On a college budget, there’s little money to spend on overpriced beauty products. Thankfully, we can swap out those pricey products with plenty of all-natural alternatives found at our neighborhood grocery stores. Valley has collected a few tried-and-true, all-natural beauty fixes that your body— and budget— will thank you for.
Honey for face masking
The skin-loving properties in honey, make it the perfect base for face masks or scrubs of all kinds. Honey is naturally antibacterial, contains plenty of antioxidants, and is extremely moisturizing. When slathered on for 10-15 minutes and rinsed off with warm water, honey alone works wonders on break-outs, while antioxidants heal and protect damaged skin, and natural moisture keeps skin smooth and glowing. Create a simple honey mask by adding a squeeze of lemon juice to tone and brighten dull skin. For super dry skin, add a few tablespoons of honey to Greek yogurt in order to immediately quench skin. Mixed with brown sugar (or baking soda for more sensitive skin) and gently rubbed into skin, honey becomes an effective and affordable face scrub.
Castor Oil for longer lashes
Long lashes are always in style. Whether your money is spent on lash enhancing serums or pricey mascaras, there’s a much healthier and cheaper alternative. Castor oil is rich in nutrients and works wonders for hair growth and, best of all, is very cost-effective. Applied with a mascara brush to eyelashes before bed, castor oil conditions overnight for almost immediately longer and thicker lashes. The oil can even be brushed on to brows to condition and thicken. Jess Dwyer, a Penn State freshman, is a firm defender of the magical benefits of castor oil.
“I was a little nervous at first brushing oil onto my lashes,” says Dwyer, “but as soon as I saw how much better my lashes looked the next morning, I was hooked!”
Coconut Oil for … everything
If coconut oil isn’t already in your all-natural beauty cabinet, what are you waiting for? The hype surrounding this wallet-friendly oil is far from only hype; coconut oil’s antibacterial and moisturizing properties truly make it a cure-all. Coconut oil is perfect for oil pulling which is a great alternative to expensive whitening strips. Simply swish a tablespoon of this oil around in your mouth for 15 minutes and be sure to rinse after. This will leave teeth stronger, whiter, and healthier. Massaged into the scalp and hair, and shampooed out, coconut oil eliminates dandruff and dry, brittle hair. Mixed together with brown sugar, the combo quickly creates a body scrub perfect for baby-soft skin. These few DIY treatments are honestly only the start of the miracles coconut oil can work.
While these few beauty tips are perfect for staying healthy and all-natural, they don’t end here. With a quick search on Pinterest, the DIY beauty hacks are endless. Share with us, and tweet @ValleyMag with your favorite beauty hack!
