Infinite Indulgence - Good For You - Tips For Treating Yourself The Way You Deserve

From Kahlil Gibran, artist, poet and writer, 1883-1931

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

5 Economical Beauty Solutions
by Ann Karcich

In these tough economic times, you may think taking good care of yourself is a too-expensive luxury. But there are a lot of ways to step up your beauty and skin care regimen without spending either a lot of time or money. Here are some simple, inexpensive way to keep you feeling and looking great.

Moisturize from the Inside Out?
It's now being challenged whether drinking 8 x 8 (eight 8-ounce glasses of water) daily that we're always hearing about will improve or prevent dry skin. The current thinking is that skin can not be moisturized from the inside out by drinking water. What is agreed upon though is that water aids many bodily functions like excretion of toxins. And improving those processes will - indirectly - benefit your skin. So listen to your body to determine your optimal daily fluid intake. And you don't have to get all your fluid from water. Tea, especially herbal and green teas, fruit juice, and fruits with high water content also contribute to your daily total intake.

Safflower Oil - Keeping Your Skin Hydrated
There isn't any disagreement that applying moisturizers directly to your skin will improve skin hydration. One very economical way to do this is with safflower oil that you can purchase at your local grocery store. Safflower oil is high in linoleic acid, a fatty acid in the skin that helps keep the skin's moisture intact. So smooth the oil over your body - from the neck down - after a bath or shower and let the oil soak in. And then enjoy your silky, smooth skin.

Apple Cider Vinegar - And You Won't Smell Like Pickles!
Another common kitchen item that can boost your skin care regimen is apple cider vinegar. Most soaps leave the skin in an alkaline state. Apple cider vinegar helps restore the skin's natural acidic balance so the skin can assist in body detoxification. And as a beauty bonus, apple cider vinegar improves dry, flaky skin. So add 1 cup of a good quality apple cider vinegar to your bath water and soak and relax. And don't worry about the vinegar scent, diluting the vinegar in the bath water also diminishes the scent.

Jojoba Oil - Help For Aging Skin
Collagen is a protein that helps give the skin its strength and elasticity. As the skin ages, the balance between the processes building up and breaking down collagen becomes tilted towards the breakdown. And that's when you start to notice wrinkles and sagging skin. Recent research has shown that working one half teaspoon of pure jojoba oil (purchase it at your local health food store or online) into the skin twice a day in a circular motion can help rev up the collagen building process. Note that it may take a few months to see results.

Spoons and Cucumbers - Help For Your Eyes
Some mornings our eyes tell stories - too little sleep, allergies or too much to drink - that we'd rather not hear. But there are some quick, inexpensive ways to reduce that eye puffiness. Have you seen those pictures of a model with a cucumber slice over each eye? Chemicals in the cucumber help combat the puffiness. And for more good news, soaking the cucumber slices in milk before applying them to the eyes appears to be even more effective. For a quicker fix that even works over eye makeup, place two spoons in the fridge or freezer until they're very cold. Then remove them and place one spoon over each eye. After five minutes, remove the spoons and see how great you look.

These are just a few simple ways to give your natural beauty a boost and still keep your budget balanced. Looking great was never so easy!