Looking for ways to reduce the time and money you’re spending on beauty products and services?
While some beauty “hacks” won’t work for everyone, some tips can help simplify your routine. From making your own makeup and skincare products to ways to keep your hair looking fresh, you might find your new favorite beauty hack or secret.
1. Make a Conditioning Mask for Your Hair
If your hair feels dry, give it some TLC with a conditioning mask. You can easily make several types of nourishing hair masks at home, and you may already have some of the ingredients on hand.
For example, if you have some olive oil to hand, that’s great for using on your hair. Depending on your specific goals, hair masks can repair damage, smooth split ends, increase volume, and add moisture. If you struggle with tangles, consider making a hair detangler, too!
2. Hide Gray Strands or Roots
Although some people may rock the gray hair and think it’s a distinguished look, we understand if you want to cover up those grays that have started to peek out. You can do this with makeup or hair products meant to color grays.
However, there are easy ways to do so that don’t require buying a special hair dye from the store and will be much kinder to your scalp and hair. For example, some people use a dry shampoo made with cocoa powder.
3. Give Yourself a Mani/Pedi
Sure, it’s no secret that you can polish your nails at home and save money. But have you been taking care of your cuticles and the skin around your nails properly the way they do at the salon? The easiest way to take care of your nails and cuticles is after a bath or shower when the skin is moist and soft.
One of the best, most natural ways to attend to your cuticles is with coconut oil, which can help you quickly push back your cuticles before applying nail polish. You can also soak your feet in a bath using safer products that will be less harsh on your skin.
4. Make a Homemade Face Mask
It’s important to love yourself as you are, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to improve your appearance and nourish your skin. Depending on your specific goals, endless recipes exist for making an all-natural face mask.
Sometimes, face mask recipes call for items you may already have in your bathroom or kitchen, such as honey or oats. Consider allergies or sensitivities before creating a face mask for yourself or a loved one.
Get The Recipe: A Homemade Face Mask Recipe To Restore That Youthful Glow
5. Make Your Own Lip Scrub
Have you ever noticed your lips feeling chapped, especially during winter, and realized that chapstick isn’t sufficient? You may not think about exfoliating your lips, but they’re part of your skin and could use some extra love, too.
Have no fear if your lips are dry, chapped, or peeled. There are a few recipes for DIY lip scrubs that use items like coconut oil, salt, and even honey, which promise to remove dead skin from your lips and leave them feeling refreshed.
Get The Recipe: How To Make DIY Lip Scrub At Home For Perfect Looking Lips
6. Create Homemade Zit Zapping Solutions
You can buy tons of products at your local beauty store or supermarket. However, many of these items have been on the shelves for an unknown time and contain potentially harmful chemicals.
Consider using a product you already have at home or making your own products to “zap zits” with a recipe you can easily find online. For example, some people recommend turning baking soda or salt into a paste for blemishes. You and your skin are unique, so experiment and figure out what works for you!
7. Make Your Own Dry Shampoo
The dry shampoo you buy at the store is quite expensive for a small bottle, and the product typically comes in an aerosol can. While these factors make purchasing dry shampoo unappealing, it doesn’t mean you have to do away with this game-changing product.
Instead, make your own natural dry shampoo using cornstarch or arrowroot. Whether you’re blonde, brunette, or anything in between, there are more natural and less expensive ways to keep your hair looking fresh between washes.
Get The Recipe: Easy DIY Dry Shampoo Recipe with Cornstarch
8. Out of Brow Gel? Make Your Own!
Tired of the expensive products you use to tame your brows? Or maybe you’re just out and need to make do? Whatever the case, here’s a solution to your problem using something you might already have at home.
You could use hairspray on a toothbrush to assist with managing your eyebrows. You can also make your own DIY brow wax using coconut oil, beeswax, castor oil, and vitamin E. As with any DIY recipe, follow the directions and ensure all products are safe for your unique needs.
9. Rest Your Puffy Eyes
If your eyes feel puffy, don’t turn to expensive anti-aging creams. Instead, consider items you may already have on hand in the kitchen. For example, tea bags soaked in water and chilled or cucumber slices are great for sitting on top of your eyes to treat puffiness. Another idea to help with puffy eyes is to apply ice or a cold spoon.
These ideas are meant to help with puffiness in a pinch. If your eyes are puffy regularly, you can still look into serums or vitamins that can help reduce swelling.
10. Treat Cracked Heels
Are your heels feeling dry and cracked, but you can’t afford a trip to the salon? There are a few ways to soften your heels without putting your feet in a professional basin. One suggestion is to use lemon juice and lemon peel inside a sock to hydrate the skin on your feet.
If you’re not feeling like a lemony soak, try combining olive oil, baking soda, and brown sugar to scrub the bottoms of your feet where the skin feels rough.
11. Get Plump Lips Naturally
Beauty trends are constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up with what’s in, from cosmetic treatments to makeup trends. If you want a fuller smile without going to a med spa and getting an injectable treatment, consider a plumping lip gloss.
While you can always buy a plumping lip gloss at the store, making your own is better and may be less expensive. One way to do this is to add peppermint oil to your lip gloss tube. You can also exfoliate your lips to help reduce chapping.
Get The Recipe: How To Make Lip Gloss At Home That Looks & Feels Great
12. Give Yourself a Face Massage
No time for a whole spa night or massage exchange with your partner? Learn how to massage your face by hand or using a jade roller, which can help improve circulation and increase blood flow. Start with clean hands and use oil or lotion (optional) to glide from your forehead to the sides of your face, down your jawbone and chin, and into your brows.
While there are plenty of guides on how to properly massage your face, figure out what works for you. You can read a tutorial, watch a video, or experiment with different motions and pressure levels to see what feels good.
13. Exfoliate with Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds have many uses, but one popular way to use them is in a homemade scrub. In fact, many expensive skincare and bath/body product brands use coffee grounds, which means you can be trendy and practical.
One positive argument for using coffee grounds in an exfoliating scrub is that it is safe for the body, face, and lips. Some have even said coffee grounds contain antioxidants that offer anti-aging and collagen-boosting benefits.
Get The Recipe: Morning Glory A DIY Coffee Scrub
14. Whiten Your Teeth Naturally
Do you wish your teeth were whiter, but don’t want to spend much money on professional treatment? Or maybe you’ve looked into some of the store-bought whitening products, only to notice how full of harmful chemicals they are? Fortunately, there are solutions to lightening stains or whitening teeth that don’t involve ingredient lists a mile long.
Have you ever tried brushing your teeth directly with baking soda? It’s safe to use and is a common ingredient in many toothpaste brands.
15. Make Yourself a Beauty-Boosting Snack
While beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, specific snacks and superfoods may help you feel and look your best. Food is often used to help heal the body from the inside, and certain nutrients in food may also benefit the outside.
For example, some believe that foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and green tea are hydrating, while foods like avocado and walnuts, and even dark chocolate contain healthy fats. The foods you eat may have an impact on the appearance of your skin, so indulge wisely.
Eat Your Way To Glowing Skin: The 15 Skincare Superfoods
16. Home Remedies For Glowing Skin Using Kitchen Cupboard Ingredients
Those of us who enjoy cooking have a stocked pantry. Yet, even if you don’t cook a lot, you could have kitchen ingredients to hand that make several home remedies for glowing skin. You may have always wanted to try DIY natural recipes. From homemade masks and scrubs to soaks — the sky is the limit.
Let’s look At: 18 Home Remedies For Glowing Skin Using Kitchen Cupboard Ingredients