notesonpretty

 These are my secret weapon beauty products.  I know some of the following products are going to sound odd, because you know what?  They are odd.  But I have researched and tested these guys and they actually work.   Just think of me as your little guinea pig, but cuter.

Coconut Oil –

Coconut oil can be bought at any grocery or natural food store for between $6 and $10, lasts forever and is the total freakin bomb.  Coconut oil, depending on the temperature, is actually a semi-solid that you have to work in your hands a little bit to get to a liquid state.  I have tried unscented and scented versions.  The scented version smells like coconut which is not bad and disappears quickly.   Try to buy virgin organic coconut oil if you can.

Coconut Oil Uses –

As a conditioner – If my hair is really fried I will put some on my hair before I go to sleep and wash it out the next morning.  Because coconut oil absorbs into the hair shaft so well it does not leave any residue on my pillow.  It also works well if you put it on 5 minutes before you jump in the shower.  You will still want to shampoo and put a light conditioner or detangler in your hair afterwards.  Your hair will be very happy.

As a moisturizer – In the summer and winter I use coconut oil as an all over moisturizer.  It gives your skin a nice glow.  I do also think that coconut oil is more “healing” than other moisturizers and use it frequently on areas where I have a scratch or scar.  The scars fade faster with coconut oil than other oils I have used.  It also works great on cuticles and lips.   I was worried about using it on my face at first,  that an oil would break me out, but it doesn’t.  However, coconut oil is not emollient enough for me to use solely as a face moisturizer.  Instead, if the weather is extra dry out and I need some help I will layer some under my regular moisturizer.

As a make up remover – I saved the best for last – coconut oil is the best makeup remover ever!  I lather some in palms and on my hands and cover my whole face including the eye area.  Then I either use facial tissue or wet cotton rounds to take the make-up off.  Coconut oil is spectacular at removing tough eye makeup including waterproof mascara.  Afterwards I wash my face with the cleanser of the moment, usually Purpose.

Lanolin –

When I had my son a few years ago someone gave me a tube of Medela’s Tender Care Lanolin aka nipple cream as a gift.  I remember being in a nursing class and seeing one of the other moms open up the tube of nipple cream and rub it on her cuticles right in the middle of class.  At they time it seemed really odd but then I realized that the purpose of nipple cream is to heal skin quickly and that cuticles are skin too.  Since then I have gone on to use Lanolin on my cuticles, nails, lips and even hair.  It reminds me a lot of the Kiehls’s lip balm that comes in a tube. My co-workers all giggle uncomfortably every time I whip out the “nipple cream” at work.  It’s fun.

Honey –

I use honey to sweeten tea and clear up my complexion!  Last year I ran out of tea tree oil and had a zit emergency so I tried putting honey on it in desperation.   It’s a little sticky but honestly honey works better than most pimple creams on the market and does not dry out your skin.  I don’t break out all that often so I always forget to stock my cabinet with benzoyl peroxide or tea tree oil.  The beauty of honey is I always have it in my kitchen.  I also have heard of folks putting it in their shampoo and body wash but I haven’t been that bold, yet.

Maybelline Clear Mascara –

I come from a long line of Mennonite women with crazy bushy eyebrows.  My eyebrows used to be caterpillars that went every which way.  Years of regular eyebrow waxing have tamed these fuzzy devils a little, but they are still a force to be reckoned with.  Clear mascara works great to keep these in place.  Any clear mascara will do. Maybelline is what I am using right now and I am happy with it.   Multi-tasking alert – you can also use clear mascara as a primer for your regular mascara – it’s will help with making your lashes look bigger AND keep the mascara from smudging or flaking.  Another use for clear mascara is to tame those little sticky-up hairs you get after blow drying (thanks for the tip Lori!).  I bet you didn’t know that sticky-up hairs was a word did you?  It is, because I get them.

Do you have any unusual out of box beauty products?  Please share!