Budget Beauty: 5 At-Home Ways to Improve Your Appearance

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Colgate-Palmolive. All opinions are mine alone. #OpticSmiles #CollectiveBias

There is a fine balance between maintaining an appearance we can be happy with and breaking the bank on beauty treatments like hairstylists, spa visits and professional teeth whitening. Luckily, there are many things we can do right in the comfort of our own home that keeps us looking great and keeps money in our pockets at the same time.

Do Your Own Nails
While getting a manicure and pedicure can be a nice treat, you can make your own pampering experience at home without having to worry about whether they have really cleaned those foot soak baths after having hundreds of feet in them. With all the easy to use products on the market now links nail wraps, you can have a professional looking result and the pride of responding to compliments by saying “I did them myself.”

Color Your Hair
I’m not about to try to cut my own hair (although I’m sure some of you talented people would be able to do that), but coloring your own hair at home is easy. Just be sure to follow the instructions on the package and protect your clothing while coloring. And don’t drip the color on the rug! I have made that mistake in the past. Since coloring is usually the most expensive service at the salon, doing your own at home can save a lot of money. (This is my latest home hair-coloring result photo.)

Give Yourself a DIY Facial
Head on over to Pinterest and you’ll find oodles of easy-to-make DIY face masks and facials. One that I like is to mix together a tablespoon of canned pumpkin with 1/2 teaspoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon milk. Apply to your face for 15-20 minutes and then wash away with warm water. You’ll be left with soft, glowing skin and enough leftover pumpkin to make a pie or some cookies!

Trade Massages
While some people don’t consider a massage a “beauty treatment” they can help you feeling more relaxed and rejuvenated which, in turn, improves your appearance. Plus a massage can help get your blood flow and circulation going and even help you sleep better. That means fewer under eye circles! Trade a massage with your spouse or, if that’s not an option, your sister or a close friend. You can find lots of online resources to improve your technique. If all else fails, let your (little) kids walk up and down your back a bit. Even if the massage isn’t that great, the resulting laughter will be well worth it.

Whiten Your Smile
With new Colgate® Optic White® Express White toothpaste, which I found at Walmart, it is super easy to whiten your smile at home. It has 2 times more of the professionally recommended whitening ingredient vs. Optic White Sparkling Mint toothpaste, which means you can see whiter teeth in just 3 days*, just by brushing. (If you were wondering, it uses the dentist recommended hydrogen peroxide to accomplish this rapid whitening.) We brush our teeth everyday anyway, so why not make it improve your appearance as well as your oral health?

*For best results, use as directed for 4 weeks.

With whiter teeth in just three days, what would you be smiling at?