5 Favorite Beauty Hacks

best beauty hacksfavorite beauty hacks

It’s no secret that I am former pageant gal (shoutout Miss Mississippi Teen USA… a million years ago), so I have a few beauty hacks up my sleeve.  Some of them are still useful today, others not so much. And by not so much I mean roller ball booty glue to keep your swimsuit from moving around while you’re onstage. Again… not as useful.

BUT today I want to share some of my favorite beauty tricks that I still use all the time. And of course, if you have any hidden secrets up your sleeve, spill it ladies!

1)  Toupee Tape for Body/Fabric Tape | This is my favorite by a landslide. What is going to be stronger to hold that dress to your chest than the tape that holds a man’s toupee to his dome!?

2)  Castor Oil in Hair | I just discovered this hair mask recently and have been loving the results. Once a week I give my mane an oil treatment. I massage it into my scalp for about five minutes, accelerating blood circulation to the scalp and increasing hair growth. It also nourishes the scalp and strengthen the roots. Then I just put all my hair in a top knot for up to six hours and forget about it.  I’m about out of this batch and just ordered this one. For a step by step video of how I do it, you can watch this video.

3)  Coconut Oil for Makeup Remover | This is less of a secret these days, but I’ve been using coconut oil for all kinds of beauty needs for the past five years or so. This was actually something I learned from the product development team at Urban Decay! In the winters I will mix some with my body lotion if my skin is dry. Love this article with multiple uses for coconut oil!

4)  Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick as Chapstick | When I worked at Southern Living, I had the most darling coworker who now lives in New York. I was a Mentholatum addict, and she introduced me to this Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick as chapstick. ADDICTED. I have one in my bedside table, one in my handbag and I use one with SPF in the summer!

5)  Charcoal Powder for Teeth Whitening | I just discovered this recently after too many disappointing teeth whitening results, and I love it. I try to use it once or twice a month before I brush my teeth and you instantly see results. I also took it to my dentist and he agreed that as long as I am not using it everyday, there shouldn’t be any damage to my enamel.

I hope some of you found these tips helpful! Would love to hear any tricks you might have. Thanks so much for reading – XO

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35 thoughts on “5 Favorite Beauty Hacks”

  1. I’ve been using Black Jamaican Caster Oil for many years now. I have a SUPER dry scalp and use it on my ends as they tend to split easily. I also use it around my edges, esp. the back nape. It! Works! Wonders! I try to use it every other day. I notice whenever I stop using it for a while, my hair starts to break. So I will be a BJCO (what ‘we’ call it) user for life!
    And the coconut oil goes without saying. It’s the best!

    http://www.keepingupwithcandy.com

  5. I keep my Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil in the fridge to keep it solid. I scrape off the amount I need, warm it up in my hands and apply. I like the cooling feeling during these hot summer months. I also love Palmers Coco Butter stick.

    1. I have a little stash under my sink that stays solid that I prefer over the liquid!

  6. Hi girlfriend! I’m about to be a bearer of bad news. Pls don’t hate me!
    I’m a dentist and using charcoal for teeth whitening makes me cringe. There is not much research out there about it because, truthfully, not much research has been done but a group of dentists here have been studying for a while so I can’t keep quiet about this!

    Charcoal is incredibly abrasive for your teeth, it’s like rubbing your teeth with sandpaper. You won’t notice it now but any long term use of charcoal and you’ll have no enamel left. The science behind charcoal is it actually absorbs the stains on your teeth, so you could make it into a thick paste with water or coconut oil and place it on your teeth, it would do the same as brushing without destroying your enamel. Unfortunately though, charcoal is only for surface stains and won’t actually whiten the tooth, below your enamel, as a whitening product would.

    Just be careful and safe using this. I wanted to give you a full disclosure with a medical background because online research doesn’t always have all the info.

    1. Haha I don’t hate you at all! So the reviews on Amazon were so insane I had to try it for myself, and now I see why it works. I guess my question is – if I don’t feel like whitening strips work that well and I don’t want to spend $5678987, what would you say works well for brightening your teeth?

      1. Hey Kathleen!
        I noticed your curiosity about teeth whitening, and I myself often have to find multiple ways to keep my teeth white naturally.

        One thing that might help is adding a tiny bit of baking soda to your toothpaste, and even a little bit of hydrogen peroxide. It helps a lot, and wiping your teeth throughout the day.

        Wiping your teeth with a napkin after drinking brown liquids will tremendously make a difference without harming your teeth.

  8. I love this list. I use coconut oil in so many areas of my life, I love the stuff. I’ve been curious about the charcoal for teeth whitening. I take charcoal tablets when I’m not feeling so hot, it helps me detox. Have you really seen results using it for teeth whitening. I’m a little nervous after reading the above readers (Ann) comment. I need to try the castor oil, Ive heard great things but have never tried it.
    Thanks for sharing.
    http://www.forthewonderer.com

    1. Very interesting about the tablets! Castor oil rules. But yes, Ann is a dentist – so listen to her before me!

  9. Love this post!! I used the coco butter chapstick years ago and kinda forgot about it! Also going to try the caster oil on my hair for sure! I just discovered Olaplex to restructure my bleached hair and it has worked miracles for me! You don’t need it with your beautiful hair but it’s a godsend for chemical junkies!
    xx Tammy
    http://www.HerStyledView.com

    1. I’m sure this question is directed to Kat but I’ll give you my two cents! Your hair does not have to be clean. As far as shampooing it after using BJCO, it depends on the type of hair you have. Not sure of your race, but with black hair you typically don’t have to shampoo it out. Black hair/scalp is generally dryer than other hair and will absorb the oil more. With white or other hair, it tends to weigh it down. So it would need to be shampooed out after a few hours (or however long you can stand it). Happy Hump Day!

      http://www.keepingupwithcandy.com

      1. Thank you for the insight Candy! To Heather – yes I use the oil on my hair BEFORE I want to wash it. So after my hair is 2-3 days dirty, I’ll do the oil treatment and then wash it out. I hope that helps!

    1. Ooohh I would never think to use coconut oil as shaving cream. I love that! Thank you for sharing –

  13. I literally died laughing at your toupee tape comment… at work, out loud, straight up by myself. Swear we’d be great friends in real life!

  17. I have a coconut oil hair gel but have never put pure coconut oil on my hair – I’ve heard nothing but good things so I’m definitely going to try that this week. I had no idea you could use it as makeup remover too! Is this something everyone knows and I’m just late to the game? I can’t wait to try it!

    Caitlin
    wandererandwolf.com

  18. I’m trying the castor oil tonight. Since my hair is 40% dry shampoo right now, I have to wash it tomorrow anyway! I love all of these tips!! I tagged my mom to follow you on Insta and she called me the same day to tell me about your toupee tape. LOL!! It was more of an “I told you, see even Kathleen uses it!” And she had told me about it before, but it wasn’t until I saw your post that I bought it. 🙂

    1. Hahaha Miranda!! This just made my night! I love it. And the toupee tape works (and I think the castor oil has already made my hair thicker)!!

  19. If you feel like the oil is too thick, you can mix some olive oil with it to make the consistency less thick. I usually massage it into my dirty hair but make sure my hair is brushed through. Then when I was it out, I use conditioner on the bottom half of my hair and I always use detangler before I brush my hair out with a brush like this. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you! There is also Biotin which has slower results but definitely helps with hair growth.

  20. Hi!!

    This is so out of the topic but i just wanna share mu story hopes will hell if you have same problems. Im a flight attendant so i use make up alot! Lately i got so many pimples on my face. I notice it because of the weather. Living in middle east so hot like very hot during summer sometimes flying to somewhere cold and chill make my face confuse hahaha. So i decide to stop all the foundation, compact powder, sunscreen. I use only olive oil for make up removal and as moisterizer. I use it as much as i can when im at home not flying. Annnnddddddd i put argan oil and almond oil on my belly button. You guys search on google. It works!!!! I just use only olive oil and almond oil on my belly button. My face getting better now! Also when i got sun bathing i dont use any sunscreen i use olive oil bit of course you can not be too long under the sun. ( im indonesian with naturally having a brown skin so when i use only olive oil and go sunbathing my skin wont burn and become red. This might not work for some people) but i can feel some benefits using olive oil. You guys wanna try please do.

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