In my quest for frugal living, there are only 4 items I use for personal care.

All of the products have multiple uses, so I feel that I’m getting good value for the money I spend.  Plus, I prefer to not have the smell of chemicals and perfumes, so keeping my personal care products to a simple minimum works well for me.

Why spend money on products that duplicate what you already have on hand?

Here’s my list of products:

• Ivory Soap
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Coconut Oil

Pretty basic!

Now here’s my list of how each product gets used for personal care, as well as their uses around the house:

Ivory Soap

Personal care:

• Shower soap
• Shampoo  (leaves my hair clean and fluffy!)

Around the house:

• Laundry detergent
• Hand soap  (at the bathroom sink)
• Liquid hand soap  (I take all the little stubs of leftover soap, put them in a Mason jar and add water!)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Personal care:

• Mouthwash (diluted)
• Skin toner (diluted)
• Disinfectant
• Tonic  (I enjoy Switchel) Click on the link to get the recipe!

Around the house:

• Cleaning (I actually use white distilled vinegar for cleaning and keep the “good stuff” for personal care)

Baking Soda

Personal care:

• Toothpaste
• Deodorant  (I just pat some on after I use coconut oil)
• Paste for bug bites (I learned this as a child…make a thick paste and apply it to mosquito bites.  Stops them from itching!)

Around the house:

• Baking
• Cleaning (this stuff will clean EVERYTHING)
• Deodorizing

Coconut Oil

Personal care:

• Skin moisturizer
• Oral care (oil pulling)
• Deodorant (the combination of coconut oil and baking soda works well for me)

Around the house:

• Cooking
• Baking

It gives me satisfaction that I am keeping costs down by using simple ingredients, plus keeping harmful chemicals out of the house and away from us.

Here is a tally of the money I save by using these simple products:

Year supply of simple ingredients:

Ivory soap: $24.00, Vinegar: $28.00, Baking Soda: $12.00, Coconut Oil: $30.00 = $94.00.

Year supply of personal care products:

Body wash: $30.00, Shampoo: $30.00, Toothpaste: $24.00, Deodorant: $15.00, Skin lotion: $40.00, Skin Toner: $20.00, Mouthwash: $24.00 = $183.00

BENEFITS:

• Not dousing yourself with harsh chemicals
• Using simple, everyday items
• Multi-purposing ingredients saves money

MONEY SAVED:  $89.00!!

Plus, I use the same products for cleaning the house, which adds more savings!   (I was going to figure the savings in household cleaners too, but it was too much math for one day! )

🙂