Hands up if you’ve vowed to stay away from sugar, coffee, chocolate and booze this month? Yeah, thought so. But, before you commit yourself to boredom and drain that bottle of Vodka down the sink, think about whether you’re lacking any beauty products. Just when you thought the naughty things in your kitchen had become your foes, they’ve become your best beauty friends…
The Hair Thickener: Coffee
Before you indulge in the grande latte you swore off but a few weeks ago, we’re not giving you an excuse to drink the stuff. Sorry. Hold the temper tantrum though, because if like us you’ve wished for Gisele hair on the reg, we’re about to get you excited. Did you know that rubbing caffeine (aka coffee) directly onto the scalp stimulates hair growth? Sounds far fetched, but before you accuse us of bullshit, research published in the International Journal of Dermatology showed that caffeine-solutions block the effects of a naturally occurring chemical known to damage the hair follicle. In short, we’re literally holding the cure to baldness in our hands. Get brewing…
The Skin Smoother: Sugar
Mary might’ve used it to make her medicine go down, but we’re adding a spoonful to our homemade body scrubs. Sure, it’s villainous for our figures, but in fact works wonders for our bodies. Firstly, a quick rub with this white gold can restore the balance of our skin. Sugar is a natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the environment into the skin to keep it hydrated and conditioned. Secondly, the sweet stuff can eliminate blemishes thanks to it’s glycolic acid content that breaks down the ‘glue’ holding dead skin cells together and finally, it’s an amazing exfoliant. Small granules are more gentle than salt, so you won’t risk microscopic tears or strip the skin of it’s natural oils. Ground breaking? No. Does it work? In the most delightful way!
The Face Lifter And Glower: Chocolate
Who would have thought that when we were smothering our face in chocolate at the age of 5, we were onto something beautiful? It’s no secret that cocoa is rich in antioxidants (that’s why we eat that 8th square of chocolate, right?!) so finding out it has benefits for our skin, as well as our taste buds, shouldn’t come as a surprise. Not only can our favourite treat reduce inflammation, it can also increase the production of collagen, rebuilding the skin’s elasticity and upping it’s hydration levels. So try melting it down and smoothing it on. Chocolate’s bad for you? Pffft… Not anymore.
The All Round Beauty Hero: Vodka
We all love a tipple now and then, but a slew of shots never fail to result in a breakout. No, we don’t mean the slap fest we had with our boyfriend’s ex, we mean the zits perched along our chin the next morning. However, in addition to being the base ingredient of your Screwdriver, a small amount of diluted Voddie can also act as a natural astringent - cleansing the face, tightening the pores and killing any bacteria in its way. Beware of not putting pure vodka on your face though as it's very strong (as we know from the hangovers!).
But that’s not where this little beauty stops. It can also do cool shit like prolong the life of your razors (a small glass to rest in will do the trick), treat dandruff (a shot in your conditioner, hey presto!), even replace your daily mouthwash – well, at least that’s our excuse. It’s the best thing to come from potatoes since, well, potatoes.
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Picture: Maurizio Di Iorio
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.