventative, Catechins from green tea are proven to ward off free radicals that cause DNA mutations in skin cells. They work well when applied topically and taken internally - so for ultimate UV protection add purified green tea extract to your body lotion and sip green ice tea before you play sun goddess. Green tea phytochemicals are also known to help fight acne and ease the annoyances of eczema.
Castile Soap - Saponified olive oil makes a versatile face, body and hair cleanser. Castile soap with its centuries-tested formulation that is low in alkali and based upon antioxidant-rich olive oil is more skin-friendly than any other green foaming cleanser.
Yeast - Mix some yeast with water, which will form a paste. Apply the mixture to your face for a lifting, hydrating, purifying dose of all-natural vitamin B6.
Witch Hazel - Witch hazel wears many hats! One little sniff will prepare you for a long meeting or awaken you after a long drive, sanitize your hands, get rid of unfriendly zits and make a great treatment to fight body odors. (you can even add some sandlewood or rose)
Brown Sugar - Makes a cheap and non-irritating exfoliating base! Mix it with some extra virgin olive oil and rub it on your skin without worrying if it's too harsh or will cause skin damage. As the sugar absorbs into your skin, the tiny crystals melt and become more mild as you rub. It is also known to be a great anti-inflammatory helping with eczema and acne.
Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil - The best eye-makeup remover and a great massage oil. Some people also swear by it for day to day skin cream for their face. You can also mix it with horsetail powder or caffeine as a cellulite treatment for your body. Also helps rid of dry heels, elbows, knees, etc and will give your body a little healthy shimmer.
Apple Cider Vinegar - Helps promote blood circulation and can be used as an antiseptic - fighting against yeasts and viruses that cause infection. Celebrity hair stylist Staci Child suggests rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar once a week "to help balance the PH of your hair and remove build up caused by styling products or inexpensive shampoos. And it will also help fight dandruff." You can also use apple cider vinegar in a bath for sunburn relief, to soothe tired feet and hands, or as a rinse to remove stains that berries or wine can leave on your hands.
Salt - Apply some kosher salt onto any rough skin spots and rub away!
Got any other tips for us? I'd love to know about them.
- Elaine LaPersonerie - www.winkpr.com
Click here for more of Elaine's posts.
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