While I love the whole D.I.Y. environment online, I have residual resistance to multi-purposing household items to miraculously ‘cure’ my beauty woes (and whoas.) You see I am the victim of lab-hamster-it-is – an unnatural fear of tampering with the mechanics of my skin, hair, nails, etc… without the use of tried and tested professional products applied by tried and tested professionals. Surely you noticed that the key word in the previous sentence is (let’s sound it out together): P-rof-es-sion-al. Professional. Very good. (Sorry Grammie and Mom, I can outrun you now… so put your scores of herbs and home remedies and witch-dockery away.)

That being said, Prevention magazine, in an article whose title, “Mouthwash for stinky feet? 10 Surprising Home Cures,” is suspect at best, did manage to add a little credibility to some (Calm down, ladies. I said ‘some’.) home remedy, multi-purposing that could come in handy when said ‘professional’s’ are… um… indisposed.

For instance, ever been bitten by some misguided mosquito hell bent on ruining your vacation? Squash that little bastard and then run for the medicine cabinet for… (drum roll)… an antacid table? I mean… an antacid tablet (without the question mark,) ‘cause it seems that crushing one up, adding a pinch of oatmeal (another alleged skin soother) and some water will create a fast working anti-itch salve that packs an additional healing bonus.

“Effervescent Antacid tablets provide quicker relief from pain and itching – without the dehydrating side effects.” claims Howard Sobel, MD and clinical attending physician in dermatology and dermatologic surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. And since he sounds official with all that mumbly-jumbly behind his name, let’s assume he is one of the professionals. Noted.



What about the DIY in the rather unfortunate title of Prevention’s article (aka. The aforementioned stinky feet/ mouthwash reference?) Well, it seems that it’s a touch more detailed than that, but mouthwash can actually be used to ward off that foot-fetish catastrophe the pros call athlete’s foot. Use an alcohol mouthwash to keep your feet and nails all shiny and minty smelling by soaking a cotton ball in the liquid and swabbing the deck (of your feet) with the darn thing after every shower. According to Sobel, the high alcohol content of traditional mouthwash can help ward off fungal infections, which is disgusting, but if you’re rockin’ that kind of issue, it’s good to know. My next question is the obvious one: Will a good martini do the same thing?

As a kid I had nosebleeds all the time – sexy, I know. While several of them I unfairly blamed on my brother (sorry T), all of them could be attributed to one thing: the dry, hot indoor air of a cold Ohio winter. And while most nosebleeds can be stopped with a little nose pinching for 10 to 20 minutes, some may persist (like mine that Christmas Eve so long ago, where I spent the night in the hospital - I will bite you again Hospital Santa! Don’t think I won’t!)



But lest you think the hospital and a terrifying Hospital Santa is your only recourse, Amy Sutton Peak, PharmD and director of Drug Information Services at Butler University generously lets us in on a little secret: two-thirds of people who visit an emergency room for a persistent nosebleed are successfully treated with oxymetazoline, the decongestant found in common drugstore nasal sprays such as Afrin and Mucinex. So nasal spray can, not only ease decongestion, but can also stop a nosebleed in its tracks. (insert: NBC’s “The More You Know” chime.) Simply tilt your noggin’ forward and (and this is about to get sexy, people) blow out any clots. Then use said nasal spray as you typically would into each affected nostril, proceeded by pinching the soft part of your nose closed for a full 10 minutes. Voila! A viable cure!

And the tastiest of all of Prevention’s multi-tasking treatments: Delicious dark chocolate to help protect skin from sun damage! That’s right folks, not only is it super tasty (especially with a nice glass of Italian Barolo – I’m just sayin’) and good for your thumpity heart (and for any emotional eating that needs to be accomplished), but it’s also great to smear all over your face before you exit for a day of fun and frolic in the sun.

I KID! I KID!

Before you apply a heavy layer of dark chocolate to your facial zone (nom, nom, nom) let me be clear that the benefits of this confectionary treat start from the inside out. A study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology finds that consuming dark chocolate may help protect the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. Super fancy researchers say that minimally processed dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, tiny little antioxidant friends that could prevent wrinkles and cut the risk of skin cancer caused by exposure to sunlight. The universe giveth (tasty dark chocolate in your face), then taketh (your svelt figure), then giveth (preventing sun damage), then taketh (‘causing a massive chocolate dependency that no rehab can cure.) Sigh…

Check out the Prevention article on the Today’s Show website here for more DIY and Home Remedy tips!


'til Next Time!