5 Beauty Products You Can Do Without

While I do a pretty good job slashing my household budget by cutting coupons and watching sales, I also try and avoid buying products that I just don’t need. One way to do that is to start making your items in your home work overtime.

Here are 5 Toiletries You Can Do Without:

Detangler

I have 3 girls who I am convinced manage to get their hair tied in knots every night while they sleep on purpose, just to make it extra fun to brush out in the morning. I could constantly stock up on detangler when it goes on sale, but to save myself the trouble and remove an item from my ever-growing grocery list, I make my own. When the tear-free kid’s conditioner (or even the 2-and-1 shampoo) bottle is almost empty (maybe 1/4 or 1/8 left), I fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake vigorously. Transfer it to a spray bottle (if you don’t have any, pick up one from the dollar store or travel section of the drugstore) and the kids will be tangle-free.

Shaving Cream

If your using shaving cream to shave your legs as opposed to just soap, don’t waste your money on the real thing. Just use some of the conditioner you keep in the shower for your hair. You will get the same results and it’s one less bottle to clean around in the shower.

Deep Conditioning Treatments

I used to spend a small fortune on products to get my naturally dry and coarse hair to look and feel like it did when I was younger – and never with very great results. Now I just head to the pantry and grab the bottle of olive oil. Heat a small amount in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, apply to dry hair, try and avoid the roots so you don’t end up with really greasy hair, wrap it up in a bun and leave it in for as long as you can – 1, 3, 8 hours – however much time you have. Shampoo out and no need to use conditioner that day. Your hair will feel silky smooth and have that shine back. I know there are other treatments using eggs, mayonnaise and avocados – this works best for me, but experiment for yourself.

Face Masks

I don’t spend money on trips to the day spa for facials, but I do like to pay extra attention to my face every once in a while. Rather than shelling out $5-15 for a face mask from the store, look for some different homemade recipes online that apply to your specific skin type. Some popular ones are made from yogurt, bananas, aspirin, honey and oatmeal. My favorite is the aspirin and honey mask (here are some variations on the aspirin mask).

Breakout Treatments

I have also been known to amass quite a collection of on-the-spot acne treatments. I don’t get a lot of breakouts (knock on wood), but when I do, I overcompensate by trying every remedy in the book… until I found tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic. Put a few drops on the cotton ball and dab on the breakout. Now, it’s not instant, but I absolutely notice a faster recovery time using tea tree oil versus drugstore products. You can find tea tree oil at the health food store or on Amazon.

What are your favorite toiletry tricks?