Beauty Secrets Shared & A Winner Announced

(Yes, those furry cute paws are those of Miss Nellers.)

I received over 180 entries for the Green Beaver products giveaway and I'm thrilled to announce the winner: Kim, on April 26th she submitted her entry below:

Drinking lots of water, exercising, and opening my fridge…not for eating either! Sometimes I mix plain yogurt with coarse sugar for a nice facial scrub, I use a ripe avocado and slather it on my face once a week and leave on for an awesome hydrating mask. Adding milk and honey to my bath water and I use the gel inside my aloe plant for a facial mask as well once a week. All of these leave my skin feeling oh so great without spending a ton of money on facial products laden with chemicals!

CONGRATULATIONS KIM!!!

I absolutely loved reading all your responses and learning your beauty secrets. The most common one of course being my fave - coconut oil! It's multi-use from hair moisturizer to eye makeup remover is always a fave beauty secret, plus it tastes delicious.

Here are some other comments that I handpicked to share with you. Thank you to everyone who entered! Remember to enter your email address so that you can get my weekly "dose of joy" e-newsletter on the right side and find out about upcoming giveaways, joyous news and health tips to add joy to your life!

Amy: What works for me is: Water. Sleep. No sugar. No alcohol. Treating yourself to a facial once in a while, helps to boost the glow factor too!

Melissa: I use coconut oil as a moisterizer for my skin, it’s great as a night time face cream! I really notice that my fine lines seem smoother the next day from all of the moisture my skin gets througout the night. Coconut oil is also amazing as a hair conditioner. I only wash my hair every other day so the night before a wash, I slather on some coconut oil (organic of course) and the next morning I wash my hair as per usual and it is so shiny! I learned about the many uses of coconut oil from your site, Joy!

Maya: After years of spending ridiculous amounts on skin care, I have learned that the best secrets are very basic (and inexpensive): coconut oil for moisture, tea tree oil for the occasional breakout, and baby butt paste for rashes/ irritations. Magic. And you absolutely need to eat well! Skin health starts on the inside.

Tara Frey-Durston: Hi Joy! LOVE your blog…especially your video blogs! My “Green Beauty Secret” (which apparently isn’t much of a secret since a lot of the comments agree) is to use coconut oil for everything. My favourite use for it is to moisturize my hair every month or so. I am prone to dry hair because I live in the mountains in Whistler BC where the weather is fairly harsh and I spend A LOT of time outside. Coconut oil brings luster back to my hair and skin – I use it topically and internally.

Kelly: Smiling. It changes everything, outside and in. When you smile and you mean it, the endorphins are the most beautifying thing on the planet. They’re contagious, too.

Katie: My beauty secret is simple: be mindful of every thing you put in or on your body. Just as much as you are what you eat, you are what you rub into your skin. Some of my favorite foods are also my favorite skin remedies: coconut oil, turmeric and avocado makes a feet facial mask and they are all three ingredients that I use regularly in my cooking. Other foods I find to be beautifying are daikon radish, burdock root, and kombucha. Eating clean, whole foods beautifies you from the inside out.

Tricia: Honey, that’s my keep it simple solution. I use plain honey, with casteel lavender soap and sometimes I will make a facial with items such as an egg, or avacado and of course add the honey.

Jen: I drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, eat clean, and exercise. When you do those things, you glow all on your own!

Megan: I use lavendar oil whenever I can and it’s safe to put right on the skin which is lovely. I also use it in homemade bath bombs. I wear my lavendar eye pillow before sleeping at night to calm me down and prepare me for a good night’s sleep which is essential for beauty!

Brena: #1 beauty secret – smiling!

Tracy: A few of my beauty secrets… I drink green drinks with keeps my skin hydrated and I use coconut oil on the driest parts of my body. Works fabulously!!