Winter can be a hectic time, and it can put a dent in a girl’s beauty regime, but it doesn’t have to. In the hustle and bustle of this upcoming holiday season treat yourself to some simple and easy indulgences that don’t have to take a lot of time, but make you feel like you spent the day at a spa.
· Dove soap – my mother was a Dove girl all her life. She was 80 years old, in Hospice, when I bent over to give her a kiss on the cheek, and realized she could have posed for a Dove billboard, her skin was so flawless. An 80 year old woman should have had a few wrinkles, but she didn’t. Her skin was as soft as a baby’s bottom. Not just her face. Her skin was like a baby’s from head to toe. I switched to Dove soap and I haven’t bought anything else since. · Soft bristle body brush – once a week apply the Dove soap with a soft bristled bath brush. It stimulates blood flow to the skin, deep cleans pores and removes the dead skin all of us shed on a daily basis. Then use a hand-held shower nozzle to hose off in a tub. A shower works just as well. · Sunscreen with retinol or vitamin E or both – don’t just use sunscreen during the day to protect your skin from the sun. Use it after a shower, before applying make-up, after swimming and before going to bed. Any time your skin begins to feel parched, slather on some sunscreen. Save some money. You don’t really need anything else. · Cold cucumber slices – unless you’ve used cucumbers on baggy, swollen eyes, you’ve been cheating yourself. What a delicious five or ten minutes out of a day, and no, you don’t eat them. Whether it’s because cucumbers are really therapeutic or because they have the perfect shape and are easily chilled, cucumber slices will reduce swelling under your eyes and they feel fantastic. · Egg white facial – some people believe egg whites will treat burns. Let’s not go that far, but a ten minute egg white facial is cheap, easy to do, and tightens the skin. It feels fabulous and it’s easy to clean up. · Water intake – at least 4 to 5 glasses a day. Our skin loves water, and responds to water like an internal shower. Water plumps and hydrates our skin perfectly, and gives it a beautiful glow. · Baking soda shampoo – there are 46 ingredients listed on the average bottle of shampoo you buy at the discount store, most of the ingredients a total mystery to the average consumer. As we all look for ‘green’ alternatives in a world full of environmental toxins, we can turn to a simple alternative in our kitchen cupboards. In 8 ounces of warm water, dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda, and a teaspoon of honey. Shampoo your hair. It leaves your tresses easily manageable and with golden highlights. · Vinegar water rinse – most of us are unaware that the medicines we are prescribed leave a chemical build-up on our hair. There’s an easy solution. Once a week, mix one tablespoon of white vinegar in a large glass of warm water, and rinse. Then shampoo and rinse as usual. Your hair will look like you spent the day at your favorite beauty parlor.
Winter doesn’t get any easier than this. These steps to beauty are economical, simple, and effective. This winter you can relax and rely on this winter beauty survival guide.