Kitchen items that can solve everyday beauty problems

When the time comes to cut back on luxuries, a lot of women are forced to give up their skin care regimens. However, that really isn’t necessary. There are lots of thing readily available in the kitchen cabinet and refrigerator that can take care of just about any skin care need. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Reinvigorate your feet and make them happy at the same time. Try soaking those tired tootsies in a salt bath. Don’t have Epsom salt on hand? That’s fine! Just reach for the kosher or sea salt in your kitchen cabinet. Add about ¼ cup to 1 gallon of hot water. Sit back and relax for 10 to 15 minutes. Towel dry your feet. To finish the spa treatment, place a couple of drops of the peppermint oil into two tablespoons of olive oil. Blend thoroughly and then rub onto the feet. You’ll be surprised how good it feels.
2. Don’t throw away that glass of champagne you didn’t finish last night. Instead, use it to make your glorious tresses look even better. Mix equal parts of champagne with water. Add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to the mixture if you want. Then put it into a spray bottle. After shampooing your hair and towel drying it, spritz the mixture into the hair’s roots. Not only will your hair immediately look fuller when you style it, but the antioxidants in the champagne grapes with help repair hair, making it naturally thicker over time.
3. If you tend to bruise easily, you might not want to put on those short shorts you purchased or that skimpy bikini. However, there is something in your frig that can help sack those bruises quickly. Instead of throwing away the stalks of the fennel you use in cooking, store them in an air proof plastic bag. Then, when a bruise appears unexpectedly, pull a stalk out and crunch on it. The antioxidants of fennel help deal with the free radicals that stop the skin from healing quickly. A fennel stalk a day, keeps the bruises away.
4. If those ants are finding their way into your pantry, it’s time to pull out the bay leaves. Most of the pesky insects that like hanging out with our food do not like their smell. Laying one bay leaf in the corner of each cabinet should ensure those pests stay outside where they belong.
5. Ink makes it mess when it decides to leak inside of a pocket or when you forget to take it out before washing your clothes. However, that doesn’t automatically mean that your fabrics are ruined. Try this old trick. Take a small amount of solid vegetable shortening and rub it into the ink stain. Using soft, circular motions keep rubbing until the ink makes an exit. When clean the remaining shortening away with a good degreasing cleanser like Palmolive. Rinse and dry and you are all set to go.

Stay tune for more helpful hints.