3 Beauty Substitutes Straight from Your Kitchen

Who says you need to spend hundreds of dollars on skincare? Forget all of those costly creams and fancy facials.

With these three tips and tricks from beauty expert Barbara Hannah Grufferman at your disposal, you need not look beyond your own kitchen ever again.

Beauty Tip #1: White Sugar

One of the most important ways we girls can take care of our skin is by exfoliating. What sweeter way to get that picture-perfect complexion than with a dose of snow white sugar?

How to use: Keep a jar of it in your shower, so you can take a handful and gently massage your entire body using a soft washcloth. Rinse and the sugar crystals will blissfully melt away down the drain.

Beauty Tip #2: Olive Oil

Take a leaf from the ancient Romans’ book, and dab some olive oil all over your body, from head to toe. We guarantee it will leave your skin feeling soft, silky smooth, and super hydrated, especially during these dry winter months.

How to use: Before using, add a few drops of lavender or rose oil (or whatever fragrance you prefer). After exfoliating (or just after a shower), pat your skin until almost dry, and then massage a dime-sized drop of olive oil throughout your body. You can even put some in your hair – after drying, squeeze out a few drops of oil into your palms, bending over, and work the olive oil into the ends of your hair, lightly scrunching as you go.

Beauty Tip #3: Lemon Juice

Now, here’s a multi-purpose ingredient for you. Lemon juice is not only great for getting rid of those pesky sunspots on your skin, but it also works well to reduce the yellowing in your nails, to whiten your teeth, and to leave you feeling refreshed and energized in the morning.

How to use: For nails – soak your fingertips (unpolished) in it. For teeth – mix lemon juice with baking soda and add to toothbrush. For energy and revival – mix one or two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice into a tall glass of warm water, and drink before eating. For skin – mix lemon juice with a jar of sugar and apply to blemishes and sunspots on skin.

Any tips of your own to share? Tell us your tried-and-true ingredients for at-home beauty!