As much as I enjoy splurging from time to time on pricey beauty products, I also really like trying out simple, DIY beauty items. Not so long ago I wrote about home-made hair care -- using foods like mayonnaise and beer to soften and brighten your hair. I think what I like about at-home beauty is that, since the tips are usually cheap, barring any major disasters you can figure out which products you like without having to waste a tonne of money on stuff that turns out to be not so great.

I was pretty excited to find this list of 10 great budget beauty products that you can make at home. They're all really simple, containing only a few ingredients each. In addition, a number of the 'recipes' include a lot of the same ingredients -- like essential oils and rubbing alcohol, so you only have to buy a few things and can still try most of the ideas. All you need is a range of empty bottles and containers and you're good to get started.

I only found the list a few days ago so I haven't had time to try too many of the ideas, but the ones I have had the chance to give a go have all worked well. My favorite suggestion so far is the first -- the spray conditioning treatment. Simply get a spray mist spritz bottle, put a small amount of conditioner in the bottom, fill the rest with water and shake well. The author of the article suggests experimenting with the amounts of conditioner and water in order to work out just the right strength of conditioner for you.

I've also tried hair clarifying treatment. All you have to do to get rid of build-up on your hair is combine a bit of shampoo and baking soda in your hand while you're in the shower, work it through your hair and rinse. The piece says that if you're a first timer you should use baking soda throughout your hair and then shampoo. You should follow this up with a deep conditioner to prevent major tangles. I admit that I skipped this suggestion and just went for the shampoo and baking powder mixture, followed by lots of conditioner and it seems to have worked quite well.

The final tip that I've tried is the after shower body oil. I wasn't sure how much olive oil to use so I started with just a small, quarter-sized drop in my palm combined with some lavender essential oil. I was afraid that I'd end up really greasy looking and smelly but it actually worked alright. Perhaps it was because I only used a little bit of oil but I'd definitely be willing to try this one again.

I'm hoping to give the other ideas, including the scented body spray, the everlasting hair spray and the salt and sugar scrubs, a try soon. But if any of you out there decides to see how they work please let the rest of us know which tips you tried and what you thought of them.