June 16, 2011: More Household Hair and Face Fixes

By now you know how thrifty I am – there’s nothing I enjoy more than finding a new use for household items. Here’s a few hair and skin ideas using household products, most gleaned from an old issue of Cosmopolitan.

Eyeliner

Fresh out of eyeliner? Light a match! Blow it out, then run the tip of the cooled match along the base of your eyelashes for a truly “smoky” hue!

Overnight Hairdo

Want a hairstyle that requires little fuss? Wash your hair at night and while still damp, wind around a length of cut-up T-shirt. Loosely knot the ends. Do this all over; get a good night’s sleep, and then remove the rags in the morning. Gently brush out your “pin curls” with your fingers and you’re ready to go!

Hair Volumizer

Yesterday I shared how a bit of lemon-lime soda could be used to volumize your hair; well shaving cream does the same thing. Just apply a bit of shaving cream to the roots of your damp hair then blow dry as usual. Use it sparingly, though, as shaving cream can rob natural oils from your hair and make it dry.

Hairdo Fix

Have a few errant strand of hair or a curl that just won’t stay in place? Use a small piece of scotch tape beneath the strands to force it into submission. Because the tape is transparent, it won’t be seen (but do opt for a matte finish tape instead of the shiny kind).

June 15, 2011: Kitchen Hair Fix Recipes

Summertime and the livin’ is easy – or so goes the classic old Gershwin tune. Indeed it should be easy – dinner can be made on the grill with a minimum of fuss and paper plates are a great way to eat without having to clean up afterward. Summer is also a great time to forgo your usual hair and makeup routines in favor of something more relaxed and less “fixed”. But not all of us were blessed with beautiful skin, hair that don’t need any coaxing to do what we want. For sisters like me, here’s some quick hair and skin fixes that use common kitchen ingredients.

Hair Volumizer

Put carbonated lemon-lime soda or ginger ale in a spray bottle. Spray onto damp hair at the roots. The sugar texturizes your hair and adds volume.

Hair Color Fixes

Just dyed your hair and hate the hue? Maybe your blonde turned green from swimming pool chlorine? Try adding a bit of dishwashing liquid (dish soap) to your shampoo; it’s very harsh and will strip some of the color from your hair. Follow up with a deep conditioning treatment.

If the sun is giving your hair light highlights you don’t care for, take them away with a coffee rinse. Brew a really strong cup of coffee and pour over your hair after shampooing and conditioning. Leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing out.

Freezer Fixes for Skin and Eyes

To tone down facial puffiness, place a sheet of foil in the freezer for a few minutes. Remove and place over your face (make sure you have a hole to breathe through!). Lie down for a little while and let the coolness work its magic to get rid of swelling.

Summer heat tends to soften and even melt our makeup. Keep your eyeliner in the freezer in order to make fine lines along the base of your eyelashes. You might also want to keep your liquid foundation and eye shadow in the refrigerator, too. Not only does this keep it from becoming too runny, it feels really refreshing when you apply it to your face!