Pamper yourself without breaking the bank or leaving the comforts of your own home.

Everything you need for a spa experience is in your box of tea, modern day tea infused formulas can be inexpensive and best of all, effective.

Following are some beauty remedies you can try on your own.

Use this brew to soothe minor cuts and scrapes, treat sunburns, refresh puffy and fatigued eyes, and soak tired feet:

Brew 1/2 cup of unscented black or green tea leaves in 1 quart of boiling bottled water for at least 10 minutes. Strain the leaves and set aside. Cool the liquid and refrigerate. This solution will keep in the refrigerator for approximately 10 days.

For Minor Cuts & Scrapes:

Apply the cold tea brew with a pure cotton pad onto minor cuts or abrasion. Leave the cotton pad on the affected area for at least 5 minutes. Repeat, and do not wash off. This procedure can be repeated up to four times a day.

Sunburns:

Apply a piece of cotton cloth that's been soaked in the cold tea brew to the sunburned area. Leave on for about 15 minutes, or until the burned areas begins to cool. You can repeat this treatment up to four times a day.

For Puffy & Fatigued Eyes:

Soak cotton pads in the cold tea brew and lay them on your eyes. Keep the pads on your lids for about 10 minutes. You can also refrigerate your used tea bags and lay them on your eyes.

For Tired Feet:

Soak your feet in the cold tea brew for about 15 minutes. This is a great way to treat your feet after a long day of standing, walking, or running. You can also try soaking your feet in a concentrated Peppermint Herbal tea brew for an aromatic soak.

Facial Beauty:

Mix one teaspoon of fine cornmeal with cooled chamomile tea to form a gentle scrub. Let dry, then gently rub off. Not for sensitive skin.

Make an exfoliating paste using chamomile tea and powdered milk. Rub on skin, let dry, and then rub off before washing.

Hair Treatment:

In a small saucepan, warm (do not boil) 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons fresh ground lavender, and the dry contents of 2 peppermint tea bags. Massage into scalp over damp hair. Cover hair with shower cap to keep heat in. Sit in the sun, if possible, for 20-25 minutes. Shampoo and rinse hair. Repeat this treatment once a month to nourish and strengthen hair.

Other tips:

• Use black tea as a hair rinse to darken hair and add shine.
• Use Chamomile herbal tea to bring out highlights in hair.
• Get a temporary tea tan by soaking in unflavored black tea leaves for about 20 minutes.
• Ease toothaches by applying spent tea leaves on the affected tooth until your dentist visit.
• Use tea as a mouthwash. Stash Wintermint Herbal tea (with parsley seed) is a natural breath freshener.
• Rinse your face with tea. Tea acts as an astringent, so it works well on pimples. Do not wash off.
• Some of these remedies are described in Diana Rosen's The Book of Green Tea

The Stash Tea Company is a privately-held company headquartered in Tigard, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. Founded in 1972, Stash Tea originally operated out of an old Portland Victorian style house, supplying loose herbal teas and bulk herbs to natural food stores. Starting in 1975, the company broadened its focus to include bagged teas and then began to sell a full line of traditional, specialty blend and herbal teas directly to fine restaurants and through a mail order catalog to consumers. www.stashtea.com