Beauty Products Running Out?

If your looking for less expensive alternatives to some of your beauty products, an article in Fitness Magazine April 2010 issue had some beauty experts suggested the first 3, and inspired me to add in some of my own as well!

• Hair Mousse: Shaving cream has the same frothy texture as mousse and leaves hair silky an voluminous. Borrow the husbands' can when he's not looking, rake a golf-ball size blob through damp strands, then blow-dry.  Gillette Foamy Shaving Cream 2oz $1.29.
• Face Cleanser: Plain yogurt is packed with lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that's a gentle exfoliant and moisturizer. Massage a spoonful onto dry skin, leave on for 1 minute, then rinse off with warm water. 
• Hair texturizer: Deodorant is pliable, and tacky. Swipe a few strokes on your palms, then rub your hands through your layers and the ends of your hair.  Dove Invisible Solid 0.5 oz $0.99.
•  Body Scrub: Sea Salt or Sugar will exfoliate your skin and is safe to use for all skin types. Mix a spoonful into the body wash you are using. 
• Under-eye concealer: A Cold Spoon or cold cucumber slices will cool down the puffiness of tired eyes. Press the curved side of a cold spoon (you can keep one in the freezer for this purpose) under each eye for about 1 minute.
• Make-up Remover: Mineral Oil, also known as Baby oil, will remove make-up and leave your skin moisturized. Dab some onto a cotton pad and hold it onto your eyelid for 10 seconds. Wipe across face and eyes. Make sure to avoid getting cotton fibers in eyes.

Keep it Fresh: Make Your Clothes Last Longer

Contrary to what American media says, you really only need to choose several sets of work clothes and casual clothes that can be mixed and matched to create a varied, fashionable wardrobe. Along with the initial cost of purchasing a clothing item, there's the costs of upkeep, such as dry-cleaning, laundering, and ironing. These are all water, electricity, and time-intensive, so the best thing to do be more efficient with the clothes you already have.

  
The "Ultimate Guide To Getting The Most Out Of Your Clothes" is one of the most popular articles at the Learnvest.com. I have included it here, because it does such a great job of summing up what to do with different types of clothing.

Spring Green-Cleaning

It's that special time of year. The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and you are ready for some spring cleaning!

But sometimes, I wonder if all the chemicals I'm using to clean are really that good for the environment or even myself. After all, I wouldn't touch them without wearing gloves. Just because the EPA says a chemical is ok to use, doesn't necessarily mean I want to be inhaling it.

Check out these facts on just how many chemicals, microbes, and pollutants humans are exposed to:

• 17,000: the number of petrochemicals available for home use, only 30 percent of which have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment.  
• 63: the number of synthetic chemical products found in the average American home, translating to roughly 10 gallons of harmful chemicals.  
• 100: the number of times higher that indoor air pollution levels can be above outdoor air pollution levels, according to US EPA estimates.
• 275: the number of active ingredients in antimicrobials that the EPA classifies as pesticides because they are designed to kill microbes.
• 5 billion: the number of pounds of chemicals that the institutional cleaning industry uses each year.     --treehugger.com

So, I wanted to make the switch to "green" cleaning products, but instead of buying those fancy, eco-friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners, I decided to make my own.