I was told by my Mother from the time I could walk:
"Beauty is only skin deep."
"Beauty is as beauty does."

I'm a grandmother now and over the years have learned the truth of those statements. The first time you meet someone they are looking at the outer you because there isn't anything else to see. However, after they get to know you they seldom pay any attention to your outer shell but seek to know the beauty within you and it is the inner beauty that will hold friendships, or any other relationship.

Skin treatments
• Acne: Remember to clean places like telephones, pillow cases if you are trying to control acne break outs.
• Blemishes: Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a band-aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile and speeds healing. Works overnight.
• Deep Clean Pores: In a quart of boiling water add: peel of 1/2 a lemon, some herbs like, Rosemary, mint, thyme, basil, lavender, etc. Remove the kettle from the stove. Cover your hair with a shower cap and using a towel make a tent over your head and the kettle holding your face about 6 inches from the kettle. Steam your face 10 minutes. Immediately rinse with cold water!
• Dry Flaking skin can be a sign of a deeper problem. See your doctor and have him check your blood sugar and thyroid.
• Facial Scrub and/or face mask: Make a paste with oatmeal and honey. For Mask generously apply to face, allow to dry till mask feels tight. Rub off with your fingers in a circular motion away from your face, removing dead skin and blackheads. As a facial scrub, rub gently on your face in circular motion away from your face and rinse. A really good peel off face mask is Pepto Bismal, apply generously and let dry, then peel off.
• Mask, facial: remove black heads easily paint elmers glue on your face and peel off when dry.
• Moisturize: with Baby oil or mineral oil, you can always add scents to it if you wish. Creams clog pores, oils don't.
• Moisturize: Aloe Vera and mineral water will moisturize and heal skin.
• Remove Dead skin: Miracle Whip not mayonnaise removes dead skin. Rub in a small amount let dry a few minutes. While skin is still slightly moist massage your face with your finger tips counter clockwise (away from your face). Dead skin and Miracle Whip will roll right off. You can use this not only on your face but on knees, elbows and feet as well.
• Remove makeup: Baby oil. Creams get into pores and clog them.
• Remove pimple redness: rub a drip of visine on the pimple.
• Skin softener and Wrinkle preventive: Massage baby oil into your face nightly. Wrinkles are removed by the massage not by the product. You can also use this on elbows, etc.
• Soften calluses on your feet by greasing them up with vaseline and wearing socks to bed.
• Sun Burns: Aloe vera juice, baking soda and water or Apple cider vinegar. Aloe cools and relieves burned skin and heals it. Baking soda and water soothes and relieves. Apple Cider vinegar cools and prevents blistering if administered right away.

Hair treatments and hints

• Curls quickly: bend a pipe cleaner in half, loop toward scalp, twirl a strand of hair around the pipecleaner bend ends down to hold it; blow dry; brush.
• Dandruff shampoo: Add 35 plain aspirins to a full bottle of your favorite shampoo.
• Dry hair: Whip 3 Tablespoons yogart (with fat) and 1 egg or 1 avacado. Put on ends of hair and wrap ends in aluminum foil, dull side out.
• Dry brittle hair: Take potassium tablets.

• Hair conditioner: Apply 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to unwashed hair, cover with plastic bag and leave on 20 minutes. Rinse several times before shampooing thoroughly. Best LEAVE-IN conditioner is fabric softener diluted 1/2 cup fabric softener to 1 cup water in a spray bottle.
• Hair conditioner for body and height: Fold yogart into egg whites put on hair, cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes and rinse.
• Hair conditioner: Budweiser beer conditions the hair.
• Hair conditioner: Cool Whip for a 15 minute hair conditioner.
• Hair Spray: In place of hair spray for frizzy hair, use a dab of petroleum jelly, just enough to hold frizzy hair close to your head.
• Hair Spray: To hold a fluffy hair do put sugar and water in a spray bottle and spray your hair.
• Highlight blonde hair: After shampooing, add 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice to rinse water. If you go out into the sunlight to let your hair dry or use a blow dryer you'll get even better results.
• Highlight brunette or red hair: Rinse with 3 Tablespoons of Apple Cider vinegar.
• Hot oil treatment: Rub olive oil, sesame oil or corn oil into hair and wrap your hair in plastic or aluminum foil. Wet a towel thoroughly with hottest water possible and wring it out and wrap them over the plastic or aluminum for 15 minutes.
• Remove ink: remove ball point pen ink from your skin and hands with margarine and damp cloth.
• Remove oil from hair: No time to wash your oily hair, then dab the roots of your hair with a cotton ball dipped in Witch Hazel (can be purchased in most grocery stores).
• Remove oil paint: from your skin and hands with baby oil.
• Remove shampoo resido from hair: Rinse with 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice or Apple Cider vinegar. (prevents dandruff).
• Shiny hair: Put mashed avacoda on your hair, cover with plastic wrap 15 minutes and shampoo thoroughly.
• Spike your hair quickly, with Close-up tooth paste, it will also give it a tint.
• Sun damaged: Mix chopped, fresh lemon rind and whipped egg whites, put on your hair. Wrap hair in plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Rinse out.
• Sun lighten: Put champagne in a squirt bottle, spritz hair with it while out in the sun.

Makeup

• Body Paint: Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color (or kool aid color) of your choice.
• Broken Lipstick: Heat the broken ends over a match till they melt enough to adhere when pressed together. Cool in the fridg.
• Eye Shadow: using a brush that has been wet with water and powder eyeshadow you get smoother blending.
• Mascara: To keep wet mascara from smudging, close your eyes and blast your lashes for a couple seconds with your blow-dryer on the cool setting.
• Foundation: Always apply foundation with dry foam sponge; quicker blending; no steaks; soaks up excess oil.
• Drying nail polish: When nails are partially dry put hands in a bowl of very cold water or spray with Pam cooking spraying.
• Fuller lips: A dab of red or orange lip color in the center of your lips will give them a fuller look or
• Fuller lips: Use two slightly different colors of lip pencils, on the upper lip, line and fill with the darkest one and on the lower use the lightest one. Then smooth lipstick or gloss on top.
• Change mouth shape: Line your lips with a beige pencil. Your natural lip line has a lightness right above it that you can cover when using darker colors. Beige creates the illusion of lightness so it looks natural.
• Keep lip color: Using lip liner first under you lipstick will make it last longer and look richer. Or a drop of foundation makeup on your lips before apply lipstick will make it last longer.
• Keep makeup fresh: After applying makeup to your face, spray with mineral water and let dry. DO NOT WIPE!
• Keeping nail polish: Whenever you open a new bottle of nail polish rub petroleum jelly inside the cover and on the grooves of the bottle. Store in the fridg to keep smooth and easy to apply. If polish seems hard or gummy place in a pan of boiling water.
• Make your own lip gloss: mix any of your favorite lipsticks with petroleum jelly.
• Manicure: Mix a cup of warm water with the juice of half a lemon. Soak your finger tips for 5 minutes in this. Rinse; pat dry, pushing your cuticles back. Then rub the lemon peel against your nails (back and forth) vigorously and rinse and buff with soft cloth.
• Forget something? If you run out of or forget lipstick, toothpaste, eyelash curler then try these: Mix eye shadow and vaseline for quick lipstick, use baking powder on a wet toothbrush for quick toothpaste, use a teaspoon to curl your eyelashes.

Jewelry

• Necklace knots: Lay the knot in the necklace in oil and and untie using two pins.

Nylons

• Repair runs: Apply hairspray or clear nail polish to stop runs.

Perfume

• Lasting fragrance: Rub a little petroleum jelly on areas before applying perfume and scent will last longer.

Shoes

• Shoe polish: Cold pressed nut oil, olive oil, walnut oil or beeswax applied to leather products and buffed with a soft cloth creates a beautiful shine.
• Remove scuff marks: Remove tar and grease from white shoes using nail polish remover. For dirt marks on suede use Art Gum Eraser (found in art supplies stores) and sandpaper or emery board by rubbing the stain with the eraser and then buff slightly with sandpaper or emery board.
• Remove stains from leather: remove water stains on leather by using a mixture of water and vinegar rubbed on the spot with a soft cloth.
• Shiny shoes: Window cleaning spray or furniture polish will shine leather shoes. For patent leather use a thin layer of petroleum jelly which will also prevent cracking in winter. Black or tan leather shoes use lemon juice as polish.

Eyes

• Bright whites: Using blue eye pencils or shadows under the eyes will make whites of the eyes much brighter.
• Puffy, swollen eyes: moisten tea bags with warm water and place on lids for 15 minutes or place fresh cold cucumber slices on your eyelids. Actually anything cold on the eyes will work. Even lightly rubbing ice will also tighten pores and erase tiny lines.
• Remove dark circles: Raw potato slices laid on the eyes will take away dark circles but better yet take potassium internally for many wonderful benefits including, getting rid of dry brittle nails and hair.
• Preparation H was used by beauty pageant contestants, put under the eyes takes down puffiness due to the anti-flammatory ingredients, dermatolgists don't necessarily recommend this home remedy but admit it isn't likely to do any harm. Preparation H also contains: shark liver oil ( a highly regarded moisturizer); a yeast extract (some believe, promotes the growth of new skin cells and creating firmer skin).

Teeth

• Breath freshener: NOTHING can beat eating parsley and parsley is rich in Chlorophyll which protects your skin from sunlight.
• Whiten: mix plain baking soda with your toothpaste for several weeks, until you see the difference.
• NEVER brush hard, hard toothbrushing leads to loosening the gum and causing germs to get up under the gum. If you have bleeding gums see your dentist immediately.
• Mouthwash: don't look for flavor, look for germ killers.

Pack the jar with as many bay leaves as will fit. Add whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Pour just enough dark rum over the herbs to cover the mixture. The add a few drops of Essential Oil of Bay, screw on the jar lid. Set aside for 10-14 days (longer if you have the time, the longer it sets the stronger the scent and potency). Stain the liquid through the sieve and a coffee filter to remove all plant material. Bottle the liquid and label. If you like decorate by adding a cinnamon stick or a few bay leaves. To use just splash on the aftershave.

Place about 1/3 of the dried rose petals in your blender and blend at high speed till they become a fine powder, repeat with another 1/3 and then the last 1/3 of the petals. Into a large bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients (slippery elm; clay; cornstarch and roses). Sprinkle essential oil drops onto the dry mix and work the oil into the powder till it's thoroughly blended. Sift again oil and powders are mixed evenly. Pour into airtight gift jars (airtight to keep essential oils from evaporating or loosing thier potency). Place a large cotton ball or powder puff on top. To use, dust body liberally after bathing.

Round face- For illusion of high cheek bones, find the top of the cheek bone (directly under your eye). Using small circular motion, apply a quarter size circle of blush (drawing attention to the center of your face makes it look thinner). Then blend the color slightly outward. To soften the look, top with transparent powder.

Oblong face- To make your face appear shorter and fuller keep the color near the hair line (never near the center of your face). Starting at the outer most edge of the cheek bone, dust a semicircle of blush over the temple and out to the hairline. Rather than on the cheek this would be higher from top of cheek bone to just above the end of eyebrow.

Oval faces- Well proportioned faces only need a hint of color to enhance the cheeks. Smile in the mirror and apply a circle of blush about the size of a half dollar on the apple of each cheek. Blend the color slightly up and out toward the ear til it fades away.

German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), an aromatic plant that is good for your skin. Helps things like bruises; dry or sensitive skin and it makes a great rinse for your hair. So the next time you visit your local Natural Health Stores you might hunt for beauty products containing this plant.

All of the things here mentioned are things I've collected from every where over many years but my most favorite source for natural home beauty comes from the book, Home Beauty Naturally by Janice Cox. None of the entries from her book are listed here as, of course, her book is copy righted. Janice Cox also has her own website. Her book has shampoos, hair gels, facial masks, moisturizers, body, shower and bath treatments, lip and nail treatments, powders and much more. Every woman should have a copy of Janice's book at home.