Today's store shelves are lined with a variety of natural, healthy goods that claim to heal you. But before you reach for the latest beauty product or wonder food, consider alternative uses for ordinary products already in your cupboard. Simple, everyday items like apple cider vinegar and honey provide inexpensive, effective uses for beauty, health and housekeeping. Long credited by folk wisdom, these substances continue to have useful applications for today's health- and cost-conscious consumers.
Beauty
Apple cider vinegar and honey are useful and versatile beauty products. Jeramee Sikorski of Mother Earth News recommends soothing a sunburn by liberally applying apple cider vinegar directly to your burn. Marie Claire magazine suggests making homemade masks with honey for a budget-conscious beauty facial treatment. As an alternative to expensive commercial hair conditioners, you can use apple cider vinegar. Dilute some vinegar with water, apply the mixture to the ends of your hair, let it sit for a minute, and rinse it off.
Health
Apple cider vinegar and honey are important for the internal and external health of our bodies. Eating a tablespoon of vinegar--including flavorful apple cider vinegar--with your meal can reduce the glucose spike that often accompanies large, high- carbohydrate meals. Without the spike and subsequent low, you won't get hungry quite as quickly and may be less tempted to snack between meals. Honey provides a good remedy to an energy low, as it is broken down quickly and efficiently utilized by the body. Honey in a hot beverage has long been used to soothe sore throats and promote restful sleep. Additionally, it is effective as an antibacterial salve for wounds and burns.
Housekeeping
Get the same housekeeping results with apple cider vinegar that you will with an assortment of expensive, chemical-laden cleaning products. You can substitute vinegar for ammonia when cleaning glass and mirrors. Vinegar can be used in conjunction with other products like baking soda, lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide, for disinfecting, unclogging drains, and scouring stained surfaces. Adding apple cider vinegar to your load of laundry will soften and freshen your laundry without the chemicals found in dryer sheets. You can use vinegar outdoors to spot-spray on weeds and forgo the toxic herbicides. Use honey mixed with boric acid to attract and kill ants in your home.
References
- Mother Earth News: Incredible Sunburn Remedy: Vinegar
- Marie Claire: Homemade Facial Masks
- Mother Earth News: Natural Hair Care: Three Reasons to Live Shampoo Free
- Mother Earth News: Kick the Free Radicals, Boost Your Health: Three Antidotes to Overeating
- Mother Earth News: The Benefits of Honey: A Remedy for Sore Throats, Wound Care and More
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