Replace Health & Beauty Products With Coconut Oil... And Save Money!
I used to go to the local drug store (CVS, Rite Aid, etc.) one a month and spend $100 or more on beauty products such as razor blades, depilatory cremes, hair conditioner, deodorant, lotion, facial cleansers, makeup removers, foot softening creme, eczema treatment, and more.
At the time, I thought these items were necessities, now I know better. There are some better (and cheaper) options!
While I haven't figured out a way to avoid the cost of shaving products, at least a small amount of antiperspirant, and makeup, I cut my bill drastically by adding one product to my grocery list. The product I have replaced most of my beauty products with is coconut oil. I use it to:
- Condition our very thick and formerly dry hair. We now use a very mild and inexpensive baby shampoo to wash our hair after using coconut oil as a hot oil treatment and daily moisturizer.
- Lotion our bodies. Using coconut oil in place of lotion after a bath can keep your skin soft for several days. You can even put it in your bath water.
- Virtually eliminate dry patches for eczema. Coconut oil has anti-bacterial properties that I believe healed my eczema and my kids' rough elbows.
- Soften hard feet. Just rub it on after a bath. My feet were ready for sandals in a week.
- Cleanse our faces and remove makeup (massaging face with coconut oil and removing with damp warm washcloth).
- Gentle laxative. Coconut oil mixed into a soft food like oatmeal or a fruit smoothie will help you eliminate easier. For about $20, I purchased enough coconut oil to last a whole month and cut our toiletries bill in half. I purchased two large jars online. One jar was to put one in the kitchen to cook with, and a second to separate into smaller containers and distribute among my family. There are many other uses for coconut oil, both medicinal and for beauty treatments that I have not tried out yet, but every use I have detailed, here has worked for me.
I have just started using coconut oil myself and it is great! On the subject on deodorant, I tried the oil one day when I had forgotten to apply deodorant, and all I had with me was my coconut oil - it worked wonderfully!