Looking good is hard, and often expensive. Here are a few DIY beauty recipes any woman can do at home, and for a fraction of the cost.
Natural highlights: just use lemon juice
One of my favorite DIY beauty tricks for summer is naturally lightening my hair with lemon juice and honey. It’s so inexpensive, unbelievably easy, and most importantly: it doesn’t damage your hair like a salon treatment can.
Ingredients: Lemon juice, water, spray bottle
Instructions: Mix two tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup of water in a spray bottle, spray the mixture on your hair, sit in the sun for 1-2 hours, wash your hair, repeat as often as needed to acquire desired color.
So easy, right? It’d be underwhelming if the results weren’t totally awesome.
Cost: $3 (lemon juice, $2; water; spray bottle, $.99)
Brighter whites: a homemade teeth-whitening mixture
Getting your teeth whitened at the dentist’s office is expensive, and messing with those over-the-counter kits is annoying. So, try this at-home remedy that costs less than $5 and is super easy:
Ingredients: Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, mint drops (optional, for taste)
Instructions: Mix all the ingredients together, apply mixture on your toothbrush, brush your teeth, repeat 1-3 times a month.
Cost: $7-9 (baking soda, $3; hydrogen peroxide, $.99; mint drops ($3-5)
Cleanse naturally: homemade makeup remover
You’ll never again panic when you run out of makeup remover wipes with this recipe. It won’t burn your eyes or leave harsh chemicals on your skin.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp witch hazel, 2 tbsp oil of your choice, 2 tbsp of water
Instructions: Mix ingredients together, apply mixture to eyes with a cotton ball or cloth, wipe off makeup.
Cost: Around $10 (witch hazel, $5; oil, varies)
Fresh face: homemade pore strips
OK, so this is one I haven’t tried, but it looks interesting. I love pore strips (probably because I get a deranged satisfaction from pulling all the gunk out of my pores), but at around $8 a pop, those things can get expensive.
Ingredients: 1 tbsp unflavored gelatin, 1 tbsp milk (any percentage), cheap makeup brush
Instructions: Mix milk and gelatin in a microwave safe container, microwave mixture for 10 seconds, apply melted liquid to desired areas of the face (test it on your hand first to make sure it’s not to hot), let sit for 10 minutes or until dry, peel off.
Cost: $4 (gelatin, $.99; milk, $2; makeup brush, varies but some are as little as $.99)
What are some of your favorite at-home beauty routines or recipes? Let me in on your secrets in the comments section below.
A New Mexican Perspective
