“You don’t have to be rich, to be my girl..”

In this economy, we all have to be ‘recessionista fabulous.’ That may mean skimping on our usual splurges and expenditures, or it may mean eliminating them altogether. Well, just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to look like a slob or let yourself go. Some expensive things like facials or hair color enhancements can be done at home with simple things everyone has around the house.

I have a bunch of these tips, some of which I’ve used and found to be helpful, others I haven’t tried. But at any rate, Yoyo told me I should do a post about them, so here they are!*

Helpful Household & Beauty Tips – Beauty on a Budget:

1. If you have long hair and its static-y, spray Static Gard lightly on your hairbrush and brush your hair. It works wonders, and helps to have a portable can of it in your bag.
2. Beer is an excellent rinse for oily hair. It keeps the hair shiny but also dries the oil (without drying out your hair too much). Just pour a can or bottle of it on your hair and rinse.
3. Do you want a mask that will nourish your face and leave it smooth and healthy? Try combining the following. Take one teaspoon of plain yogurt and 2-3 tablespoons of orange juice. Mix it in a bowl until it forms a paste, and then apply it to your face. The Vitamin C found in orange juice can do wonders for your complexion! Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient in the body due to the fact that it helps us to form collagen, a connective substance that is found in all parts of the body. Apply the mask for 5 minutes before washing it off.
4. Have dry/damaged hair? Try mayonnaise. Apply about a ½ cup of it to dry unwashed hair, let sit for 15 minutes, then shampoo as usual.
5. If you have puffy eyes, soak two tea bags & place in freezer for a few minutes, place on eyes & lay back & relax.
6. This is a great remedy for keeping your blond hair from turning green after swimming in a chloride pool:  just wash your hair and then apply a paste of baking soda and water to your hair. Leave on your hair for about ten minutes. Rinse, shampoo and condition as usual. The green should be gone.
7. Olive oil can provide a much closer shave than shaving cream, and is more moisturizing as well.
8. Coffee grounds are full of nutrients that acid-loving plants crave. Save them to fertilize rose bushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens and camellias. It’s better to use grounds from a drip coffeemaker than the boiled grounds from a percolator, as the drip grounds are richer in nitrogen.
9. If you need to clean silver jewelry and have no silver polish, use a cream toothpaste (not gel) with an old toothbrush and some cool water to gently scrub it. It should be shiny in no time.
10. For a homemade “beach” spray for your hair, use regular tap water and use just enough salt so that it tastes like tears. Then use a spray bottle to spray it on, and scrunch your hair. Voila- beachy waves for cheap! Add a little lemon juice for added highlighting and scent benefits.
11. To enrich brunette hair: take Hershey’s cocoa and mix it with an equal amount of shampoo. Just wash your hair with this mixture and it will make your hair a darker and richer brown. After washing your hair with this mixture, you can also add the cocoa to your conditioner. You have to use Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa, however. You can also use apple cider vinegar as a hair rinse to add luster and shine. Use ½ cup vinegar to ½ cup water to pour through hair. Don’t rinse out. The apple cider vinegar tip can also be used for redheads.
12. To brighten blonde hair: lemon juice, of course! Use the juice of two lemons mixed with conditioner and put on hair for 10-15 minutes, depending on how healthy your hair is. Alternately, using a strong batch of chamomile tea can brighten blonde hair as well- Allow the tea to cool and add the juice of half a lemon before using it as a rinse on your hair. It should subtly brighten blonde hair after a single use, but using it repeatedly will enhance the brightening effect.
13. Using Hydrogen Peroxide as a rinse twice a day can help whiten teeth without a pricey trip to the dentist. Simply rinse for one minute before brushing- and DO NOT SWALLOW IT. Brush as usual, and if you like, rinse with another mouthwash as well. Baking Soda mixed with a little peroxide can be used as a whitening toothpaste as well. You can also dip a toothbrush in a mashed strawberry and brush vigorously to remove yellowing and stains.
14. Can’t afford a trip to the salon for a waxing? You can MAKE the wax in your own home using just a few simple ingredients? Use 1 cup of honey, ¾ cup of molasses, ½ cup sugar, and a little juice from a lemon. Be sure to heat it up enough to where its not too hot. Stir, apply to area you want to wax and remove it with linen strips.

By all means this isn’t all of them… I’ll come back and add some as I think of them or find them. Please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments as well!

*Note: none of these are MY ideas. They can be found anywhere on the web, or in books and magazines. I am not taking credit for them at all.

Recessionista household beauty tips