Category: Beauty and Fashion Tips

Today’s thrifty living tip is use coconut oil as part of your beauty routine. Coconut oil is truly a wonderful product that is great for eating as well. If you do cook with it, then make sure you get cold pressed and unrefined virgin coconut oil. It’s a little more expensive, but a good quality oil for cooking. There are so many beauty uses for it. People in India and Philippines have been using it for centuries. The women have gorgeous skin and hair. I’ve always noticed how silky their hair looks. The reason coconut oil is so good for hair is that the oil actually sinks into the hair shaft and not sit on top of it. You can google all the wonderful benefits of coconuts which are many. Here are some ways I love using it as part of my beauty routine.

Deep Hair Conditioner– this will make your hair so soft and silky. It’s also great to use if you have a dry, itchy, or flaky scalp. I use it twice a week. I live in a sub-tropical climate so most of the year my oil stays a liquid. During the winter it does solidify so I scoop out a spoonful and melt it for a few seconds in my microwave. I only do a 10 seconds at a time until it’s mostly melted. Then I rub it in my hands and massage all over my scalp and down to the ends. I really concentrate on the hairline in the front. Then I cover my hair with a shower cap but you could use saran wrap. You can leave it on for a minimum of 20 minutes, but as long as overnight. I never sleep with it in my hair and usually keep it on for 1-2 hours. Then I wash it out as normal, and it will not leave your hair feeling oily or greasy. It really does wash all out with shampoo. My hair is never frizzy which is a huge plus for during winter.

Moisturizer– just slather on a little bit all over like any regular body or face lotion. You really don’t need much either. Your skin will never feel softer. I like to use it after I shave my legs. It makes the best hand moisturizer. I use this every night before going to bed. I use a little bit on my lips as a chap stick. It’s tastes good too on your lips.

Sunscreen– coconut oil makes a great sunscreen. I used it everyday before going to the parks at Disney World. I was in the sun for hours and never burned once! It actually helped me to tan. I don’t tan well either so this was amazing for me. I still have a slight color and it’s winter.

Today’s thrifty living tip is instead of using an expensive makeup primer, you can use Monistat Chafing Powder-Gel. You read this correctly Monistat. I can hear you saying I am not putting stuff made for feminine itching on my face! Gross!

I realize this sounds a little crazy but it really works great as a makeup primer. The reason it works so well is that it contains dimethicone which is the same ingredient that the other expensive makeup primers use. It’s a fraction of the cost plus you will get more for the money.

I was skeptical at first as I have used MAC primer which is wonderful. I never tried Smashbox, but I know it’s another very popular makeup primer. I found it at my local Wal-Mart for $6.37 plus tax, and I read that it will last for at least a year. You don’t use much as in the size of a dime. Trying is believing, and it really does work!

I live in very humid south Louisiana and if the heat doesn’t melt off your makeup then the humidity will. My makeup still looked wonderful at the end of the day especially my eye makeup. I couldn’t believe how well this stuff works and for a fraction of the more expensive primers. I also have oily skin but my face doesn’t look like an oil slick at the end of the day. My foundation went on flawlessly and it just feels nice. Some people say it can be hard to find and not found in Canada.

Leave me a comment either if you have tried it or you want to try. I would love to hear from you.

Dry Razor Blades

Today’s thrifty living tip is dry your razor blades in between shaves. Just dab the blades gently with a towel and put it in a dry place like the medicine cabinet for storage. The water will dull the razor blades.

Yes this does work and extends the life of your razor blades. My husband shaves at least 2-3 times a week plus I use his razor weekly. Since we started using this tip, I will say we have at least added at least another 30 days of use from the razor blades.

You can also add a dab of Vaseline to keep it from rusting further. It also adds another layer of lubricant to your razor blades making it glide better over your skin while shaving.

Have you tried this tip yet?

Today’s thrifty living tip is add a little water to your liquid hand soap. I don’t fill the pump container all the way to the top, and I add just a small amount of water. I don’t actually measure the water but just enough to thin it out. Then I shake well to help mix the water and soap.

I find most liquid hand soaps are pretty thick which gets wasted. This is especially true if you have small children. My mom uses baby shampoo as a hand soap, and she still puts a little water in the dispenser. I got my soap almost free with sales and coupons. I have used baby shampoo which does work and smell great.

Do you use this tip?

Today’s thrifty tip is use clear mascara to keep your eyebrows in place. I learned this neat beauty tip when I was a teenager in high school.

Another alternative is to use a little hairspray on either a toothbrush or those little brushes. I actually have that little eyebrow brush that cost me a couple of bucks. Sometimes I can just brush my eyebrows right before spraying my hair, and I purposely make sure that a fine mist will hit my eyebrows.

I find any of these work very well, but I like the last one the best so they don’t feel so stiff.

What do you use to keep your eyebrows in place?