This is not an infomercial for the latest overpriced skin care product, packed with false promises to reverse the aging process. Rather, it’s a list of strangely effective home remedies for acne, puffy eyes, eczema, and other skin and hair maladies.
This advice comes from Diane Irons, author of best-selling beauty books including Bargain Beauty Secrets and Age-Defying Beauty Secrets: Look and Feel Younger Every Day. She suggests combating common skin and hair woes with unexpected antidotes like hemorrhoid cream, toothpaste, Pepto Bismol, baby wipes, olive oil, lemon juice and more:
- Hemorrhoid Cream can be used for under-eye puffiness. Let it soak in, then apply makeup.
- White Toothpaste: Regular toothpaste, not the gel kind, can be dabbed on pimples to dry them overnight.
- Eye Drops: If there’s no time to treat a pimple overnight, anti-reddening eye drops can also be applied to pimples with a swab, left for 10 to 15 seconds, then makeup applied. The drops take the red right out, making the blemish coverable.
- Pepto-Bismol makes a face-tightening mask. Let it dry, then remove with warm water. It also helps seal the fate of cold sores.
- Milk of Magnesia: For oily skin, apply milk of magnesia and let it dry, then rinse before applying make-up.
- Baby Wipes instead of expensive face cleansing pads or cloths work fine to remove grime and makeup.
- Vaseline: Even though many of the high-end beauty gurus warn against mineral oil for your face, many dermatologists agree that no one is allergic to petroleum jelly and it makes an excellent moisturizer, especially around the eyes. The layer holds in moisture without irritation from perfumes.
Beauty Tips from the Kitchen
- Olive Oil rather than mayonnaise is great for conditioning hair. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in the microwave for 10 seconds and apply to DRY hair. Leave it on for about 10 minutes, then shampoo.
- Flat Beer: Be sure to use beer that has lost its zing, or else heat fresh beer and allow it to cool. Wash hair, pour it on, and comb. Supposedly, it won’t smell after it dries.
- Vinegar for hair rinse. Cider vinegar is good for brunettes, white vinegar for blondes. Put four tablespoons in three glasses of warm water. Then use lots of cool water to remove the smell.
- Lemon Juice: Added to water, this makes a great facial toner.
- Vegetable Shortening is great for eczema. Heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds, then slather it on.
- Egg Whites: For an instant facelift, dab egg whites over face, sit still until it dries, then apply makeup.
- Pumpkin from the can is a great conditioner for the face or whole body.
- Parsley Flakes: Put a few spoons in an ice cube tray section, add water, and freeze. Rub it on a pimple, and it takes down swelling in a few minutes.
- Eggs, Honey, Lemon Juice: This is a mask for rough skin, not dry. Combine one egg, one tablespoon of honey, and a half teaspoon of lemon juice, apply with your fingers and leave it on 20-30 minutes, then rinse and apply freshener.
Who knew? Beauty secrets are hiding out in the open, accessible to anyone brave enough to try them. If nothing else, testing these theories can brighten up a dull day with a laugh or two.
