In this new economy, it’s time to get creative. If the wallet isn’t agreeing with everyday beauty budgets, scan the kitchen cabinets for ingredients to create fresh, homemade, and even organic beauty solutions.

For brilliant hair:
- To help mend split ends rub olive or coconut oil onto the ends of hair. Leave in for 30 minutes and then shampoo as usual. The oil nourishes hair and adds moisture.

- To add brightness and a shiny gloss to hair, Julia March, owner and specialist at Julia March Skincare, recommends combining 2-3 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar with a cup of water. Use this mixture after shampooing, and be sure to rinse to avoid a lingering vinegar aroma!

- Done with that beer? Put it aside for the shower. After shampooing, rinse wet hair with a tepid beer for added volume and shine.

For a radiant face:

- For problem skin, March suggests letting the face absorb the vapors from a steaming pot of 3 tablespoons of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar combined with a quart of filtered water. Raw apple cider vinegar can also be used as a tonic for oily skin when mixed with distilled water at a 1:1 ratio (not steamed).

- To combat puffy eyes, apply used black teabags to the swollen area.

- If slightly sunburned, apply cucumber slices to the face. Dry skin will draw moisture from the slices, in addition to being nourished by the many vitamins in cucumbers.

- For hydration and a radiant glow, March recommends applying a facial mask of raw honey and plain, full fat yogurt for 15- 20 minutes. The fats in the dairy and honey will moisturize and nourish the skin.

For smooth skin:
- To exfoliate the body effectively and inexpensively, create a DIY body scrub with olive oil and sea salt or sugar. Pay special attention to rough areas like elbows, knees and feet. March notes that a few drops of lavender extract add a nice and soothing scent to this homemade concoction.

- All out of bath foam and in need of a luxurious bath? Adding a quart of full cream milk to bath water will help restore and calm skin’s lipids while milk proteins help maintain skin’s elasticity.

- For hard and white nails, spoil fingers with a lemon bath. Dip nails into one half of a lemon and turn them, squeezing out the juice. Let them soak for a minute.

For white teeth:
- As a cheap alternative to whitening teeth, mix a teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt with a small glass of water until mixture is paste-like. Brush teeth as usual and rinse well. It is proven that baking soda will help lighten stains, but be careful not to use too often. Once every two weeks should be enough, as baking soda can be abrasive and erode tooth enamel.

Credit: www.beautypress.com

The Balancing Facial Tonic is an organic chamomile distillate (kind of like chamomile tea for your face).  It can be used alone to soothe angry, red skin (seems like my skin is angry and red most of the time!) or used in conjunction with the masque.

I tried it with the Balancing Masque, which comes in powder form.  I got to play mad scientist and mix the powder masque with the tonic.  There’s something about mixing my own beauty products that is just exciting to me

Jaime tells me you can also mix this powder masque with water, vegetable juice or your own cleanser.  The masque is made from fuller’s earth clay, strawberry fruit powder, coconut milk powder, and aloe powder.  It’s a simple, but effective mask for oily or acne-prone skin.  You can leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes, or take it off sooner if you have sensitive skin.  I left it on for 30 minutes unintentionally and I had no problems.  You can also use this as a spot treatment to dry out zits and oily areas on your face or body.

The third product I tried was Jaime’s Ootanga Body Oil.  Ootanga oil comes from watermelon seeds and is rich in omega-6 and nine essential fatty acids.  It moisturizes and increases elasticity of dry or mature skin while reducing pore-clogging buildup.  It’s light and absorbs quickly, which is important for an oil you’re using during the day.  And, it’s scented with pink grapefruit essential oil for a lovely, fresh summer scent.  Oh – and it gets a rating of zero on the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety website.  You can’t get more safe than that!

According to the National Rosacea Society (NRS), over 14 million Americans have rosacea and don’t even know it!  According to NRS, Rosacea can manifest as:

• Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead
• Small visible blood vessels on the face
• Bumps or pimples on the face
• Watery or irritated eyes

I have had mild rosacea for as long as I can remember – it seems to be a lot better now than when I was a teenager, but I still get a little redness on my cheeks that occasionally makes me think twice about putting on blush.

I also have very fair skin that blushes easily and is very reactive to weather, skin care products, alcohol, etc.  So, that being said, I was very excited to try Pevonia Botanica’s RS2 line, which is for sensitive or rosacea-prone skin.

I tried the cleanser, lotion (really a moisturizing toner), RS2 Care Cream (moisturizer), makeup remover and the RS2 Concentrate (serum).

RS2 Gentle Cleanser

I didn’t think I’d like the cleanser because it’s a creamy formula, and the creamy facial cleansers I’ve used in the past have left a greasy film on my face.  Not this one!  This stuff is great – it’s non-irritating and washes completely clean!  It’s much better than the Murad Redness Therapy gel cleanser I have also been using (which cleans my skin, but doesn’t help my redness at all).

I will definitely buy this again!  The key ingredients are:

RS2 Gentle Lotion

Pevonia calls their toner a lotion, so I was a little confused at first.  But, what I would call the “moisturizing toner” is also a great product – in fact, I prefer it to the Rachel Perry moisturizing toner.  And, it’s not just for dry skin – oily skin can benefit too.

It includes:

RS2 Concentrate

The RS2 Concentrate is a serum designed to soothe red and irritated skin before applying moisturizer.  This is a concentrated product with the RS2 line’s active ingredients.  I really wanted to love this product, but I honestly didn’t feel much of a difference when using it.  There are testimonials on Pevonia’s website from people who love it though, so maybe it’s just me.  One reason may be the licorice extract.  Although licorice is known as an anti-irritant, it can also cause contact dermatitis in some.  I may be sensitive to it, while most may not.

The key ingredients are:

Eye Make-Up Remover

I really liked the eye makeup remover – it’s not a greasy lotion – just a nice, moisturizing, non-irritating liquid.  The key ingredients can actually help you de-puff your I-was-out-too-late-last-night raccoon eyes and the product is safe for contact lens wearers (like me).

Key ingredients:

RS2 Care Cream

The RS2 Care Cream moisturizer was also great – I used it morning and night.  I didn’t seem to be bothered by the licorice (maybe it was a lower concentration than the serum).  The moisturizer was thick enough to feel like it was doing something, but light enough to vanish completely after a few minutes and was fine under makeup.

It has some of the same key ingredients:

All in all, I’m very excited about this brand.  Their products do NOT contain: sodium lauryl sulfate, PABA, formaldehyde, parabens, artificial colors, mineral oil or lanolin.  They are, of course, cruelty free and not tested on animals.  I will definitely be trying more Pevonia Botanica products in the future.

Sircuit Skin Immaculate Mist

After loving the last Sircuit Skin product I tried, I thought I’d try another designed for acne-prone, oily skin, Sircuit Skin Immaculate Mist. It’s what they call a “moisturizing mist.” But to me, it felt much more like a toner (though not as drying).

Yes, it feels good to apply it on a hot day, but it didn’t give me the light moisture I was hoping for (since that’s what it claimed to give). Spraying it on isn’t really the most effective method either, especially if you want to feel like the product is working. I ended up spraying it on a cotton pad and wiping it all over my face for more complete coverage.

What makes it more like a toner and less like a moisturizer is not only its liquid formula, but also its astringent ingredient witch hazel. It may not be as drying as alcohol, but it’s definitely not moisturizing.

That said, I want you to know it’s actually a very good toner for oily skin. If only Sircuit Skin had marketed it that way. Just look at some of it’s ingredients: L-Sodium Hyaluronate (known for retaining moisture), Heavy Water that sits on the skin longer for soothing and calming, Olive Leaf Extract and other antioxidants, and essential oils for stimulating and refreshing the skin. And like all Sircuit Skin products, it’s free of artificial colors, fragrances, and chemical preservatives.

So, if you’re looking for a nice, lightweight moisturizing mist, this isn’t the best  (I’d recommend Avene’s Thermal Water Spray instead), but if you’re looking for a good-for-your-skin toner, then this product is a great choice.

These little towelettes are great to keep on hand to clean your hands or refresh your face.

The star ingredient is grapefruit oil, which has antibacterial properties and acts as an astringent.  The wipes also contain jojoba oil and aloe to soothe skin.

There are a few ingredients that are listed as moderately unsafe and irritating in the cosmetic safety database, but compared to most products on the market (even natural ones), it could be a lot worse.  (NOTE: I’m not an expert on cosmetic ingredients, so please consult the cosmetic safety database or other sources to make your own informed opinions.)

I think I’ll keep these in my purse and my car for trips to the beach (although I’d need to make sure to reapply sunscreen afterwards), the gym (yeah right – how often do I go to the gym…but in theory they would be great!), or when I go thrift store shopping (my hands always feel dusty and gross afterwards).  The cool thing about these is that they are pretty big – these aren’t those tiny wet naps you get after you eat at a BBQ joint.  There is plenty of wipe available to cleanse your face and then some left over to wipe your hands – or your kids’ hands!

The company recommends putting them in the fridge to use on hot days, which would have been a great idea if I had done that Monday during the Los Angeles heat wave!  These wipes are cruelty free and biodegradable, which is cool, but the sheer amount of packaging is not exactly eco-friendly.  Also, the retail price is $15.  I paid $7.99 (thank you T.J. Maxx!), but even that seems a bit high.

Be sure to visit Giovanni’s website and watch the Guillermo del Toro-esque flash movie – it’s actually pretty neat and worth watching.  I love me some melodrama!

Jen