Beauty without breaking the bank

In the light of a bad economy, homemade beauty products come handy. These products are very eco-friendly and don't contain the harmful synthetic products the biotech and pharmaceutical companies fail to warn you about. What we must remember is that in any beauty product the active or critical ingredients are usually found in their naturally occurring forms. They are extracted, refined and packaged with preservatives to keep them fresh and viable. Through personal experience, I've realized that the notion that going green is costly is not completely true. Uchenna you stated great TIPS and I thought I share some more recipes for natural home made beauty products. Spa and Hair Salon visits can dig deep into the pockets while some of the services you'll receive can be done at home saving you that $40 or $50. Starting with the hair, important hair nutrients include vitamin E, C and proteins. All of which can be derived from natural substances. For conditioning, a jar of Real mayonnaise and EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL does the job perfectly (might sound crasie). I'll break it down. One of the main reasons for hair conditioning is to soften and revitalize hair. Mayonnaise has a high concentration of egg white and cellulose. Egg white is rich in protein and as we all know, protein is a critical component of hair. I'm not going to get too technical, but I should highlight that biological analysis of hair states that hair is a collection of proteins called KERATIN. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE oil is the purest form of olive oil, as it is less refined. Watch for Labels that read FIRST COLD PRESS. If Mayonnaise is out of reach, use natural egg white and EXTRA VIRGIN OIL OIL. The protein in Mayonnaise will stimulate hair growth and strengthen existing hair while the Olive oil will moisturize scalp creating a conducive environment for hair growth. The vitamin E in the Olive oil helps to keep hair healthy. Estimated cost for homemade conditioner is about $5.00 if you have your Olive oil already. For shampooing, the best homemade ingredients are, Olive oil, 100%lemon juice, vinegar, and egg. Notice I didn't include portion sizes, use discrete amount depending on hair needs but I'll recommend 1 TBSP for each ingredient. Estimated cost is about $7.00 For body hair removal, never shave if you have sensitive skin. Body waxing or sugaring is the way to go. Homemade waxes are easy to make contrary to what people might think. Personally, I use Honey based wax. My recipe is US grade A honey, brown or white sugar and lemon juice. You'll need a wooden spoon and a small pot. Again, I don't recommend portion sizes because that depends on how much body area you want to wax. To make wax, pour sugar in pan with a few drops of lemon, heat slowly then add honey gradually and stir. After a few minutes, the sugar should melt and you'll have your wax ready to use. Let the pot sit for a few minutes for the wax to become molten. For waxing, you can use a Muslim cloth or old cotton T-shirt. Add extra virgin olive oil to prevent irritation from waxing. Estimated cost is about $7.00 As Uchenna mentioned, the important thing is to look for inexpensive products. Once you have your ingredients, you can make your homemade products as you need them, this saves you the extra bucks at the SPA or hair Salon.

I saw this article a while back, and I just wanted to say I found it very helpful how you did the research Uchenna and gave a great summary for beauty tips for those like me who like saving money. I especially found 2,4,5, and 6 helpful. It's sometimes overwhelming having to read pages upon pages in a magazine on beauty tips with items that one does not necessarily have lying around the household, which is why your straightforward article was very helpful. thanks!