Trust We, Dey Work! The Girlfriends share tried and tested beauty and health remedies

It’s pretty easy to identify the items we don’t “need” to survive if we’re to ride out these hard times, but putting it into practice may be a little harder for some of us ladies who’ve come to rely on certain beauty routines. No matter how naturally blessed you may be with good looks, staying beautiful ain’t cheap! Can I get an Amen?!

So, while weekly salon/spa trips are no longer economical to some, that doesn’t mean your beauty game needs to die alongside your dream of winning the lotto (yet).

This week the Girlfriends share some tried and tested beauty and health remedies with a couple household remedies thrown in that not only works wonders, but can also be made from regular, everyday items that most of us already have at home.

Staci: My favourite party trick is using Club Soda to remove a stain. It’s really easy too. As soon as the stain happens, grab some club soda and a clean cloth or tissue. Dab generously and voila! The first time I tried it was after an encounter with red wine and a crisp white shirt. Miracle it came out so quickly, with not a trace of red wine anywhere. Like Jesus and the wedding kinda red wine miracle. I also swear by toothpaste on an oozy zit too, dries that bastard right up overnight.

Lis: Toothpaste cleans silver as well.

Kimba: To cure fever: soft candle/grated nutmeg and Bay Rum. Light the mixture on fire till soft candle melts to a liquid. Let it cool, then rub over entire body, go to bed under a blanket and in no time the fever breaks.

Martie: Nothing cleans windows and mirrors like newspaper.

Staci: For real Martie, that just requires a little more elbow grease though.

Martie: Once you clean the glass and it’s still a bit wet, not much elbow grease required, don’t wait til it starts to dry.

Staci: I love this one as it tastes so good… honey and lime soothes a sore throat.

Lis: Vinegar in the final rinse softens clothes.

Staci: Serious? What about the smell? Any?

Lis: No smell... white vinegar and not too much... use just like fabric softener.

Staci: Nobody believes me with this one but it works every time for me, a teaspoon of brown sugar gets rid of hiccups. Every. Single. Time.

Lis: Olive oil and salt rubbed on scratches on wooden furniture and the scratch disappears… tried and tested... I was amazed.

Ronz: I grew up hearing if you have gas or, “wind” on your stomach then drinking water with bitters will break it up and get rid of it. You have to put more than just a couple drops but it works.

Martie: Oh, yes the bitters. Cure for lots of ailments, which was its original purpose anyway!

Tamz: My granny use to tell me use Vicks. In fact, everything was Vicks! You hungry? Smell Vicks. Headache? Vicks. Pimple? Vicks. Knee pain? Vicks. Yuh want long hair? Vicks. Need your nails to grow? Vicks.

Martie: My dad used to say Tooze not Vicks. Anything wrong with yuh, go in the toilet. Headache? Tooze. Bellyache? Tooze. Gas pain? Tooze. Everything for him ‘twas to sit on the toilet…worked most times anyway.

Rors: Throw vinegar over the dishes in your dishwasher to stop the white residue or your silver from getting dull. A glass of water, with 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of honey, first thing every morning. Skin glows, you cough up impurities, and it keeps your tummy flat. One week you’ll see the difference. I do it every day.

Staci: Omg stealing that one

Elle: I use to do the apple cider vinegar (ACV) as well. Swear by it. I add lemon and cinnamon sometimes, in some warm water.

Kimba: ACV is life! As a toner, as a hair rinse, for hyperpigmentation, fading marks on skin etc. I also have it in pill form!

Martie: Also, can I say I had a skin flap for yearssssss and after less than a week of dabbing a little ACV on it, it dropped off. True story.

Mel: I have a sex health one. Washing your lady bits with diluted hydrogen peroxide and you will never have an odour. For a killer tan mix some Guinness with lotion, it gets ya nice and brown.

Martie: Oh tanning! Everyone knows I’m a full believer of cocoa butter to get an amazingly gorgeous spice brown tan. Apply on wet skin (preferably sea water wet skin). It will dry fast. Apply again and lay in the sun. It also helps you not to peel. To prevent peeling, run vinegar on the skin after you tan. Wait about 30 mins and go shower it off. No peeling and the tan stays for months. An old man told me that when I was in Tobago when I was 12 and I never ever forgot that.

Ronz: Lemon juice will lighten your hair. Squeeze it wherever you want the highlights and go out in the sun.

Rors: Brushing your teeth with strawberries is a natural tooth whitener, and there’s a homemade face scrub that I love!

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon raw sugar
Fresh lemon juice

Combine the honey and sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Mix the ingredients well. If the mixture is a little loose, add a bit more sugar.

Ronz: That scrub works! I use it.

Rors: It can also make a nice gift too. Get a cute Mason jar and tie a ribbon on she. Name she something exotic sounding too!

Tamz: Using the lemon is for people with acne prone skin, because it’s a citric acid but using it on normal or combination skin can tend to dry skin more.

Rors: I used to use a popular apricot scrub, but I went for a facial recently and the lady said it’s too harsh and was leaving micro lines on my skin.

Tamz: On normal to dry skin u can use brown sugar and olive oil or brown sugar and honey.

Mel: I use Sudocrem (Diaper rash cream) on the inside of my thighs, keeps it smooth.

Tamz: Ladies you can use the sugar and olive oil/ scrub on entire body in the shower, it’s also good for ingrown hair as well.

Ronz: I’ve tried coffee grounds as a scrub, which not only smells fantastic but is good for battling cellulite. And well, coconut oil for everything!

The Girlfriends is a group of 15 women between the ages of 26 - 45 who are willing to give an unadulterated look into their own experiences. Some names have been changed for privacy.

By Jennifer Gibbons-Joseph Who or What Is Holding You Back?