Friday, May 7, 2010

Beauty Tips from Around the World

Inspired by Mother's Day, I have put together a list of  beauty tips that have been passed on from mothers to daughters all over the world....and they are as good as they are timeless!

Puerto Rico (where I'm from)- Women add fresh minced garlic in clear nail polish to strengthen their nails and help them grow.

Dominican Republic: to nourish their hair, the women use avocado to prepare different body, hair and face masks. Cut the avocado in half, remove the soft part and rub it in your hair. After one hour rinse the hair with shampoo and apply a conditioner. They also use coconut oil to soften curls.


Spain: The Spaniard women use olive oil to prepare different face and body masks. For example: before a manicure dip your fingers in a bowl of headed olive oil fresh lemon juice. Your cuticles will soften and it will be easier for you to shape the nails. They also use olive oil in their hair as a moisturizing conditioning treatment.

Japan: the Japanese prepare their food with seaweed, rice and soya germs. The women believe that these foods keep their skin healthy and good looking.


England: preserve the tea-bag after use. Put it in the fridge and when you feel that your eyes are irritated, apply the tea-bags to your eyes for a couple of minutes.

Portugal: if you want your hair to achieve saturated brown tone you should use vinegar. The recipe is simple: add three table spoons vinegar to 200g. water and rinse your hair. Or you could spritz cranberry juice on your hair before going to the beach. It will bring out natural caramel highlights on brunettes. You might want to stay away from it if you are blonde, unless you want your hair pink. Spray lemon juice for amazing sun-kissed highlights!

Italy: they use olive oil to nourish the eyelashes. A basil leaf applied to the teeth during the night is believed to whiten the teeth.


I have heard so many others that I don't remember which country do they originate from, and I always recommend them to my clients; like mixing oatmeal with honey to create a paste. It's an excellent exfolliant for sensitive skin. It is also soothing and moisturizing.  For oily skin, try mixing sugar, honey and lemon. It will get rid of all dead skin cells and hydrate your skin without adding extra oil. You will find your pores will appear smaller after you exfolliate with it.

Another advice my mother shared with me when I was young, was to never go to bed with makeup. I think we all have heard of that one before! But my mother's twist to it was to keep tissues by my nightstand and a bottle of Witch Hazel or "Agua Maravilla" (in spanish). She advised that if I was too tired to wash my face, then saturate the tissue in Witch Hazel to remove my makeup while in bed. It leaves your skin clean and fresh. It is the best toner you will find!

I also heard for the first time, here in the United States, that if you apply Preparation H around your eyes, it helps to get rid of the bags under your eyes and it's great to prevent wrinkles. Hahaha! Let's not even go there!

What is your beauty tip?

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