I love little tips & tricks that can make life easier. In today’s blog, I wanted to share some tips I recently learned that I think are pretty nifty for your good health.

An herb that clears up blemishes - For a gentle & effective way to nix summer breakouts, try this trick: add a handful of basil leaves to 1 cup of boiling water, let simmer for 10 minutes and let cool. Use a cotton ball to dab the liquid onto problem spots and wait 10 minutes before rinsing. The eugenol oil in basil kills acne-causing bacteria. This is such a natural & inexpensive way to fight acne!

No more scalp sunburns – Have you ever burned your scalp? Just like we protect our body & faces, we cannot forget our scalp. If you forget to bring your hat to the pool, try rubbing a chapstick with SPF down your part and hairline.

Apply a tea compress to soothe sunburn – We’ve all had sunburns and they can be painful. Next time, place a cooled tea bag on the sunburn. Tea is rich in tannins – plant compounds that reduce inflammation and speed healing tissues

Dab on vinegar to heal poison ivy – Urushiol – the rash-causing oil in poison ivy – is incredibly tough to get off your skin. The remedy: apple cider vinegar. Soak a cloth in the liquid and press onto skin for 2 minutes to break down the oil, and then wash with a grease-fighting dish detergent to lift it off your skin.

Sprinkle on salt to ease bug bites – When the swelling and itching caused by insect bites drags on for days, consider reaching for salt, it helps break down the inflammatory proteins your body produces in response to the bites, plus destroys germs trying to sneak in through damaged skin.

Check out: For women FIRST magazines for lots of nifty tips & tricks.