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"Orange Is the New Black": The Weirdest Place You'll Find Rad DIY Beauty Tips

You won't believe these MacGyver-meets-Maybelline beauty tricks from behind bars
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Strawberry Jelly and Cocoa Butter = Hair Gel
"Gel", "Jelly" ... basically the same, right? The next time you have a flyaway that just needs to be tamed, take a cue from inmates and head to the kitchen. According to Bigger, inmates often multitask pantry items because they're easier to get to (or barter for) than spending a fortune on pricey products in the commissary. To wit: Prisoners will use whatever jelly is on hand, mixed with a bit of cocoa butter to counteract the stickiness, to make an impromptu hair gel. Slick away and try not to crave peanut butter.

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Hot Peppers and Cocoa Butter = Skin Tightening Pain Reliever
When it comes to moisturizing, you can't go wrong with shea butter served straight up. But when you add in chewed-up hot peppers (as demonstrated in one of the show's more painful scenes), this mixture offers a whole host of benefits along with quenched skin. "It's an old, old holistic remedy that actually works!" says Bigger, referring to the pain-killing and skin-tigthening powers of the active ingredient capsaicin, which hot peppers are full of. Don't worry about scorching your skin with capsaicin. "The peppers are hot in your mouth, but once you put them on the skin, they're not," says Bigger. "The chemicals are tricking your brain into thinking it's hot, but you'll never get a blister or a burn. It's a very clever herbal remedy."

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Cherries and Beets = Dramatic Lip Stain
The Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade and Strawberry Kiwi shades you'll get from your Crystal Light gloss are all well and good, but Bigger says inmates who want the more vampy, dark look (very on trend, btw) turn to juice -- of the cherry or beet variety, to be exact. A few swipes of these potent, highly pigmented juices creates a deeper lip stain. If you try this at home, steer clear of your teeth when using beet juice -- the stain on your pearly whites is bad enough, without people assuming you're shacking up with Dwight Schrute.

BY ERICA SMITH | JUN 16, 2016 | SHARES
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