Nurse-y uses for everyday things that’ll make your skin glow!

Those back-to-back shifts have taken a toll on your body, mind and, most of all, face. Remember the good ol’ days when you actually got eight consecutive hours of sleep a night? Well, there’s no replacing a good night’s rest, but the good news is that you can achieve a gorgeous complexion with some simple, fast weekly maintenance.

Here are some natural ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen to do just that. Try these new uses for old standbys to bring the glow back to your face.

Skin Savers

H2O
You already know you’re supposed to be drinking lots of water, but the easiest and fastest way to refresh your complexion is actually to splash cold water on your face. The cold water constricts surface blood vessels, creating a smoother, tighter appearance. Plus, you’ll feel more awake after dousing yourself with icy water—perfect if you need a pick-me-up during a long NOC shift!

Milk
Milk isn’t just for your morning cereal anymore! If you’ve got five minutes at lunch, head to the break room fridge and mix together milk and ice cubes in a bowl. Dip a washcloth in it and place it over your face for five minutes before rinsing with cold water. Milk can help brighten and lighten skin, and the lactic acid in milk helps with exfoliation.

If you’re just getting home from a long day and want to pamper yourself, a thorough exfoliation treatment goes a long way in boosting radiance. Exfoliation removes surface dead skin cells that are hiding the pretty, shiny new skin, and helps boost collagen production for that tighter look. Exfoliation also helps your skin better absorb additional skin treatments.

Want a super-easy, natural scrub that’s also extremely gentle? Mix ¼ cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk together and apply it to your face. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing with water (you can apply the cold water trick here!) and applying moisturizer or other treatments.

Cucumber and Tea
If you have puffy eyes from long shifts, sliced cucumbers are great for reducing swelling (just don’t pop them back on your salad when you’re done!). Don’t have cucumbers? Use soaked tea bags (black or chamomile) instead. Black tea has caffeine, which constricts blood vessels. Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory and can help reduce puffiness.

Marcela De Vivo, the founder of Gryffin Media, is an accomplished online marketing professional with expertise in social networking, search marketing and Web analytics. Currently she is working on a series of articles about products for healthy hair.