Comments on: Contest #5: Re-Purpose The Ordinary—Beauty Secrets of Savvy B’s

By: coconut oil health benefits

coconut oil health benefits — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:08:52 +0000

The initial question that’s generally asked is whether or not coconut oil is healthy to use. Manufacturers of other oils have long attempted to smear coconut oil as a poor oil due to the fact it’s chiefly composed of saturated fats. Aren’t those the bad fats? In several cases they are, but within the case of coconut oil their makeup is really distinct from many other oils. Coconut oil is largely made up of medium chain fatty acids that happen to be wholesome. Most other saturated fats can’t say this. The stableness saturated fats helps make sure that coconut oil will not break down into trans fatty acids and free radicals when exposed to higher heat.

By: M00chy

M00chy — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:50:06 +0000

White toothpaste takes hair color out of your porous surfaces, like the bathroom sink.

Rinse your mouth with milk (yep milk) to harden soft spots from acid damage on your teeth. Just swish through teeth like mouthwash and don’t eat or drink anything for 30 minutes. It takes awhile to work, several weeks but is cheaper than sensodyn or act restoring mouthwash. Milk strengthens teeth not only from the inside but by the actual calcium getting ON the teeth and re-calcifying them. Ask the dentist, he’ll tell you I’m right. Doesn’t work on cavities.

Coffee grounds reduce the appearance of cellulite. This IS messy. About a half hour before showering, place 1/4 cup wet used coffee grounds in 1/8 cup of any thick non-oil based lotion. Rub it on your thighs. Leave on for 30 minutes. You can optionally wrap in plastic wrap for an added spa effect that will help reduce some water retention for some superficial results. Takes about 3-4 weeks to start to see results. 6 weeks you’ll notice your cellulite looks less or gone. But it’s only visibly reduced. It’s still there. Stop doing this and it will return.

A note: For things like this, it’s worthwhile to buy a pattern for a sweatsuit and sew yourself a pair of sweatpants made from an old plastic shower curtain. This way you can put on your wrap and wear it around the house while doing other things.

Speaking of wrap, another good body wrap can be made from honey, tea and oatmeal. This is an intense detoxifier and moisturizer. Brew 2-4 cups of green tea. You can optionally brew 2 cups and mix in 2 cups of another liquid like cream (for protien & moisture) or juice (for extra vitamins) etc. Then add 1 tbsp honey and 2 cups of oats, ground (use a blender).

Use soap to clean soap scum. Seems odd but my mom told me this and I didn’t believe it until I tried it. Using Ivory soap, wipe the tub down and let it sit. Any grime will come off easier when you scrub it. The soap breaks down the soap. Stunned me but the tub was whiter than I ever seen it (which grosses me out but at least now I know)

By: Brandee

Brandee — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 15:58:39 +0000

Egg Whites are a good 15 minute conditioner for the hair. NO PERMS PLEASE. Egg Whites will strip your perm and return you to your nappy roots. This is a natural hair only remedy.

By: Kersten

Kersten — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:41:52 +0000

Toothpaste on a burn works great to take the sting out

By: Kersten

Kersten — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:40:27 +0000

Original Listerine works great as an insect repellant

By: lynne

lynne — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:31:07 +0000

Used Coffee Grounds for lots of stuff … Gets the Garlic/Onion smell off of your hands–just scoop a little, squirt of soap & wash hands like normal–smell is gone, hands are smooth–great exfoliator. Can also use it in the shower as an exfoliator. Acid loving plants love to be dressed with the grounds too. I dump the used grounds in an old container & keep it right on the counter next to the sink.

By: Hillary

Hillary — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:03:14 +0000

Brown sugar and boiled olive oil with the juice of a squeezed orange or lemon makes a great body scrub.

Left over hair conditioner works wonders when you need to soften your leg hair to shave. You can stick it on your cuticles for a minute to soften cuticles and you can rub it on clothing (lightly) to get rid of static cling.

Mayonnaise, 1tsp olive oil and leftover avocado are great for distressed, fried hair. Simply mix 3 dallops of mayo, 1 tsp of olive oil and 1/3 of an avocado. you can mix it by hand or in a mixer. Then place it on dry hair under a shower cap. After 20 minutes, rinse well then wash it ONCE and then use conditioner.

Superglue is the best thing for smaller cuts when you don’t have a bandage.

I sometimes use shampoo for color treated hair for my laundry when I run out of detergent. It makes my clothes smell great and it’s gentle enough to use on my clothes.

When I get burnt from the sun, I put white vinegar on a washcloth and place it on my skin to take the sting away. Sure, it smells but it works wonders.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:18:45 +0000

I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that haven’t made the list yet!
*I know this is a bit cliche, but cucumbers on eyes to reduce under eye circles/bags… but, to be a little less cliche, Potatoes do the trick too, grated with a cheese grater and put on the eyes (closed of course!!!). Another thing that works is Almond oil. I have tried numerous things, because I have dealt with dark circles for a while.
*As a nanny, I have had to deal with head lice in my day-to-day work (job hazard, I guess). I found that original flavored Listerine kills the nits/lice, and you can comb them out. Then massaging coconut oil on the scalp will ensure that there is minimal irritation. Another way to kill the little buggers (pun intended) is to slather mayonnaise on the scalp and hair, leave on for 2 hours (yeah, I know its gross, but its better than those toxic fume-emitting chemicals and shampoos!!!). Then you just have to comb through to get the bugs out.
*Dry skin remedy (safe for use on facial skin too): 1 banana+1 papaya (or peach or avocado) mashed up together into a puree (you can do it in a food processor) spread on your skin, leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, then follow with a very, very thin coat of Olive oil. I swear by this, as I have very dry patches of skin on my face and arms, and it does the trick.
*Oily skin remedy (safe for use on facial skin too): Puree a fresh, uncooked tomato, then spread on oily skin. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse. Or, you can use this: 1 part apple cider+1 part water+1/2 part Witch hazel combined in a spray bottle. Mist on oily skin, or apply with cotton ball. Enjoy the tips, my fellow Bitches!!!

By: Jayne S

Jayne S — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:55:29 +0000

Hey all you fellow B’s on a budget. Here are my two top-secret, money-saving beauty secrets.

We all have those days where we wake up to that extremely unwanted blemish that just so happens to come at the worst possible time…. but there is a quick & easy fix. If you chop up that tomato lying around the house, add a tsp. of lemon juice, and blend all of that with instant style oatmeal (or old fashioned rolled oats), you have yourself an instant tomato blemish treatment. Just apply to skin, let sit for 10 minutes, and rinse

My Number Two go-to home remedy secret is my high-antioxidant blueberry toner mask. All you need is 3 tablespoons of steamed, crushed blueberries and 1/2 Cup of sour cream or plain yogurt. Throw it all into a blender on low speed, apply to face and neck, let sit for 15-20 minutes, and you have yourself a cheap and easy mask toner. MY SAVVY B HINT: Make this mask the day you plan to use it, and do not store.

& Did you know, Blueberry Yogurt can add a red tint to your hair?? It’s true and really cute!

By: debby

debby — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:25:25 +0000

Ohmygoodness – there are so many!
~I keep olive oil in the shower – dab it on after shower, while your body is still moist and it’ll soak into your skin best. Leaves you super-soft! Great for a once-a-month deep hair conditioner, too.
~Vinegar is an awesome foot soak and will take odor away as well as soften the skin and remove impurities, like fungus.
~Chamomile tea and lemon juice on my blonde hair keeps it shiny.
~Toothpaste on a zit dries it up.
~Yogurt (plain) is a great moisturizing face mask.
~For sunburn, keep apple cider vinegar in the shower and pour it over the burn. After it dries, apply aloe vera – fresh plant is you have it. (I always keep some growing)
~Gross, but apply a potato slice (raw) to an external hemorrhoid for a few minutes – it’ll take down the swelling and make you more comfortable
~Teabags on baggy/tired eyes. The tanic acid will tighten them up. Also works on above.
~Tea Tree Oil for most any skin irritation
~Witch Hazel for an astringent
~Mayo for a deep hair conditioner, once a month.
~Baking soda in your laundry, in your fridge, on the cat litter and to brush your teeth with.
~Avon Skin-so-soft for any kind of bug repellent. Works in a pinch on animals until you can get them a better flea repellent.
~sugar used as a skin exfoliant.
~local honey in season (i.e. produced in fall, summer…) for whatever that season’s allergies are – one tablespoon daily will keep them under control.
~cornstarch baby powder on your brush will soak up excess oil or freshen hair when you don’t have time to shampoo.
~Vasaline is great on eyelashes when you are out of mascara and even a great eyelash conditioner over night
~for swimmer’s ear, put about 5 or 6 drops of vinegar in each ear. vinegar is also awesome for cleaning almost any surface.
~sore throat, gargle with salt water – about a teaspoon to half a glass of warm water.
~flat beer is a great hair conditioner
~dryer sheets to control static cling (rub them on the clothing), control foot odor (put them in shoes), repel mosquitoes, rub on your dog when it has wet-dog-smell, and rub on a needle if it’s not going through fabric easily.
~that’s all I can think of. I’m sure I’d be posting all night if I put my mind to it.