Our bathrooms are reflections of ourselves. Every bottle of lotion or shampoo, every shade of nail polish or brand of toothpaste may tell you a little bit about its owner. Every piece, when beheld together, can explain the most intimate details of a person’s life and all their dirty little secrets. Isn’t it time you cleaned out your medicine cabinet, or that area under your bathroom sink?
The Frugal Bathroom can be a wondrous thing. After de-cluttering, you will be amazed at how few products you actually need to keep yourself feeling clean and fabulous. The following is a list of commonly used products and their frugal alternatives.
Shampoo: It is easy to believe that shampoo is a necessity, and for us long-hairs, it may be, but shampoo is one of those things that you can easily do without. For folks with short or few hairs on their head, baking soda and vinegar can keep things clean. Simply rub baking soda on your head in the shower to wash away grease and grime, and rinse it out with vinegar to make it lustrous. For those with heavy hair, shampoo is a must, and for these folks, Bulk is the answer. In Athens, bulk shampoo and conditioner can be found at the . If you are washing your hair every day, this is probably too much. Washing your hair less often keeps your scalp from producing so much oil. Less is more!
Conditioner: The secret to really soft, healthy hair is actually a healthy diet. Other than eating right, there are ways to make your conditioner last longer. Try using a tiny (dime-sized) amount on your hair after you have turned off the water. Spread the tiny bit over your hair and work it through the ends with a wide-toothed comb. Do not rinse it out. This will reduce the amount of conditioner you need to buy and eliminate the need for serums and smoothing creams. A once weekly homemade conditioning mask may do the trick, and there are a variety of fun recipes for all types of hair.
Soap: This can easily be found in bulk or from local sources. carries both bulk and locally made bar soaps. Body wash may be the biggest waste of time and money in your bathroom. Skip it and buy a high-quality, castile or moisturizing soap. In the meantime, donate the unused body wash and other excess bathroom supplies to your local or senior center.
Exfoliant: No need to purchase expensive scrubs and potions from the store, simply gather some basic supplies from your kitchen. A great basic recipe is as follows:
salt or sugar, oatmeal, olive oil (any vegetable oil will do)
Mix the ingredients and slather them on in the shower until you are sure you have rubbed every last piece of dirt and old skin off, then rinse and enjoy your baby-soft skin. Dry-brushing is an alternative to the oily mix, and requires only a loofah or other natural-bristled brush. This technique should be performed in the morning, as it stimulates the senses, awakening your skin and encouraging the production of fresh, new cells.
Lotion: Buy in bulk! Alternatively, you can use olive oil, coconut oil or vitamin E oil, all of which can also be used in other ways in your home; olive oil for cooking, coconut oil and vitamin E as a salve.
Deodorant: The cheap, mainstream brands are often full of aluminum, which is hazardous to your health. Women especially are at risk of high levels of aluminum absorption, if they are shaving their armpit hair and allowing the deodorant to soak into their open pores. Using natural alternatives can be quite expensive, but a little bit of baking soda will do the trick, and costs less than $1 for a year’s supply! Some people may find pure baking soda to be a little too harsh, and may enjoy a spray made of baking soda, water, and either lavender or tea tree oil.
Check out next week’s Frugal Family column for ideas on how to save money, time and space in your bathroom with Makeup, Hair Products, Nail Care and more! Go Frugal!
