Using Ingredients from Your Kitchen for Spa like Treatments

Get out your big fluffy bathrobe, light a scented candle and put on some soothing music. Here are a few spa like beauty treatments you can try at home, they are found right in your kitchen cupboards.

1. Give sallow or tired looking skin a boost by giving yourself a warm honey facial. Apply plain slightly warmed honey to clean dry skin, leave on for between 30 minutes and one hour then rinse off with warm clean water. It not only moisturizes it also tightens pores. Honey works best if you have blemishes as it contains natural anti-bacterial agents. Honey will give you fresher younger clearer looking skin.

2. For instantly soft hands make a mixture of sea salt and olive oil. (put your olive oil into your sea salt rather than the other way round). Gently rub the mixture into your hands and rinse off with warm water after wards. The sea salt gently removes dead skin while the olive oil adds moisture making your hands feel wonderfully soft. The oil is also excellent for preventing your cuticles from drying out and chipping up, a problem which can lead to nasty infections.

3. To whiten and remove stains from teeth. Take one teaspoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of sea salt, mix them together to make a paste. Using a toothbrush gently use it on discolored teeth to make them whiter and brighter. This can be done with baking soda and lemon juice too.

4. For silkier shinier hair - Just add Vodka! Mix approximately one part vodka to two parts of your usual shampoo and wash as normal. Your hair will shine and dazzle you as well as anyone who sees you.

5. Kitty Litter Facial (That's right, kitty litter!). Your friends will ask you about your secret, will you tell them? Cat litter is made of the same ingredients as those special clays found in exclusive spa facials. Try this one at home for next to nothing.

Take a couple of tablespoons of cat litter (make sure that it is marked 100% natural clay) and mix with water, or if you have dry skin you can use whole milk. Work it into a paste. If there are any large chunks that can't be broken up with the back of a spoon just pull them out of the mix, it's a cheap material so a dab or two of waste is not going to be a big issue. If you have oily skin you can add some lemon juice, this will help clear your pores without over drying your skin. Apply the clay mix to clean dry skin and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse of and me-Wow.

6. For shinier hair still - Wash and towel dry your hair with your regular shampoo. Rub full fat mayonnaise onto your hair, use about two tablespoons for chin length hair and leave for about an hour, wrapping your hair in a plastic cap some sheer plastic wrap around it will enhance it's effect. Rinse and shampoo again as usual then use your regular conditioner if you normally use one. You will be astonished at how silky soft and shiny your hair is.

7. For brighter eyes. Are tired of seeing cucumber on your eyes? Try potatoes! Finely grate a fresh potato and mold it into a ball, it will be quite soft. Put it on your eyes and lids and gently pat it into the contours of the eye. Sit back resting for 10-20 minutes. The potato starch will give you smooth skin around your eyes and it will also reduce any puffiness.

8. Do you have dandruff? Take a "chill pill"; or rather just add a couple of crushed aspirin tablets to the amount of shampoo you would normally use and wash your hair. Lather up and leave for 3 minutes. Rinse and dry as normal. Your dandruff will be just a memory.

9. Do you have clogged pores? Try this easy homemade deep cleansing scrub. Mix together 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt with 2 tablespoons of grated orange peel. Rub the sweet smelling mixture into your skin for 3 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry. The yogurt acts to ex-foliate and the orange peel will extract dirt and oil leaving your skin smoother and your pores looking less obvious.

10. Help get rid your thighs and behind of cellulite with coffee. No, not by drinking it, use the grounds. Coffee grounds can help you rub away unsightly cellulite. Instead of throwing away your used coffee grounds, rub them into your hips, thighs, or bottom. For extra benefit, wrap the area with a sheet of sheer plastic wrap and wait for 15 minutes or longer. Remove the plastic wrap and take a shower. Enjoy your soft, beautiful smooth skin.