Frugal Health and Beauty

• Use cheap dollar store hair conditioner in place of shaving cream for shaving your legs.
• Be sure to send for free samples, and ask for samples at stores and doctors offices. Companies give away products every year, in hopes you will buy yours. I have not bought deodorant in a long time by using samples!
• Go to training schools to receive better rates for services, such as hair, nails, and massages.
• Making your own Ice packs is easy!! Pour 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol into a zip-type plastic bag and close. Put zipped bag into another bag, seal, and freeze. You will have a slushy bag of ice whenever needed for sprains, headaches, or whatever.
  
• If you prefer to use liquid soap then dilute it down 1/3 water to 2/3s soap. It will work just as well, and stretch your soap a bit farther.
• Use cooking oil spray to dry nail polish fast.
• Water down your shampoo's and conditioners, you can get twice as much and they work just as good.
• Give yourself a frugal pedicure Use an emory board to remove rough skin, and then use olive oil to moisturize your skin.
• Dry skin is often a lack of hydration, so drink lots of water, to help your skin look its best.
• Keep your pantyhose in the freezer, and they will last longer.
  
• Rinse your hair with a quarter cup of vinegar mixed with three quarters of a cup of warm water to restore the natural acid balance upset by alkaline shampoos. Your hair will be soft and shiny.
• Use Mayonnaise instead of hot oil for a deep treatment for dry or damaged hair. After applying generously to hair and scalp, wrap in a warm towel for 15 minutes or more. Shampoo in warm (not hot) water.
• Prepare a mixture of ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup vinegar and ¼ cup water to substitute your night cream. Oliver oil serves as a moisturizer and revitalizes skin while vinegar takes care of bacteria, dead skin cells and skin discolorations.
• Better Frugal Lotion , mix one-part lotion with one-part vaseline. It works better than plain lotion, and cheaper too!!
  
• Olive oil is also an effective cleansing cream for dry skin, softens the skin and gets absorbed better than baby oil. Do not waste any leftover olive oil or that has been dripped over. Use your fingers to wipe it off and rub it on your elbows
• Olive oil can be added to bath water for a skin softener
• Cut back on the amount of shampoo you use. Do the same with toothpaste. The manufacturers want us to use more, so we buy more.
• Keep your pantyhose in the freezer, and they will last longer.
• Use hydrogen peroxide as an inexpensive nail bleach.
• For an excellent facial, mix dry oatmeal and water into a paste and spread on face. Lie down and let it dry. Wash off with warm water.
• Another use for Baking Soda - make a paste by mixing a small amount of baking soda with a little bit of water in your hands for an excellent skin exfoliator. Great for dry skin on face, feet & elbows. Also good for skin irritations.
• As a beauty aid, vinegar is versatile and effective. You can use it:

  1. As a skin peel
  Use of vinegar on your fresh washed face will cause the release of the outer layer of skin. It's a very cheap method of cosmetic peel, but it's safer than most acid peel products in that it doesn't cause photosensitivity as Retin-A does. However the skin will be sensitive to sunlight, as it will be after any peeling treatment.

  2. As a ph balancer
  Because soaps are alkaline in nature, washing gets our skin ph out of whack. Vinegar puts it back - but overuse will dry the skin, so only use it when you need to neutralize soap, for instance when your skin feels dry and taut after washing.

  3. A lightener for age spots
  You can make an emulsion of your favorite cream or lotion and vinegar and use it religiously on your hands or other areas you want lightened. Put the lotion or cream in your blender then add about half as much vinegar and run the blender until it mixes well. This is more convenient than having to remember to use a special product - and it's cheaper!

  4. A highlighter for your hair
  Want to get a headstart on summer? Or just want to do something with your hair? If you soak a cotton ball in vinegar and swipe a lock of hair with it, then go out in the sun, the vinegar will hasten the sun bleach. You may have to do it several times to get the shade you want, but it works well - and it's frugal.

  Remember that vinegar is a neutralizer: rinse your hair in it to remove all traces of shampoo and rinse your hands in it for the same reason (but don't overdo it; it will dry your skin).