6 Beauty Secrets from the Kitchen for a More Beautiful You

With the way the economy is today, Americans are cutting back on “extras” to save up for harder times and bills. As a woman, that often means fewer or no trips to the spa, nail salon, and hair dresser. While that can be disheartening for many women since how we look can be directly related to how we feel, there are ways that you can look-and feel-fabulous for a less costly alternative.

Hands down, honey and lemon are essential beauty kitchen secrets. Honey, a sweet sticky substance produced by bees from the nectar of flowers, contains sugar and wax and used all over the world by women of all cultures. Here are a few beauty secrets to treat yourself in the kitchen. Remember to use raw, not processed honey for best results and be aware that anytime you work with food to test for allergies.

1. To make a spa quality facial scrub: Add 1 tablespoon of honey to 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and mix. Use the scrub on your face to gently exfoliate in a natural way that smells (and tastes!) yummy. Brown sugar is a tad thicker than white sugar, although you may use white sugar if you prefer or have sensitive skin
2. To tighten your pores: Heat your honey up in the microwave to nice warm temperature and apply to your face. Let sit for 10-15 minutes and rinse. Follow up with a cold water splash to close your pores back up.
3. Honey Blueberry Facial: Blend up 1 half cup honey to 1 half cup fresh or frozen blueberries. Add one half cup of plain yogurt and mix until smooth. Apply mixture to face and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. Lemon Facial: Combine 4 tbsp of plain yogurt, 1 tbsp of lemon, and 4 tbsp of flour or milk powder. This mixes into a nice pasty cream. Apply to face and let sit from 10-20 minutes, rinse off and close your pores with a splash of cold water. Pat dry.
   
   Lemon also has more uses then just being décor for the side of some tasty sweet summer tea. Again, make sure that your skin doesn’t react negatively to lemon prior to its use, as lemon is an acid and is a natural drying agent. Lemon is not recommended on your face for those with overly dry skin. 
5. To lighten your skin: Cut a lemon and rub directly on your skin for one minute. Follow up with a few drops of olive oil and rinse. Over time, lemon lightens up red spots on your face. Remember that lemon has acid in it and to make sure you do not react before using this on your face.
6. To lighten your hair: Mix some lemon juice up in a spray bottle and spritz on your hair before going outdoors. While the sun naturally lightens hair anyways, the acid from the lemon makes it happen a lot quicker. You may not end up a white blonde, but over time you can bring in beautiful and natural highlights from this mixture. Remember to do a little at a time and go outside for 1 hour at a time and then rinse till you have achieved the color you want. Lemon is a drying agent, so be careful not to overstress your hair.

There are all kinds of additional recipes and ingredients that you carry in your kitchen that can help you look beautiful and be easy on your wallet this year. Ill be back with more this spring to help you keep yourself beautiful, glowing, and feeling great all year long on a budget.