DIY-beauty can be a great way to save some dough. But if you’re thinking you have to resort to crazy (and smelly…) tactics involving mayonnaise, egg yolks or other odd kitchen items, think again!

Here are a few affordable (even totally free in some cases) ways to look and feel your very best with the help of common household items.

Great Hair

1.       Pump up the volume

Try adding mousse into your hairstyling routine. It brings more bang for the buck than some other hair-pumping products.

Another (totally free!) way to add some lift to your ‘do is by blow-drying your hair upside down. Flip your hair over and dry the hair away from the scalp. When it’s barely damp, flip it back and continue styling.

2.       Bring out the shine

Add a weekly hot-oil treatment to your beauty regimen. Sound expensive? It doesn’t have to be! Pick up some jojoba oil (you can find it at natural food stores for around $10) and substitute this for pricier hair-repair products.  Just spread the oil generously through dry hair, pop on a plastic shower cap, and cover your head with a hot towel for about a half-hour. When time’s up, rinse your hair with cold water to seal in the moisture. Then, head out and show off those shiny tresses!

Glowing Skin

1.       Erase the redness

To reduce redness and soothe irritated skin, all it takes is a quick trip to the fridge. When you soak a washcloth in cold milk and place the washcloth over your face for about 10 minutes, the proteins, fat, amino acids and vitamin A found in milk can rejuvenate your skin and help it look soft and glowing.

2.       Banish puffy eyes

The caffeine found in tea bags can help tired-looking eyes appear brighter and more awake. By shrinking the underlying dark blood vessels that create puffiness around the eyes, the caffeine can help your eyes look bright once again. Find two tea bags and soak them in hot water for about a minute. Then, dunk them in ice water for a few seconds. Lie down and apply the tea bags to your eyes for about 15 minutes while you take a breather.

Dazzling Smile

1.       Mix your own smile-whitener by creating a homemade paste of baking soda and water. By brushing with this paste a few times a month, you can whiten your teeth by as much as one or two shades.

2.       Keep your teeth white between brushings by treating new stains before they set in. When drinking red wine, choose some crunchy raw vegetables to accompany your drink. By chewing up the veggies, you can help rub away any new stains.

It’s time to go forth and look beautiful! All in the comfort of your own home, no less. Have some tips to add to our list? We want to hear ‘em!

Not much about soap is exciting. Some are interesting, but you can’t really say it’s provocative. Unless you’re talking about the naughty & nice collections from Villainess Soaps.

Villainess is a bit naughty because they have scents named after deadly deeds like Pyromania, which gives off a sweet, smoky odor and uses poppy seeds as a mild abrasive. I bought my younger sister a bar of Silk & Cyanide for Christmas, which gives off the scents and flavors one experiences while slowly being poisoned. She cautiously thanked me for my trouble.

Villainess is a bit nice because all their products are cruelty-free, and they operate through a full-disclosure policy about all materials used in manufacture. It’s kind of like how the arch-enemy details all her nefarious plans to the hero before she engages the unnecessarily slow-moving crane toward the shark tank.

Villainess Soaps and cosmetic products are hand-made in Waverly, TN by people who are truly passionate (and a bit evil) about their ideals. The soaps are nicely priced and arrive in un-sculpted hunks of glorious texture, color and odor. Ask your local beauty biz if they’ll stock some, or just visit their website at www.villainess.net to see what devilishly clever new things they’ve devised.

Photo: Villainess Soaps

As any savvy makeup and animal lover will tell you, it takes a lot of work to search for animal-friendly cosmetic products. Unfortunately, in the cosmetics world, many companies test their products on animals like mice and guinea pigs to help prevent allergic reactions in humans.

Driven by a ban on animal skin testing planned to go into effect in Europe by 2013, a New Jersey-based company called Hurel Corp. is making advances on the technology that could replace animal testing. (more…)

“Going green” is becoming more and more popular, and people from all walks of life are finding ways to make their lives more eco-friendly. As a beauty professional, you’re in a position to make a huge difference right in your very own salon. Think about it. Plastic product containers tossed in the garbage, incredibly high water and energy usage, and chemicals being washed into water supplies are not doing the planet any favors. So try a few of our suggestions to make your salon a “green” salon! (more…)

One whiff of hair dye and you know that the stuff you are breathing in cannot be good for you.  That nasty smell is most likely ammonia: a chemical that preps hair strands to receive color.  Ammonia used in hair color can cause a variety of side effects including:
• Coughing
• Nose and throat irritation
• Skin and eye irritation
• Destruction of hair cuticle
• Damage of Tyrosine in the hair shaft

But don’t worry! Starting in 2010, hair coloring fanatics can opt for hair color sans ammonia without sacrificing results.  L’Oreal will be introducing “Inoa”, their professional ammonia-free hair color line.  Inoa, (Innovation no ammonia), replaces ammonia with a combination of monoethanolamine, oil-based gel and a cream developer.  And after years of research, L’Oreal claims this formula to be as effective as traditional ammonia hair color.

(more…)

When it comes to health, you’re proactive. You don’t smoke cigarettes, you exercise and you even steer clear of cleaning products containing harsh chemicals. But, have you taken a look inside of your cosmetic bag? The laws regulating the ingredients that can be used in makeup and personal care products are more like loose guidelines. It’s up to you to be an informed consumer or beauty professional.

Find out exactly what you’re primping, priming and preening with. Environmentalist and author, Adria Vasil, gives us a list of ingredients to avoid when it comes to cosmetic and personal care products.

Here are the top 10 culprits, their crimes, and their aliases:

Culprit #1: Diethanolamine (DEA). Commonly found in bubbling, foaming and fizzing products like shampoos, soaps and body wash.
Crime: Suspected carcinogen. Repeated use has been linked to increased cases of kidney and liver cancer.
Alias: Look for names like Cocamide DEA or MEA, Lauramide DEA.

Culprit #2: Formaldehyde. Found in many brands of skin, hair and body care products, antiperspirants and nail polish.
Crime: Known carcinogen. Besides increasing your risks of getting cancer, exposure may cause joint pain, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, loss of sleep and more.
Alias: Look for names like DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea and quaternium-15

Culprit #3: Parabens. Found in shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and deodorants.
Crime: Endocrine-disruptors. Parabens mimic female hormones and have been found in breast cancer tumor samples.
Alias: Look for the word “paraben” or any other word with the suffix “-paraben”, including methylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, propylparaben, etc.

Culprit #4: Petrolatum. Commonly found in lip products.
Crime: Interferes with skin’s natural cell development and can cause chapping, irritation and premature aging This substance is derived from a non-renewable crude oil, which people aren’t even supposed to breathe. Mineral oil is also petroleum-based.

Culprit #5: Phenyledediamine (PPD). Found in permanent hair dyes – especially darker shades.
Crime: Suspected Carcinogen. Frequent use has been linked to bladder cancer.
Alias: Also called P-diaminobenzene.

Culprit #6: Phthalates. Found in deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, skin care body care and baby products.
Crime: Hormone disrupting chemicals. Many of the compounds that fall into the “fragrance” category are suspected carcinogens and toxins. Reported symptoms have included headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, allergic skin irritation and more.
Alias: Often listed as an ingredient called “fragrance.”

Culprit #7: Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS) (SLES). Found in detergents, car wash soaps, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. And, also in cosmetics, toothpaste, hair conditioner and most of the products that bubble and foam.
Crime: Known skin irritant, suspected carcinogen. Linked to both malformation in children’s eyes and to immune system damage.

Culprit #8: Talc. Commonly found in blush, baby powder, garden pesticides, antacids and more.
Crime: Suspected carcinogen. Talc may contain asbestos-like fibers and has been linked to ovarian and lung cancers.
Alias: Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide, talcum powder

Culprit #9: Toluene. Commonly found in nail polish.
Crime: Long-term exposure can cause damage to the nervous system, liver and kidneys.
Alias: methylbenzene or phenylmethane

Culprit #10: Triclosan. Found in everything from dishwashing detergent, trash bags, footwear to antibacterial liquid hand soaps, toothpastes, deodorants, face and body washes, acne treatments and more.
Crime: Suspected hormone disruptor and carcinogen. It has been associated with thyroid dysfunction and can convert into carcinogenic dioxins when exposed to sunlight in water.

Have you thought about the beauty products in your makeup bag? If you want to do some more in-depth investigation, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep offers a safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products. You can type in any product that you’re interested in and it will give you a hazard rate.

So, how will this list affect your makeup bag? Will you pay closer attention to what you’re buying in the cosmetics aisle? Will these potentially cancer-causing ingredients affect your buying decisions? Share your thoughts here!

Are you looking to save some cash but don’t want to sacrifice your beauty regiment to the recession gods? I’ve got some good news for you: Hollywood makeup artists like Troy Surrat, Ashunta Sheriff and Brett Freedman recently spilled a wealth of information to Elle magazine. They recommended beauty products that cost less, but still promise to pay off big.

Here’s an edited list of their picks (I’ve whittled it down to the ones that can be found at drugstores for $10 or less):

• $2: Blistex Lip Tone
• $2: Jordana Premium Lipliner
• $3: Rimmel London 1,000 Kisses Stay-on Lip Liner in Tiramisu
• $3: Maybelline New York Expert Eyes Twin Eye & Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde
• $4: Wet N Wild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink
• $4: Ardell Duralash Naturals
• $6: Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara in Very Black
• $6: Styli-Style Line & Seal Eye Pencils
• $6: Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
• $6: CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers in Fig
• $7: Rohto Ice Eye Drops
• $7: CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Pressed Powder
• $7: L ‘Oreal Paris Hip Concentrated Shadow Duo in Lively
• $7: Rimmel London Lycra Lash Extender
• $8: Maybelline New York Dream Mousse Blush in Peach Satin
• $9: L ‘Oreal Paris Hip Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss
• $10: L’ Oreal Paris Hip Pure Pigment Shadow Sticks
• $10: Neutrogena Soothing Undereye Corrector
• $10: Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer

Here at BeautySchool .com, we strive to be on the forefront of eco-friendly beauty products. And, we have dropped the ball! There is one area that mostly goes over-looked and we are shedding some light for you beauty buffs with a conscience: Eco-friendly tools. You have gone through the process of switching out your makeup, facial soaps and lotion, hair care products to be cruelty-free… but what about your foundation or blush brush? Yes, those makeup tools can be chalk-full of cruelty.

If you have gone the distance to be compassionate about your products, it’s time to ditch the sticks that are made up of animal hair and plastic. There are several different types of eco-friendly makeup tools ranging from cheap to luxury. The trendy makeup tools consist of synthetic hair and bamboo, which are much better for the environment and animals.

Here are some products to consider the next time you’re at the makeup counter:

•    EcoTools
•    Sevi Cosmetics
•    Larenim Mineral Makeup
•    Alima Pure
•    And much more!