Leslie, the publisher of Crunchy Betty, is an avid blogger of all things homemade beauty and household. From the quirky town of Manitou Springs, CO, she writes about freeing yourself from chemical attachment by learning how to make your own skincare recipes and home cleaners, as well as organic living, and a lot of humor thrown in. Do you have food on your face? You should!
Crunchy Betty’s Top 10 Thriftiest Homemade Beauty and Household Tips
We’re all here to be a bit more thrifty, and let me tell you, making your own skincare/haircare and household products is one of the thriftiest things you can do. And it’s easier than you think! I’ve put together my absolute favorite 10 household and beauty tips for you here at CouponTeacher. I have tons of other recipes and ideas at Crunchy Betty, but I wanted to give you the best of the thriftiest best here. Do you have any to add?
Use ALL your lemon. There are so many things to do with the lemon you have left after juicing, so don’t just chuck it in the garbage disposal! You can sprinkle salt on it and use it to clean your stove or your cutting board. Or rub it over your face for a quick oil-removing, toning mask (just don’t forget to rinse it off after 10 minutes, as it does lighten the skin if left on for too long). And my favorite thrifty tip with lemons: Hull out the meat of half a lemon, fill the rind with sea salt, and tuck it in a musty or stinky area of the house – like near the litterbox – for instant, green, nontoxic air freshening! You can leave it there for up to 3 months.
Don’t toss the tops of strawberries! After you’ve cut off the tops of strawberries, you know how there’s still a little flesh stuck to the leaves? Run that flesh over your teeth – scrub it in – and it acts as a very effective tooth whitener. Just let the juice sit on your teeth for a minute or two, and then swish down with water. Or, if you happen to have a clean, makeup-less face at the moment, run the flesh all over your face for a quick and easy fruit mask. Allow the juice to sit for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse off with warm water. Strawberries help eradicate pimples, lighten dark spots, and give you a super-dose of antioxidants (which also work as anti-wrinkle agents).
Stop buying facial scrubs and make your own. One of the most cost-effective and beautifying things you can do, right now, is to stop buying facial scrubs and make your own. Here’s a thrifty, long-lasting scrub that works with any skin type: 1/2 c. finely ground oats, 1/2 c. finely ground raw almonds, 2 Tbsp. fine sea salt, and 2 Tbsp finely ground dried lavender. Mix it all together and keep it in a small jar in your bathroom (it keeps for 6 months or more). To use: Put approximately 2 tsp in your hand and add a small bit of water, witch hazel (for oily skin) or milk (for dry skin) until you have a watery paste. Scrub your skin with it for two minutes and then rinse off. Finish with toner or moisturizer – or just rinse and be done!
Break out the baking soda – it does a million thrifty things! All thrifty kitchens should be stocked, and stocked well, with baking soda. There are hundreds upon hundreds of things you could do with it, but here are some of my favorites:
- Use it as a facial exfoliator with just a slight bit of water. Make a paste and then gently rub in circular motions over a clean face. It clears off the layer of dead skin to reveal vibrant, soft skin underneath.
- Treat heartburn quickly and effectively with baking soda: Just put 1 tsp of baking soda in a glass of water and drink up. It neutralizes the acids on contact.
- Get rid of warts by sprinkling baking soda over the affected area and then pouring a few drops of white vinegar on top. Do this every morning and night, until the wart is gone.
- Clean your sink quickly and frugally by sprinkling a bit of baking soda over it and wiping it down with a damp sponge.
- Stop paying more for deodorizing cat litter! Just add 1/4 c. of baking soda to Fluffy’s litterbox, and you’ve saved money (and freshened your home).
Use plain white vinegar in the dishwasher rinse well. No need to buy Jet-Dry or anything like it – you can get the exact same results just by pouring white vinegar in your dishwasher rinse well. You could even add a few drops of lemon essential oil to the mix, if you want fresh-smelling, extra shiny dishes.
“Shampoo” your hair with cornstarch. Once or twice a week, skip shampooing in the shower and opt for a “dry shampoo.” Just rub a tablespoon or two of cornstarch over your dry scalp, and brush it out briskly. Cleans oil and grime off your hair and leaves it fresh and looking “just-washed!”
Use olive oil instead of chemical-packed eye makeup remover. If you have olive oil in your kitchen, there’s no need to keep buying makeup remover just for your eyes. Simply pour a few drops onto a cotton ball and swipe gently over your eyes a time or two (you might want a cotton ball for each eye). Cleans the makeup like a breeze, and offers extra amazing moisturizing properties!
Kick the dryer-sheet habit. Dryer sheets are expensive and terrible for the environment. Cut an old pillowcase into strips, put them in a lidded container and soak them in white vinegar. Use these strips just as you would dryer sheets. It totally kills the static and is reusable! Just toss the strips back into the vinegar as they’re dry. I keep two containers in my house – one with vinegar next to the dryer and one empty one in the bedroom, so I can easily sort out the dryer sheets as I’m folding clothes.
Extend the life of your shampoo with an herbal infusion. Shampoos are traditionally more potent than our hair actually needs, so they have a tendency to strip natural oils and overdry hair (which then leads us to buy more product to fix it). You can extend the life of your shampoo by half just by adding a homemade herbal infusion. Simply steep 2 Tbsp of the herb of your choice (chamomile and green tea are great for blonde hair, black tea and cloves are good for brunettes, and hibiscus or orange pekoe tea are good for redheads) in 1 c. boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain and add to 1/2 bottle of shampoo. Shake well. Use as you normally would.
Make a salt scrub for your hands and save on lotion! All winter long, I like to keep a small jar of salt scrub next to the sink. Whenever my hands feel dry, I simply use the scrub and they’re glowing and soft in minutes! One scrub treatment will typically keep my hands moisturized and soft for nearly a week. Combine 1/2 c. fine sea salt with 1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Scoop out a small amount and scrub your hands with it for 2 minutes. Rinse the salt off, but leave the oil on. Continue to massage the oil into your hands. Beautiful!
These are just a few really thrifty tips that you can do at home – right now – with things you probably already have in your kitchen. Healthy, eco-conscious, and – best of all – VERY inexpensive.
Do you have any homemade tips and tricks you use to save money – for your house or for your skin?
A Note From Coupon Teacher, “I can’t wait to try some of these when I have time. A big thanks to Crunchy Betty for literally saving Thrifty Thursday today!”
Do you have a Thrifty idea? Did you save a ton of money this week? Do you have a Thrifty deal you want to share?
If so, please leave a comment or link up below!
If possible, please leave a link back to Coupon Teacher so that we can all share ideas.
This is linked to Life as Mom and Madame Deals.
I disclose : There may be affiliate links in this post.
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Interesting tips! I admit that I have not gone the natural route yet. I have started trying to find alternate uses for products. I have to say that my strawberry scraps go to the chickens! As a dental hygienist, I am not sure about that whitening tip!
Thanks for sharing this post. Strawberry tooth whitener, who would have thought?
That strawberry tip is interesting. I’m going to try it. I have tried Crest whitening strips before and not only are they expensive, but they really bothered my gums.
Thanks for the carnival.
This is a FANTASTIC list:) I was reading in my reader and had to email it to myself and come comment. Simple and frugal–and I can pamper myself a bit more! Thanks!!
Thanks for the great tips. Some were new to me and sound very useful!
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