~the power of baking soda~

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It's time to update my favorite label on my blog..the home remedies!

How many of you really uses the things that are in your kitchen for beautifying yourself? I have always preferred to use stuff that is as effective as others, but cheaper in price. One of that is baking soda.

I always make it a point to have a baking soda handy. Whether it's in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, family room, etc. Why? It is a good cleansing, odor-removing, deodorizer, disinfectant & antiseptic all rolled into 1 powder that not many people know about.

Sodium Bicarbonate more commonly known as baking soda has been around for years & years. It is a staple not only in baking but also for cleaning as well.

It is an alkaline that neutralizes acids & break down proteins, therefore it is a good tenderizer.  It is used in baking mainly as it releases carbon dioxide to make the dough rise. I said that it is a good tenderizer & yes, it is! It can make the meat more tender by rubbing it in then rinse it off before cooking.

Without much ado, let's enumerate the beauty uses of this stuff.

~FACE~

• You can use this a substitute for those expensive scrubs that are too abrasive. Scrubs that are too abrasive can cause damage to the skin without you knowing. Be gentle to your skin, use something that is less abrasive, but can still get those dead skin cells. Since baking soda is a neutralizer, it can balance your skin's PH level. So go ahead & use baking soda!

~LIPS~

• I prefer using this as a lip scrub compare to using sugar since i find sugar to be abrasive. This one gently exfoliates without that numbing feeling that you experience when using sugar scrubs.

~HAIR~

• I said before on an online networking that i use baking soda as a way to get rid of the excess build-up in my hair. As im sure all of you know that no matter how much you shampoo your hair, residues would build up. In my case, i just sprinkle baking soda in my shampoo to get rid of those nasty build ups. If it is too much, then i use an anti-dandruff shampoo with baking soda & voila! All im left with is a nice, shiny & clean hair & scalp.
• Did you know that you can also use it as a substitute for dry shampoo? When you are in a hurry & do not have the luxury of time to wash your hair & ran out of your dry shampoo just sprinkle it on your hair, then comb it through using a paddle brush then fluff it using a blow dryer.

~NAILS~

• Dull-looking cuticles? No problem! Sprinkle baking soda on your wet cuticle brush & scrub your cuticles for great-looking nails.

~TEETH~

• Im sure you know that some of those toothpaste that can whiten your teeth has baking soda as an ingredient.

 ~SKIN~

• Again, it's a good exfoliator
• You can use it as a deodorant. It will not actually stop sweat, unlike commercially-available deodorants, but it will act as a deodorant. I use baking soda when im at home..which is most of the time. Give it a try..it's natural & it doesn't cost much..

I can enumerate a lot more, but i'll stop here. These are just a few of the uses of this amazing product.

If you're interested in knowing more, just google it & im sure you'll be able to find more! Again, this is a staple for me. I make it a point to buy a few boxes of these whenever i go grocery shopping. Based on what i've tried Arm & Hammer is the brand that has the finest baking soda.

Do you use baking soda for your beauty ritual?

Hope you'll have a great weekend!
Mata ne~!
^_~

ps:
oh & i forgot, i use baking soda in cleaning my make-up brushes as well.  Yes! You read it right!
^_~

I mix it with water then i wet the dry brushes with the solution.

For face brushes that i use for applying liquid foundations, i let the bristles soak on the solution to get rid of the foundation before doing shampooing it. I use Revlon Colorstay & it's really hard to remove the residue of that foundation.

 Then i twirl/tap it on the bowl while soak in the solution to get rid of the residues.

See how it was able to remove some of the residue already? Just make sure that you rinse it well or else the powder would stay on the bristles,ok?
 

Such a cheap but effective solution!
^_~

Tomato-fy your skin

Wow!
It feels like forever since i have updated this label. This is actually my most favorite label on my blog. I love home remedies! You might not know that you have some treasures sitting on your kitchen counter.

Ok, this one is about the power of tomatoes.

i think my tomato pic is actually good!hehe

We know that tomatoes is good source of lycopene, one of the most powerful antioxidant. It helps prevent cancer & also helps to improve the skin's ability to protect against harmful UV rays (excerpts taken from Wikipedia) . There are a lot of other veggies/fruits that has lycopene, but tomato is the most common. One more thing is that, the more it is processed, the more it increases the concentration of lycopene.

While i will not delved into category of a tomato, i know that you understood how important tomato is. So to include tomato in your everyday diet is not only a must, but will make your skin healthier. Why is it that most facial creams & facial mask have tomatoes on them...it's because it is indeed good for the skin!

Now that im done with the introduction of tomatoes, time for my experience.

For those who have frequently read my blog post, they know that i suffer from acne. I will not be showing a pic of my current skin (for now), but i will once it cleared. I started using tomatoes on my skin when i went shopping 1 day & one very friendly SA of a certain brand sales talked me to buying a lipstick from her. Since im not really interested in shimmery & glossy lipsticks, i just listened to her.

Then when i was about to make a clean exit by telling her that im not really into the wet-look for lips because my lips chaps a lot & am breaking out in acne, that's when she started to share her experience.

She said & i quoted (It's in taglish..tagalog-english)....
SA: "Ma'am, you will really thank me for this kapag ginawa mo ito (when you do this).
*points fingers at me*
SA: Cut a tomato, then iru-rub mu siya sa face mo (rub it on your face).
me: tapos (& then?)
SA: Antayin mo lang na mag-tighten tapos saka mo banlawan (Wait for it to tighten then rinse it off).
SA: Do it everyday for a month or two, then bumalik ka sakin para mag-thank you (go back here to thank me).
me: ows? effective talaga a? (it's really effective,huh?)
SA: Promise,ma'am!

With that, i was sold!
Not for her lipsticks though because my lips chaps, but with how sure she is that i will go back to thank her. I like people that are confident with what they are recommending. It made me want to go to the grocery to cut a tomato open then slap it on my face right after she said that. Yes, i can be gullible at times!

Moving on, later that night i decided to try it. I would lose nothing since we always have tomatoes on the fridge & it's natural. I like natural stuff for my face rather than those chemicals, which by the way, i think may be the cause of my acne from the first place.

I'm not looking for an instant miracle of course, but what i like about it is that it does indeed tighten my face, not as tight as an egg white mask though. It's a refreshing change from using the clay mask. It feels like my skin is not as dry, but actually soft.

It's only been weeks since i started using it as a part of my skincare & i have noticed a change in my skin. My blemishes are not as obvious as it was, im a bit fair so my blemishes always stood out as plain as daylight when i don't have any make-up on. Plus im not breaking out as much as i do...actually i think this helped stopped my acne.

Up until i got lazy that i stopped doing this for 3 days while i was using a supposed organic soap, then my acne started again. ekkkk!!!!

Lesson learned: stick to something that works for you, don't go traipsing from 1 product to another just because it's supposed to be organic.

Since this is working for me, i don't see any reason why you should not try this out too. it's relatively easy & always readily available. You've got nothing to lose & basically everything to gain seeing as this is very natural, no chemicals added!

Going back, it's best to actually process tomatoes first so you get much lycopene. You can try dunking the tomatoes on hot water to cook it for a minute or two before you start using it.

This is how i prepare my tomato mask.

• Cut open the tomato.

• Then i scoop out the seeds & the juice. If i have plenty of time, i mash the skin then i also include it. If not, then i just eat it..hehe
  

• Once everything is set, i ready my pressed facial mask. I bought this at Saizen.

• Then drop it on my tomato extract so to absorb the nutrients

• When it's all set, i open it & it's ready to use!

• Rinse it with cold water & you're all set.

I'm not squeamish so i even put the excess pulps/seeds & what else on top or even inside the mask & wait until it dries.

This helps me out a lot. I think i will really go back to that SA after all to thank her & i'll even buy products from her! I'll let you know after a couple of weeks what's the result, but right now i'm saying that i'm loving it.

It's natural & very skin-friendly!

Hope you find this post informative & helpful.
Have a great week ahead,ladies!

Jaa ne~!
^_~

ps:
The tomato mask indeed helped stopped my acne. Feel free to read my long & boring post on how i did it by clicking HERE

oil cleansing method (OCM) ~ a natural way to clean your skin~

After 2 months of being a draft, i finally finished this! *whew*

This post would be another installment for my home remedies post. As what i said i prefer to use natural ingredients on my skin rather than buy all those expensive stuff...especially if natural & organic is way better than them..

Did you ever ask yourself why Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil is such a great cleanser?
We have heard so much about it...lots of raves about how it really cleanse the skin. But have you've ever stopped & think what is the major ingredient on it that made it that great?

I did!
& guess what...it's oil! (yeah...as if the name didn't indicate that it IS oil!)
ok....i know..i know..olive oil removes makeup..i use it too..
most of the eye makeup removers out there have OIL on them to help remove "even the waterproof mascaras"..sounds familiar,eh?

Now that i got your attention, let me tell you first the boring detail of how i found out about this one...

I wouldn't have known this up til i started using Castor oil for my lashes. I first heard of it being used by Karma Cee's post on why her lashes are long. And i believed her because you can see the results! Her lashes are great!

I forgot all about it up until i went to Watson's & saw the bottle of Castor Oil..so i grabbed it as a gift for my lashes. Before i actually started using it, i made a research about it, which then lead me to the OCM - which stands for the Oil Cleansing Method.

I know that some of you uses Olive Oil to remove makeup..which i guess is actually better for its more natural rather than makeup removers. But i guess its pretty hard to remove all the traces of it unless you put a gunk of facial wash or soap then scrub your face hard, which would just result in doing more damage to your skin.

You can click HERE for the full info.

Ok, after the lengthy introduction, its time for the how-to's (i know you've all been waiting for this..sorry about all the blah blah XD) in doing the OCM

Here's the how to:

• castor oil
• olive oil
• small bottle to store your oil mixture

The mixture should depend on your skin...
if you have a normal type of skin, then it should be 50-50 (50%olive oil, 50%castor oil)...
if you have dry skin, add more olive oil than castor oil..like 70%Oo & 30%Co...
it should be the opposite for oily skin...add more Castor oil..like 70%Co & 30% Oo...

This is a trial & error sort of measurement...see what works for you...

Now this is how i prepared mine...

• i measure castor oil & put it on my empty bottle, i just used the cap.

• i put 7 capfuls of castor oil on it

• then olive oil...

• this time i put 3 capfuls of it

• then i added tea tree oil too (though this is optional)

• this would be how it looks like

number 1 - olive oil - is lighter & more runny in texture than castor oil
number 2 - castor oil - is thicker than olive oil
number 3 - tea tree oil

• then shake it!

Now for my opinion...

OCM is a good natural way to cleanse your skin., but remember you are applying RAW OIL. If you did not rinse this completely, you'll end up with blocked pores that can become cystic acne later on...

yikes!!!!

Maybe you'll ask me what was the effect of this on my skin.
Did it really made my skin clear like how some sites advertised this?
Is this a fool-proof way to achieve clear smooth skin?
Is it really like how people raved it?

This is MY own opinion:

When i tried this out, i massaged my face for a long time because you can really feel those beads of dirt coming out of your skin...like the blackheads. I can really feel my face being cleansed, grime being removed, skin feeling soft... So i 'rinsed' it out based on how IT is supposed to, that I have to put a hot towel on the face so to open up the pores & the oil will be removed (you can click the link here to read more about it, i won't add it here because it will just make my post longer than it already is.hehe).

Big mistake!
Why?

It's been said by OCM too that oil can only be removed naturally by oil.So why did i expect that putting a hot towel can actually remove it?! But i still did & i ended up having cystic acne! eekkkk!

A couple of reason can be the culprit:

• i have super oily skin (ill let you know how on my upcoming posts)
• i live on a very humid place
  
• i was not able to remove all of the oil completely
• i did not 'close' my pores right after opening it up

I stopped doing it because i wanna work on my cystic acne first, that's why i used Kojie-san. After realizing all of the reasons, i try to see if i can make it work out on me. I found out that i have to do all of the steps, but

• NEVER forget to wash my face with soap, just to make sure that there are no traces of oil left on my face.
• 'close' my pores by rinsing my face with cold water
  

I still used the mixture everytime i feel some blackheads on my face & it does help remove the blackheads which is good.. I don't use this as my regular cleanser anymore.

Now on my research i found out that this works better for those who lived in cold places. For those who lived in humid places, you have to be careful...do some researches. You might find my 'opinion' as lacking, it's because i have so many things to say but don't know where to start. But feel free to ask any questions on the comment section.

Each of us have different skin, what works for others might not work on you.

Now, ill try to answer your questions as much as i can, but im no pro.

excess:
I haven't updated my hairstyle101 section yet. I'll try to update it with this big bun

XD

Hope y'all have a nice day!

Jaa ne~!

~how to make an aspirin mask~

I already made a post about Aspirin Mask before...you can just check it HERE.
This is a nice remedy when you feel a bump on your skin & you ran out of tea tree oil...

This would just be a follow up of that post...
I have had this pics for a couple of months & i've been meaning to make a how-to post about aspirin mask but keeps on forgetting. Since im about to clean my folders, i decided its high time to make it.. I suggest you click the link (at the top) if you don't know about aspirin mask so that you would have an idea how it works & what's it for...

Main ingredient is the Aspirin, of course...You can buy it at drugstores....One bottle of Aspirin like this is cheap.. it just cost Php 55 (approx $1.25)..& it got 100 tablets...

• Prepare it by taking a couple of Aspirins & putting it in a dish...

in my case i use 7...

• Then put a few drops of water on it....

You will notice that the tablets are immediately dissolved....

• Since i have tea tree oil with me, so i added a couple of drops...

Like 3 drops... I suggest you add something to this because if you don't you will end up sneezing right after its dry because flakes of aspirin will fall off & will end up in you taking it in. You can put honey or some essential oils of your choice just so that it won't end up very flaky when it dries

• Then mix them together then apply it on your face...

Wait until 10-20 mins before you rinse it. When you rinse it you can gently scrub your face, with the aspirin grains to exfoliate dead skin cells...

Tomorrow is mum's birthday...

I've been a bit busy the past couple of days trying to get ready for the small party. I already gave my gift to mum days ago..it's a bag...& i am the one in charged to the souvenir items that we are going to give away for the guests...

I'll show you the pics tomorrow...& i think im gonna be doing my mum's makeup tomorrow too..

Anyways, this post is about my nails..a while ago while i was just watching tv, i decided to put on polish since this is a special occasion. As what i said, i only put polish during weekends..except for special events such as this...

As i was faced with my nail polish collection, i just got lost into deciding what look im going after... I saw the pink polish sitting at the end of my box & decided that i am going to sport pink nails for tomorrow.

Well, here is what i did
This is actually pretty easy...i'll do a tutorial some day..
I just forgot to take pictures the time that i did this....

Well, tomorrow is gonna be a busy day for me & my mum!
Hope y'all have a great day/evening!

Jaa~!

Homemade facial mask 101 - ~egg white mask~

This is the second installment of my homemade facial mask 101....

Are your facial pores too big & its makes you feel conscious all the time?
Do you sometimes feel like you're face is an oil-magnet?
Do you just want to perk your face but you ran out of your favorite mask?
Or you just feel that you wanted to 'lift' your face to tighten it...

....then look no more. Open your fridge, take out an egg then crack it up to make one of the easiest face mask ever!


This mask has been around & used ever since. It's been known to tighten the pores & absorb oil so this is a good 'perk up' to limp skin. We all have experienced the days where we feel our skin is at its worst...This would tighten the pores but makes the skin soft & smooth as well...

This is the first facial mask that i ever tried. It was my aunt that introduced this & has been a fan ever since. I was a bit wary of putting egg thinking that it will smell disgusting or gross; but as long as you use fresh eggs, it won't bother you.

Some people just use the Egg White, while some also use the Yolk.

You can use it plain or you can even add something on it too. When im feeling lazy, i just use it plain, but often times i put a drop or two of lemon/lime on it.

Lemon is a natural antiseptic so its good for pimples, its also good for the removal of blackheads & is used to whiten the skin.

Feel free to add other ingredients which has good benefits like honey, milk, yogurt, papaya, avocado, etc...its just up to your imagination...This is why homemade facial mask is fun!

This is how i do my egg mask:

• Break an egg open

• Separate the white from the yolk

• Beat the egg to incorporate air on it

• Add a drop or two of lemon/lime (im using a calamansi)

• Then put it on your face....wait until it dries...15 mins at the most. You'll feel that it tightens as it dries. It's completely dry if you can't twitch or smile anymore. Then rinse it out.
  

Did you know that you can use this as a blackhead remover too?
How?
simple...use some towelettes!


Dip the towelettes on the egg white then apply it on your face. Wait until it dries then remove it. It will take longer to dry, but its worth it.

Much as i would like to take pic of how it removed my blackheads, i can't, because my cam is not up to it..lol..just take my word for it! You can use it as a pore strip. Not just on your nose but on your whole face as well!

This is good especially for people who are having a hard time using a pore strip because of the shape of their nose...just like me... I have a button nose so its a bit hard for me to actually use a pore strip since there would always be some space underneath it...In this way, im able to 'mold' the towelette in any form i wanted so that it can follow the shape of my nose...yay!

This saved me a couple of bucks since i don't need to buy pore strip anymore! double yay!
\(^o^)/

In my case i use the Egg white since i have a super oily face...Egg Yolk as we know is considered to be the 'fatty' part (not the bad fat!) of the egg, therefore it is a natural moisturizer. So for people who have super dry skin but would still like to give your face an instant face lift you can just use egg yolk. Egg white i think is more suitable for oily skin.

Abby of Mia Picolli Piaceri even said that using the yolk as a mask will make the makeup adhere to the skin better therefore you won't need to use a primer...wow! sugoi!

Make sure you try this one!

Homemade facial mask 101 - ~yogurt mask~

Homemade facial mask...

Im pretty sure everybody had tried concocting their very own facial mask at home..
It's been said that natural 'ingredients' are best for the skin since it doesn't contain any chemicals that might trigger an allergic reaction or whatever.. There are a lot of stuff at home that we can use to take care of our skin... We have yogurt, milk, honey, olive oil, lemon, etc...

If you read the labels of some beauty products it would indicate what 'organic & natural' ingredients they put to make their product work. So instead of buying those expensive creams & mask, look for different alternatives which will make you look & feel beautiful without breaking your bank!..lol

Have you tried Yogurt mask?
Who likes yogurt?

\(^o^)/ *raises hand*
I do!!!!

I love yogurt!
I like the tangy taste of it that can take away any left over taste of the food that i ate...it's a perfect dressing for salad especially when mixed with other herbs & oil! I love the clean & refreshing smell of yogurt.

It's healthy & delicious! It's good for the body...its also good for your skin!
So this post will be about Yogurt mask.. Yogurt can soothe, pamper & moisturize the skin. It is a good cleanser for it can absorb dirt, impurities & the likes that can clog your pores which can result in pimples....ekkk!

Feel free to check out MUA & see how many women swears that it does work!

There are a lot of ways on how to make one..
You can put it directly on your face for a refreshing feeling!

You can add other stuff in it too..like a few drops of lemon (especially if you have oily skin) or honey (for dry skin)...

In my case, i have an oily skin so i mostly put lemon but since i broke out a couple of days ago i just decided to put honey on it because honey have antiseptic properties that can help soothe pimples..

This is my Yogurt & Oatmeal mask...

• Toss some oatmeal on a bowl

• Add a spoonful of yogurt

• Add honey (or lemon...whichever you prefer)

• Mix all of them together

If you like yours to be thick then put more oatmeal....if you want it creamy, then add in more yogurt. It just depends on your preferences...

In my case, i want mine creamy so ill add in more yogurt & honey....


Mix them all together...& its ready to be used!

Let it sit on your face for 15-20 minutes or until it hardens... You can remove it by applying a warm towel over your face to soften the mask, gently massage your face with gentle circular motion. Remove the excess mask on your skin by rinsing it away with water... then towel dry.

You'll see & feel the difference from before. The skin is brighter, softer & glowing!

In my case, the sizes of the red spots that i had have diminished & my skin is a bit tight. I swear that my pores have also become smaller...yay!

I've been using this for some time now & i really like it.

It works for me...im not saying it would work on everybody...i know that for people who are allergic to dairy products (or things included in this mask) can't use this...but then if you have these stuff sitting at home & would want to try natural mask, then why not give this a shot!

Its definitely worth it!

(^_~)

Aspirin Mask for treating acne...

Yup, you read it right...
Feeling skeptical about it?

Don't worry you're not the only person who feels so.

At first im like "why in the world will i use medicine on my face?!"...knowing that we use aspirin for headaches & fever..it makes me cringe with the thought of using it topically & to be applied on my face for that :-O

I kept on reading lots of girls saying that it does work. I checked makeupalley.com, several threads about Aspirin Mask & even did a research about the 'contents' & chemicals behind it.

Upon doing so, i discovered that Aspirin actually is what we call as Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) -> huh?...uh oh...that sounds so scientific...chemicals... - which simply speaking is called "Salicylic Acid' -> now this sounds much more familiar,eh?

Salicylic Acid is one of the main ingredients in cosmetics & acne-fighting facial products. It's widely used to fight acne, warts, psoriasis, etc.

So, how does this so called Salicylic Acid actually works?

It makes the skin shed more readily so it prevent pores from clogging up, and allowing room for new cell growth. It's basically just like how exfoliation works. We exfoliate to remove the dead skin cells...then in comes the new skin cells..yay for those!

So, since i did my homework, i felt that i can already try it. So, i brought a bottle of aspirin. Wash my face, then put 5 tablets on a saucer XD, then put a few drops of water on the tablets (i actually enjoyed squishing it), made a paste, then apply it on my face.

After a couple of minutes, i started sneezing! I thought "uh oh...this is bad!"...then i remember that you can add drops of oil or yogurt or honey or even a facial cleanser. So i immediately rinse it (while still sneezing!) then mix another batch of aspirin, this time i added a few drops of olive oil (hey Olive oil is good for the skin!). Then apply it again & this time it did not made me sneeze anymore.

I waited for like 20-30mins before i rinse it off....all the while, im just watching "Jigoku Shojo"..good thing im not watching a funny one or else there'll be aspirin scattered all over the place. Then i rinse it off, i scrubbed my face with the bits of aspirin, then rinse it with water. Since i used oil on it, its oily so i have to wash it off with soap....

then....lo & behold!

i felt my skin to be so sooooft & smooth....i was touching my face for like 5mins...just to feel how soft my face is...

Since im not the type who actually break out, then i did not notice any "pimples will be gone" effect, but i have a couple of whiteheads on my chin before & after using it, i notice that it actually diminished! wow!

& from then on, i make it a point to use it!

Good points:
-cheap
-effective
-easy to do
-available anywhere
-great results

Bad points:
-will make you sneeze if you don't put anything on it.
-don't forget to buy the uncoated aspirin...UNCOATED,ok?

So... instead of buying those expensive acne creams/gels, going to Facial clinics to have your facials, i suggest you give this a try first....anyway, there's nothing to lose...but everything to gain!

^_~