Straight hair is sleek and professional. For people with curly or coarse hair, getting pin-straight hair can be a challenging and involves a lot of work. If the hair is wavy or close to straight, it won't take as much work, but to get hair pin-straight means that you need to eliminate frizz that will ruin the look.

Serum

Use a straightening, anti-frizz serum on your hair after styling it. This serum will smooth out any lingering flyaway hairs and weigh the hair down a bit so that it lays flat. If you are heat styling, such as using a blow dryer or a flat iron, apply the serum afterward. If you are trying to make your naturally straight hair pin-straight, apply the serum as your very last step. Comb it through the hair using a wide-tooth comb.

Flat Iron

The best way to get your hair pin-straight is by using a quality flat iron. The best type of flat iron to use is a professional one that is used by hairstylists. When you use a flat iron, make sure that the hair is completely dry first. Use it on small sections of hair and move it slowly down the hair.

Blow Dry

Another tip for getting your hair pin-straight is to blow it out with a hair dryer and a large, round brush. When doing so, aim the dryer downward to get the best results. While drying the hair, brush down sections with the large brush and hold it taut while drying it. Clip up the top layers of your hair and start with the hair underneath. Once done with that, dry the top layers.

Lemon juice has many flavorful and healthy uses when added to foods and drinks. It also has a variety of uses for natural skin and beauty treatments as well. Here are some of the ways you can use lemon as a natural part of your beauty regimen.

1 USE LEMON FOR BEAUTIFUL SKIN
For brighter, softer skin use fresh lemon juice on any area of your body, including the knees, elbows, and face to brighten up and soften your skin. Lemon juice also fades freckles and age spots by applying lemon juice on the areas before going to bed at night. Over the course of a week or two, it will cleanse the skin and lighten its color. You can also add 1/2 cup of fresh juice to your bath water and soak for 20 minutes for an all over skin treatment.

If your skin is sensitive to the citric acid in lemons, you may desire to dilute the lemon juice with a bit of water rather than use it full strength. I apply lemon juice to my skin by putting the juice on an already moistened cotton ball. It is also not advisable that you apply lemon juice to your skin before sun exposure as it makes the skin more sensitive to the sun.

Get Rid of Blackheads by rubbing lemon juice over the area of your face that has blackheads before going to bed at night. In the morning, rinse your face with cool water. Repeat this procedure nightly until blackheads are gone.

Make a moisturizing mask for dry skin by mixing equal amounts of honey, lemon and olive oil. Apply the mixture to dry areas on the skin and allow it to dry thoroughly for about 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

As a toner for oily skin, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon distilled water, and 1 teaspoon witch hazel. Use cotton balls to apply the mixture to your skin then rinse. You can store this mixture in the refrigerator for about a week.

To exfoliate dead skin cells rub a cut lemon dipped into a half-teaspoon of sugar over your face for a few minutes, or create a mild mixture by using lemon juice, sugar and a small amount of water. Do this every night to help remove accumulated dead skin cells and refresh your skin.

To make a lemon anti-wrinkle mask mix a teaspoon of honey, a few drops of lemon juice and a drop of sweet almond oil. Apply this mixture on the face and allow it to dry for 20 minutes and wash off.

2 USE LEMON TREATMENTS FOR THE HAIR
To make a hair conditioner for dull, damaged hair combine 3/4 cup Olive Oil, with 1/2 cup raw honey and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Use the mixture by combing the lemon juice mixture evenly throughout already wet hair. Then cover hair with a plastic cap or bag for a 1/2 hour. Shampoo and rinse this conditioner out of your hair.

To add natural highlights to your hair use 1/4 cup lemon juice and 3/4 cup water mixed together and apply the mixture to your hair. I prefer to mix it in a spray bottle and then spray it on my hair and comb it through. Sit in the sun for 25 minutes or use the heat from a blow dryer for a sun bleached look. Each use will lighten the hair slightly.

For a lemon hair rinse, mix the juice from two lemons (about 3 fluid ounces) with a quart of water. This rinse helps to reduce oils from oily hair.

Treat hair loss by mixing lemon juice with four tablespoons of coconut milk. Apply the mixture to the scalp once a week.

To treat dandruff and an itchy scalp take an egg white and mix it with the juice of a lemon (about 3 Tablespoons). Apply this mixture to the scalp and rub it in and let it set for an hour, and then wash it out. Repeat treatment for a month.

3 USE LEMON FOR NAIL CARE
For strong, shiny, bright fingernails soak your fingernails in lemon juice for about 10 minutes. Then brush your fingernails with a nail brush dipped in a mixture of 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 warm water and then rinse with warm water.

4 USE LEMON FOR NATURAL TEETH AND BREATH TREATMENTS
As a natural breath freshener the citric acid from lemons destroys odor causing bacteria. You can quickly rid bad breath by squirting a few drops of lemon juice into your mouth, swish it around for about 15 seconds and then swallow it, or drink lemon water during the day, to freshen up your breath anytime!

Naturally whiten your teeth by rubbing half a lemon with table salt and a pinch of baking soda on the teeth or brush your teeth with a mixture of lemon juice, salt and baking soda.

5 USE LEMON FOR A BODY DETOX TREATMENT
Lemon water is also great for detoxifying for your body. In a glass, mix the juice from a lemon with warm water and sweeten with 1 tsp of honey. Lemon juice aids your liver in flushing out unwanted toxins, stimulates blood circulation, reduces arterial pressure, and activates bile and intestinal secretions. So it's a good idea to drink lemon water daily.

A template for personal budget planning can be a handy spreadsheet tool to plan and track your personal income and budget household expenses

1 First find a personal template to download for your budget planning. Try to find one that is versatile to use and make changes but also does the budget calculations for you.

2 Next locate a place on your budget template to record your personal income and adjust the amounts to fit your household pay schedules.

3 If you have two personal incomes then it might benefit to set up your template on a bi - weekly basis for budget planning.

4 Now list all your personal expenses and group them into planning categories according to priority starting with fixed expenses (must pay on schedule), then personal needs (budget amounts and pay schedules vary), and lastly personal allowances and pocket money.

5 Make a category on your template to allow for emergency budget planning and personal savings. Set a goal and try to maintain this amount of savings monthly to use to fund tuition, retirement and for liquidity.

6 Subtract your expenses and your emergency fund amounts from your income to get your balance. Use your personal per pay period as a way of planning out your template to keep your household budget on schedule.

"Planning household finances without a budget is like trying to drive to your vacation without having a destination," warn the experts at Consumer Credit Counseling Services. If you've never created a budget, or are just looking for a simpler way to track your finances, there are personal budget planning tools to make creating a budget both convenient and easy. Whether you choose an online service or a software application, making a personal budget has never been simpler.

Mint

One of the most popular web-based personal budget tools, Mint pulls information from your online banking and credit card accounts to assist you in tracking where your money is, and where it's going. Tools such as email alerts when account balances get low and bills are to be deducted help you stay one step ahead, while alerts to warn you when you are close to exceeding monthly budget limits keep your budget on track.

David Weliver of the website Money Under 30 calls Mint "elegantly simple," while Wall Street Journal recommends Mint as a best online tool for personal finance.

One of the best things about Mint is it won't become a line item in your budget--it's free for users, although it's supported by advertising.

Geezeo

If you're more into social networking than financial planning, try Geezeo. This online personal budgeting tool allows you to view information for all your financial accounts--savings, checking, credit cards--in one place and to create a budget within the system.

Users can access their Geezeo account from the Internet or smartphone, and can share financial advice or other information through social networking interfaces built in to the Geezeo site. Members can leverage the collective brainpower of the Geezeo network to answer financial questions and get help.Geezeo is also recommended by the Wall Street Journal. It is free to register for and to use.

Word and Excel Applications

If you're one of the millions of people who use Microsoft Office Word or Excel programs, you're in luck. The beginning of a personal budget are already on your computer. Perfect for those who are wary of sharing personal financial information with a third party, would rather not have to remember passwords, and those who don't bank online but would like a budget file on the computer. The budget templates offered as free downloads on Microsoft.com offer an array of budgeting options. Whether you'd like a bare bones Word document budget, or a feature-rich Excel budget file, Microsoft has you covered, offering a range of templates for personal budgets; additionally, it offers templates for special occasion budgets for events like weddings and even holiday spending.

Paying your bills online through your bank's electronic bill pay is convenient, flexible and cost effective. Some people fear that paying bills over the Internet or electronically runs a greater risk of identity theft. However, according to Consumer Reports, identity theft occurs more often to those who pay bills using traditional methods. There are many advantages to paying your bills through electronic bill-pay.
Convenience

Electronic bill pay allows you to pay bills at your convenience, anytime, day or night. By setting up a recurring payment, you can schedule your payments to be withdrawn from your account at the same time each month. This reduces the risk of late fees and negative effects to your credit rating.
Payment Flexibility

Traditional bill-paying methods require you to submit payments by check or money order. Using electronic bill pay, you can pay your bills directly from your checking or savings account, with a credit or debit card or as an electronic check.
Secure Payments

Each time you throw away a bill or receipt, you risk the chance of having your identity stolen. Bills and some receipts contain personal information and account numbers. Reducing the paper trail from traditional bill-paying methods reduces the risk of identity theft. In addition, banks and websites that accept electronic bill payment must have a secure website, also reducing the risk of identity theft.
Processing Times

Most banking institutions guarantee your payment is sent immediately to ensure it is received on time. If the payment date falls on a weekend or holiday, the bank will submit your payment on the last business day before the weekend or holiday. Payments are withdrawn immediately from your account, thus reducing the processing time it takes for your check to clear.
Cost

Paying your bills electronically reduces the cost of envelopes, stamps and check printing fees. For many banks and financial institutions, electronic bill pay transactions are free. Some banks charge a nominal fee if you pay more than ten bills a month through the electronic bill pay service.
Environmental Advantages

Paying your bills using electronic bill pay allows you to eliminate most of the paper from traditional bill paying methods. Electronic bill pay abolishes the need for envelopes, invoices and stamps. Edit your online account preferences to receive your bills via email to eliminate even more paper.
Electronic Records

The financial institution keeps track of all payments made through electronic bill pay. If you need to recall a previous transaction, you can log into your account and view the records, reducing the amount of time and effort it takes sorting through paper records.

Recent grads and young adults aren't always interested in establishing a solid financial plan. But they aren't alone; many people think their financial future is decades away or that they have plenty of time to earn money before they need to think about retirement. Taking a few simple steps early in your career (it's never too late to start) can significantly improve your resources and quality of life in the future. Making some key decisions and taking several practical steps will help you align your finances with the future you see for yourself.

Retirement Planning

When you are in your 20s, retirement seems like something that is a lifetime away. You have many other things to think about like getting married, getting a good job and possibly buying a house. While it may seem like something that you do not need to worry about, retirement planning actually is very important for young people. If you can get in the habit of setting aside a certain percentage of your income now (financial planners suggest setting aside at least 10% of your income) it becomes a habit that continues over your career. With the power of compound interest, you can build a nice nest egg by the time you retire without putting too much thought into it.
Consider Your Credit Card Use

Light credit card use is one of the best ways to help build your credit profile when you are young, but don't use that as an excuse to use plastic to buy things your can't afford. Many young people get in serious trouble with credit cards. If you decide to use credit cards, you need to use them sparingly. Credit cards are easy to use to make purchases (research shows people spend more when they use a card than when they pay for something with cash), and you might be tempted to buy everything you want until you reach your limit. This can be a quick way to financial ruin, and it could take you years to pay off the debt.
Build Up an Emergency Fund

Start building an emergency fund as soon as possible. An emergency fund is an amount of money that you set aside to help you with unexpected expenses. Setting a goal of saving three to six months of expenses in your savings account would be advisable. This way, if you ever lose your job or face some other type of serious emergency in the future, you will have enough money set aside to weather the storm.
Save for Big Buys, Like a House

If you are interested in eventually buying a house, you may want to start saving for a down payment now. While you could potentially buy a house with very little money down, it could hurt you in the long run. When you do not put 20 percent down on the house, you will have to pay private mortgage insurance, which adds money to your monthly payment. When you do not have any equity in the house, it can trap you in the property for many years if property values drop.

Propecia is a drug designed to help slow down hair thinning and possibly even help the hair to grow back. This medication does not work for everyone; so if the Propecia failed to help your hair return, you may want to try a hair laser comb or brush. These devices have been FDA approved and are used to stimulate the scalp and help the hair to grow again.


1 Press the "Power" button on the hair laser brush. Depending on the model, you may have to push a "laser" button also. Hair lasers generally run around $500 and are not commonly available in retail stores. Instead, you need to go to a specialty health store, a dermatologist office or through online sites such as Amazon.

2 Rest the brush flat against your head. Slide the brush about a half inch back and hold for four or five seconds. This insures your scalp is thoroughly exposed to the laser.

3 Comb back another 1/2 inch and hold for four or five seconds. Repeat this until your entire scalp has been brushed with the hair laser.

4 Perform this routine three times a week for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.