Summer Beauty Tips

Crazy DIY Spa Tips for the Summer!

Quick fixes and fun at-home spa treatments that seem crazy, but actually work.

First of all, I wanted to say that even though this is called "beauty tips," keep in mind through this whole thing that beauty is within. It cannot be found through expensive creams and hair care products, through looking older or younger or changing the size of your jeans or the color of your hair. The kind of things mentioned here will only "pamper" or "beautify" in a temporary way. Beauty isn't even the right word to use for it, though the English language really stinks at having a variety of words for things with multiple meanings; so that's why I decided to stick with this as the title.

The bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7b that: "The Lord doesn't look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

In the New Testament, women who were new believers were specifically told to not take pride in elaborate braids and hairstyles, fancy clothes and jewelry that distract others from the main purpose of God living through them. That doesn't mean that it's sinful to dress up for a special occasion or bathe so that you can smell nice. But, we are told as girls of God that we are not to find our "beauty" in those kinds of things. They shouldn't make us who we are.

1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles or the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

These are good if you need a fun activity for a sleepover, a quick fix for a painful pimple or bruise or if want to experiment for fun with different ways to moisturize your skin or hair. These are "quick fixes." But, you should never find your happiness in a "quick fix." You can only find it in the pure, lasting joy that comes only from Jesus Christ.

These are like baking tips. And I'm pretty sure most of you know not to build your life on baking tips.

So, now that you've been warned; without further a-do I would like to present you with a few summer "beauty" tips that may seem a little unconventional but work really well if you're in need of help with a pesky pimple or simply want to dry your nail polish a little faster without using industrial-grade chemicals. And for the most part, you can find most of the necessary ingredients no further than your kitchen!

Spa parties. Practically the epiphany of all things female. And, who can deny that it's fun to put cucumbers on your face?

Hair

• Washing your hair in cranberry juice boosts shine and gives vibrant color to redheads.

• Avocado has been used as a conditioner by the native peoples of Central America for many centuries and still is widely used all over the world as a hair moisturizer today. Use it a couple times a month for strong, healthy, shiny hair.

• Egg whites are also well-known conditioners for the hair and were used back in the day to wash hair too (yes, I know it sounds crazy. Using eggs to wash your hair.) Egg whites are also said to be good for the face as well. If you want to use them in your hair, apply the egg whites liberally throughout your hair and let it set for about 15-20 minutes or longer. Then rinse it out with COLD water (or else you'll wake up and find scrambled eggs in your hair the next morning.)

• Coconut milk is a nourishing conditioner for those who have medium-thick to thick hair. People with thinner hair can use it as well, but be careful not to use too much. Also try a product with coconut oil (or the real deal) if you have naturally curly or wavy hair.

• Mayonnaise is a good hair mask. Smear it all throughout your hair, clip it in place at the top of your head (if your hair is long) and secure it in place with a shower cap or saran wrap. Leave it in for 30 minutes to an hour. (It's also a good treatment to suffocate lice. Though, to do that you have to leave it in for at least 4 hours.) 

• Lemon juice and tea work well for oily hair. It is harsh enough to take out the oil but won't wreck the PH balance of your scalp. (Yes, your scalp DOES have a PH balance.)

• You can also use lemons to give yourself blond highlights (never tried it - but apparently it works according to my once-hairstylist mom and the McDonald's frozen lemonade AD campaign)

• If you find yourself battling with frizzy, untame hair - rinse it in unflavored club soda (seltzer water.)

• When towel-drying your hair, it works best to use a microfiber towel made specifically for your hair (got mine for $1 at Dollar Tree) or even a cotton T-shirt. Using traditional, coarse towels can make hair frizzy. If you use microfiber or a t-shirt, it can give your hair a natural shine! But, if you must use a regular towel, never ever rub it around your scalp to dry it. This will cause it to become frizz city!

• If you want your hair to be less frizzy, it's still okay to grab the blow-dryer. Just don't nuke it with heat until it's dry. Turn it on the low setting, or dry it on the cold setting if you have one. It's alright to use heat to style your hair - but a cool setting will make it shinier and healthier and healthy in the long run!

• It is well known that washing your hair in cold water makes it shinier. But, warm water should be part of the process too. Rinsing your head in warm water before shampooing opens up the hair follicles and makes it easier for your shampoo to do its job and remove all of the dirt and grime in your hair. Follow up afterwards by rinsing the conditioner from your hair with cool or cold water. This causes the hair follicles to close and "seal in" the moisture of the conditioner. Rinsing out your conditioner with cold water makes your hair shinier, more easily styled, and less frizzy.

• Have a fly-away? You don't need fly away cream or gel. It sounds crazy, but it's a tip I learned from my cousin when I was really little and has been working every since: LOTION. Yes, that's right. Lotion. Use a small amount of lotion (the dime to quarter size amount you would use to moisturize your feet or hands, depending on how much hair you have and how thick the lotion is, of course) and rub it between your hands. Run your hands AROUND (not on) your hair. Take your hands and run them up and down the length of your hair from about a half-inch away from the actual thing. That way it's not actually touching your hair and won't cause it to become greasy, but will still do its job by smoothing out frizzy strands and flatten cow-licks.

• Most store-bought shampoos contain harsh sulfates (ammonium laureth, ammonium lauryl, etc.) Sulfates are surfactants that are used to make the soap lather once it hits your scalp. They can actually be good if you're trying to strip your hair - but using them on a regular basis like most of us do can cause hair to be dried out, weaker, frizzier, and generally damaged. It's a good idea to invest in a not-so-expensive sulfate-free shampoo. I use the Coconut Milk line from Organix (because I'm pretty much obsessed with the smell of coconuts) and it works great! Pantene and Aveeno also have their own sulfate-free lines now. If you must continue to use your regular shampoo, it's a good idea to take a break from it every once in a while and condition-wash your hair (washing your hair with conditioner just as you would with shampoo) or to replenish the moisture with a hair mask. Below is a recipe for a hair mask that will help nourish your hair, and you can find many of the ingredients in your home!

Hair Mask Recipe for Strength and Shine: For shiny, healthy hair you can make a homemade hair mask with avocados, egg whites, olive oil/coconut oil, coconut milk and honey. The main ingredients that you will need are avocados and egg whites. The rest are optional but will further boost your shine! The amounts depend on how much hair you have. I have very long hair, so I normally use two avocados and that will be the amount I put in the recipe. You can add or take away however much you need:

2 avocados

1 can of coconut milk

1 or 2 egg whites

1 tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil (you can use both, but split the amounts in half.)

1 tbsp of honey

Shower cap (if none, a hair towel or t-shirt you don't mind getting dirty will do.)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl until they are well blended together except for the coconut milk. Try to get as many lumps out of the avocado as you can (they make a big mess in the shower) but don't stress it if there's still some left over after stirring. Add as much of the can of coconut milk as you feel you need, just make sure that the mix remains of a thick enough consistency to spread it onto your hair like butter. Stir again until the coconut milk is mixed well with the rest of the mask. Then, ready the batter and step into the shower. You can lightly shampoo and/or condition your hair if you like. Once you're ready, turn off the shower (or at least step out of the way) and liberally coat the mask over your hair from the roots to the ends. Then, do whatever is necessary to make sure that your hair stays in place (long hair can be secured in a plastic clip) and place your shower cap or hair towel over your head. Leave it on for at least 30-45 minutes, then rinse it out, preferably with cold water and a mild shampoo if necessary.

Skin

• Putting ice to an area of your body that has just gotten bumped or hit will prevent it from turning into a nasty bruise. Usually it will lessen the size and cause it to heal more quickly, other times it will prevent a bruise from forming all together. The science behind it all lies in the chemistry of what hot and cold do. Cold causes things to constrict, and hot causes things to expand and relax. That's why the doctor tells you to ice a sprain, it helps to constrict things underneath your skin and make swelling go down. BUT, in order for this to work on your bruises, you must ice the injured area immediately within a few minutes of getting hit.

• Toilet seat covers make good oil-blotters in times of emergency. Sure it sounds weird, but you might thank me later.

• Sticking your face in a bowl of ice water shrinks pores and helps remove oil from your face. It's also said to brighten your complexion.

• Eye drops can make an excellent spot treatment if you wake up with a new pimple. They reduce redness and help the painful swelling that some pimples present to go down. Simply apply the over-the-counter eye drops to the inflamed area (A.K.A. smear it on your pimple) and then take an ice cube and apply it to the area for a few moments.

• Putting on petroleum jelly after shaving your legs can provide intense moisturizing. Personally I find this works better than a lot of other lotions I've tried, and it's super cheap and simple to do. It's also good for hangnails and calluses (a piece of info I can thank the lady at the local nail salon for telling me when she became appalled at my various hangnails.) Just make sure that you're not sensitive to petroleum jelly before you put it on, because many people have allergies to that and other petroleum-based skincare products.

• Mixing a small amount of sugar with just a smidgen of honey and even some olive oil makes a great lip-exfoliator. Lip exfoliator? Yes, lip exfoliator. Take a bit of this mixture and apply it to your lips like a lip-balm, then rub them together to exfoliate off the dead skin. This is an awesome thing to do when you have really chapped lips. And, it's 100% edible. (Gasp! That's why after I eat sour-patch kids my lips feel so soft! ;D)

• You can use egg whites as a face mask to tighten your pores and firm your skin. Bonus: If you use 2 egg whites and 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (either regular or Greek) you will have a wonderful, soothing face mask!

• Rub a lemon wedge over your face if you want to brighten your complexion. Just make sure not to over-do it, otherwise it will result in irritation

• This long-time remedy of chicken-pox and poison ivy irritation is also very good for your skin. Taking an oatmeal bath soothes things like those mentioned above, and helps with dry skin and sunburn. It will nourish it and make your skin come out softer. Also: If you mix one serving of plain, (though it's alright if it's the store-bought instant kind; it will be a bit sticky but it's not impossible) cooked oatmeal with a small amount of milk - enough to nourish the skin but not so that it looses its thick consistency - you can wear it as a face mask for 10 minutes to moisturize and exfoliate your skin.

• Mixing brown sugar (and a bit of regular sugar is alright too if you want to mix it in) and a bit of olive or grape seed oil makes a fantastic scrub for the skin. I used to make this scrub all of the time and put it in jars to give as gifts to my parents. If you want, you can add coffee grounds. These are another great exfoliant that when added to your mix can make it go a longer way than just using the sugar. You also can use honey for added moisture, and just a dash of vanilla extract will give it a serious coffee-shop smell.

• Cat litter is apparently made of the same clay stuff as $200 spa facials. Just make sure that you get all natural, unscented...and most importantly unused cat litter. And look for "100% natural clay" or "sodium betonite clay" on the label. Those kinds are made from clay that is dried into small pellets that I suppose would turn back to their original, clay-ish (there's no adjective to describe it) form when wet. Take a couple of cups of the stuff and wet it, then put it on your face. (This has to be one of the most outlandish seeming ones on the list, but I told you that even though some of these were crazy that they worked. About.com doesn't lie. Well, alright, it might be; but if this mask is everything it's supposed to be...I think I might try it.)

• Taking a bath with Epsom salt will help make your skin soft and also helps to provide you with your daily magnesium intake! Yup, that's right! The magnesium in the salt will absorb through your skin. You know what they say, "if you wouldn't put it in your mouth, don't put it on your skin!" Although, most of us cheat and put a bunch of garbage on our skin anyway. Like cat litter.

• Green or black tea bags can be just as good for dark circles and puffy bags under the eyes (if not better than) cucumber wedges when made damp and frozen/chilled before placed over the eyes

• A mashed banana and a squirt of honey is an excellent facial moisturizer. Just don't forget to wash it off after a few minutes (because it will be obvious that you're wearing a banana if you don't.)

• Olive oil makes a great eye make-up remover! So does baby oil (which is mainly mineral oil.) NEVER apply it to your whole face, and NEVER leave it on if you use it anywhere other than your eyes. There's a 90% chance that it will result in a breakout if you do. But, it still works great for stubborn mascara.

• Rubbing alcohol is a good treatment for occasional pimples if you only get pimples occasionally/have less severe acne. Just remember to apply it directly to the pimple and with discretion, otherwise you could dry out other areas of your face (thanks to Katie for the tip.)

• Washing your face twice a day is good for some people, but will cause other people to have skin that is over-dry. If you wash your face twice a day, consider using a more mild soap for the morning (unless you have severe acne or your dermatologist/doctor says otherwise) and a more potent one for the evening if your acne is moderate. Or you could just use a mild soap in general. It all just depends on your skin. If your acne bothers you, make sure you see a doctor. Many primary care physicians and even a lot of pediatricians treat acne now with medication, so it's certainly something worth looking into.

• Use sunscreen! Please use sunscreen! Changing your skin by tanning will do nothing for your health. Some unprotected sun exposure is actually said to be good for your vitamin D intake, but only up to about 15 minutes a day and certainly not during the hottest part of the day or on the hottest day of the summer. They say that after 5 sunburns your risk of skin cancer goes up drastically. I'm not doctor, but I would advise that since it's summer and the sun is high in the sky; WEAR SUNSCREEN! And reapply often to prevent a burn, especially if your sunscreen is of a low SPF or is not water-resistant or sweat proof and you have been sweating. It's also a good idea to wear chap stick with sunscreen in it, because your lips can and will get painfully burned if exposed to the sun!

Coffee & Cocoa Facial Mask Recipe (For all Types of Skin): Thanks to About.com, I found this awesome recipe for a skin mask for any type of skin from oily to dry. If you have super dry skin you can substitute the dairy for an oil of some kind, and if you have oily skin you can add lemon juice to gently reduce the amount of oil in your skin.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. finely ground espresso or coffee beans (The author says that they use their own grinder, but already ground coffee and even instant coffee work too.)

4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (Your basic Hershey's is perfect here!)

8 Tbsp. of dairy product. Choose whole milk, heavy cream, yogurt (must be unflavored!) almond milk or coconut milk. Use less dairy if you like a thicker paste. Substitutions are allowed: Try an egg instead of dairy if you are an egg mask lover, or substitute oils, such as olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil or almond oil if you have dehydrated skin. If using oils, halve the amount or it will be too runny.

2 Tbsp. honey (if you have dry skin) or lemon juice (if you have oily skin)

Grind your coffee/espresso beans into finely chopped grounds that will easily form a paste but will NOT scratch you up (that's never good.) Mix the coffee grounds and cocoa powder in a bowl, then add the dairy product slowly until a smooth paste forms and continue until it is of the thickness that you like. Stir in the honey (the author suggests warm honey) and then apply the finished mask to a clean face and neck. Let the mask dry, then a few minutes later gently begin to pat it off with a wet wash cloth and splash your face with warm water if necessary (be careful NEVER to scrub it off as the grounds could scratch your face.) Store leftovers in the fridge.

For this face mask recipe and many more you can go to:

http://beauty.about.com/od/homemadefacemaskrecipes/r/Coffee-And-Cocoa-Facial-Mask-For-All-Face-Types.htm 

Nails

• Did you know that dipping your nails in cold water 30-45 seconds or more after they've been painted helps them to dry faster? The colder the water, the faster they harden. So, the next time you polish your nails keep a bowl of ice water with you for a quick dry! Works best if you keep your fingers dipped in the water for about 20-30 seconds, or until they are hard enough.

• Dipping your nails in vinegar works similarly to the cold water, though it can be done in conjunction with the first for a very sturdy, quick dry. Vinegar helps the polish to adhere to your nail better. Try dipping your nails into the ice water first, and then into the vinegar and back into the ice water again. This worked well for me.

• If your nails are free of any polish, you can make them look clean and fresh by using baking soda and a lemon wedge for a bright, white look at the tops.

• Did you know that if you wait for your nails to dry and dip them in rubbing alcohol, you can transfer the ink of a newspaper or magazine clipping on to your nail? This is the technique used to make the popular "newspaper nails," nail art design.

To do the "newsprint nails" design: paint on a coat that is a light color. I mean, VERY light. You can do either white or light grey, or another of your choice - just be warned that dark colors will cause the "print" to not show up very well. Wait about 10 minutes for it to dry, because transferring the ink while it is still gunky will result in the polish being smeared off. Then once your nails are fully dry, take a clipping of either a magazine or a newspaper that has clearly seen, bold print. (Something that I like to do is print out bible verses and transfer them onto my nails as the design!) Soak the clippings in rubbing alcohol and/or dip your nails into rubbing alcohol also. Then take the clippings - print side down - and FIRMLY press them to each of your nails for about 30 seconds each (or as long as it takes to transfer the ink) and swiftly but carefully pull each strip off afterwards. The ink should now be transferred to your nails for a "newspaper" effect. Wait a few minutes for that to dry, then finish it off with a clear top coat to prevent smudging, smearing, and to give it a really shiny effect when dry.

I will admit, it can take some practice...I know it took me a lot of trial and error (and even now it only works for me about 80% of the time.) Even if it smudges or doesn't transfer well at first - don't give up! And, a tip: Make sure that you're using new, completely unexpired rubbing alcohol. I've made the mistake of using some old antiseptic before, and the ink didn't transfer at all.