Save Money on Your Beauty and Personal Hygiene Routine
- xoxoavenue24
- Apr 15, 2021
- 5 min read
Last blog, I talked about Skin Care Budgeted. Now that we're money savvy with our face care products, let's do the rest for our bodies too! Here are some of my favourite tips and tricks for a happy environment, healthy skin care and makeup practices, and a fuller feeling wallet!
Ditch the cotton pad !
According to the WWF, making one cotton shirt it takes 2700 Liters of water, which is one person's drinking water for 900 days ! Now imagine how much goes into the cotton pads that you use daily. That's a lot of water.
On top of helping our planet out, it can save you money too. Let's do the math. Imagine having an end of the day routine where you use cotton rounds to remove a full face of make-up, and you also use it to apply toner. A pack of 100 Cotton Rounds from Shoppers Drug Mart will cost you $4.99. If you use four rounds a day, the pack will last you 25 days. That's $72.85 a year in expenses. Which is $728.50 in 10 years. The cost adds up.
The solution? Reusable cotton rounds. There's many options for selecting a product that's right for you. They can be used over and over again as long as you wash them! The best part? You never have to buy new ones again.
Emergency Makeup Removing Blanket (DUO)
$32.00 USD
2. Stop Using Makeup Wipes
Makeup wipes are as guilty as cotton pads when it comes to it's environmental impact and it's toll on our bank accounts. There are very few biodegradable options on the market. Many disposable wipes will end up in landfills, or cause sewage blockages. They sometimes dry up before you can use them!
Let's do the math again. A pack of makeup wipes cost you $11.00 for a pack of 25. If you only use one a day, that cost racks up to $160.60 a year! For a more money savvy makeup removal, switch over to a cleansing oil, balm, or micellar water with a reusable cotton round. You don't need anything disposable to wipe off makeup with an oil or balm. Massage onto your skin and rinse off!
If you're looking for a great deal, I recommend Bioderma's Sensibio H2O Micellar Water. They retail for $19.99 CAD for one 500ml bottle, but they often do two-pack specials for $29.99 CAD (that's 1000ml of fabulous makeup removal)! This much will last you a year, and compared to a makeup wipe you save out on $130.61 per year!
Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water (DUO)
$29.99 CAD
3. Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Nearly 80% of our skin's aging comes for environmental damage. The biggest culprit being the sun. It's imperative that you reapply sunscreen every two hours you are exposed to the sun. This includes if you're outside, sitting the car, or your workspace is by a window!
Next time you're buying a face or body moisturizer try to find one that has SPF in it. That way, your first two hours of the day you're protected. By doing this, you're sparing yourself one less application of SPF that's separate from your morning routine.
NO7 Early Defense Day Cream SPF 30
$24.00 CAD
Aveeno Daily Body Moisturizer SPF 15
$9.97 CAD
4. Don't Leave Your Razor in the Shower!
An unexpected but necessary bit of advice; don't leave your shaving razor in the shower! Leaving your razer on wet warm surfaces is a hot spot for germs. Store your razers in a dry spot outside of the humid environment. The moment your razor starts tugging at your skin, or seems dull, it's time to toss! Move your razer from those wet areas so you can prolong their use!
I'm going to be starting more environmentally conscious shaving decisions by purchasing a zero waste razer. These types of razers are typically made with a high quality handle and a replicable razor. Is investing in one worth it? Let's do the math. Let's assume that your current disposable razor last about 1 month in your shower. Then you start noticing the blade dull. Assuming you buy a disposable razor, it could cost around $9.00 for a pack of three razors. This means you're spending $36.00 a year on shaving razors. If you change over to a zero waste razor, such as the one from Green State Goods, it retails for about $32.00 CAD and comes with ten free razors. You'll need some extra refills to compensate for the last two months of the year. You can purchase a pack of 100 razor refills for $11.89 at walmart. This means that you've now spent $43.89 on a new razer handle and 110 razor refills. If you buy 110 disposable razors that will accost to $330.00. Over approximately 9 year rate (which is how long the razors last if you use one per month), you'd be saving $286.11 on shaving alone.
Safety Razor Pink (with 10 razors)
$25.99 USD
5. Use the Last Swab
There's a plethora of reasons why you may need a cotton swab. From healing wounds, cleaning hard to reach places, and touching up makeup! It's shocking to think about how many ways we may use them in our daily lives.
Environmentally conscious brand, Last Object sells reusable cotton swabs. They market themselves for $16.00 CAD and claim to save our planet from 1000 cotton swabs polluting the Earth. But does it save money? Let's do the math. Q-Tip brand cotton swabs, purchased in the 170 count package from Walmart says that each swab is worth $0.02. 1000 of those swabs add up to $20.00! Even if the monetary change isn't big, at a shocking $4.00, it's also going to save you an extra trip to the grocery or drug store.
LastSwab
$16.00 CAD
6. Loofahs Are for Goof-ahs
The skin on our body already has natural capabilities of self-exfoliating. Sometimes excess grime and gruff can get stuck in our pores. Physical exfoliants like Loofahs can actually cause micro-tears in your skin. Loofahs are difficult to clean and are usually left in the perfect environment for breeding germs. Put micro-tears and germs together and it's the ideal situation to get a skin infection- it's scientifically proven!
If that's not enough to sway you, you're supposed to change your loofahs are 3-4 weeks. Let's do the math. Loofahs are approximately $3.50, that could cost you $45.50 - $60.66 CAD a year. That's also 15-17 less Loofahs polluting the Earth per year!
If you're looking for a longer lasting and more sanitary method of mechanical exfoliation for your body there's plenty of options. A wash cloth- cheap, you probably already have spare towel, and easy to clean. For a more brush-like feeling you can opt for a silicone scrubber. Silicone is a very difficult surface for bacteria to survive on. It also pairs well with body washes and foams for a smooth and fresh cleanse in the shower.
Soft Silicone Body Brush
$9.99 CAD
With these tips and tricks in mind, you could be saving yourself hundred even thousands of dollars a year! Not only will your wallet be fuller, but the environment will thank you too! So what step in your personal hygiene routine will you be changing?
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