Frugal Best in Beauty All Time

1, Baby Oil.
This is my go to for everything. Great for moisturizing after the bath, removes make up, removed wax, removes latex bonding glue. eyelashes and weaves. shines your shoes, quick hand lotion, shave your legs, massage oil...the list goes on and on. http://projectfidgetyfingers.blogspot.com/2010/02/45-uses-for-baby-oil.html

2. Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly.
cream for chapped chip, lips, hands, elbows, cuticles DIY  lip glosses and many more uses
http://www.christinaloves.com/2008/09/13/50-uses-for-vaseline/

3. Brown Sugar
Cheap and plentiful is amazing when you add it to a baby oil or you favorite cleanser as a exfoliating BODY scrub in the shower. Not recommended for the face.

4. Baking Soda
brush you teeth, use with water or cleanser to mix into a paste for a gentle facial exfoliate. Under arm deodorant, use to remove product build up in the hair before shampooing, foot soak

5. Apple Cider Vinegar
hair rinse to add shine and close the cuticle after a colour. dilute with  rose water and distilled water and it's a great toner for acne prone skin, drinking it is supposed to treat age spots, rinses away dry dead skin fro the scalp.

Thinking about Keratin Straightner?

Well I have been thinking about writing about this for ages. I will preface this with...This is MY opinion on this subject as a beauty pro. I get clients asking me about this service time and time again. It came out a few years ago and has steadily replaced Japanese Straightening and the number one smoothing service around. It claims the following for the clients...

That it causes no damage, is fairly natural as it used a form on protein similar to what our hair is made of. It can be used to repair damaged hair, used in conjunction with other chemical services without adverse reaction. Its semi permanent so one could get this done approximately every 10-12 weeks. So there are no lasting effects if one should want to stop. It cuts drying time down to half. It does not straighten course hair but will make it smoother, easier to dry straighten, and anti humidify it as well.

Marketing this to the stylist goes as such...

Product is inexpensive ( less then 10 an application) and needs very little to perform full service. All profit! Can be performed in the same time as an average colour/ blow dry time depending on hair and can charge upwards of $400+ per service. Clients needs to purchase special keratin shampoo and conditioner for service to last. More Profit! It's safe.

The reality...

The service is expensive, and is only semi permanent. It requires the full service to be done again at the same price within two to three months.  After one month most clients see a significant loss of smoothness as this is a coating that wears off after you wash you hair. You MUST use the keratin replenishing shampoo or you will lose the effects faster. It does not do a thing for thick coarse curly hair. This is mainly for fine to medium texture frizzy hair. Some may get away without styling or blow-drying their hair. Yes it will be faster to dry but by minutes. Many surveys have shown that a large amount of clients have had adverse reactions. Anything from allergies, breathing issues during the service, hair loss, and breakage. After the service is performed you cannot get you hair wet for three days. Nor wear it up on tucked behind you ears as that will kink in for the duration of the product. And finally the main ingredient next to the Keratin is formaldehyde. Its helps in the bonding process and as the hair is ironed it releases a toxic gas that the stylist and the client will be exposed to. Many company's have tried to down play this danger and say they do not have it in their product. Trust me they do have some for. It many have a slightly different chemical name or smaller %. But it is still an active ingredient.

As a stylist there is no way I would expose myself to performing 3 to 4 of these services a day breathing this stuff in. Especially if there is poor ventilation in the salon. In fact I am not a fan of many chemical straightening products. I am always shocked at the length women and men will go to to save precious minutes in the morning.

further reading, viewing.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/are-keratin-hair-treatments-dangerous-2460542/
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/retexturizing/brazilian-keratin-treatment-a-dangerous-price-to-pay-for-beauty
http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=771
Good Hair a documentary by Chris Rock ( yes that one) About the Afro-Carribean culture in America's obsession with so called "good hair" i.e. Silky straight hair.








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Does make up expire?

I was watching the Tyra bank show today. I was so ticked off at the misinformation on one segment about women who don't throw out their make up. Yes we are all guilty of hanging onto stuff way too long. But she continued to quiz the audience about the shelf life of everything from lipstick, cleanser, to mascara.

I'm a make up artist. If I threw out my foundations every 3 months like she suggested I would be spending astronomical amounts replenishing my kit. RIDICULOUS! Yet again another show spreading propaganda so you buy more product. (sponser..Cover Girl, shocking!)

Here are the facts. If you treat your make up like I do, no cross contamination, leave the caps on, refrigerate liquids when not in use and use brushes and sponges. Your make up will last three times longer.

Liquid Foundation, 12 months ( most people will use it up sooner then that)

Cream foundation/Concealer, 2 years. Keep in cool dry place use clean applicators or scrap out what you need and apply.

Mascara, 3-4 months. It dries out and will have bacterial growth by that time. Don't pump air into the tube, Keep tightly closed.

Lipstick, Gloss 2-4 years or more depending on quality. I have some MAC lipsticks that I have had for 8 years they are fine. I remove my lipsticks and put them into pallets that cover. I scrape out what I need on a stick and apply with a brush. If you use the tube on your lips, it will expire faster and grow bacteria. ( I still have tubes I uses directly on my mouth but I go through them in less then a year)

Powders, eye shadows. 4 or more years. If you store them in a airtight, dark place out of moisture. They can last forever depending on their oil content.

Liner pencils. 4+ years. Keep the lid on. Keep them in a cool dry place. (they will melt or get crumbly)

Liquid Liner. 6 months, they dry out and will get bacterial growth.


Nail polish, 1 year. You will know it! (separate or thicken.)

Finally WASH you brushes!!! Every month or more. Soak them in a mild shampoo in your bathroom sink. Use fingers to work out any creamy product (with extra shampoo) Do a soaking. Rinse 2 times. Then shape the brushes with your fingers so they retain the shape. Air dry on a towel overnight. In between I dip my brushes in alcohol once a week to kill any bacteria.

DON'T SHARE YOUR MAKE UP!!! Unless you take cross contamination precautions. Herpes people! 80% of the human population have Oral Herpes otherwise know as cold sores. (and yes oral herpes can turn into genital herpes if you get it/have an outbreak and kiss etc your partner) and Pink Eye are the most common infections/virus's you could get with sharing or using expired/ unsanitized make up and brushes.