One of my main skincare problems is dark circles. Unfortunately for me, they are genetic, so there’s not much I can do about them apart from covering them up with makeup. Still, this hasn’t prevented me from trying other remedies hoping to make the situation better, so today I though I’d share with you those that worked well for me. Of course, they won’t completely remove dark circles, but still they are effective if you need a quick fix.

1. Potato slices
Cut two thin slices of potatoes and place them under your eyes. Wait for several minutes before removing them. The dark circles should be much less visible now but of course, the effects are only temporary.

2. Tea bags
Tea bags are probably one of the oldest, most common tricks to deal with dark circles. Brew the bags as if you were making tea as usual and let them cool (you can place them in the refrigerator if you want to). Then, place it on your eyes for about 10-15 minutes and when you remove them, you should see an improvement in your dark circles. In addition, tea bags also help in depuffing eyes and have antioxidant properties. Just remember not to use herbal tea. The best types to use are Green, Black and White tea.

3. Cucumber slices
Cucumbers are another popular remedy for dark circles. Cucumber, in fact, can lighten skin and also has soothing properties. Just apply some slices on the eye area and wait for about 10 minutes before taking them off. They work, but as for the remedies above, the results are only temporary.

Do you know any other natural remedy to treat dark circles?

If you love nail polishes but use them without a good base coat underneath, you’ll probably know by experience that they could leave a yellow stain behind. But nail varnish isn’t the only culprit. Smoking and some underlying medical conditions can also turn nails yellow. When that happens, you can either paint them again with a nail polish of your choice to hide the stains or you can try whitening them using an ingredient we all have at home. I’m sure most of you already know what I’m talking about but for those that don’t, here’s the trick:

Use Lemon Juice to Whiten Nails

Lemon juice has astringent properties that help removing stains. All you have to do is slice a lemon open and squeeze the juice in a bowl. Now, soak your fingers in it for several minutes. In alternative, once you cut the lemon, you can just rub the slice on your nails for a few minutes. You’ll see straight away a slight improvement but you’d need to repeat the treatment a few times before the yellow tint completely disappears. Once you’re done, it’s best to wash your hands and apply a moisturizing hand cream.

That’s it. I use this trick every time my nails become yellow (which isn’t often since I started using a base coat ) and even though it takes a few days to completely get rid of the stains, it has never let me down. What about you? What do you do when your nails turn yellow?

Source: Debaird

A great and luxurious (without spending a lot of money ) way to pamper yourself after a long and tiring day is a milk bath. Milk acts as an exfoliant, getting rid of all the dead skin cells on the surface, and also has moisturizing properties, making your skin so soft and silky smooth! I know you’re tempted to try it, so if you’re not allergic to milk, go ahead and prepare one of the following recipes. And once you’re done, you’re in for a treat!

1. Simple Milk and Epsom Salts Bath

Ingredients:
– 50g of milk powder
– 1 cup of Epsom Salts
– a few drops of an essential oil of your choice

Mix the essential oils and Epsom Salts in a bowl and once they are well combined add the milk powder. Keep mixing until the mixture is rid of clumps. Add some of the mixture to your bath and store away the rest.

2. Milk and Cornstarch Bath

Ingredients:
– 1 cup of powdered milk
– 1 cup of cornstarch
– a few drops of an essential oil of your choice

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the mixture becomes clump-free. Add some to your bath and, if you made too much, store the rest.

3. Honey Milk Bath

Ingredients:
– 1 cup of powdered milk
– 1/4 cup of honey
– 1 tablespoon of almond oil
– 2 cups of hot water

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until all the lumps are gone. Then, add it to your bath.

Have you ever tried a milk bath before?

Source: Dennis Wong

Do you ever feel like your hair could benefit greatly from some nourishing treatments but they all seem so expensive that you keep putting off buying some? That happens to me all the time (but then, I do spend most of my money on makeup and so there’s little left for haircare lol).

If you’re like me, or just want to try some natural, homemade and nourishing treatments for your hair that will leave it soft, hydrated and shiny, why not try the ones below? They worked wonders for me and I hope you’ll love them too!

1. Lemon, Honey and Wheat Germ mask (brightening and nourishing)

Ingredients:
– 2 tablespoons of honey
– 2 tablespoons of lemon extract
– 2 tablespoons of wheat germ
– 1/2 cup of olive oil
– pulp and juice of half a lemon

Mix all the ingredients together. Apply the mixture throughout the hair from the roots to the ends and wait 20 to 30 minutes. Now, take a shower and comb the mixture through your hair before shampooing.

2. Egg and Olive Oil mask

Ingredients:
– 2 eggs
– 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Before explaining the recipe, a warning: eggs and olive oil are both nourishing ingredients that benefit hair but they can be hard to remove, so take that into consideration before deciding to try this mask. If you’re still interested, go ahead and mix both the white and yolks of the eggs with the olive oil until you get a thick consistency. Now apply the mixture through your hair and wrap it with a clingfilm. Wait about 10/15 minutes before shampooing as usual.

3. Banana and avocado mask

Ingredients:
– 1/2 avocado
– 1 banana
– 1 egg
– 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
– 2 tablespoons of honey
– 3 tablespoons of buttermilk

In a small recipient, mash the banana, avocado and egg before adding the other ingredients. Stir well and apply throughout hair from the roots to the ends. Wait 30 minutes before shampooing as normal.

Do you ever any more DIY recipes to treat hair? Share them in the comments!

I like to exfoliate my face at least once a week to remove all the dead cells on the surface, thus improving the appearance of my skin. But when it comes to the rest of my body, I often forget this important step. So, when a few weeks ago I found some ginger in my kitchen, I decided to put it to good use and try a couple of homemade scrubs with it.

I like how well they worked, laving my skin brighter and soft. And they’re especially good for days when you’re tired as ginger has invigorating properties! If you wanna give them a try too, here’s what you’ll need:

1. Ginger and Cinnamon Body Scrub

Ingredients:
– 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
– 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
– 1 cup of sea salt
– 1 cup of almond oil (in alternative, you can use olive oil)

Mix all the ingredients together well in a bowl. Now rub the mixture gently on your damp (not wet) body skin to remove dead skin cells and rinse off with warm water.

2. Ginger and Rice Scrub

Ingredients:
– 4 tablespoons of ginger powder
– 4 tablespoons of rice
– some water

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, then rub the mixture on your skin and rinse off with warm water.

Have you ever tried a DIY recipe with ginger?

I wash my hands about 50 times a day (no joking!) and as a result my hands are very dry. And the cold weather we’re having at the moment is only making things (and hands) worse. That’s when homemade recipes come in handy.

Just use some of the ingredients found in your kitchen to make some scrubs that will exfoliate your skin and hydrate it at the same time, leaving it soft and smooth. Salts and oatmeal are great at exfoliating the skin while olive oil moisturizes it. Here are two of my fave recipes:

1. Oatmeal Hand Scrub

Ingredients:
– 2 tablespoons of oatmeal
– 1 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon of olive oil
– 1/4 cup of water

Pour the oatmeal in the cup of water and wait for about 10 minutes till it softens. Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well. Rub the mixture into your hands and wait a couple of minutes before rinsing off. Apply your favourite moisturizer.

2. Lemon and Olive Oil Scrub

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 cup of sugar
– 1/3 cup of kosher salt
– 1 cup of olive oil
– 1 lemon

Put the sugar, salt and olive oil in a bowl and stir until the oil is well and evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Now grate the zest of the lemon, add it to the mixture and stir. Store the mixture in a jar and rub some on your hands whenever you need a scrub.

Source: dumin

Did you know that grape juice is a good cleanser for all skin types? It’s simple and quick to do and it cleanses and exfoliates skin, leaving it soft and supple. And it also has some antioxidant properties! And of course, grapes can be used in homemade beauty masks too. Here’s a few recipes for you to try:

1. Grape Cleanser (for all skin types)

Ingredients:
– two or three ripe grapes

Cut the grapes in half and apply the juice all over your face, avoiding the eye and mouth areas. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

2. Grape Mask for Oily Skin

Ingredients:
– 1 tablespoon of grape juice
– 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
– 1 tablespoon of mint juice
– Ice Water
– Rose Water

Mix the grape, lemon and mint juices together and apply them on your face. Wait for 20 minutes, then rinse off. Now, mix the ice and rose water together and apply them to your face.

3. Grape and Chamomile Tea Mask

Ingredients:
– 10 grapes
– 2 tablespoons of chamomile tea
– 2 tablespoons of cornflour

Mix the chamomile tea with the cornflower until they form a paste. Now, mash the grapes and add them to the mixture. Blend well. Apply the mask to your face and wait about 15 minutes before rinsing it off and applying your usual moisturizer.

Have you ever made any homemade beauty recipes with grape?

Source: matneym

Avocado is an exotic and tasty fruit that has many benefits for the skin. Rich in Vitamins A, D and E, potassium and magnesium, it has antioxidants and moisturizing properties, leaving skin soft, smooth and plump. And it’s great for conditioning hair too! Here are a few recipes you can try at home:

1. Simple Avocado Facial Moisturizer

Ingredients:
– 1 ripe avocado

Mash the avocado until you get a creamy consistency. Apply on face and neck and leave it on for about 15 minutes. Rinse off.

2. Avocado and Honey Facial Mask

Ingredients:
– 1/2 avocado
– 1/2 cup of honey

Mash the avocado into a creamy consistency and then stir in some honey. Apply the mixture on your skin and wait for about 10 minutes. Wipe everything off using a cool washcloth.

3. Avocado hair conditioner

Ingredients:
– 1/2 ripe avocado
– 1/2 cup of mayonnaise

In a bowl, mash the avocado and add mayonnese. Mix the ingredients together. Apply the mixture on damp hair and wait about 20 minutes before rinsing it off.

Additional tips
– For homemade recipes, choose only avocados that are ripe.
– To make sure that avocados are ripe, simply squeeze them in your palm. Ripe avocados would split open and reveal soft innards.

Have you ever tried any homemade beauty recipes with avocado or do you prefer to just eat it?

Source