Cheap and Effective Products

Hi Guys!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but this Thrift Store Diva has been pretty busy lately. I've had it called to my attention that my blog has some pretty steady followers (yay!), so I will try to keep up with it a little bit better.

Today I wanted to post some cheap, but effective, recipes to clear your skin, calm your skin, smooth your hands over night and condition your hair. Right now, my skin is a total train wreck. (I blame stress and falling asleep with my makeup on), so I am not the poster child for these recipes working at this very moment. However, I promise they do work. Happy Grooming!

Mask for Acne

What you need:

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay- about $7 for one pound of powdered clay at Sprouts, Mother's, Whole Foods and Henry's (But, you can usually find it on sale)

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar- about $4 at any of those stores. Make sure it is unfiltered, which means it is cloudy on the bottom. That's called the "mother". I use Braggs brand.

Directions:

First, cleanse your skin and stand over a bowl of hot water with a towel covering your head and the bowl, like a tent, for 10 minutes to steam open your pores. Then, in a bowl, combine equal parts of apple cider vinegar and clay (I do a tablespoon of clay to a little less than a tablespoon of vinegar). Make sure neither the bowl, nor the stirring utensil, is metal. It reacts with the clay. Stir it up until it's smooth (it will fizz, too, which is kind of cool) and then spread it evenly all over your face, or just where you get acne. As it dries, your skin will feel like it's "pulsing". Leave it on for about 10-20 minutes, unless your skin is sensitive, in which case try for 5-10 min at first to check your tolerance. Lay a hot (but not burning hot) , wet washcloth over your face and wipe off the mask. Rinse off completely. Your face will be pretty red, which is normal and goes away quickly, so do this at night when you don't have to be anywhere.

The benefits: This mask literally sucks the gunk out of your pores. You will most likely actually SEE the pore  clogs sitting on top of your skin. Because it is so deep cleansing, the first few times you do this, your skin may "purge" (which is a fancy way of saying the deep down gunk will come to the surface and cause pimples). This will stop happening after a few times.

If $7 for a pound of clay seems like a lot to you, remember that you only use a tablespoon at  a time and only do this once or twice a week. My jar has lasted me 2 years.



The Soothing Face Mask

What you need:

some honey (raw is best)
5 drops of lemon juice (not the kind with lemon oil in it. Straight lemon juice.)

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together ingredients and smear it on your cleansed, steamed face. Wait 20 minutes and rinse. This mask is pretty drippy, so I put a towel down over my pillow and just lay there. Sometimes, because I have acne scarring, I add a pinch or two of turmeric to the mixture, which fades acne marks and hyperpigmentation. Honey is naturally antibacterial and conditioning and lemon is acidic, so this mask does wonders for your skin.


Soft Hands Over Night

What you need:
Vaseline (I use the Alba Un-Petroleum, which you can get at any of the above stores, but Vaseline works and is much cheaper)

Cotton gloves- $4 or so at CVS, Walgreens...wherever. They are usually called moisturizing gloves and can be found by the eye masks and loofahs.

Directions:
Before bed, smear some jelly on your hands. Put on the gloves. In the morning, take of the gloves and rinse your hands. Your skin will be super soft.

Shiny, Silky Hair


What You Need:

An egg yolk

2 Tablespoons each of- olive oil, grape seed oil and rum

A cheap shower cap

 Directions:
Mix everything together in a bowl. Apply it to DRY hair. Put on the shower cap. Keep the mixture on for at least 30 minutes. Rinse out. Your hair will be soft and shiny.

I have very long, very thick hair, so I double this recipe.


That's it for today! Thanks for reading and I hope these recipes work out great for you.

Warmth and Peace,

The Thrift Store Barbie