Honey removes dirt from pores and dead skin cells from the surface of your body, while yogurt is an incredible moisturizer.  Strawberries have lots of folic acid and vitamin C, which help clean your skin and close pores.  Milk is great for softening the skin, vinegar will make your hair shiny, and using honey as a conditioner will increase your hair’s moisture.

So why should I go out and spend $10 on face lotion, $17 on under eye cream, and $10 more on body lotion when I already have all of those things in my kitchen?

Duh, I shouldn’t, and either should you. Instead, let’s all use everyday food and other products we’ve already got lying around the house to do the same things as all those expensive beauty products. Here are 5 at-home remedies to start with that are fun to make, all-natural and easy on the wallet. I think this is what Charlie Sheen would call ‘Winning.’

1. Eye Makeup Remover

Olive oil is a great eye makeup remover because it moisturizes the skin around your eyes as well as your lashes as it removes the makeup.  Just use it the same way you would use a normal product; dab some on a Q-tip or a cotton ball and wipe away.

2. Body Scrub

For exfoliating, combine brown sugar, a little bit of sea salt (removes dead skin), honey, lemon juice, and olive oil together.  This will create a product with the same kind of grainy texture as an exfoliating product you might buy in a store. Plus, since it’s all natural, it will be way better for your skin!

3. Hand and Foot Exfoliator

Salt+ sugar +olive oil= hand and foot exfoliator. If you are doing an at-home manicure, try massaging this into your skin before you start polishing.   Total cost= virtually nothing.

4. Face Mask

Mix a half cup of oatmeal with half of a peeled cucumber (chopped), an egg white, a teaspoon of olive oil, and a tablespoon of honey.  Blend these together in a bowl. Wash your face and hold it over a bowl of steaming water for about ten minutes to open your pores, then place the mixture on your face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.  The natural mask will moisturize and nourish your skin, giving you a healthy glow and baby soft skin. If you feel like really indulging, put some cucumbers over your eyes.

5. Deep Conditioner

As strange as it may sound, the protein in eggs is great for damaged hair.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil to mixed eggs, put it on your hair, and wrap it in a warm towel for 20 minutes.  Afterward, you can shampoo and condition like you normally would. Cheaper than one of those deep conditioning treatments at the drug store, this will give your hair a much needed pick-me-up from your normal routine.

In addition to helping you save money, these natural products can often be better for your face and body than chemical-filled products.  It can also be nice to know exactly what is going on your skin, instead of using a pre-made mixture full of ingredients you can’t pronounce. And these few ideas are only the tip of the iceberg; there are LOTS of options for skipping the drugstore and making your own stuff at home. (Here are 50!)

If you have any more tips about great at-home remedies, share the wealth and comment below!

Greasy hair is caused by a number of things, and it can even be genetic. In this vid, I’m going over some easy tips to keep your hair less oily!

As always, if you’ve got something you want me to cover, post it in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out my other videos right here!

But I loathe the possible side effect of smelling like a blend of hemp and granola from all my green efforts. And I hate when other people smell that way, too. Thus, I have put together a list of the best enviro-friendly bath product companies for ladies.  No hemp or granola; only cute, yummy-smelling products that also happen to be good for the environment.

So go ahead – splurge a little in these stores.   Your skin and your “mother” (nature, that is) will thank you.

100% Pure – This company boasts no animal products, fragrances, thickeners, emulsifiers, or preservatives.  Just pure, smelly, fruity goodness.  They feature a full line of bath, skin, and hair care products.  My personal fave is their body washes that actually make you smell like what it says on the bottle (genius, I know!).  They have several scents to choose from, ranging from mint eucalyptus to dark chocolate mocha. (Editor’s Note: If it’s all natural, can we eat it!?) My personal fave, however, is the Honey Almond Milk Shower Gel.  It’s seriously like taking a bath in a creamy almond smoothie, but without all of the clean up.

Lush Cosmetics – This company has stores in 35 countries across the world.  Lush hasn’t just conquered the far reaches of the globe, they’ve also become one of the green powerhouses of the bath product industry.  Their products are all natural and they have practically eliminated any unnecessary packaging from their products. Most items can be purchased by the pound and are wrapped with parchment paper upon purchase.  For their catalogs, and when packaging cannot be avoided, they make sure to use post-consumer materials to save them trees.   Lush also makes all of their products by hand (I’m talkin’ smashing coconuts with hammers kinda work), which saves energy and provides jobs.  If you’re going to give Lush a try, I strongly recommend trying their skin care line.  I personally love Ultrabland, a peanut oil based cleanser that can seriously take off ANY makeup you may put on your eyes without the painful sting of alcohol-based makeup removers.

The Body Shop – Now the other two are probably a better bet for eco-conscious products, but this one’s good simply for it’s level of convenience.  A closer store requires less driving, which saves gas and money in the end.  The Body Shop has all natural products and has also been working to incorporate sustainable ingredients and Post-Consumer packaging into them for quite some time.  Furthermore, they are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2010, meaning that they will be purchasing enough carbon offset credits to completely cancel out all of the carbon produced due to production, shipping, etc.

But it’s the products that matter, right? Well, The Body Shop has ‘em. Whenever I step into one of their stores, I always have to sample their Mango Body Butter (and by sample, I mean slather enough on my body to last for the next 3 days).  It smells absolutely delicious and smooths your rough patches with Community Trade cocoa butter. It’s by far the best stuff out there.

FYI: According to their website, The Body Shop was the first company to source sustainable palm oil from Colombia in 2007.  Since then, palm oil has been deemed as an environmentally harmful product as it results in degradation of many of the world’s rain forests and, thus, large carbon emissions and habitat destruction of several endangered species. I do not advise or suggest purchasing items that contain palm oil. The rest of their stuff, though, is totes fine.

1. We are the fattest country in the world.

2. We are the largest oil consumer in the world.

(Honorable mention: we produced Paris Hilton.)

But what if we could solve both of those problems (sorry, there is no solving the Paris issue) at once?

Enter Dr. Alan Bittner, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles. He used the fat he was sucking out of those vapid LA women and turned it into fuel for his SUV. Yes, you read that right: he drove to work with someone’s thighs.

Apparently, this isn’t anything new: “Fat–whether animal or vegetable–contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel.” Even companies like Tyson are looking at using the animal fat – currently an annoying biproduct of production – to fuel their delivery trucks

This news not only means that we can stop “funding terrorism” by depending on the Middle East for oil, but that the U.S. could become the largest exporter of oil in the world! No need for offshore drilling; think of all those overweight Americans that we could drill! Think of all the money we could make!

If this isn’t an answer to all of our problems (obesity, dependency on the Middle East, the recession), I don’t know what is. Seriously, you can start right here. I have enough fat on my butt to get myself home for the holidays.

You know what would really spice that meal up? Onion rings! Unfortunately, those little rings of fried goodness are not always an option when you’re eating at your favorite hamburger joint. And you cry.

But wipe those tears, sister. Say TTFN to that restaurant and head home to whip up your own tasty onion rings. Why not? They’re delish, easy…and they involve beer!

Here’s what you need:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup beer

1 large egg

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 cups vegetable oil

2 large white onions, sliced into rings

How to get to onion ring heaven:

1) First, combine your flour, salt and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and whisk in the buttermilk, beer, egg, and lemon zest.

2) Now heat your vegetable oil in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Dip several of the onions into your batter to generously coat them.

3) Place the coated onions into the oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning once. Make sure they’re nice and golden brown. Remove the onions and place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

4) Season with salt and lemon (if you want) and dig in! Of course these onion rings are best with a big juicy burger, but I’ve been known to eat a plate of them on their own. What? Onions are a vegetable. And if I use enough ketchup, I get a full serving of tomato, too!

You should also have some beer left (lots if you bought a 6-pack!) and what’s something that goes just as well with hamburgers as onion rings? Beer, of course. I’m pretty sure life does not get better than this.

As I continue to try and wrap my head around Sarah Palin, the GOP’s newest Vice Presidential pick (“a woman making strides toward the white house, good!”, “a woman who thinks the government has the right to tell her what her reproductive rights are, bad!”), a few wayward comments flying around the internet and media have gotten me really confused.  According to sources, Palin is on record stating that global warming is not man made, and that polar bears aren’t endangered

…What?

“A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location.” Palin stated as early as a few weeks ago to a conservative magazine for it’s September issue. “I’m not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.”

As a moderate liberal, I can often support Republicans and Independents, as long as I believe their brain is in the right place. The thing is…denying humans have anything to do with global warming, and working to keep polar bears off the endangered list goes beyond politics and veers into …well…complete and utter wrongness.

“The state of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, Gov. Sarah Palin announced. She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state’s northern and northwestern coasts.”

“Palin argued that there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.”

Alaskan oil is more important than protecting wildlife?  Wildlife that has met the unfortunate conclusion time and time  and time again of drastic decrease or even full extinction in the next 50 years?

How is McCain and crew (not to mention Palin herself) going to twist her statements into sounding even remotely with the times?  You know who else thinks global warming is propaganda, and could give a rat’s ass about the polar bears?  My next door neighbor.  Who’s 85.  And who thinks the birds on the telephone wires are communicating directly with NASA.

Even though I’m proud of the fact that old white dudes are finally taking women seriously, I’ve been wary of Plain from the beginning, and this new information has done nothing to assuage my fears. Palin may be a powerful woman, but she ain’t no Hillary, and she certainly ain’t no environmentalist.

Most normal fajitas or any similar Mexican-like foods will set your number of daily calories over the edge with gobs of refried beans, sour cream, or crazy cheese sauces. Not this fajita—it has all the taste but serious health benefits as well. If you are craving something Mexican that isn’t quite authentic but that tastes fresh and delicious, this is what you want!

It can easily be a 15-minute dinner if you’re rushing, and it’s pretty versatile (any kind of bell pepper will work, the corn is optional, etc.). Here are the ingredients for one fajita:

• canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil (or any other oil, really)

• 1 thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into strips

• ¼ tsp taco seasoning

• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips

• ½ medium onion, sliced into thin rings

• 2 tablespoons corn, fresh or frozen (optional)

• ½ to ¾ cup fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese

• 1 whole-wheat tortilla wrap

To begin, put the oil in a shallow pan. Let it heat up, and add the thin rings of onion and strips of bell pepper. Sauté them over low-medium or medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until they are browned, much reduced, and beginning to caramelize.

At that time, add the chicken strips and the taco seasoning. Continue to sauté until the strips are cooked through but not browned. Stir often because taco seasoning can sometimes stick to the bottom of the pan.

Next, add the corn. If you’re using frozen corn, the little bit of ice on the kernels should wet the pan enough so that you’ll be able to scrape up any spare taco seasoning on the bottom. Turn the heat to low.

Prepare your tortilla while you’re waiting for the fajita filling to finish cooking. Grate the cheese if necessary, and set it aside. Put the tortilla on a plate and line it with the fresh spinach (pat the spinach with towels if you need to so that it’s not soaking wet after rinsing). Turn off the heat on the stove, and scoop the filling over the spinach.

Finally, sprinkle the cheese over the filling. If you want the cheese to melt, just pop the fajita in the microwave for 15 seconds or so.

If you layer a ton of filling on the fajita, it’s great to eat with a fork and knife. Otherwise, you can wrap it up for a portable dinner that’s waaaaaay healthier than stopping for take-out Mexican!

Diablo Cody: She stripped…and no one wants to forget that

Gas has almost doubled in a year. I smell the fumes of a conspiracy…

Blohan is poor and boring.

The Pentagon wanted Guantanamo Bay interrogation notes destroyed. Conspiracy #2?

Rupert Everett isn’t a fan of America. That’s okay. I can’t remember ever being a fan of him.

The dreaded College Wait List just got more confusing.

Midwesterners are drenched. But if you live there…your basement has already told you this.

Man, do I love the Golden Girls

This is pretty much the scariest picture that has ever been burned into my rentas

In a recent conversation, the topic of male strippers came up (actually, this topic comes up in more conversations of mine than you’d think). Being the kind of girl who’s seen Chippendales a few times, I didn’t see anything wrong with hot guys dancing (kind of laughably) in almost no clothing. To me, it’s just one of God’s many gifts.

A friend of mine, however, saw it as the exact opposite. In her opinion, male strippers not only emasculated themselves, but ruined their attractiveness level by attempting to attain the ideal hot guy persona: shaved chest, oiled body, and perfectly manicured hair.

I was shocked and horrified. Male strippers may be hilarious, but denying their hotness seems like a sin. Besides, most people don’t bat an eyelash when it comes to chicks taking off their clothes.

What do YOU think?

Jessica Simpson is set to rake in 3 million dollars to renew her deal with the pimple poppers over at Proactiv.

Basically, this means she gets more money than she gets to star in all of her blockbuster Hollywood films…to just stay kinda pretty and smile a lot. But get this! In the past, Jessica the Genius has gone on record saying that it was the prescription Accutane that cleared up her zits.

It wasn’t until she signed a contract with Proactiv in 2005 that she had what seems like a change of heart:

“I just had so much build up and so many clogged pores that once I started using Proactiv Solution, my face was just shining. I’m passionate about Proactiv because it worked for me and it gave me so much confidence.“

Maybe her face was shining because she’d returned to being excessively oily after the effects of Accutane wore off. Or maybe she’s just, you know, lying to make a ton of cash for putting in almost no effort.

It doesn’t really matter what Jess says because I don’t know about Proactiv anyway.

It always seemed like such a scam. I’ve tried it twice and all it’s managed to do was face my face smell like a foot. Not to mention drying it out so bad that I had to stay in bed and let it heal.

I had to let me face heal. My face!

So forget Proactiv and forget Jessica Simpson…they’re lying, she’s lying…it’s all the name of the game.

Besides, I wouldn’t trust a company that uses Britney Spears as a spokesperson for beauty.