Beauty From the Kitchen

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Apple cider vinegar can help improve your overall complexion.

Because skin is naturally acidic, apple cider vinegar can help restore your skin’s natural pH balance. When your pH levels are in balance your skin sits at an optimum level between oily and dry. Apple cider vinegar can also help reduce red marks and blemishes, and soften skin.

For all-over softness, add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your next bath.

You can use it for SO many things..soothe sunburns, soften calloused skin.

MY FAVORITE BEAUTY USE FOR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

Rosemary & Lavender Hair Rinse
from Camp Wander

Cuts through hair product build-up and adds volume and shine!

4 cups water (filtered if possible)
8 drops Rosemary essential oil
8 drops Lavender essential oil
1 tsp. Borax (optional)
3 T. Apple Cider Vinegar (Choose an organic brand of raw apple cider vinegar for the most beauty benefits. I use Bragg’s)

Combine ingredients in a large jar then add to a plastic squeeze bottle to take use in the shower.

After shampooing, pour mixture onto your hair. Massage into scalp. Let sit for 5-15 minutes. Rinse out or leave in. The apple cider vinegar will leave your hair feeling so soft!

One recipe can give you 2 to 4 rinses depending on the length of your hair. Once or twice a week application is all you need to maintain shiny and healthy hair! The rinse will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, but more than likely you’ll use it all before then.

LEMON JUICE
Lemon juice has so many benefits, from sloughing dead skin cells to reducing age spots. It is known to naturally help boost your skin’s collagen production.

Whiter Nails: Soak your fingernails in straight lemon juice for about 10 minutes, then scrub with a soft brush. Rinse with warm water. Over time, this simple treatment can help your fingernails stay strong, long, and bright!

Dissolve Blackheads: Rub lemon juice over blackheads before bedtime. In the morning, rinse your skin with cool, clean water. Repeat this process every night until blackheads are no longer visible. The natural citric acid in lemon juice helps dissolve the oils that form blackheads in the first place.

Lighten and Highlight Hair: Lemon juice is a natural and safe alternative to using bleach. Squeeze the juice from half lemon or more into your hair. Sit in the sun until your hair is dry or about one hour. Shampoo and condition afterward. This process helps brighten and lighten blonde or even dark blonde hair colors and can add red or golden highlights to darker hair colors.

Brighten and Exfoliate Skin: This is a very simple beauty tip with lemon! Cut a lemon in half and dip one half into raw sugar. Gently rub the lemon over your face, arms, legs, or any area of your body. You can repeat the process daily to help brighten and exfoliate your skin.

MY FAVORITE BEAUTY USE FOR LEMON JUICE:

DIY Skin Smoother for Silky Soft Legs
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/07/diy-skin-smoother-for-silky-soft-legs.html

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (I used olive oil, but you can use any oil, coconut oil, baby oil, canola oil, etc.)
3 tablespoons citrus juice (lemon or lime) OR 20 drops Lemon Essential Oil
Razor

Mix everything together. Soak your legs in the tub for 5 minutes. Or if you’re taking a shower, wash and conditioner your hair first, then after your legs have had a chance to soak for a few minutes, apply the mixture to your legs and rub it in.

The abrasiveness of the sugar rubs off all the dirt and dead skin, the lemon juice works as a mild skin peel revealing brighter, smoother skin, and, of course, the olive oil penetrates deep into the skin and provides long-lasting moisture.

After rubbing the mixture in for a few minutes….it’s time to shave your legs.

Now, rinse and REPEAT! Rub mixture all over legs (and feet!)…shave….and rinse again. This time you might want to use a mild soap to get some of the oil off.

When you get out of the bath or shower, put lotion on and enjoy your silky smooooth legs! I guarantee you will be so amazed at how soft your skin feels!

BAKING SODA
Glowing and radiant skin in a box!

Usually when we think of baking soda we think of things like how it deodorizes refrigerators, unclogs plugged drains, relieves itchy bug bites, cleans tough stains in the kitchen & bathroom and makes cakes, breads and baked goods light and fluffy. But have you ever thought about how it could fit into your beauty routine?

Baking soda is a great exfoliator, a skin-brightener, and can help even out your complexion.

For whiter teeth: Just use a toothbrush that you generally use, apply toothpaste on it and dab a little soda. Brush as usual. Result – sparkling white teeth.

Elbows: Rub a baking-soda paste onto your elbows to smooth away rough skin.

Nail care: Clean fingernails and toenails by scrubbing them with a nailbrush dipped in baking soda. This also softens cuticles.

Hair care: In emergencies, use baking soda as a dry shampoo on oily hair. Sprinkle on your hair and comb through, then fluff with a blow dryer.

Or you can try making my Oily Hair “Dry Cleaner”.

MY FAVORITE BEAUTY USE FOR BAKING SODA:
DIY Microdermabrasion
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/10/microdermabrasion-in-box.html

Baking Soda is the PERFECT exfoliator. It has just the right amount of grain to remove the dead skin cells and give your skin the ultimate glow!

2 Tbsp Baking soda
Distilled Water
4-5 drops Essential Oil of choice (I like to use Grapefruit for its toning effect!)

Start with a clean face. Make a paste with the baking soda and water. Working in small circles, rub the entirety of your face very lightly. Do this for five minutes. Rinse very well. You will not believe how smooth your skin will feel!

OATMEAL

Oatmeal has all of the skin cleansing properties that will not only make your face supple and moisturized, it is also a natural skin exfoliant. It gets rid of dead skin cells so that you will have freshly invigorated skin.

Soothes and heals skin conditions like chicken pox, mosquito bites, hives, and dry skin.

Reduces inflammation, which is one of the primary causes of premature aging.

For an acne remedy, boil some oatmeal until it softens, and allow it to cool down to a comfortable temperature. Apply it over the affected areas and rinse it off after 10 minutes.

MY FAVORITE BEAUTY USE FOR OATMEAL:
Oatmeal Facial Scrub

Grind your oatmeal up in the blender or food processor and just add a few drops of water.

Rub this paste over the face, neck and other parts in circular motion. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.

For a different version, consider adding honey, almond oil, and other essential oils to the mix.

Great for getting rid of dead skin cells that build up in the pores.

HONEY
Ancient beauties used milk and honey on their skin regularly to keep their complexion looking young, radiant and smooth.

You can use honey as a wash, toner or mask, and you can mix it with so many other ingredients depending on your needs (apples, pumpkin, papaya. yogurt). It is also a natural humectant, which means it draws in and retains moisture. Honey’s antibacterial powers are also good for treating acne while its high antioxidant levels help keep aging skin youthful.

MY FAVORITE BEAUTY USE FOR HONEY:
Honey-Lemon Acne Mask

2 tbsp of honey
1/2 squeezed lemon (or 5 drops of Lemon essential oil).

Mix it with a spoon until it’s a liquid consistency. Apply it all over a clean face avoiding eye area. Leave on for 15-20 min and rinse off.
Add a couple of drops of Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) for an added antibacterial boost!