Five cool tips to share...

I am up late doing a working and need a major break! The kids are in bed, already watched a movie with my hubby (The Sentinel.. pretty good), and got my layout almost done! So I was thinking maybe I would share a couple of cool tips that might interest some of you.

Tip Number 1: Did you know that bleach actually makes whites, gray, in most situations? Because of all the minerals etc in city water, well water and even with water softeners... it most likely will give your whites a little gray tint rather than brilliant white. Well living with my step mother, Maria.. (she is the queen of what cleans the best, what gets things out and probably one of the best cooks I have ever known.)... she told me the secret to keeping whites white. I am always amazed at how white her towels are and all of her white clothing. The secret? Cascade dish-washing detergent and a good soak. She will put her whites in at night with a full cup of Cascade dish-washing detergent (she says it has to be Cascade), and your regular cleaning detergent (NON bleach.. like tide or the cheap stuff we get like sun??). Let them soak overnight and then in the morning just start your wash and walla! She says she rinses them twice because there is so much soap in it. She also says you don't have to do it every time you wash them, just every other time.. but NEVER use bleach.. even when you aren't using cascade.   So there is tip number one! Thanks Maria :).

Tip number 2: comes from a girl I met about a year ago. Don't know her name but she has saved my hair on quite a few occasions since. She was checking me out of the massage therapy place (ringing up my bill) and her hair was just so stinking cute. It had a curl in it but more of a wavy curl. I instantly thought it must be natural, so I asked. She said nope! She used a curling iron. A smaller size one. Not the smallest but the next size up. I would say 3/4"" barrel. Many of you sent nice e-mails and left comments about my picture and my hair. on my blog.... Well it's all because of the no name girl. So here is the tip. It's almost like curling your hair into ringlets except instead of starting at the bottom of your hair, you start at the roots. Open the barrel to your curling iron and wrap your hair around the barrel until you can't wrap anymore. Don't worry if hair is hanging out. It looks even cuter that way. Then close the barrel, wait a few seconds depending on how hot your curling iron gets and let go! It creates this wonderful wave that starts right at the top of your head!

You can do bigger chunks of hair (like 1" sections") or you can do strands.. both ways are cute. But that's my secret to GREAT hair! and the best part.. it stays all day. I can even wear it a second day and just do a few touch ups. Which is CRAZY for me, because I have thin hair and I can only wear my hair down one day before it's major greasy or just plain flat. So that is tip number 2!

Tip number 3: This tip goes along with tip number two... dirty hair curls better and stays longer than clean hair. It's true. When I was first married I used to be one of the people who helped do all the girls hair for drill team competitions and cheerleading competitions. Dirty hair just curls better. Now.. it can't be TOO dirty.. but say.. wash it one day, and then curl it the next. Which is also another trick. Wear you hair straight the first day and then the next, shower but don't wash your hair and then wave it! It will look cute and stay even better! Thrn the next day  (the third day) don't wash it again and put it in a messy bun or half ponytail and it will still look "hot" because you will have this wave in it and some of your bangs or hair around your face will fall down and just kinda be messy. So that is tip number 3! By the way, I usually only wash my hair 2-3 times a week. Its much healthier for your hair.. PROMISE (but I do shower more than that! I think...LOL)

Tip number 4: This is another beauty tip. Growing up my mom was a Mary Kay consultant Which was great because I got HOOKED on MK product. I swear by it. That's why I look so young for my age  or so people tell me. I am sure I would get carded if I drank.. but i don't.. but I have been carded for buying spray paint! LOL.. (eeks! almost 32.. and freaking OUT!).. oh! so back to the tip! Okay... so for SOO long I thought that since my eyes where brown I should wear brown, orange or bronze eye shadow to compliment my eyes. Thats what my mom was taught and that's what she taught us. But I learned early last year from another MK consultant (my mom sadly does not sell it anymore.. but she did get her car!!)... well I learned that actually opposite colors make your eyes stand out. So for me, wearing purple or reddish eye shadows will make my eyes stand out more... the opposite color just makes my eyes pop! (which makes sense. You can also translate this into scrapbooking when it comes to pictures) So if you have blue eye: wear browns. Hazel eyes: Wear purple. Dark brown eyes: wear green, and Green eyes: Hum.. not sure.. maybe blue? I need to find that one out. That's probably one everyone knows.. so I will throw in one more.. just to make it good.. putting foundation on your lips and then using a lip liner to lightly dust your entire lip too, before putting your lipstick on, will make your lipstick last 2-3times longer sometimes even more! So that is tip number four!

Tip number five: Well this is my favorite tip because it has saved my skin more than you know. It is the cure all, end all of BE all. (for me anyway). This tip came from my wonderful mother-in-law, Ann, who has a remedy for EVERYTHING. In my family, we get alot of cold soars and I have tried EVERYTHING i can think of.. including Abreva and other prescription medicines ( that is actually supposed to stop them once they  have started.. but nothing works!!)  I mean sure there is Lysine which helps heal it faster and Abreva and other stuff which heals it faster too. And then even medication.. but all they do is make them HEAL faster. This stuff.. seriously STOPS it.. if you put it on your cold soar the MINUTE you feel a bump.. and I mean just clump it on.. It will go away! Now if you don't catch it at that stage.. Still use it because it will heal it in like 3 days.. I am not even joking. This stuff not only works for Cold soars, but everything. cuts, soars, pimples.. you name it. My sun licks his lips alot and it his skin right above his lip gets really red and soar. That stuff heals it in no time! Now here is a warning: .. it's only for external use.. and check with your doctor before using it. This is my personal opinion only.. so please don't sue me if it breaks you out in hives! LOL..

okay so what is it? It's called: Corona Ointment. It's for horses and cattle but I use it and love it. Ben's family has used it for years on everything their children had. External stuff and it really does work. It's pretty greasy but that's okay. I just clump it on and leave it. If I am going out , I rub it in just a little on my lips and it still heals it but looks more like lip gloss. And that folks is tip number five!

so what's your tip?  I would LOVE to know it... seriously! Can't wait to hear!

Comments

[JWDazzle]

OK, I have to go back and read the other tips but I just too notes of your Corona ointment. My DH gets cold sores so I will have to try this one out! Where do you get one though?

Funny, when I read your later blog entries and saw you mention Corona ointment, I thought you were talking about a Beer! LOL!

Thanks for the tips!

[deb munn]

Cool tips!! Definitely going to try some of them :)

Amy is right... purple shades for green eyes. Orange works great for blue too (I'm a former MAC girl myself).

:) deb
xo

[Tanya Webster]

LOVIN this blog!! LOVIN the tips and am sooo gonna try them...if you can, ask your mother in law how to get mud stains out of a white dress...have tried many things and it is still not helping!!!!! will try and think of some tips to share :) T

[Vanessa Reyes]

cool post , I have a few . . . for poison oak use athletes foot cream to dry it out, to get rid of aphids on your roses try using the brown part of a ciggerate I think it's the filter, it's the part that you don't smaoke with a little water in a spray bottle let it sit for a day or so and spray your plants.
Vanessa

[Amy Yingling]

Love your blog. So happy to find you. Your tips are amazing and I will be trying the cascade one. Also, green eyes should always weare purple liner, clothes etc.
Learned that from the MaC girls.
THanks for sharing so many fun tips.
Amy

[Lori Renn]

Hi Christy! Got my S. Etc. in the mail yesterday and saw your picture. It reminded me of when got to meet you at Cut n Paste. Hope all is well with you and you are loving all that is new in your life. Amazing tips by the way!

[Bethany]

Thanks for the excellent tips Christy...your awesome!

[Wendy Sue Anderson]

Fun tips - thanks for sharing! :)

[Jill]

This is the best blog post EVER!

[nancyJones]

wonder if that ointment would work for eczema my little girl has SEVERE eczema (and I get shingles all the time)

[Brianna]

Love the tips...I have been looking for something to keep my whites-whiter, and my sister is gonna be thrilled about the cold sore healer, she's 17, and gets them all the time. Not fun for a high-schooler.
Here are a couple of tips, you probably already know...Bee stings? use toothpaste (make sure it's the paste, not the gel). Toothpaste also gets koolaid stain off your kids lips (and surrounding area).
WARTS? use duct tape. Just cut off a small square and apply to the wart. Whatever is in the tape, it works just like the wart remover stuff in the store. Leave it on for a few days, and take it off, the wart should die. (however some warts are buggars, and they just won't go away)

[Tena]

Lovin your tips ! Tena

[Chris]

What cool tips!! Not sure that I've ever seen that dish washing powder in Australia though. THanks for sharing!

[Chasi]

I just found your blog. Very cool. I have a couple of tips for you to try. First one, when you or your kids or anyone for that matter has a splinter or something similar, take a any type of aspirin in pill form, crush it with a little bit of water and make it into a paste. Once you have the paste made, spread it on the area with the splinter or whatever. Then place a band aid on it. Keep the band aid on overnight. Pull the band aid off in the morning and the splinter will come out with it. It works every time. My doctor gave me this tip. You can also buy aspirin strips in drug stores. We have hard work floors in a really old house and my kids always have splinters. I once had to take my oldest into the doctors because a splinter got infected. He put an aspirin strip on it for about 15 minutes. The aspirin strip caused the splinter to start coming out and it helped with all the pain and infection. I use it all the time. Another really good tip is, if you have ants in your home. Mix equal amounts of Borax and Sugar. Then poor this mixture around the entire perimeter of the outside of your home. The ants are attracted to the sugar. The ants take the mixture back to the ant hill and it kills them all. Works like a charm. I do this every spring and fall, just for prevention.

[Kristin]

I grew up with Corona oniment we call if WoolFat though! You will never have a baby with a diaper rash if you only use this. Also put it on your lips each night and you will always have beautiful lipstick the next day!

[Amy]

ooh the hair..love the hair thing!

[kim in Camas - ScrapToMyLu]

WOW! I love those tips! I'm gonna try the Cascade. My mom and grandmother used to boil their linens in lemon water to brighten their whites up.
I have curly hair, so I won't try the curling iron........don't even own one.
The ointment.......I'm gonna try that. I don't get cold sores, but I do get an occasional pimple. I bet it would be great for cracked heels. Thanks!

[lauravegas]

great tips christy! i know about the washing hair trick ... i only wash mine about 2-3 times a week. everyone thinks i'm crazy ... but it really does help in styling. lol! will have to try the curling iron thing ... my curls just aren't looking the same anymore.

[DarlaLOU]

I love all those tips! Great stuff for Moms!! I agree with the Cascade tip too...my sis is a nurse and that is how she keeps her nursing whites white! I am going to have to try the curling iron tip too.....great one! My tip?? If you have kids and they spill koolaid on the kitchen counters (which they all do) you can put a bit of baking soda and water into a paste and rub it right out... works in seconds and is awesome!

LOVE your Blog Christy! Darla

[Cari Locken]

Oh my goodness - those are fabulous tips Christy! Thanks!

BTW, so happy I found your blog! ;)