Alternative Tricks for Beautiful Hair and Nails

When you're in a jam and desperate for hair or nail help, the perfect fix can come from some highly unexpected places. We have talked to many readers and have the following tips:

Strengthening Your Nails

Dump a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic in your base coat. It strengthens nails really well (some people claim it also helps them grow faster) for a fraction of the price of drugstore nail hardeners.

Don't peel off a hangnail or chipped nail

If you can't get to a salon, grab some fake nail glue. Using something small, sharp, and unlikely to flake off (like an orange stick, a toothpick, or the tip of a pin), swipe a tiny bit of glue into the crack, let it dry, and then paint over it with a base coat and polish if you have it.

Pam Oil Will Set Your Manicure

In the old days, salons used mink oil to set manicures and help dry them. Now they have fancy hand dryers, but oil is still a good way to keep your nails from smudging or getting divots.

Got Nail Fungus!

Try putting Vicks Vapo Rub on your hands and feet before you go to bed, then wear gloves and socks over it. (Old British Trick from the Editor-In-Chief at MyInfotogo.com). It should take about six to eight weeks to alleviate most of the effects of the fungus, although it may not kill it altogether.

Alternative For Hair Curling

Put a paper bag on your head. Yes, no joke! Curls work on the same principle as rag curls. Tear a big paper grocery bag into strips, then roll your towel-dried hair up in them. You can sleep on them or, for faster results, blow dry them and spritz with hairspray.

Got Oily Hair and No Shampoo?

Grab a packet of (plain) dry oatmeal. It absorbs oil just as well as dry shampoo or powder, and it's easy to brush out.

Remedy For Dry Or Brittle Hair

Here's a trick from your grandparents: use mayo as a hair mask. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did it, and look how shiny their hair was. All jokes aside, the egg and oil in mayo make it a good strengthener and hydrator.

Need More Hair Shine Without More Spraying?

If shine spray weighs down your hair too much, or you just don't have any available, rinse your hair with vinegar while you're in the shower, leave it on for three to five minutes and then rinse it out with cool water when you're done. Another fast shine fix is to dip your hair in ice water. The cold seals your hair's cuticle, making it look smoother and more reflective. Just don't dip your scalp in and give yourself brain freeze.

Remedy For Hair Static

Swipe a dryer sheet across the offending hairs to tamp down fly-aways. It reduces static in your hair the same way it does in your towels.

Don't Wash Before Styling A Hair Updo

The trick to an at-home updo is dirty hair! Hair is more moldable like clay on the second day that means you won't be spraying your way through cans of hair spray and other styling products, in an attempt to tame wisps and strands. For most, just one solid finishing spritz of spray and handy bobby pins are all that's needed after styling an updo into day-old hair.