Miss the salon? A lot of us do. But if we all stay out of the public for a little longer, hopefully salons will be able to resume full services. Scientists are getting closer to nailing down the vaccine for this virus, which is wonderful news for everyone. The sooner we get a vaccine? The sooner our lives can go back to normal.
However, you can and should keep pampering yourself until that time comes. And lucky enough, there are plenty of household items you likely already have that can serve as great beauty products.
Today recently featured Bobbie Thomas, a familiar face on the show. Bobbie is the style editor for Today, but she's also known on other networks aside from NBC. For one, she usually appears on E!'s red carpet for big fashion-related coverage.
She even has her own blog, which she's run for over 10 years. As far as fashion and beauty go, she's an excellent source for wisdom. Especially now. Bobbie Thomas had a must-see segment with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager that goes over simple ways you can take care of your skin and hair. After trying out some of these at-home methods, you may end up changing your entire beauty routine.
Bobbie chatted on video with Hoda and Jenna, and some of her tips literally shocked them. But she's been in the industry for quite some time, so she knows not to lead her Today family astray. For one, she keeps a massive bottle of olive oil in her bathroom.
She uses it in an interesting way — to help soothe her dry hands. She says that with the abundance of handwashing, which is a great thing we should continue to do, hands have felt drier. Olive oil will help revive them a little bit and make them feel silky and smooth.
The real shocker item that also helps soothe your hands? A potato. If you have a few around the house, you might want to try Bobbie's technique. She takes a potato and mixes it in with olive oil to soothe irritated skin. If you don't have olive oil on hand, milk also works for this concoction.
"If you have leftover potatoes after dinner, dig in," Bobbie said to an extremely shocked Hoda. We always knew that potatoes were versatile. You can eat them in a variety of delicious ways. But using them to aid irritated skin is something completely new to many of us.
Another great hand-reliever might remind you a little bit of breakfast. Bobbie suggests mixing oatmeal, a ripe banana, an avocado, and honey. "If you mix that together, it's rich in proteins and lipids," she said. Bobbie suggests using plastic wrap or gloves to help the mixture really set in.
Bobbie also talked about hair. Based on staying at home, people are taking — as Bobbie puts it — a "hair vacation." But your hair definitely deserves an at-home treatment as well, especially when home stress is getting you down. Her suggestion? Sugar. Obviously, Hoda was shocked by this one as well.
Bobbie believes that just a little bit of sugar mixed with olive oil will help your scalp by stripping some of the oil buildup. One thing's for sure — it's pretty obvious we all need to stock up on olive oil during our next grocery trip. Much like white vinegar, it seems to have a ton of different uses.
Apple cider vinegar is also a hot kitchen item that seems to have a variety of uses. While some people have tried it for weight loss, Bobbie likes to mix it with green tea. The two work together to treat a scalp that's dry. Of course, just make sure you're not pouring scalding tea on your head.
Egg whites and lemons are also a good technique she recommended for hair — especially if you're dealing with excess oil. "It feels goopy and weird, but I'm telling you, it works!" Bobbie said. "It's natural beauty, it works better, you don't need all those other chemicals."
If you add honey to that concoction, you can also make a pretty good hair mask. "It makes your hair so shiny," Bobbie states. It's worth a shot, especially if you're looking for new experiments to do at home. It may also end up saving you some cash over more expensive treatments.
Finally, Bobbie covered the topic of feet for those of us who depend on pedicures to make sure our feet are soft and manageable. If you often wear heels, pedicures are a real lifesaver. In some areas, salons are slowly opening back up, but it's much safer to take care of your feet at home right now.
If you happen to have some uncoated aspirin and lemon juice lying around, you too can create a foot peel that might help with dry skin and calluses. Mixing the two will help create a concoction that'll feel wonderful on your heels. It sounds weird, but that's not the craziest advice that Bobbie had.
She was also peddling the idea of a mouthwash foot soak. It sounds weird yet oddly relaxing at the same time. Along with the Listerine, you need to add white vinegar, salt, and warm water. Supposedly this is a wonderful way to exfoliate and soften your feet. And it's always good to have mouthwash around, especially if you've been accidentally lax on your dental health.
Since many of us have a lot of free time these days, it couldn't hurt to give Bobbie's suggestions a try. She knows that some of them sound too good to be true — but she tried them all out before suggesting them to her audience. She's a great person to follow for tips and tricks like this, and hopefully she'll have more at-home suggestions in the future.
