The Breakfast Club: Kitchen Beauty Tips

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it can also be a low cost way to treat your hair and skin to spa luxury. Use your morning leftovers to look your best.

Here are a few cheap tricks to look lovely while eating well in the morning.

Treat Your Tresses to a Spot of Tea

While a cup of tea might be a nice way to start your day, it's also a way to jump start your hair color. Soak your strands for high-wattage shine and rich color, whatever your hue. To make this treatment for your hair, just steep two tea bags in two cups of boiling water. Use chamomile to lighten and brighten blonde locks, Rooibos for redheads, and pick up some black tea to make your brunette locks more luscious. Let it cool down (obvs) and pour over wet, clean hair. Make sure to get it from roots to tips. Leave on for 15 minutes, rinse and condition.

Give Your Cellulite a Cup of Joe

Want a pick me up that won't have you crashing in the afternoon? Make your morning cup work double duty. I recently posted about great ways to get ready-to-bare legs and included a hint about using coffee grounds. Just mix used coffee grounds with a little almond oil for extra moisturizing and massage in a circular motion for firmer legs and subtle color. The caffeine in coffee and the exfoliating effect rival those of high priced dimple busting products.

Dead Skin Gets Fresh-Squeezed Out

After enjoying your morning grapefruit, get some extra refreshment by rubbing your knees and elbows in the rind. The essential oils and acids will exfoliate your skin naturally, leaving you glowing, even where your skin in toughest.

Make Your Skin Sweet

To look as sweet as your morning cereal, mix equal parts sugar and honey for a natural, moisturizing (and edible) facial scrub. Apply in a circular motion to let this sweet paste work its magic and rinse well. The sugar gently buffs the skin, while the honey moisturizers naturally. Plus, it leaves a yummy aroma behind.

A Nice Bath of Warm Milk

Milk isn't just for your breakfast; it's for your bath, too. Add 2-4 cups of milk or buttermilk to a warm bath, soak for 20 minutes or so to get milks moisturizing and smoothing properties. Be sure to rinse afterward, or you may feel like a cereal bowl.

Porridge for Itchy Dry Skin

You like your oatmeal lumpy and your skin smooth. Fair enough, because you can have both. Grind oatmeal to a fine powder and use it in your bath to moisturize skin. Now that you've started your day off right, it's time to start thinking about lunch. Cucumber eye mask, anyone?

Know a trick that turns a household item into a beauty luxury? Leave it in the comments below!
 

Annie Mebane is a screenwriter and improviser living in Los Angeles. A veteran Savings.com DealPro and beauty product aficionado, you can catch her blogging about beauty on Wednesdays.