3 Multi-Use Beauty Ingredients That Won’t Break the Bank
I don’t know about all of you, but I am definitely not made of money. If I was, I would be buying every fabulous beauty product on the market!
Fortunately, it’s easier than you think to get gorgeous on the cheap: Here are three DIY beauty ingredients that I believe can take the place of any expensive beauty product you own. The best part? All three are probably in your kitchen right now!
1. Olive Oil
I feel like this is obvious, but for those of you who don’t know, olive oil is fantastic for you! Olive oil contains many excellent antioxidants and nutrients that are good for you internally as well as externally; it has been said in studies that it can help combat the effect of heart disease and malignant tumors! So here are some ways for you to use olive oil in your beauty routine.
- Olive oil is part of the oil cleansing method. This is a cult favorite skincare regime that uses oil as a way to cleanse the skin, so no water involved, and is said to work fabulously on all skin types. For more info on the method, Crunchy Betty has a great guide to oil cleansing. Have any of you tried it out?
- It makes a great make-up remover. I stopped buying make-up remover a long time ago; now I just rub some olive oil onto my eye make-up and wipe it away with a washcloth. Works like a charm!
- Use it to make an Olive Oil Hair Treatment! We posted this tutorial a while back and it’s still among our most popular beauty articles ever, thanks to the gorgeous shine it gives hair.
- Olive oil makes a great toner as well. I used to mix olive oil, witch hazel, and green tea to make a natural toner. It worked quite well for me and you can vary the ingredients depending on your skin type.
- Also speaking of skin, olive oil is great for repairing damaged skin from acne or other causes. I like to rub a little bit of olive oil onto acne scarred areas at night; it helps to repair my skin’s texture over time. (And no, contrary to popular belief, pure oils like olive do not cause acne!)
- Use it to create an exfoliating scrub. This simple, three-ingredient scrub will have your skin looking luminous in mere minutes.
- It can also be used in place of shaving cream! Olive oil works just as well, if not better, than your regular cream and makes your skin feel awesome. Just wipe away the excess oil when you are done, and look at that, you just shaved and moisturized in one step!
- Eating olive oil daily is also a great way to be healthy in general. Eating it on salads or on bread is my favorite. Just by eating one or two tablespoons a day you are helping your body out! How easy is that?
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is definitely a powerhouse ingredient! As with all vinegars, its main active ingredient is acetic acid, so it’s extremely strong and has natural astringent properties. Here are some beauty uses for apple cider vinegar that you can try at home. If you have sensitive skin, however, be careful: Make sure to dilute it and buy organic!
- It can be used as a rinse after shampooing your hair. As opposed to buying a fancy clarifying shampoo, you can use apple cider vinegar to remove product buildup and give your hair shine and body. Fill up an old shampoo bottle with one half apple cider vinegar and one half water, and use to rinse hair after shampooing twice a week.
- Just like olive oil, it also makes for a great toner. I recommend mixing it with some other ingredients to dilute it a little bit more, just so you don’t dry out your skin too much. This is also more for people who have oilier or combination skin; be careful if your skin is dry!
- It can also be used for drying out blemishes. Be careful on how much you apply it to the blemish, you want to dry it out but not so much that your skin gets irritated! Don’t do this if you have very sensitive skin, or test it first to see how your skin handles it.
- It can be mixed in with facials and masks, too. Depending on your skin type, it can go with honey, green tea, yogurt, etc to create custom masks. I typically use apple cider vinegar with my Aztec healing clay that I mentioned in a previous post; it mixes up quite nicely.
- You can use it to bring out your hair’s natural red tones. Just dilute 2:1 with water, apply, and sit in the sun.
3. Oatmeal
My favorite multi-use product is definitely oatmeal! It’s good, natural, and does a lot of great things for your skin and body. Did your mom make you take oatmeal baths if you got a sunburn or your skin was irritated? I know mine did, and it worked every time. So here are some more oatmeal tips to try!
- Oatmeal is a great gentle exfoliator. I pour a handful of oatmeal into my palm, run my clenched fist underneath a running faucet for a couple of seconds to get the oatmeal nice and damp, and then rub it into my skin! After a couple of seconds, it will start to feel sticky and adhere better. This can be messy, but I think it’s worth the clean up. It’s a great alternative to harsher salt scrubs; perfect if your skin is sensitive.
- It’s great at calming down redness, too. I rub oatmeal into my skin like I mentioned above and then I leave it for about half an hour. After I wash it off, my skin looks a lot less pink. You can also mix yogurt, honey, olive oil, just about anything with oatmeal to create a refreshing mask. My particular favorite is organic, plain yogurt; it feels so nice during the summer!
- Oatmeal is also good for drying out blemishes! I sometimes just spot treat any blemish instead of doing an entire face mask with oatmeal. In addition, it helps get rid of the redness in your pimples.
- I also like oatmeal as a natural face wash. I used to remove all my make-up with olive oil, and then would wash my face using oatmeal. When my skin was overwhelmed by too many harsh chemicals, this regime balanced it back out to where it should be. This goes a little bit in hand with it being an exfoliant like I mentioned above.
- Oatmeal is just plain delicious, too! It’s a filling, healthy breakfast you can make in your room and it’s great with fruit, honey, yogurt, whatever you want!
Final Tips
And there you have it – three natural beauty ingredients you can find in your own kitchen! All of these items contain no nasty chemicals, just make sure to get organic if you do plan on testing any of these out, especially if your skin is sensitive. (And it should go without saying that you should always do a patch test before applying anything new to your skin!)
A few tips on choosing quality ingredients:
- If you want to try out olive oil, I recommend getting virgin olive oil, cold pressed. It’s better for your skin! I will also say that for people with skin that seems to clog easily, be wary. I have heard of some people breaking out on it, so test a small patch of skin before rubbing it all over.
- For oatmeal any brand will do, just make sure it’s plain and unflavored. You can also grind up the grains with a spoon to make them more refined for masks and facials.
- Again, any brand will do for apple cider vinegar, but remember: This ingredient is strong, so don’t use it every day and remember to dilute!
Thoughts?
Do you know of any other uses for these beauty staples? What about other multi-use beauty ingredients that you use daily? Have you tried any of the tips listed here? Let me know with a comment!
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Posted on on January 24, 2012 / Filed Under: Beauty & Hair / Tags: Beauty, College Life, Hair, Skin, Skincare, Tips
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Marjorie
How do you get the olive oil out of your towels? It doesn’t just wash out does it? Great post, by the way.
Kendra - Arizona State University
In fact it washes out fine! I have one towel I designate as my make-up remover towel for the week, and by the end of it I usually don’t have any clean patches left to wipe my face with, so I just throw it into my wash with other towels or whites. Sometimes I use a bit of bleach to make sure it comes out very clean, but usually I don’t have to do anything special.
Ash
Good ideas! I’m a big fan of DIY beauty! So many girls don’t realize that you don’t have to shell out for pricey, chemical-filled products. Oftentimes I find my skin likes the natural “products” even more!
Sarah
One word of caution about the Oil Cleansing Method: It is NOT for all skin types. I’ve read about many acne-prone people who had a really bad reaction to it. Some people swear by it, but do research before you switch.
Other than that, great post! I use apple cider vinegar on my hair about once a week, and it helps restore bounce to my curls. Just make sure to use a thick conditioner after.
Tiffany
I love this post! Thanks so much for sharing (:
I only use natural products on my skin anymore since I’m so acne prone. I use a scrub made from honey, apple cider vinegar, green tea and sugar every day and a toner made from tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, and green tea at night (It doesn’t smell very good)
Natural products are so much better for your skin in the long run than harsh chemicals which tend to simply cover up the problem. My skin has never felt or looked better.
I would like to find a topical acne fighting cream/toner that I can use during the day…but have yet to find one!
Vanessa
I use olive oil to remove wax when I wax at home! I end up smelling like a salad but it works perfectly.
Ashley
I have acne prone skin, and the OCM didn’t work by itself for me. However, I’ve had amazing success using it as a pre-cleanse, then using my favorite Erno Laszlo soap afterward. My skin is the clearest its been since I was 11! Love it:)
Chloe
So, I have BLACK raven hair, that I dye, and what would happen if I used apple vinegar on it?
L-o-v-e this website, it is ah-mazing.
Kendra - Arizona State University
I have never dyed my hair black so I am not sure! The best way would be to do a patch test on a piece of hair (maybe hair in the back and underneath the front layers) and see what happens. If you decide to do that patch test let me know the results, I’m curious now!
Kendra - Arizona State University
I generally use it as a pre-cleanse as well just to get all my make-up off, then I follow with foaming soap. Totally agree with you!
Kendra - Arizona State University
I completely agree! I think the less chemicals the better, I think I have my routine down to two or three products now. My skin definitely appreciates it! I have a hard time with toners as well, they usually dry out my skin too much.
Kendra - Arizona State University
Really? I didn’t know that! Good to know, thanks for sharing.
Kendra - Arizona State University
Thank you for the comment! I completely agree about OCM, it’s not a system for everyone. It also depends on what oils you use, so a lot of trial and error is involved with it. It’s a very long process since sometimes there is a purge period where your skin will go crazy for a little while and then calm down.
I agree with using a deep conditioner, it definitely makes a huge difference after using ACV.
Kate
Not a beauty use, but I am an opera singer and apple cider vinegar is actually a fabulous thing to gargle to clear out the mucus and gunk out of your throat!
Jules
The oatmeal tip sounds great! I have sensitive skin prone to redness, so I can’t wait to try this one out!
Victoria
Perfect timing! I just ran out of eye makeup remover today and now I’ll be able to get my mascara off tonight! yay!
Meghan
I love using olive oil as a cleanser. I use olive oil all over my face and honey on problem areas. I have acne prone skin and while this method hasn’t cleared me up, it hasn’t made my acne worse. I stuck with it anyway because it makes me skin feel so much smoother and healthier. And its wayy cheaper. I also use apple cider vinegar on my hair after I shampoo. I recommend looking into both!
AJ
…And I thought I had nothing in the pantry. Well I still don’t – to eat! I bought apple cider vinegar for a recipe, and haven’t used it often since. Now I will. Thanks!
Jessica
I recently ran out of shaving cream, so I tried using olive oil instead a few minutes ago and I’m SO glad that I read this entry! Normally I put off shaving as long as possible because I always end up with really dry and itchy legs (regardless of what type of razor or shaving cream I use), but the olive oil is such a great moisturizer that once the hair was gone it helped to add moisture to the bare skin. Now my legs are smooth and glowing. :)
Thank you so much for posting this!
Kendra - Arizona State University
You’re welcome! I’m glad you had such good results from it.
Liz
Great post! I’ve recently been trying to switch all my beauty products to more natural methods so this was awesome!
However, I wanted to mention that there are certain pure oils such as olive oil that can cause acne and some pure oils that actually absorb excess oil and dry out acne such as castor or grape seed oil.
I think you might want to clear that up before girls with acne prone skin try using olive oil on themselves. It might not cause breakouts in everyone, but It’s fairly common.
Kendra - Arizona State University
Thanks for your comment! As I stated in the post, it is important to do a patch test with olive oil because it might be clogging for girls who do have acne problems. As well, the link to a more detailed explanation of the oil cleansing method is there if any girls are interested in trying it out and what other oils it does involve, like grape seed and castor oil that you mentioned.
Jennifer
It’s hard to be consistent with, but 2 tablespoons of apple cider mixed with 1 tablespoon of water taken twice a day works really well to keep your face clear! Just don’t eat oranges, etc. after because it will counteract the vinegar. It’s difficult to keep down the first couple times, but you get used to it.
Also, if you’re congested a shot glass of ACV will clear your nose and head right up :)
Kelly
The vinegar is also a GREAT remedy to help soothe bad sun burns. After I got one this summer, soaking some paper towel in vinegar and letting it sit on the burned skin really helped to take the heat out for about 20-30 minutes. I also felt like it took away some of the harsh redness, and in fact, it seems to help more minor sunburns brown faster. The smell is pretty strong but very much worth it to take away the pain.
Ashley
Sunburns: douse with apple cider vinegar then massage with olive oil. The burn fades super fast and it feels amazing.
Anywho, just wanted to put my vote in for oatmeal+honey masks; I have acne (have since I hit my teens, unfortunately), and, while the suspected cause is internal, oatmeal+honey masks helped reduce the redness and take away soreness from the zits I had. I don’t do the masks much now because of what I’m using–herbal teas and a lovely vitamin E oil that’s actually reducing the appearance of my scars *happydance*–but I strongly recommend them to anyone who wants to try. I also used to make masks out of honey, cinnamon (be careful of putting too much!), a bit of salt, and ground cloves that helped as well.
Stari
Great post! I love using all these from time to time! :) one my new favorite natural skin care products is lemon juice. I have some bad scars due to acne and just wiping my entire face a little is already starting to make a difference! Skin is brighter, scars are fading little by little… I also love tea tree oil. It’s a great spot treatment and really makes the redness go down and the pimple go away fast :)
nancy
So I was Just reading this post and saw how you had an olive oil salt scrub. I have found a michelle phan tutorial one a few years back that is also awesome, it has honey and sugar and I LOVE it! Here’s the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAF9PPhnatU
kelly
very affordable ingredients!
Eilish
I used Jojoba oil for about 2 weeks and it made me break out even more. I don’t think that I’ll never use the OCM for now
Bea
I have lots of allergies so I’m a big fan of DIY beauty.
I use olive oil for practically everything from moisturizing dry patches, to hair conditioner, “eye cream” and body scrub (with sugar)
Jill
Unless you are suffering from severe acne, you should be sure to use a moisturizer that includes emollients, which help your skin to soak up moisture from the environment. Other ingredients, such as humectants, can actually attract moisture to the skin. Dry skin would benefit from a moisturizer with a heavy, creamy consistency.