So, whats your secret??

Mrs_Doyle

I work in a predominantly female environment, and every day I pick up a new tip, or a little beauty secret from one of the girls.
Now these secrets can quite often be fairly straight forward, but now and they they can venture into the 'kinda strange' variety.
One girl rubs lemon juice into her face, primrose oil into her hair and a baking soda and water paste into her boobs :eek::eek:

I suppose my own little beauty secrets would be fairly straight forward. Some people advice against it, but I always wash my face (after I have cleansed properly) with ice cold water. Then I leave it a few minutes before applying Estee Lauder Idealist (My all time FAVOURITE moisturiser!). I use Elizabeth Arden Intervene eye cream, and every now and then, if I can get a freebie in work, I'll use a Dior eye mask.
I generally try to make sure I give my skin a day or two a week with no make up.

So, have you lot got any secrets you'd like to share?

What pray tell do the lemon, oil and soda do?

I don't use anything. No cleansers, no toners, no moisturisers. I seldom use make up. My skin is better than most.

thedizzler

For when the skin needs a serious seeing to, I try this old wive's tale face mask that works wonders for me. Mix 2 tablespoons of baking powder with 2 teaspoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of milk and just enough water to make it into a pasty consistency. Smear it on, wash off with lukewarm water. It stings, but believe me, it's worth it.
(*possibly too astringent for sensitive skin)

jellie

Mrs_Doyle wrote: »

a baking soda and water paste into her boobs

for what..?

tk123

sar84 wrote: »

for what..?

According to this - sweaty boobs :eek:
http://www.amitymama.com/vb/archive/t-338987.html

DetectivFoxtrot

Once a week in the gym I get in the steam room. I put on a pair of those exfoliating shower mits (better than ANY exfoliation product), I have a bottle of Sanctuary body oil and I put a large amount in my hands. I massage my whole face (every bit but particularly corners of my nose, edge of lips ,forehead, cheeks etc), if I have the energy (remember how hot and tired you get in the steam room!) I'll do other parts of my body like thighs elbows, arms etc).
Even though I only do this once a week it is deadly for my skin. I literally glow for 2 days and my skin looks radiant (most of the time my skin is dull). The combination of the hot steam and the exfoliating is brill!!

jellie

tk123 wrote: »

According to this - sweaty boobs :eek:
http://www.amitymama.com/vb/archive/t-338987.html

weird.. never heard of anyone having that problem before!

Lil' Smiler

Moonbaby wrote: »

I don't use anything. No cleansers, no toners, no moisturisers. I seldom use make up. My skin is better than most.

Aww!! Count yourself VERY lucky!!

I spend a fortune on prescriptive paramedical products to try keep my acne under control!!

I don't think I have any secrets really...

Lil' Smiler

Lil' Smiler wrote: »

Aww!! Count yourself VERY lucky!!

I spend a fortune on prescriptive paramedical products to try keep my acne under control!!

I don't think I have any secrets really...

I know I'm blessed with my skin, but my cross to bear is a cone body shape! Thats the shape that 30% of men have and the rest aspire to!

Crumble Froo

icy/cold water on your hair for an extra shine/softness during/after a shower.

Lorna7

I have a couple:

Avocado face mask
Lemon juice to lighten hair
Olive oil for healthy nails
Talcum powder to treat greasy roots (in emergency situations ie. when you're sitting in a tent in Oxygen)
Egg white for stronger hair

Dont know if these are really "secrets" as such but they're certainly handy for a student budget;)

The Sweeper

Stir a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of oilve oil into two tablespoons of your usual conditioner. Use as a hair mask - apply and leave for half an hour in a warm towel - to make hair soft and shiny.

Other than that - and this really isn't a personal beauty secret - but Ecover have a laundry stain remover called, imaginatively, Ecover Stain Remover. It comes in a 200ml white bottle with a pink cap. When you take the cap off, there is a plastic application brush at the top of the bottle.

If you see it, buy it. Buy two of it. Buy four and give two to a friend.

You know when you get your period, and if you don't catch it in time it spots your favourite knickers? Or even not favourite knickers, but blood stains don't wash easily. This is IMO the single best product on the market for getting those stains out. No cold soaking, no washing three times, no more wearing your worst granny knickers on the day you're due. Apply to the stain, work in with the plastic brush, dump knickers in the wash with the rest of your stuff, they come out perfect.

Niamho!

Crumble Froo wrote: »

icy/cold water on your hair for an extra shine/softness during/after a shower.

in my experience i find this Crap. it does nothing for my hair at all even though ive heard it LOADS!! (Sorry...a bit off topic there. i dont really have any beaty secrets)

Has anyone ever succeeded in clearing the pores around your nose?? god i'd love someone to come along with a big Sticky strip and just pull them all out. imagine how clean it'd feel!!

Niamho!

Niamho! wrote: »

Has anyone ever succeeded in clearing the pores around your nose?? god i'd love someone to come along with a big Sticky strip and just pull them all out. imagine how clean it'd feel!!

I have open pores around my nose, they do get get clogged easily, but even when they are clean your going to be able to see them.

I tend to remove the gunk by hand after the sauna.

I've heard of people trying microderm abrasion.....have no idea if it works.

Weidii

None of these products that companies make you feel like you need.

A good diet and a bit of exercise does wonders for my skin. I find that after I've been sweating (and then had a shower) my skin feels really fresh! Washes out all those impurities.

Black Swan

Daily stretching and strenuous workouts.

Lil' Smiler

Hmm... actually 2 things I heard for hair were from my Aromatherapy Tutor

She said for brunette hair to put a few drops of Rosemary Essential oil into a jug of water and use as final rinse to bring up the shine and for Blonde hair to use Chamomile and do the same


I may try the face mask recipies people have given, my skin needs all the love it can get right now Acne's acting up big time and next week is period week so it'll get worse!! Arrghhh!!!

Fwaggle

Weidii wrote: »

A good diet and a bit of exercise does wonders for my skin. I find that after I've been sweating (and then had a shower) my skin feels really fresh! Washes out all those impurities.

Yeah, same here. I don't have any real secrets because I don't own any make up or fancy moisturisers or anything like that. I've never worn make up in my life. I don't like the thought of it to be honest! Plus i'm lazy

ThatGal

to get rid of spots i burst them and before they heal over spray perfume on them......it stings a bit but the alcohol burns away the spot and it's gone in like a day......a bit drastic but it works for me!!!

watna

Sleep... lots and lots of sleep. 8+ per night if possible. (I'm a sleepy person!)

SW81

ThatGal wrote: »

to get rid of spots i burst them and before they heal over spray perfume on them......it stings a bit but the alcohol burns away the spot and it's gone in like a day......a bit drastic but it works for me!!!

God of all the things I've heard of for spots I've never heard that! Any perfume in particular?

ThatGal

SW81 wrote: »

God of all the things I've heard of for spots I've never heard that! Any perfume in particular?

well actually i used to use a specific bottle of cheep perfume but any perfume with alcohol in it does the trick........it's just the alcohol you need so vodka could work too....:p

misslt

Niamho! wrote: »

Has anyone ever succeeded in clearing the pores around your nose?? god i'd love someone to come along with a big Sticky strip and just pull them all out. imagine how clean it'd feel!!

Any of those Clear Pore Strips do the trick..I used to actually have to squeeze them clean (disgusting, I know) and have even resorted to sellotape but I found these and they do the trick lovely. The Witch ones are great, you should try them and see how you get on.

litup

misslt wrote: »

Any of those Clear Pore Strips do the trick..I used to actually have to squeeze them clean (disgusting, I know) and have even resorted to sellotape but I found these and they do the trick lovely. The Witch ones are great, you should try them and see how you get on.

I find those strips useless. They are pretty expensive and do nothing at all for me.

I got a present of a little hand held suction thingy that sucks all the gunk out, its brilliant!

ThatGal

did the sellotape work missit?!!

Papillon87

litup wrote: »

I find those strips useless. They are pretty expensive and do nothing at all for me.

I got a present of a little hand held suction thingy that sucks all the gunk out, its brilliant!

OOOH...who makes it do you know?

misslt

ThatGal wrote: »

did the sellotape work missit?!!

Nah. These strips are great though!

Where did you get the suctiony thingy?

rain on

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Other than that - and this really isn't a personal beauty secret - but Ecover have a laundry stain remover called, imaginatively, Ecover Stain Remover.

Does this stuff bleach the fabric at all? I'm in my worst granny knickers as we speak

SarahSassy

'One Minute Manicure' - its a hand scrub which is fantastic for (as it says on the tin) manicures.

Disinfectant hand cream to stop your feet getting smelly in plastic shoes.... Baking soda on tootpaste to help your teeth stay white.

MissHoneyBun

I always shower with really hot water for the first 15mins to open my pores and then change the temp to freezing for the last 10 to close them. Plus the sudden change in temperature is great for boosting your metabolism

Macha

MissHoneyBun wrote: »

I always shower with really hot water for the first 15mins to open my pores and then change the temp to freezing for the last 10 to close them. Plus the sudden change in temperature is great for boosting your metabolism

25 minute shower - really?

Papillon87

MissHoneyBun wrote: »

I always shower with really hot water for the first 15mins to open my pores and then change the temp to freezing for the last 10 to close them. Plus the sudden change in temperature is great for boosting your metabolism

My God!!! You spend a fair old time in the shower! I probably average about 5-7mins in the shower...including when washing my hair!

Midna

MissHoneyBun wrote: »

I always shower with really hot water for the first 15mins to open my pores and then change the temp to freezing for the last 10 to close them. Plus the sudden change in temperature is great for boosting your metabolism

ya, I do something similar. I always follow a hot wash/shower with cold water. closes the pores.

I like baths, but I'll always have them as hot as I can tolerate and rinse off with a cool shower after.

rain on

I'm all about the tepid showers - hot water makes my skin and my scalp go dry and flaky, and cold water is cold! My scalp calmed down a lot when I started washing my hair in lukewarm water rather than hot.

metaoblivia

Green tea bags do wonders for the eyes. After you've used them to make tea, let them cool in the refrigerator and then place over your eyes for 10 minutes. The higher quality green tea, the better. It takes down the puffiness and circles and some say wrinkles too.

DetectivFoxtrot

Niamho! wrote: »

Has anyone ever succeeded in clearing the pores around your nose?? god i'd love someone to come along with a big Sticky strip and just pull them all out. imagine how clean it'd feel!!

see my post re the steamroom. This is the best way I know to clear pores

Mrs_Doyle

Oh, I just thought of a wonder treatment for super fast spot blasting!!! Origins spot gel during the day (as its invisible and it dries out the spot before it has the chance to really develop) and then plain old sudocream at night (as it calms the spot down and takes away any redness).

cuckoo

Mrs_Doyle wrote: »

Oh, I just thought of a wonder treatment for super fast spot blasting!!! Origins spot gel during the day (as its invisible and it dries out the spot before it has the chance to really develop) and then plain old sudocream at night (as it calms the spot down and takes away any redness).

+1 on the sudocream, it's great stuff, esp for the annoying occasional spots that i get around my cleavage.

My other lesson learnt is that it is better to use loads of a cheap body lotion twice a day than to be stingier with the expensive one.

ThatGal

ThatGal wrote: »

to get rid of spots i burst them and before they heal over spray perfume on them......it stings a bit but the alcohol burns away the spot and it's gone in like a day......a bit drastic but it works for me!!!

95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxics and sensitizers - capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace, Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986. (Report 99-827)

Central Nervous System disorders include Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

I'm horrified at the thoughts of someone spraying that stuff into an open wound.

Femelade

During my teenage years i used to always cleanse my face with johnsons baby lotion - the pink stuff in the pink bottle. And now that i'm nearly 28, i still get asked for id and some guy told me last week there was no way i was a day over 16!!!!! - maybe i should start using it again, i love the smell of it.

watna

Femmy wrote: »

During my teenage years i used to always cleanse my face with johnsons baby lotion - the pink stuff in the pink bottle. And now that i'm nearly 28, i still get asked for id and some guy told me last week there was no way i was a day over 16!!!!! - maybe i should start using it again, i love the smell of it.

+1 I might buy some on the way home. The smell is so relaxing. I've also noticed that when you cleanse with baby lotion an awful lot of dirt comes off your face. It's like magic cleaner!

Babette08

Femmy wrote: »

During my teenage years i used to always cleanse my face with johnsons baby lotion - the pink stuff in the pink bottle. And now that i'm nearly 28, i still get asked for id and some guy told me last week there was no way i was a day over 16!!!!! - maybe i should start using it again, i love the smell of it.

Yeah it seems a lot of the older more simple remedies are what work best. The newer supposedly more advanced products have so many chemicals in them.

Baby oil is fantastic - just after shower when skin still wet lather on then gently towel dry - no need for lotion's that take forever to absorb

Another good one is olive oil/almond oil for dry/damaged hair. Put into hair before washing, leave for a while or overnight and then BEFORE rinsing shampoo over it as water directly onto it will leave it stuck in your hair. Then just rinse as normal.

Have tried almost everything for spots & suda cream definitely the best.

Papillon87

Right...URGENT! Anyone know anything that works for coldsores? I'm plagued by them. And they can often last over a week. Woke up with a terribly sore one today.:mad:

Unaton

Blended cucumber and sourcream mask does wonders for my pores. But that's nothing new

allabouteve

Apply Nivea or Ponds cold cream really liberally and massage in for a few minutes, then soak a face cloth in really hot water, as hot as you can bear it, and use it to remove the cold cream. 'Scrub' at your face in circular movements and use another hot face cloth to remove the residue. Its like a mini-facial and leaves you soft and glowing.

Put the used face cloths straight in the washing machine though!

allabouteve

Papillon87 wrote: »

Right...URGENT! Anyone know anything that works for coldsores? I'm plagued by them. And they can often last over a week. Woke up with a terribly sore one today.:mad:

Assuming the usual Zovirax doesn't work for you, try bursting the tiny blisters with a sterile needle, and then applying neat tea tree oil to dry it up. Hope this helps!

Lil' Smiler

allabouteve wrote: »

Assuming the usual Zovirax doesn't work for you, try bursting the tiny blisters with a sterile needle, and then applying neat tea tree oil to dry it up. Hope this helps!

i used to be plagued by them... so much so that one of mine got infected and i had coldsores all in my mouth & down my throat and developed Acute Pharyngitis...horrible!!!

But since I've used tea tree or melissa oil on mine i don't seem to get them as much. Be careful using essential oils as they can very easily burn the skin. Melissa is the best essential oil to use on coldsores but it more expensive and Tea tree is more readily available in chemists but try to get it in it's pure form rather than a diluted sort (mixed with grapeseed oil etc). Apply 1 or 2 drops to a cotton bud and dab on!

Ruthee

Papillon87 wrote: »

Right...URGENT! Anyone know anything that works for coldsores? I'm plagued by them. And they can often last over a week. Woke up with a terribly sore one today.:mad:

I take the supplement L-lysine (found naturally in egges,red meat - you can get detailed lists online)..its an amino acid and it prevents coldsores from occuring...you can get it in a health food store.I cant say how much to take as i got a warning before but ask your health food store assistant and they should be able to help you..or do a bit of online research. Also Vitamin C has been shown to inhibit the growth of coldsores..

If you get them a lot, you may wanna check your diet..Another amino acid called Arginine can cause coldsores and it is found in nuts and chocoloate (again look online for list). Also if you are rundown and stressed out..I used to get them, not that frequently, but when i did they were MASSIVE and so painful..the last time was in May 2005 and i was doing final year exam and eating loads of nuts (i didnt realise the connection then) and was stressed out and then i started taking Lysine and havent got one since...Hope i dont jinx myself now tho...

Papillon87

Thanks everyone.

allabouteve wrote: »

Assuming the usual Zovirax doesn't work for you, try bursting the tiny blisters with a sterile needle, and then applying neat tea tree oil to dry it up. Hope this helps!

Thanks, might try the tea tree. Bit of a needle phobia though!!!I can't use Zovirax or any of those topical creams as all they've ever done for me is make the coldsore more painful and spread them. I once had four coldsores on various parts of my mouth at once. Not nice. :(:(

Lil' Smiler wrote: »

i used to be plagued by them... so much so that one of mine got infected and i had coldsores all in my mouth & down my throat and developed Acute Pharyngitis...horrible!!!

But since I've used tea tree or melissa oil on mine i don't seem to get them as much. Be careful using essential oils as they can very easily burn the skin. Melissa is the best essential oil to use on coldsores but it more expensive and Tea tree is more readily available in chemists but try to get it in it's pure form rather than a diluted sort (mixed with grapeseed oil etc). Apply 1 or 2 drops to a cotton bud and dab on!

I get mine when I'm run down or stressed...and they are really painful and unsightly. I often can predict I'm gonna get one and will actually say to someone "Uh I'm gonna get a coldsore after all this!" Thanks for the tip/ Where do you get Melissa oil?

Ruthee wrote: »

I take the supplement L-lysine (found naturally in egges,red meat - you can get detailed lists online)..its an amino acid and it prevents coldsores from occuring...you can get it in a health food store.I cant say how much to take as i got a warning before but ask your health food store assistant and they should be able to help you..or do a bit of online research. Also Vitamin C has been shown to inhibit the growth of coldsores..

If you get them a lot, you may wanna check your diet..Another amino acid called Arginine can cause coldsores and it is found in nuts and chocoloate (again look online for list). Also if you are rundown and stressed out..I used to get them, not that frequently, but when i did they were MASSIVE and so painful..the last time was in May 2005 and i was doing final year exam and eating loads of nuts (i didnt realise the connection then) and was stressed out and then i started taking Lysine and havent got one since...Hope i dont jinx myself now tho...

I actually have the Lysine tablets. I'm terrible though and only remember them when I've actually got the damn coldsore :rolleyes: Just took three as I've read before when you get one to take three a day. And yeah, I get them from stress and being run down....and I'm very much both at the moment!

Thanks everyone. Gonna try get Melissa oil or tea tree tomorrow.

SW81

Also a big thumbs up for Lysine. It's ok to take it everyday as a supplement, it won't do you any harm my pharamicist said. It's also very good for the skin around the mouth if you get spots there.

allabouteve

Just remembered, a friend of mine swears by the compeed cold sore patches, she says it stops the spread, haven't tried them myself, but you never know it might be what works for you!