Shoot. I do declare the next few days Historic Beauty Days at Crunchy Betty. The ye olde beauty shoppe bug hit me last week, and I haven't been able to stop reading since. Here's why.For the 4th of July, we did a little something different. My parents and I sweated it out at Rock Ledge Ranch, a historical site about a mile from where I live. There, they reenact the olden days, and, par for the course, they had a special 4th of July shin dig, complete with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, ... Continue Reading
DIY Beauty
Wrinkle, Wrinkle Little Star
Here's a question for you: Do you ever think about getting older?Or, more particularly, about wrinkling? Or gray hairs? Or super saggy boobs that touch your belly button? THAT kind of getting older. Not the other kind where you start thinking about cashing in IRAs and living out of RVs half the year. You know, the anti-aging industry is a multi-multi-billion dollar industry. I think the last numbers I saw were over $80 billion a year. And as you baby boomers start ... Continue Reading
Foolproof Homemade Mayonnaise – Full of Super Secrets
A long time ago, in an apartment far, far away ... it is a period of ingredient wars. Rebel olive oil, striking from an overactive food processor, has won its first victory over the evil egg yolks.In non-nerd terms: Two years ago, I tried to make homemade mayonnaise. Several times. Not once did it work. The olive oil and the egg yolks, in my wild food processor, would not emulsify. All was lost.So I gave up.Until a couple of months ago, when I found the strength to try again. And ... Continue Reading
Heat Got You Down? Make Some Keep Your Cool Spray
When you come from hearty German stock, like me, red face is an issue. But it only happens upon extreme exertion. Like, say, moving a king-sized mattress all by myself.You should've seen my face, yo. It was like a tomato and a firetruck had a baby all over my cheeks.While growing up, this caused me great consternation, and was, in no small part, a source of extreme embarrassment at the roller skating rink. It never crossed my mind that the embarrassment, instead, should've come from ... Continue Reading
Thyme: To Control Blemishes and Acne
Ladies and gents, you can chalk up a win for the crunchy movement.A recent study, widely publicized, shows that THYME is more effective than prescription creams (containing benzoyl peroxide) at treating blemishes caused by an acne bacterium.Yes. Thyme. Scientifically proven. Better. Than. Prescriptions.How cool is that? There are hundreds of reports out there on this study, but I thought this one from the Washingtonian was the funniest. After delivering all of the good news, they end ... Continue Reading
Solving the World’s Deodorant Crisis: A New Soothing Recipe
When the kindergarten teacher asked each member of the class to stand up and say what they wanted to be when they grow up, it went something like this. I can't say for sure, because the only thing I really remember about kindergarten was being stung by red ants by the teeter totters. They even bit my hoo-haw. You remember things like that.I digress.Here's how the conversation must've gone: "Hi, I'm Johnny and I want to be an astronaut." "Hey, guys! I'm Melissa, and I want to be a doctor ... Continue Reading