Expert tips on do-it-yourself beauty at home

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Your hair color is fading, your unibrow is growing and you desperately need a pedicure.

In the age of do-it-yourself everything, you just need a refresher course in grooming. Channel your teenage years, when you and your girlfriends would host pajama parties just to braid hair and paint toenails. To help, we've gathered tips from Jessica Aguallo and Lisa Anderson, instructors at Marinello Schools of Beauty in Concord, Calif.

They have a combined 40 years of experience in cosmetology — Anderson owns Diva Styles salon in Oakland, Calif. — and are proponents of using ingredients found in your cupboard or pantry to maintain hair, skin and nails. As our professional appointments become less frequent, we decided to get tips from these experts on grooming at home.

Facial

Anderson has been giving herself facials using natural ingredients for years. She recommends the following basic facial once every one to two weeks. All you need to know is your skin type — normal, dry or oily.

Cleanse face with whatever you normally use. "Stay away from harsh soaps," Anderson says. She's a fan of softening bars, such as African black soap, or products by Eucerin or Neutrogena that won't overdry skin.

Once your skin is clean, make a natural steam to open up pores, she says. Bring a quart of water to a boil and pour into a bowl. While it's still steaming, place five tea bags — Anderson recommends camomile or peppermint — in the bowl, throw a towel over your head and breathe in the steam for three two-minute increments.

Time to slough off those dead skin cells. Make a scrub by mixing granulated sugar with olive oil. The consistency is up to you. "Just make sure it's not too gritty," Anderson advises. Rub the mixture on your skin and lips in an upward motion, massaging gently for one minute. Those with oily skin should focus on the T-zone. Rinse off.

Use a mask to close your pores. "If you have dry skin, use a thick face cream as your base and add a few drops of lavender essential oil," Anderson says. Oily types can make a mask from dry oatmeal and an egg white. Once you attain a consistency that is sticky, apply evenly to the face and leave on for 15 minutes.