These days most women are cutting out expensive beauty creams and treatments due to the slow economy aka the dreaded budget. However, many at-home versions of your pricey cellulite creams, hair products and eye serums are just as effective, and a fraction of the price.
In some cases the natural recipes are more effective than the chemical concoction sold in department stores. Take a look at these 8 products that have beauty benefits and can be found right in your kitchen!
1. Visine
Commonly used to reduce redness in your eyes, Visine also has another purpose – blemish fighter. Add a small amount of Visine to a pimple or blemish and the redness will disappear right before your eyes. Although Visine doesn’t heal the entire blemish, it will mask it and is not harsh on your skin.
2. Lemons
Are your nails stained from dark polishes? Sticking your fingertips in lemon halves will brighten your nails instantly. This trick has been used on models for years. Models are constantly changing polish colors and have little time to let nails brighten naturally.
3. Cold Nail Polish
The cool temperature of the fridge will keep your polish clump-free and easy to apply. If your favorite shades have already become hardened or gummy, place the bottle in a pan of boiling water. This should loosen and thin out the polish. Be sure to use a hot pad or cooking gloves because the glass container will be very hot. For best results, shake the bottle vigorously once you remove it from the boiling water.
4. Fabric Softener
For hair that suffers with static, take a sheet of your favorite dryer fabric softener, like Bounce sheets, and rub it on your hair. The static will instantly disappear. As a bonus, fabric softener sheets will get rid of any odor, like cigarette smoke, from a late night out.
5. Vaseline
Talk about multi-tasking. From using it as a chap stick, to applying a sparing amount to dry skin, to using it as an eye makeup remover, Vaseline can do it all. However Vaseline is very thick and can clog your pores, especially if you have oily skin to begin with. Try a patch of skin, like under your eyes, which is dry on many women. If all goes well and no blemishes form, try it in larger patches and go from there.
6. Coffee grinds
The same stuff that you gulp in the morning can be used to treat cellulite. First, scrub the skin with a bristle brush to exfoliate and loosen the outer layers of the skin. Then rub coffee grounds (best if warmed in the microwave for a couple of seconds) directly onto the area for a couple of minutes and rinse well with water. Most women see results within 3 days and suggest using this process twice a week. The active ingredient in most cellulite creams is caffeine so applying this ingredient directly to the skin can be a very effective method.
Potatoes
Raw potato slices contain potassium which is said to remove dark circles under the eyes. Many under eye creams contain potassium so again, like the coffee grinds for cellulite, the theory is to apply the most active ingredient directly to the effected area. For puffiness, frozen peas, cucumber slices or wet herbal tea bags can also do the trick.
Peroxide and Baking Soda
Have you noticed how expensive teeth whitening procedures can be? The average in-office whitening is $650 per visit and take-home kits can cost anywhere between $100-400. Or you can opt for the $8 “whitening toothpaste” that does close to nothing. Instead, reach in your kitchen cabinet and combine hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, just enough to make a thick paste. Apply to your teeth and leave on for no longer than 20 minutes. Rise thoroughly.
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