Home Remedies for Skin and Hair

Updated on November 01, 2008
B.A. asks from Baltimore, MD
17 answers

Hi! I am a stay at home mom with 2 toddlers. Because of the responsibilities of taking care of our children, i do not work so i do not contribute to the family income.My husband and i run on a tight budget and things like beauty care is not given much priority. However, i would still like to take care of my dry skin and hair. Please give advice on what home remedies that I can use - things that are not expensive and does not take too much time and effort for me to apply. I am very allergic to many beauty products also so i really need to go natural. I have never had a facial since i got married ( almost 4 years ago!) and my blackheads cover almost my entire nose. I also need to fix my very dry hair. Please help.

Thank you so much!

2 moms found this helpful

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T.N.

answers from Norfolk on

ProActiv is not too terribly expensive, and it works for me. The Repairing Lotion is about $12, I think - you could probably find it cheaper on eBay, but be careful of the shipping charges.
I tried a LOT of different, expensive hair products (one was $120 for a 6 oz bottle - ugh) & what I have found is that Pantene ProV works the absolute best, especially the one for dry hair. You only use it on the ends of your hair, though - not your scalp, or it will end up looking matted. It is $5 a bottle (or around there) and it works better than the $100 stuff.
If all of your hair is dry, including near the scalp, I would do a hot oil treatment on all of your hair as needed. They really help for a while, because they replace the oil that should be there naturally.

ONE MORE THING: Check out a company called Arise - they are a company that hires stay-at-home moms (and dads!) for mainly phone-based customer service/sales positions. You can google them & find their website. I did a ton of research on work-at-home companies & this is one of the VERY few that is legit. It is definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme, but the legit ones never are.
If you want more info, please e-mail me and I will detail how I got started with them & what you would need to do. I also have info on other legit sites that I came across that are good if you are an excellent typist.
I love Arise, though, because I work when my son takes his nap, and then again for a couple of hours after he goes to bed - and I get what I call my "Target money" because that's where I spend most of it. :o)

1 mom found this helpful
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D.O.

answers from Washington DC on

HI B.!
Check out my service under member perks.

$25. in free products for trying them.

I started selling Mary Kay when I had small children. It is not for everyone but worked for me.

I can help you get rid of the black heads. You will love it.

D.

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J.Z.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi B.,

I have 5 children, 3 with special needs and are very sensitive to commerical products. I also sell organic products, but when I'm running low or items are on backorder I use the following items for grooming and personal care.

yogurt makes great facial masks, just use a spoonful on your face, allow it to sit for 10 mins and rinse off with water. Pat face dry.

Cucumbers for eyes to remove late night mom duties.

For hair,if you have split ends, crack an egg. place in your hair and allow it to sit for 5 minutes than wash off with shampoo. Your hair looks so shine and beautiful afterwards.

Cheers,

www.jenniferzaranis.com
www.northmetrodcmommies.com

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N.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi, B. - Are you familiar with Melaleuca? They are a green manufacturing company; all products are made with health, wellness, and prevention in mind - many carry scientific patents. They are VERY reasonably priced. Fabulous skin care & hair care products!!! You can see some info at melaleuca.com (note PC price & all products are super concentrated)or saferforyourhome.com. They also offer a simple program for those who would like to get their products for free. Feel free to contact me if you would like more details. Best, N.

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S.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi, B., I hope I can help with a couple of suggestions. First, try taking organic flaxseed oil capsules. You can get a big bottle cheaply at Costco or Sam's Club, and it will help with both dry hair and skin. There are a couple of purely naturaly fixes, too. Try applying a thin layer of honey to your face before you get in the shower, let it steam into your face and then wash it off last before you get out. For your hair, you can apply either mayonnaise or olive oil to the ends of your wet hair, wrap it in a towel so that the heat from your head builds up and makes it work,leave on for 10 min or so, and then shampoo out. These are old remedies -- honey has been used as a humectant (moisturizer) and antiseptic for hundreds of years! As far as the blackheads on your face go, you can make a good scrub using oatmeal and warm water. Good luck! Hope these help. S.

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A.L.

answers from Washington DC on

I bought a book a couple of years ago entitled 'Beauty Secrets of India' written by Monisha Bharadwaj. I highly recommend it. It has a lot of natural remedies for skin, hair, face, feet, changes during pregnancy and aging, etc, as well as general knowledge on diet and how that influences your body and beauty as well. Some of the ingredients are a little obscure and hard to find, others are very common. I'm a SAHM as well and it's been fun to find a cheaper way to still make you feel pampered.
An excellent scrub from this book that I swear by is 1/2 c. olive oil, 1/2 c. sea salt. It works best when you warm up in a bath (not a shower) and scrub all over for about ten minutes. Probably better than any other scrub I've used (but you are a little slick afterwards :) Your skin feels AWESOME after using this.

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T.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi B.!
Have you tried the Olive Oil treatment in your hair? Just warm up a little Olive Oil in the microwave (10 seconds is more than enough) and put it in your hair (specially the ends). Cover it with a plastic bag, and put a warm hat on top. Stay with it as much as you can (1, 2 hours). If you want also, from time to time use the dryer to warm it up again. Then wash your hair normally and you'll see the difference! Do it once a week while your hair is too dry,,,then once a month or just when you think it's needed.
Hope this helps!

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S.K.

answers from Washington DC on

I have friend who always goes as natural as possible, and when a question like this pops up, I send it to her Here's her reply to me...
I don't know how tight a budget she's on but out of natural considerations I use a coconut butter from wholefoodfarmacy and add essetial oils to it for specific ailments. I can't speak for the dry hair as I am still experiementing on my hair and unfortunately, essential oils are not cheap. Especially when you know you have to use therapeutic grade for healing. However, there are numerous home-made concoctions using ingredients from your kitchen cubbord that have been used for centuries just about. Mayonnaise is excellent and I've heard avacodo does wonders. I don't know if you can attach files on that forum or not, but I've attached the recipes I currently have. Some I have used and the few I did really seemed to work! -D

If you email me, I can send you the word file. ____@____.com

-S.

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J.K.

answers from Washington DC on

here are some for face:
Make a paste from a little oatmeal and water. Apply to face and allow to dry. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Mash 1/2 banana and add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Two tablespoons of cornmeal mixed with enough water to make a thick paste makes a great inexpensive facial mask. Gently apply to face and wash off.

In a food processor or blender, combine 1/2 cucumber, 1 tablespoon yogurt, a few strawberries, and 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and allow to dry. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Grind 1 tablespoon almonds into a fine meal in a blender or food processor. Mix almond meal together with 1 tablespoon honey and 1 egg white. Apply to face and let set for about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

To loosen blackheads, combine equal parts baking soda and water in your hand and rub gently on your skin for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Mash half of an avocado and apply to entire face. Let set for about 20 minutes and then gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Soak 1 cup dried apricots in water until softened. Puree in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons skim milk powder. Apply to face and let set about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Puree 1/2 peeled, sliced cucumber in a blender or food processor and add 1 tablespoon yogurt. Apply to face and let set about 20 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Crush a handful of strawberries and mix well with 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and let set for about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, the juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and 1 small carton plain yogurt. Stir in 1 whipped egg white. Apply to face and let set about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

About The Author: Rachel Paxton

and for your hair:
condition with mayonaise..rinse with beer. then rinse til clear with ice cold water.

or
Homemade Hair Conditioner Recipe

Ingredients: 1 small jar of real mayonnaise, 1/2 of an avocado

Method for making recipe: Put together in a medium bowl and squish together with your hands until it's a minty green color. Smooth into hair all the way to the tips. Put on a shower cap or wrap your head with saran wrap.

Leave on for 20 minutes. For deeper conditioning put a hot, damp towel around your head -over the saran wrap.

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P.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Good Morning B. A,

My name is P. and I would like to take this time to share some awesome information with you. There's a Wellness Company, Melaleuca, and they have developed and patented alot of products that would be really good for you. I've been using their products for the past 7 months and wouldn't go back to those other products I was using. Take a moment and visit their website, www.melaleuca.com. Take the guided tour and see what the awesome products are all about. The Renew lotion will work wonders on your skin and the Nicole Miller facial products will help with you facial problems.
Right now to sign up to be a perferred customer of Melaleuca, it's $1 (until the 31st of Oct.) plus you can receive $100 worth of free products for the first 5 month that you are a customer.

Also visit my website, www.livetotalwellness.com/P.. Let's get rid of those toxins in your home that are causing all the problems you are having with you skin. I look forward to sharing more information with you. Have a wonderful day.

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D.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Mayo in your hair for a few min before washing will give it moisture. A steam treatment with a hot wet washcloth on your face and then splash with cold water to close your pores after, for your face. once your face is really clean, use the egg left over from your cracked eggs in the am for a morning mask treatment. Wash after 5 min.

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D.T.

answers from Charlottesville on

B., No beauty secrets for you -never was much of a girly-girl, ironically I do have access to NOA and Artistry Beauty products through a home business my husband & I started years ago, but I'm not responding to plug that...

By the time I'd been married for 4 years I was pregnant with number four! I too was a stay at home mom by design -creating the need for great financial sacrifies trying to raise a family while living on only one salary instead of two, but we believed the benefit to the children of having mom home was more than worth it. In your post you made the comment, "Because of the responsibilities of taking care of our children, i do not work so i do not contribute to the family income." Oh, contraire B.! I must admit there where fleeting moments when I too felt those same self-depreciating thoughts... know what I've learned? Four years ago I opened a family child care in our home and was amazed to discover the appreciation, respect, and monetary value of doing for working parents exactly what I'd done for our family so many years ago! At my current rates you are contributing $400.00 a week, $1,733.33 a month and $20,800 a year!!!!! A few pennies more than nothing! hope this sheds a little light on how important and truly valuable what you're doing at home and contributing to the family budget really is!!! God Bless!

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S.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Hello, I ran across this amazing skincare website for my search for help. It is all natural and really cost effective. http://www.zajanatural.com/ Click on Skincare and look and see what is best for your needs. I purchased the package and I love it. I also bought the balm for acne and it does smell really odd, so only use it at night. But, it seems to keep my acne under control. Good Luck

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

unrefined coconut oil is your best friend! it's solid when cool, soft when warm, melts quickly in your hands and absorbs beautifully into your skin. makes a great hair mask, nighttime facial moisturizer, hand lotion AND it's great for baking or in smoothies!
olive oil is also your friend.
good for you inside and out.
:) khairete
S.

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A.F.

answers from Washington DC on

Sometimes dry skin and hair is caused by not drinking enough water in the day. or dry air in your home. Very hot water for washing your skin will also dry it out. If you are drinking at least 8 cups of water per day and your house is not dry, you may have naturally dry skin. You could apply olive oil or baby oil at night. AF

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M.R.

answers from Washington DC on

B. A: I have very dry skin myself and start feeling it as soon as the weather begins to cool off. I learned this "recipe" from my Aunt and have been using it ever since: 1 small jar of Vaseline, 1 bottle of Johnson's Baby Oil. Put the vaseline jar (opened) in a pot filled with water and heat until the vaseline is melted. Mix the melted vaseline and baby oil and pour into the baby oil bottle or a pump bottle to use (you will need two bottles to store the extra). After you shower, before you dry, apply the mixture all over your body and then pat dry with the towel. I don't use it on my face. I hope this helps you.

M. R

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