I hate spending money on skin care products. I see right through the marketing strategy of companies insisting that we’re all terrible, ugly people who need to buy Brand X to be pretty little flowers, and I’m not a fan of putting tons of chemicals directly on my person. One of the easiest things you can do to save money and time is to make some of your own skin care products.
For years, I’ve been washing my face with sugar. Yeah, sugar! It’s a good scrub, and a pretty cheap alternative to the other products that are out there. (It’s simple enough to use on all skin types, but if you have really sensitive skin you may want to try this on a small patch of skin first.)
I keep a small jar of sugar in my shower. Use any waterproof container that you can find; I like to use things that have a lid. I usually do this in the shower – sugar is sticky, and it’s best to just be in a place where you can hose yourself down if it gets messy.
- Dump some sugar into your palm. The amount is up to you, but start with enough to make a small mound in the center of your hand.
- Slowly let some water drip onto your hand, enough to make it sandy but slightly soupy.
- Rub it on your face in circular motions.
- Wash it off.
That’s it! You can also rub it on your lips and elbows to exfoliate dead skin. A friend tried this technique recently and was amazed – she said her face felt as smooth as a baby’s ass.
Alison of Petit Elefant has a great tutorial for making a sugar body scrub. It’s still pretty cheap and easy, and probably a fun project to do with kids!
Mihow posted her homemade deodorant, and holy crap, it works SO WELL. Most of the ingredients are available in bulk, so even if it seems pricy at first, you’ll be able to make dozens of batches. Also, that shea butter is a GREAT moisturizer, and even works well in certain types of hair. I like that you can change up the scents by using different essential oils.
Go forth, save money, and smell good!
About DanielleH
I love this tip.
I have problem skin – dry patches, oily patches, outbreaks, etc. – and so I’m going to try this. I don’t like the idea of all the chemicals I put on my skin, and I truly believe that good skin should not require an army of complex chemical concoctions.
Twitter Name: schmutzie
I feel ya. I have combination skin (mostly dry, some not-so-dry patches), and it works well for me. Let me know if/how it works for you!
I will definitely be trying this! About a month ago I switched to baking soda and apple cider vinegar in place of shampoo and conditioner. My hair has never been in better condition and I’ve been left wondering why I didn’t try this sooner…
Woah – is that something that would work for any hair type? I’m intrigued.
I think it would! It can’t hurt to try, right? My cousin has been doing it almost 10 years now, I think. She has a tutorial here: http://annie.paxye.com/?p=65
I used baking soda/apple cider vinegar two years ago when I was fighting my hair funk, and it made my hair feel very soft and smell nice.
Danielle, I LOVE the idea of homemade deodorant, especially since you said it works really well! :) Do you know of any good recipes for homemade lip balm?
The only thing I’ve personally tried is a version where you melt down Vaseline, add the nub at the end of a tube of lipstick, and get some kind of tinted Vaseline. It’s a little, thick, though, so I haven’t retried it.
But this tutorial from Martha Stewart looks good:
http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/homemade-lip-balm
I’ve starting using the oil cleaning method on my face, and while I won’t say that my skin is perfect, it is certainly better moisturized and I haven’t found myself breaking out any more than normal. I don’t know why I haven’t used sugar on my face yet!
In the shower I keep a jar of brown sugar mixed with olive oil that I use as a scrub on my arms and legs. Moisturized and smooth!
I just looked at the oil cleaning method – that’s interesting! Maybe a combination of the two would work for me…
Love! I totally love these ideas. I gotta say, scrubbing with actual sugar sounds like a recipe for disaster but I’ll totally try it now. It’s gotta be cheaper than my Origins habit.
Twitter Name: mommygeekology
MUCH cheaper. :)
I keep sugar mixtures in my shower also with various essential oils. My 7 y.o. bohemian princess and I have the softest and sweetest smelling/tasting skin. I mix with coconut and olive oil. For my face I use sugar and baking soda with a little of Dr. Bonner’s added as a paste.
Namaste,
Karla