Beauty from the Kitchen

For Cloud 9 this month lets talk about ways to use everyday products from the kitchen as part of your beauty routine.

We can’t always afford to run out and buy a bunch of expensive beauty products, but it is possible to find a substitute in your kitchen.

1. Cleaning your makeup brushes

All you need to clean your makeup brushes is a cup of hot water and 2 teaspoons of distilled white vinegar.

Mix the water and vinegar together
Then dip each brush into the solution and gently swirl it against the bottom of the container you are using
Rinse with hot water then rinse a second time with cold water
Then reshape and dry flat to be sure to keep water from seeping into the glue holding the bristles in place

The brushes may smell at first, but the vinegar scent will go away within 30 minutes and your brushes will be good as new.

2. Washing your hair

Did you know you can wash you hair with eggs? It’s true and it is great for your hair. It’s also very easy to do; you literally just scramble the eggs and use them like shampoo. A few things to keep in mind: First, the number of eggs you need will depend on how much hair you have. Second, don’t expect it to lather like normal shampoo because it won’t lather. If you want some lather you can add a little of your regular shampoo to the eggs. Finally, and possibly most importantly, rinse with the coldest water you can stand. Try not to use anything more than lukewarm water because if the water is too hot the eggs will indeed start to cook and that could get rather messy.

3. Conditioning your hair

So after you’ve egg washed your hair, you can condition it using beer. That’s right beer! Once you’ve shampooed your hair (whether it’s with eggs or your regular shampoo) be sure it is rinsed very well, but skip your regular conditioner and grab a bottle of beer. Simply poor the beer over your scalp slowly then rub it through the rest of your hair. Let it set for a minute or two then rinse as normal.

4. Exfoliating

You can make your own scrub that will not only exfoliate your skin but help smooth and tighten it. The recipe is simple…mix equal parts sugar (brown or white is entirely up to you) and olive oil. Voila! You did it! You made your very own sugar scrub. If you want to jazz it up a bit you can add instant coffee or coffee grounds which are said to help stimulate the blood flow to your skin and reduce cellulite.

5. Bronzing

Making your own self tanning lotion only requires 2 ingredients: unscented white lotion and powdered cocoa (not the hot chocolate kind the baking kind). Start with half a cup of the lotion in a bowl, then combine a third of a cup of the cocoa powder making sure to break up all of the clumps, and blend well. Before applying, be sure to exfoliate (you can use your new homemade sugar scrub) to get rid of any patches that may soak up the color more due to dryness.
NOTE: You can adjust the shade of your bronzing lotion by adjusting the amount of cocoa powder you use. Keep in mind that the lotion will look darker in the bowl than it will on your skin. You can store any unused lotion in an empty jar or Tupperware container.