Personal Care Hacks that will Save You Money and Your Health

In this post, I am going to share a couple of my personal care ‘hacks’ which have resulted in improved health and many dollars saved. Initially, when I changed my lifestyle to focus on recovering my health, I changed the way I ate.  But, the biggest health changes came when I began cleaning up my personal environment to remove toxins, anti-microbials, and harmful chemicals. 

Personal care product manufacturers spend boat loads of money trying to convince you that you NEED their product. Cultural norms reinforce it. And, we feel compelled to go along. NO MORE!

My plan of action includes both a ‘remove and replace’ strategy as well as simply eliminating what I believe are unnecessary. If you use many products, it may seem overwhelming, but making changes in small incremental steps will result in movement in the right direction. 

You CAN do it!

My Top 4 Money-Saving, Health-Saving Personal Care Hacks

1. ZOMBIE TOOTHPASTE  – Zombie Toothpaste is my favorite money-saving, health-saving personal care hack, because who doesn’t want to look like a zombie these days? I use Activated Charcoal to brush my teeth and I get asked ALL. THE. TIME. how I keep my teeth so white.  Simply break open a capsule, dump it into a small bowl, wet your toothbrush, drag it through the activated charcoal and brush. You will not need to brush as long as with toothpaste, but you should rinse and floss as usual. One capsule should last through several brushings. Don’t worry about swallowing the small amount that remains after rinsing, because Activated Charcoal is meant to be swallowed! It is used for food poisoning or alleviating symptoms when you have eaten a food that causes upset in your digestive system. One bottle of Activated Charcoal will cost you less than $10 and will last your family quite awhile.
   Warning: IT IS MESSY. So, the littles will need to be well monitored to assure your bathroom does not turn into a Zombie apocalypse.
2. NO POO Method – I quit using shampoo and conditioner when I began reacting to them. I simply use water to NO POO, but baking soda or apple cider vinegar can also be used. I no longer engage in daily hair washing or even daily showers. We have been convinced that we need to be CLEAN all the time. WE DON’T. In fact, skin builds a layer called the mantle which is protective. And when we wash it off every time we shower or bathe with soaps and cleansers we lose a very important defense barrier for pathogenic microbes. Eliminating shampoo, conditioner and body cleansers will save you a ton of money too. 
3. Food Moisturizers – Olive oil and coconut oil from the food isles are my goto moisturizers. I use them on my hands and face when they are dry and even my hair when it is frizzy.  If you lean a little crunchy, you may have heard ‘If you can’t eat it, don’t use it’ with regard to products used on your skin. I AGREE! The cost of a bottle of oil is far less expensive than a beauty counter moisturizer, will last much longer, and the food oils have multiple uses too! 
4. Alternative Underarm Deodorants – When I took a hair test, I discovered I was high in Aluminum. In addition to deodorants/antiperspirants, there are other sources of aluminum such as vaccines, food storage and cooking utensils, and medicines, which I also minimized. Initially, I switched to a mineral salt ‘crystal’ but found out those contain aluminum as well. Just like with my hair care, I decided to go without. And then, I settled upon a happy middle in that I use an alternative deodorant 1 or 2 times a week and that is enough to keep the stink at bay. I even noticed that my stinkiest day is the day after a shower because my important mantle has been washed off, leaving the stinky bacteria to grow undeterred. Here are some ‘health-saving’ choices if you find you NEED something. Cutting back to a couple of times a week cuts in half your underarm care bill, no matter what you choose!

It is so important to model a clean lifestyle for our littles because once they are older they will come under the influence of their peers. Not to mention the bombardment of messages from the personal care product industry telling them they NEED their products. 

Saving money is always a good thing! Smelling nice from a fragranced shampoo is not worth the health implications. Getting a daily dose of aluminum from your underarm deodorant is not worth the health implications. Being clean all over is not worth the health implications of mantle-damaging cleansers. We have been conditioned to believe we need these things, but the fact is our ancestors did just fine utilizing natural products to do the job. And, we can too.

Share in the comments your favorite health-saving, money-saving personal care hacks!