Remember, before women bought beauty products, they MADE them. Every store-bought item has its equivalent (or superior) in your pantry, so add the ingredients below to your shopping list ASAP!

LIPS

Minty lip gloss
1 tablespoon petroleum jelly
3 drops peppermint oil

Mix petroleum jelly and peppermint oil. Apply to lips as often as necessary for a minty-fresh lip gloss.

NAILS
Cuticle softener
1 bottle of vitamin E oil

Rub the vitamin E oil on the cuticles of both feet and hands after bath or shower daily and at bedtime.

SKIN
Cleanser
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Great for all skin types. Mix all ingredients together and place in a sealed container. Store in the refrigerator. Use 1 teaspoon morning and night to cleanse face.

Mild face scrub
2 tablespoons oatmeal
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons wheat germ


Perfect for exfoliating normal to sensitive skin. Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Make a paste by adding a splash of warm water to one tablespoon of the mixture. Use once or twice a week.

Serious face scrub
1 teaspoon sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon

Ideal for dry, flaky skin. While washing face with your regular soap, add the sugar and scrub gently. Splash face with the lemon juice and rinse with cool water. Do at least once a week.

Astringent for normal skin
1/4 teaspoon borax powder
3 tablespoon distilled water
3 tablespoons rose water
1 tablespoon vodka

Dissolve the borax powder in the distilled water. Stir well. Add the rose water and vodka. Bottle in a container with a tight lid to prevent the alcohol from evaporating. Apply to clean face with a cotton ball after washing skin.

Toner for problem skin
A few drops of tea tree oil
1/4 cup distilled water

The best tonic for combating pimply skin. Mix the tea tree oil and water together and store in a sealed bottle. Shake well before using. Soak a clean cotton ball with the potion and apply to just-cleansed blemished skin. The tea tree oil is both a natural antiseptic and antibiotic. Use after washing skin whenever you have blemishes.

Moisturizer
6 tablespoons jojoba oil
1 tablespoon vitamin E oil
2 tablespoons grated beeswax
1 tablespoon pure aloe vera
2 tablespoons rose water
8 drops sandalwood essential oil
4 drops rose essential oil

In a small bowl, combine jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, and beeswax. Place bowl in a shallow pan of boiling water and heat, stirring occasionally until the beeswax melts. Remove the bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. (The mixture will thicken and become cloudy as it cools.) In a blender or small food processor, combine aloe vera and rose water. Add the cooled oil and blend on high until the mixture becomes thick and cloudy (about two minutes). Add sandalwood and rose essential oils and blend mixture into colored glass jar. Apply a small amount (a little goes a long way with this skin softener) to face every evening in lieu of your usual moisturizer. For very dry skins, use also in the a.m..

Face mask for normal skin
1 tablespoon whiskey
1 whole egg
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
juice of 1 lemon

Combine all the ingredients. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator. Spread the compound over the entire face, avoiding eye area. Allow to dry. Remove with a wet wash cloth. Use once a week.

Face mask for dry skin
Same as above, except use only the egg yolk.

Face mask for oily skin
Same as two above, except use only the egg whites.


Stretch marks
1/2 teaspoon wheat germ oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon camellia oil
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil

Mix the four oils together and rub into the scarred areas twice daily. This concoction can also be applied as a preventative measure.

Zit blaster
skin of 1 egg

Carefully remove the skin from an egg's inner shell. Place this membrane over just-cleaned blemishes. Leave on for an hour or more, preferably overnight. Rinse with cool water. Do this once a day whenever you have a zit(s).

Herbal facial sauna for acne
1 tablespoon lavender
1 tablespoon red clover leaves
1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Sprinkle the lavender, strawberries, and red clover leaves in a bowl of steaming water. Place face over the steamy concoction and cover head with a towel. Soak up the fruit and herb-rich steam for 5-15 minutes. Rinse face with cool water and pat dry. Best when done once a week.

HAIR

Herbal shampoo
2 tablespoons catnip
1 tablespoon castille soap
1/4 cup boiling water

Place boiling water in a cup and add catnip. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Add castille soap to cup. Mix well. Apply entire portion to wet hair and lather well. Rinse with cool water.

Leave-in conditioner for dry hair
handful of fresh rosemary
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 cup cider vinegar

In a glass jar with a lid, drop the rosemary and mint leaves and cover with the cider vinegar. Seal the jar and leave for two weeks. Strain the potion. After shampooing, pour a tablespoon onto dry hair and leave in.

Conditioner for oily hair
1 lemon
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Wash, slice, and de-seed the lemon. Whir lemon in a blender to a smooth pulp. Filter through muslin. Mix with the cider vinegar. After shampooing, blot hair with a towel and rub lemon-vinegar mixture into scalp. Leave on 5-10 minutes, then rinse with cool water.

Conditioner for fine hair
2 strips kombu (Japanese seaweed)
3/4 cups boiled spring water

Steep kombu in spring water for 30 minutes. Remove the seaweed. After shampooing, massage into hair. Rinse.

Dandruff elixir
4 or 5 drops tea tree oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil

In a glass jar with a tight lid, combine ingredients. Shake well. After sectioning wet hair, dab mixture onto a clean cotton wad and stroke along the scalp. Wrap hair in a towel and let sit for 2 hours. Work shampoo into hair with a little water to remove oil. Rinse.

Hot-oil hair treatment
3 tablespoons pure jojoba oil

Warm the jojoba oil and apply it to your hair, starting at the ends and working up to the top of head. Wrap hair in a towel and relax for an hour, or leave the oil in overnight. Rinse and shampoo hair as usual. Do once a week, more often if your hair is extremely dry.