Kate Demolder: Here are my top eight beauty tips that cost pennies (or nothing at all)

From using a can of coke for lymphatic drainage to sugar and oil for a scalp scrub, these are all tried and tested

Tried and tested beauty tips that won't cost you.

December has well and truly come and gone. And, if you’re anything like me… you’re tired, too afraid to look at your bank account and somehow still full from Christmas dinner. So, here’s something that should help: eight beauty tips that won’t cost you anything at all. Some are old, some new, but all tried and tested for moments like these. Enjoy.

1. Lymphatic drainage (via items you have at home)

A coke can is great for lymphatic drainage 

This is one I picked up by way of avant-garde makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. Her YouTube channel is brilliant for backstage beauty tips, including the one where she uses a can of Coke (or whatever you have yourself) straight from the fridge and rolls it under her chin to restrict blood vessels and make her look more awake. The same can be done with a refrigerated apple.

2. Double duty

Welda's nipple cream can also be used as a lip balm

Multi-purpose products are all the rage right now, a remedy to the enormous makeup bags of yore. Check your beauty products and see what they can do double duty on, in the same way that haemorrhoid cream can be used for under-eye bags. Nipple cream, for breastfeeding mothers, makes a brilliant lip balm, lipsticks make the best blushes and adding a lightweight oil or moisturiser to your thicker foundations will dilute them down to skin tints. Glycolic acid toner also allegedly makes a great deodorant. Get experimenting… within reason.

3. Ice cubes

Dunk your face in ice cubes to depuff

Fill a big bowl with water and ice cubes and dunk your face into it for 10 seconds. This will soothe redness, and de-puff, and tighten.

4. Scalp exfoliation

Jojoba oil and sugar make for a homemade scalp scrub

We’ve been treating scalps like they don’t matter since the dawn of time. Scalp care is imperative if we want our hair to grow, and as such, exfoliating away dirt, grime, and dead skin cells is important. Make your own scrub at home with any number of recipes available online; brown sugar and oatmeal; avocado and sea salt; salt and olive oil and/or sugar and jojoba oil.
Pro-tip: if you’re blonde, use clear or light ingredients to not stain your hair.

5. Rehydrate yourself in the morning

Make lemon water a part of your morning routine 

Eight glasses of water has long been considered the essential amount to stay hydrated. But, it’s actually contingent on each individual body’s needs and activity level, as well as factors such as outside temperature.

One thing we all have in common, however, is that most of us get dehydrated overnight. Drinking water in the morning gives us more energy and sets us up for the day. To optimise this, drink room-temperature water with a squeeze of lemon for some vitamin C, and liver-cleansing properties. (The vitamin C in lemons is also essential for collagen production.)

6. Change your bedsheets weekly

Make weekly bedsheet changes part of your routine 

Pillows, pillowcases, mattresses, and sheets collect skin cells, hair, fungal spores, bacteria, dust, lint, and cosmetics. Dirty sheets can add to asthma, and allergies and even cause acne mechanica, which is any type of acne that is the result of material or objects touching your face. Make it part of your routine and your health will thank you.

7. Warm, not hot, showers

Turn down the temperature to avoid breakouts

Excessively hot water triggers excess oil production, meaning your hair will get greasy faster and your skin may break out if you turn the temperature up in the shower. It’s especially bad if you’re shaving, so turn down the temperature (warm is fine) and save yourself some irritation.

8. Damp skin benefits

Don't completely dry your skin after cleansing. Picture: La Roche Posay

Applying products to already damp skin allows their ingredients to work better; usually better penetration and optimal results. After cleansing, don’t completely dry your face before applying serums, moisturisers, and oils for enhanced hydration.

That said, skin should be dry when using active ingredients to avoid irritation. While keeping your skin damp before a hydrating serum should be alright, be sure to pat your skin completely dry before applying ingredients like peeling masks or retinol. The last thing you need this January is irritation, we’ve left all that in 2023.