Yogurt: budget beauty

Yum... yogurt. But not the flavoured stuff with the long long long list of unpronouncable, unrecognizable ingredients; scour the grocery shelves for the real stuff. Yogurt has two ingredients: active bacterial cultures and milk. Check out Balkan or Greek styles, which are typically the healthiest, and stock up! Not only does yogurt contains zinc, which helps to clear up blemishes and give you 'sparkly eyes' (Tightwad loves this benefit in particular), yogurt offers more calcium than milk, so it promotes bone health. Other goodies found in yogurt include protein, potassium, riboflavin, phosporus and magnesium.
To keep your intestinal department and everything in that general zone running smoothly, boost your good flora by upping your yogurt intake. Yogurt can be used as a soothing ointment for sunburn and is an excellent home remedy for reducing pesky dandruff problems. For a frugal facial mask, mix yogurt and strawberries in a blender and slather it on. Yogurt facials are said to have a bleaching action, good for toning down freckles. This is attributed to its high protein, calcium and acid content.
When cooking with yogurt, make sure you drain it of all excess fluids, cook on a low heat and fold it into other ingredients - try to avoid stirring it. Save calories by using plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream or as a partial substitute for mayonnaise.
For more budget beauty booster ideas, check out Tightwad's posts on uses for olive oil, apple cider vinegar and avocado.