Look Like a Movie Star at ‘Nerd Prom’
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is only 24 hours away. You don’t have time to pick up your evening gown from the tailor, buy a new pair of matching shoes, get your hair done and feed the kids before your Uber limo arrives to whisk you away. Time to get a facial and your makeup done too? No way!
Well, according to Dr. Howard Sobel, a New York City dermatologist, sometimes the best beauty fixes can be found in your medicine cabinet or even in your kitchen. Fancy treatments for hair, skin and nails are luxurious, but all the good stylists are already booked and you’ve broke the bank on those shoes and gown.
Beauty from the bathroom
If you’re plagued with oily skin that always looks shiny no matter what you try, the cure may be minty-fresh. A mask with milk of magnesia can suck the oil out of your pores.
“Milk of magnesia has hydroxide of magnesia as an ingredient, which absorbs oil and causes the skin to tighten. You can apply it all over the face, or just on blemishes as a spot treatment,” Sobel says. Simply apply to skin, let dry for 15 or 20 minutes, rinse, and follow with a light moisturizer for super-smooth, matte skin. Gross, but cool, no?
No time to eat right? Did a zit the size of Mt. Rushmore pop up on your face? If you succumb to the temptation to pop it, dab a tiny bit of Neosporin on it and cover a small bandage. The bandage will help keep the medication on your face and off your pillow. According to Sobel, the antibiotic elements of the ointment will gently heal and disinfect the zit, without the irritating effects of alcohol.
Need to shave your legs so you don’t snag your stockings, but your kids used all the shaving cream to make beards? Try baby oil. Chances are that you have some lying around the house anyway, so try it out next time you’re gettin’ serious with your Schick. The best part: there should be enough oil left on your skin that you don’t have to apply lotion afterward.
If you haven’t gotten enough sleep the last few nights staying up after the kids are tucked in to get ready for Nerd Prom, you may want to get de-puff your eyes. We’ve all heard that Preparation H works well. But according to Sobel, this is an at-home treatment that you’ll want to avoid. “Years ago, Preparation H had live yeast cells as an ingredient, but it has been reformulated without it. It does contain Phenylephedrine HCL, which is used in nasal decongestants to constrict blood vessels — but there isn’t enough of this ingredient to affect the under-the-eye area.”
Remedies from the refridgerator
Is your hair dry and frizzy? Simply mash an avocado and a few tablespoons of olive oil and apply to wet hair. Let sit for 15-20 minutes, then shampoo and condition as usual. The result: shiny, quenched locks from ingredients that you probably already had in your salad arsenal.
If sleep has been missing in your schedule lately (there are ONLY 24 hours in a day), your skin may be missing its usual brightness and luster. To make the gray go away, squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto a cotton pad and apply to skin.
“Lemon juice is an acid, so it can act as a toner for dull skin,” says Sobel. “It has exfoliating properties, so it can help brighten the look of the skin. But, it can also be very drying, so make sure to rinse it off after ten minutes or so.”In case you haven’t heard, apple cider vinegar is a total beauty powerhouse. It may not smell as nice as La Mer, but you can’t beat it as a cheap and easy skin treatment. Use it as a pre-shampoo rinse once a week is you’ll have a clear, healthy and itch-free scalp.
And after all that alcohol and salt from pre-partying, dining and post-partying, you wake up with puffy skin, Sobel recommends trying an egg white mask: “Egg whites can have a drying, tightening effect on the skin. They also provide some exfoliating properties.” To avoid over-drying the skin, follow the egg white mask with a moisturizer. Avoid it altogether if you’re breakout-prone. Sobel claims that egg whites can exacerbate breakouts.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.