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The Best Ways to Save on Beauty Products
When working toward paying off debts, we can find ourselves trying to find every last way to save money.
Some try to focus just on their spending habits, or try to save money in every way possible. But this could cause budgeter burnout! The tips you’ll read in this article won’t have you feeling like you have to sacrifice!
When beginning your financial journey, behavior change is what can make or break your success! It is hard to go cold-turkey with ending spending habits, so why not make it a bit easier on yourself?
Plus, it’s so much easier and enjoyable if you take this a step at a time. Or, if you’ve already began your financial journey, it’s good to add ideas as you go, rather than trying to pick up and change your life altogether.
The main idea of this article is for you to consider items you already have where you live. No need to spend and no need to sacrifice. You can save money without it feeling like it!
More specifically, this article is focused on beauty items. As women, we buy an insane amount of products that promise us to look better, smell better, and feel better about ourselves.
What if I told you that you actually don’t need that crazy expensive hair mask or fascial to achieve great results? I know, there really are some products that do their job and cost us a pretty penny, but if you could lessen your monthly spending by just a bit more, it may make a huge difference for your budget!
The items that are listed in this post are purely based on experience and have been a lifesaver when it comes saving money! As stated above, you don’t have to try everything today, but rather experiment and see what may work for you over time. Saving money on beauty products can help so many women’s budgets, so it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?
Tip #1. Track ALL of Your Beauty Product Usage! + FREE PRINTABLE
Download the Printable HERE!: Beauty Products Tracker
This piece of advice is one of the best, and is a great place to start!
When you’re looking at your monthly budget, you may have a section for “Just Me”, or “Beauty Products” or “Bathroom”. Whatever way you categorize it, you probably have money set aside for beauty products.
But, do you know exactly what you will need to buy this month?
Sure, it is simply to estimate, but imagine knowing exactly what you’ll need to buy, and exactly when it’ll run out.
It’s completely possible!
I challenge you to start tracking your usage of your beauty products. You can download the simple beauty product tracker we provide here, or simply write up your own in your journal or a notebook!
Once you have a “finish date”, write next to it how many weeks or months it took you to finish the product.
Over the course of approximately 6 months you will have a very good estimation of all the bathroom products you use, and it will make budgeting for each of them so much easier!
Tip #2. Cinnamon Honey (+Turmeric) Mask Instead of Store Bought Face Masks!
By no means is this medical advice, but there is something absolutely magical about this combination. As long as you are not allergic to cinnamon, honey, or turmeric, you could definitely benefit from this!
Acne products are expensive. Many have dealt with blemishes showing up even when on acne medications. As a result, many women buy single-use face masks to help hydrate, exfoliate, and heal the skin.
This mask is antibacterial and very hydrating for your face! Plus, you probably have all the ingredients already!
All you have to do is mix approximately 3 parts raw, unfiltered honey with 1 part cinnamon (you can also add turmeric if you own some!).
Even if you need to purchase the raw unfiltered honey, this could save you significant cash instead of buying face masks! If you’re curious, do a quick Google or YouTube search on these homemade masks and you’ll understand the hype!
If you don’t have acne but are interested in using this as a store-bought mask substitution, then it would work great for you too! It can help your skin feel more supple and have a nice glow!
(Of course, if you are dealing with acne then it is advised you consult with your dermatologist!)
Tip #3. Homemade Hair Mask!
There are so many hair masks in drug stores and beauty stores. They range significantly in pricing, and it’s always hard to tell which would be best.
Does spending money always equate to a better product? Not always.
As you have explored ways to save money, you may have ventured upon living a more healthy and natural life.
Many products we use contain silicones and sulfates, which create a harsh cycle of building up product onto our hair when using conditioner styling products, and removing it with harsh agents in shampoos.
The great part about homemade hair masks is that they use products you already use and they are very healthy for your hair!
Some ideas:
- Olive Oil Mask
- Coconut Oil Mask
You don’t have to go all fancy with the odd “egg, mayonnaise, oil, etc” combinations, as you can achieve great results from olive or coconut oil alone! Everyone’s hair is different, of course, so it may take a few trials, but this can make a huge difference for no extra money!
Tip #4. Put Contact Solution Into Mascara Bottle for it to Last Longer!
Mascara dries out quick. We’ve all experienced this a time or ten.
Wanting to use it for another week before you can get to the store or before you get paid? Grab your contact solution bottle (if you wear contacts, that is) and drop approximately 3 drops into the mascara. Mix it together and plan to use it the next day. You could
Now, it’s not recommended to try to push it too far, as it could mess up the formula. Every mascara is different, of course. However, this trick can get you by for a number of days!
Tip #5. Lavender or Tea Tree Oil for Spot Treatment!
As mentioned above, acne is a big deal for many women.
However, this one tip could be huge for not only saving money on spot treatment products, but help you live a life with less chemicals!
Both lavender and tea tree oil are great substitutions for using on skin to help clear sudden blemishes. Plus, a bottle can last you a very long time!
Tips:
- Use a Q-tip to apply as spot treatment to blemishes.
- Watch out for any skin reactions! Only apply a small amount to test at first. If you have any known allergies to these oils, you should not try this tip.
- Remember not to re-dip the Q-tip in the bottle, as you don’t want to expose bacteria to the oil!
Tip #6. Menstrual Cup Instead of Tampons!
Menstrual cups are becoming very popular, not only as a way to save money, but to help the environment as well!
There are some common myths and stereotypes around using these, but just imagine the amount of money you could save if you stopped purchasing pads and/or tampons.
If you begin your product tracker list from above, you may be surprised how fast you go through those items, and how much money you spend.
It adds up!
With a menstrual cup, depending on which you purchase, it could last approximately 3 years!
There are many up and coming companies that offer menstrual cups! Hop onto Google, do some research, and see if this would be a good option for you!
Tip #7. On Weekend/Days Off Use Products You Don’t Normally Use
This tip was saved purposefully for last, because it truly is a money saver!
The idea is simple: On your days off, use products that you do not normally use.
We all have products stored in the back of our cabinets that don’t get used. It happens. We buy something we think is promising, we use it and don’t like it, but we feel guilty about throwing it away so it get stored to never be used.
You’re not the only one.
So, to not only save your current (“good”) products, and to get rid of your unused products, plan to use them on your days off!
This may just include one day a week, and that’s completely fine!
If you don’t have the guts to throw tons of bottles, sprays, and containers away, then use them up through this method!
Okay, Let’s Summarize!
- Use the printable beauty product tracker to better budget for each month!
- On your days off, try to use up any products that you don’t normally use. It’ll save you money and cabinet space!
- Don’t try to use every tip all at once. There is no need to go into budget burnout! Take your time to make small changes in your life to create habits!
Thanks for reading! Check out our other articles to discover ways to help you spend less, budget better, and save more! You’ve made it this far, let’s keep learning!
ThirtyEight
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