Beauty Tricks for the Cheap Pregnant Lady

Have you heard the news? I'm pregnant! If you're a regular visitor, this isn't news. If you're new - WELCOME! If you've been living under a rock, it may come as a surprise that I'm due in February. Being pregnant hasn't always been the greatest journey. In all honesty, sometimes it down right SUCKED! When I was a teenager, I had clear skin (for the most part). I rarely wore make up and I had the WORST eyebrows!

As I got more comfortable in my skin, I started playing with make up more. My skin behaved fairly well. Then I moved to Israel and my skin reacted like this: "WTF? WHY IS IT DRY HERE? WHY ARE YOU SWEATING SO MUCH? HOW MUCH WATER CAN YOU DRINK RIGHT.NOW.?"

You get the hint. My skin doesn't like it here.

Being pregnant reminds me of my first few months in Israel. Well, skin-wise. My skin does NOT like pregnancy. I'm constantly hot so I'm always "glowing"... I'm convinced I could oil up our car with the crap that comes out of my pores. A few months ago, I took a stand against my skin and started the oil cleansing method. Since then, my skin is a lot less oily but I still get the occasional breakouts - like this past weekend. I have a few quick beauty fixes that can help just about any pregnant mama-to-be as well as some cheap beauty tricks.

First thing: try the oil cleansing method. It's going to feel weird at first but it's done wonders for me.

Once your skin is a bit past rehab, invest in a tube of plain white toothpaste. Nothing special needs to be added to it - I prefer Colgate. Don't get the kind that whitens/brightens/protects against cavities. You're not using this on your teeth, it's going on your face. Since we pregnant ladies can't use salicylic acid, it's hard to dry up the occasional pimple. Enter toothpaste. Take a Q-tip, put a little dab of toothpaste on it, then dab the toothpaste on your zit before you go to sleep. It may take 2 or 3 applications but it's better than popping it and the darn thing just flakes off.

Pick up some witch-hazel at the dollar store. Every day, I take a cotton pad of witch-hazel and find the nearest bathroom around 3pm. My skin gets oily around this time and rather than wiping the oil off with my hands, I wipe it off with the cotton round. Sometimes this involves putting on more makeup afterwards but I usually stick to mineral powder anyway. Your skin will love this and your face will feel less oily.

Olive oil is your friend. So is coconut oil. In the winter, my fingers get really dry and this pregnancy is making it worse. So, instead of getting high priced cuticle oil from the store, I massage olive oil or coconut oil into my finger nails a few times a week before bed. It leaves my nails looking nice and keeps the dry brittleness away.

My hair has also been known to act a fool during pregnancy. We go through weather changes more quickly here than I am used to. So, one day my hair is oily, the next it's dry. My cure? Beer and mayonnaise. Don't laugh. Sometimes a quick beer rinse before shampooing and conditioning will help your hair become shiny. Mayo helps add some oil to the frizz and keep the ends from drying out.

Another trick is slightly more expensive. For some unknown reason, yogurt is insanely expensive here. If you're feeling a little hungry for some Greek yogurt but only want a little bit, you can use the rest of it as a mask for your face. The lactic acid will help loosen up dry skin and the coolness of the yogurt will help calm down some of the inflammation. Personally, I do this on days when I feel like my face is huge and I'm feeling gross. Just slather it on, lay down for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a warm wash cloth. Feel free to add some honey to the yogurt before putting the mask on. The anti-bacterial properties in honey work wonders for your skin.

You don't need to be pregnant to use these tricks - I was using them long before I got knocked up.