I’ve been making my hottie hellenic hubby a bit wonky with all the natural beauty treatments I have been dabbling with lately. He’s actually limited me to no more than one beauty experiment a day (what century are we in that our men can try to impose rules on us anyway?) As I write this I am making my own rosewater from roses I plucked from our garden. Here are some wallet-friendly beauty treatments that I have been experimenting with lately. Most of these things you will probably have in your house anyway so no need to go out and buy a bunch of new products. I love all the beauty stuff at Whole Foods with their commitment to clean ingredients but my wallet feels so naked after I shop at this place. Some of them get a bit messy though and I had a few failures as well (don’t ever put a bunch of Pepto Bismo on your face…stained it pink!) .
These can be fun girls nights or slumber party stuff to do together instead of spending $150 a person at a local spa. Some of these will stay for awhile ( like the scrubs, Milk of Magnesia and rose-water toner) so I am even thinking about buying little containers , putting my own pretty label on it and giving them as Christmas presents.
Chuck your Toner and Grab Your Lemon – How much is toner anyway, like $20 a bottle? Yikes! Instead of using this, I just rub my face with a lemon, I actually use the same lemon a few times so I only need to use about 2 lemons a week. You could also buy some witch hazel at the $1 store if you aren’t partial to rubbing produce on your face.
Morning Face Rinse – You can use a tomato, splash of whole milk or lemon to rinse and activate your skin the morning.
Cucumbers – Next time you peel and seed a cucumber for a salad, take the seeds and put the green mush on your eyes while laying on the ground with a towel under you and some paper towels nearby to wipe up the drippings. You’ll lose about 5 years from your eyes. Put your legs up the wall as you lay down while doing this and you will get a restorative yoga pose out of this.
Body Scrub – How much have you paid for these things? Up to $20 a jar? Take some olive oil, sugar and lemon and scrub them on your feet, elbows and knees. Yay! You’re all shiny and new.
Blond Brightener – Make a few gallons of chamomile tea and let it steep and cool. Rinse your hair with it to bring out your blond highlights. You can also put in a spritzer and spray on your face for a pick-me-up.
Brunette and Red-head Brightener – Take 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water and rinse your hair with this 
after you shampoo and condition. Will be a bit sour smelling at first and then will go away. I’ve also heard beer works but I doubt hubby would want me to waste a can of his beer on my hair plus it will be stinky at first but then smell will go away.
Milk of Magnesia Mask – Most people have a bottle of this in their medicine cabinet and never use it. I think this one is one of my favorites, but also one of the messiest. Put on an old-shirt you don’t wear out of the house. Dab it on with your fingers and let dry for 30 minutes. Go up to the dog and yell “BOO!” since you will look kind of scary in this. Ideal for oily complexions, especially in summer.
Honey Face Mask – Dab your face with honey and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry off and now you’re all silky.
Avocado Face Mask – Best for dry skin. Whatever parts of the avocado you don’t eat, just rub the rest on your face for 15 minutes and then rinse off. You can use this for other body parts, feet, hands, elbows. etc.
Banana Face Mask – Good for all skin types, Mash up 1/2 a banana and then apply and leave for 15 minutes and then rinse off. Now your skin is all dewy and radiant.
Oatmeal Face Mask – Good for all skin types, Whatever you don’t eat from your breakfast, go apply and leave for 15 minutes and then rinse off.
Rose Water Toner – Instead of chucking those roses once they start falling apart, combine with 1-2 cups boiled water , let them steep and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Petroleum Jelly – Rub on your hands at night, wear cotton gloves, go to sleep feeling a bit funky and kinky wake-up with baby-soft hands.
Lip Stainer – Either beets or cherry jello powder can be applied to your lips to stain them combined with a bit of petroleum jelly.
Bath Time – Get some herbal tea bags (not the black tea though) and chuck a few of these in your bath. Recommended flavors are chamomile and sage.
Stinky Feet? Get some black tea (not herbal) and boil a few gallons worth. Let cool and let your feet steep in this.
Teeth Whitening – Conventional teeth whitening can be pricey or can be painful ( my teeth always seem to hurt when I leave the bleach on). Take some burnt toast (the charcoal is what will take away the yellow) and rub, brush on your teeth vigorously for awhile. This won’t taste great but your wallet and tender-teeth people like me) will appreciate this technique.
What natural beauty treatments have you tried and what results did you get?