Beauty

Good afternoon, my frugal fashionistas! Its Sunday, and you know what that means, its Relaxation and Rejuvenation Sunday!

For today, I will be sharing with you my tips for an at-home, homemade spa pedicure treatment!

I began giving myself at-home treatments four summers ago, when my local pedicure salon changed hands, and the new rates for summer pedicures skyrocketed to sixty dollars a month! To me, that was ridiculous! I simply put my foot down and refused to pay such absorbent rates, pun intended! With that said, I can give myself a pedicure for under 2.00 a week!

Here’s how I have an in-home, homemade pedicure treatment for under $1.00:

1. Remove old polish: The first step in a home pedicure is to remove any old polish from your toes. Use nail polish remover to remove any remnants of old polish. If your old polish has stained your toe nails, hydrogen peroxide left on for five minutes will remove all stains!
2.  Trim toenails: Use a toenail clipper to cut your nails straight across. Your toenails should not be longer than the end of your toe, to avoid ingrown toenails. After clipping, file straight across your nails, in only one direction, to avoid any damage and weakening to your nails.
3. Soak feet: Once you have trimmed your toe nails, prepare a foot bath for your home pedicure. This step is vital, as the bath is the true callus-buster! Here’s my homemade foot bath recipe:

• 1 Cup Buttermilk, warmed
• ½ White Cup Sugar
• 7 Cups Hot water
• 1/4 cup, 2 ounces, Epson salts
• 6 drops eucalyptus essential oil

        4. Exfoliation: Once you’ve made this recipe, place the mixture in a tub, foot bath, bucket, or the like and then place two handful of marbles in the tub. Soak your feet in the tub, making sure to roll the feet across the marbles to both       massage and loosen the calluses. Soak for 20 minutes, then remove your feet and pat dry.

         5. Cuticle Care: After your foot bath, you need to attend to the cuticles around your toes. Using an orange stick dipped in olive oil, push your cuticles back, and remove any excess skin as needed.

         6. Scrub Feet: Next give yourself a refreshing spa foot scrub, using my homemade recipe below:

• 1/2 Cup Table Salt
• 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 Tablespoons Liquid soap
• 4 Drops Eucalyptus Oil
• Mix the recipe together, and massage well into your feet using a pumice stone; I bought my stone at the Dollar Tree. Rinse well, and pat dry.

        7. Foot Mask: Next you will make a foot mask, using my recipe below.

• 1/4 Ripe Avocado
• ¼ Cup Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup warm water
• Mash ingredients together, apply to dry feet and wrap in a ziplock bag. Relax for 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

       8. Paint toenails: Use nail polish remover to wipe toenails and remove any excess oils that may remain from your treatments. Nail polish does not adhere to oily nails. Packing peanuts work great as toe separators. Apply a base coat, allow to fully dry, and then apply two top coats.

       9. Moisturize: Mix together your own moisturizer, which can be stored for pedicure use:

• mix 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 drops eucalyptus oil
• Rub lotion into your feet and enjoy!

And that’s all folks! This treatment is as luxurious as it is cost effective! Be sure to try this at home, and treat yourself to the best pedicure you will surely have had in some time!

Here’s to rejuvenation,

Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Beauty On A Budget Post, I wanted to give you the second part to my Homemade Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo post, here, by posting my recipe for my Homemade Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Conditioner!

I use a blend which combines coconut milk and tea tree oil, and works well for all types of hair, including color treated hair; I have a very tight spiral pattern curl, and this sulfate-free blend is a natural conditioner and a fabulous weekend deep conditioning treatment, too! 

I can make an entire bottle of conditioner, a 10 ounce bottle for only $0.20! I put my homemade conditioner back in the original bottles I previously used, washed out of course, and my family has yet to ever notice the difference! Unlike many commercial brands, which contains as much stripping acetyl alcohols as shampoo, my conditioner is organic, sulfate-free, and will not damage your hair!

Here’s how I make it:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 10 drops tea tree essential oil

Application:

• To make the conditioner, just incorporate all ingredients, let sit for 10 minutes before use.
• Use 2-4 tablespoons each time you condition your hair!
• Remember curly girls, you only need to cleanse your hair twice weekly, but you are encouraged to condition each time you shower; conditioners always include cleansing agents as well, so there is no need to completely strip curls daily!
• Enjoy!

Here’s to being your most beautiful self,