It would be grand to just roll out of bed every morning looking glamorous and fresh, but the truth is that it takes a little work. Here are eight easy and eco-friendly tricks for dealing with some of the most frustrating beauty predicaments without going the high-maintenance route.

Tired Eyes
Everybody knows about sliced cucumbers, but I recently discovered a more effective method. Steep a couple of green tea bags, put them in the refrigerator until they’re cool and place them over your eyes.

Blemishes
Apply a touch of toothpaste overnight and dab blemishes with lemon juice before putting on makeup in the morning.

Oily Skin
If you start your morning off with a hot bowl of oatmeal, this one’s a cinch. Let your leftovers cool, mix in a little bit of honey and apply this homemade mask to your face. Leave it on for five minutes and rinse.

Dull Hair
Next time you pop the bubbly, save a glass of champagne to rinse through your hair for brighter locks.

Bad Breath
Add several drops of lemon juice to that reusable water bottle you carry around all day. When your mouth feels stale, just take a swig and swish. Bad breath bacteria don’t stand a chance against the acid present in lemon juice.

Wet Nails
Who has the time to wait for nail polish to dry, especially after a couple of coats? Dipping them into ice cold water will speed up the process.

Chapped Lips
Lip balm may moisturize, but it doesn’t get rid of dead skin cells. Make your own exfoliating scrub by blending a bit of honey with coffee grounds and massage the mixture onto your lips.

Dandruff
Mix several teaspoons of vinegar with water and massage into your scalp. Wrap your hair in a towel and leave it in your hair overnight. Repeat the process weekly for the best results.

For more beauty suggestions, check out Katherine’s picks for the best organic skin toners, shampoos and sunscreens.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. This original post can be found here.

Image: clickflashphotos

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Some people think “eyes are the windows of the soul,” but I would argue that it is the skin. Think about it. If you sneak junk food that may or may not have originated from Golden Arches (no judgment, my fry-loving friend), it is likely to show up on your skin. And it’s not just bad food that can make an appearance on your epidermis. If you stress yourself, your skin will show the signs. If you’re hormonal or pregnant, your skin may show it before your mid-section.

Don’t believe me? Recently, in a moment of stress-induced weakness, I picked up a bag of frozen tater tots at the store. I generally eat very well – fruits, veggies, lean proteins galore. But I wanted tots, and for the love of Pete Campbell I had to have them. That night, blinds drawn, I ate the tots and was happy. The next day? Breakout city.

Morale of the story? Your body rids itself of toxins through the skin via sweating. So if there’s a build-up of bad things in your body, you may see it in acne, skin blotches and more. So treat your skin to a healthy diet and resist the siren call of the tots. Drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated. Cut out sugary foods, trans-fats and fried foods. As one expert suggests, “smooth, soft, clear skin depends on fresh fruits and vegetables.” Make friends with your local farmers’ market.

Product wise, there’s a slew of detoxifying masks on the market that can help speed up the process. Recently, I had the chance to check out Anthology’s Complete Skin Detox Face Mask ($13.95). Anthology only uses USDA certified organic ingredients and packages their bath and body works in recyclable glass bottles. Their line is vegan, cruelty-free, and void of chemicals.

And how is the Complete Skin Detox Face Mask? In two words: bloody cool. Just in time for Halloween, this mask paints your face with a red liquid hue that makes you look like you just got back from Carrie’s prom. Which is AWESOME, naturally. But you might want to warn anyone in your vicinity. Unless you want to watch them freak out, which has its advantages as well.

A word of caution. While using the product, just mix one teaspoon and a little bit of water. I made the mistake of mixing it will too much water and ended up wasting quite a bit of it. Also, the mask is really quite messy, so try to keep the wetness to a minimum. And keep some cloths on hand to wipe up afterwards.

The mask’s main ingredients are hibiscus flowers, clay, and cranberries. The hibiscus is said to have “anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, detoxifying, peeling and anti-oxidant effects” on the skin. The cranberries have antioxidants to fight free-radicals on the skin.

How does it work? I applied the mixture with a cotton ball and left it on for about 25 minutes, or as long as it took to dry. It was a little tingly and smelled like berry herbal tea. It left my skin feeling tight, smooth, and looking a little pink. It can leave your skin feeling a bit dry, so be sure to follow up with a moisturizer.

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If I were to wish one thing on my worst enemies – or say the executives of British Petroleum and everyone else who so callously destroyed the Gulf of Mexico – it would not be disease or famine or anything so terrible. It would be worse. I would wish those responsible to be covered from head to toe in acne. Biblical boils. Why? Because acne is bad, bad news.

Okay, so maybe I’m being just a smidge dramatic. But who doesn’t think back to teen times when a big honkin’ zit threatened to ruin the prom/Homecoming/big date with the captain of the football team? (Yes, it’s a 1955 movie starring Doris Day in this article.) Many of us lived a teen life dedicated to drying out our faces. Moisturizer was a sick joke available only for supermodels and masochists. And sunscreen? That was only for noses and shoulders.

And while some of our parents practically bought stock in Clearasil, some of us turned to home remedies. Hot towel to “draw out” impurities? I would often burn my face sitting wrapped in one. Alcohol-soaked makeup pads to run over spotty foreheads? I wouldn’t think of going to bed without one. And let’s face it, teen years may be the primary time for acne. But most of us deal with it in some form or another in our entire lives.

What to do? Check out some of these home remedies next time you feel acne making an appearance.

Acne Face Wash – Baking soda and lemon juice are great way to clean out your clogged pores. Take ½ cup of warm filtered water and combine one teaspoon of baking soda with one teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix in a bowl. Using a clean cotton pad, wash your face and rinse.

Onions also have antimicrobial properties that can help fight acne-causing bacteria. Smash a bit of fresh onion and apply it directly to your spots. Onion juice has also been shown to help with acne scarring.

Lavender oil is known to have antiseptic properties and can help keep your pores free of bacteria. The same goes for tea tree oil.

PlanetGreen offers this fantastic last minute tip: Grab an avocado and “mash up a little bit and apply to the offending area to zap inflammation and redness.”

Have some of your own acne home remedies you’d like to share? Please feel free to leave a comment!

Image: Auntie K

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