Austerity Beauty ideas

[TillyMilly]

This thread was inspired not by Austerity for me but by the opposite. My experiment with 'vintage style' beauty regime was not a sucess- I'm so much happier with high end beauty products. I got loads of Clarins for Xmas so I have been left with tonnes of pears soap, ponds and boots cold cream, ponds vanishing cream, witch hazel and various facial mosituriers and I'm not one for throwing things out so I came up with a few ideas to use them up- heres what I came up with:

- Old moisturiser worn thich as a hydrating mask
-Old moistiuriser worn thick as a foot treatment
- Salt scrub- mixed handful of cheap table salt with old moisturiser/cold cream and used pre shower as a salt scrub on my body (very successful)
- Mixed old kaholin clay with witch hazel for an oil-absorping face mask (successful)
- Used pears soap with a shaving brush for shaving
- Mixed old moisturiser with old shampoo ( I used Vosine which stinks- I ony got it to strip out hair dye) and then I used it as a non-foam shave gel and it was extreamly successful.

Not sucessful:

I tried mixing old cold cream and body oil to use as a hair mask- but it left me with nasty greasy hair- yuck!

So - anyone else have any ideas for austerity beauty? Im not sure what to do with all the jars of vanishing cream..

 

[crwritt]

Last time I cleaned out my collection of beauty products and hair stuff that I tried
but didn't really like, I tossed them in a big shopping bag and brought them to the
local women's shelter.
I knew I wouldn't use the stuff, and it was still good, and those ladies were pretty
excited to see what I brought.

 

[Amelia]

Conditioner thAt didn't do wonders for my hair, I used it for a body soak, makes the skin soooo soft.

 

[adara260]

What is vanishing cream? LOL, it sounds cool. Also where did you get kaholin clay from? Sounds interesting!

I have that problem with Pond's cold cream. It doesn't take my waterproof eye makeup off so its useless to me. Since its used I don't feel right giving it to anyone else. I'm using it as foot moisturizer....

I've used bad conditioners as shave gels before.

 

[sheeplady]

I'm trying using Baking Soda for washing my hair (week 2 of the experiment). I've been using white vinegar as a conditioner for about 6 months. I use cooking oil as a moisturizer.

I did once use a bottle of shampoo that I reacted badly to (rash) as toilet and sink cleaner. Other shampoos I have used to wash out things (like clothes or my hairbrush) in a pinch.

 

[LinaSofia]

Sheeplady, white vinegar as a conditioner? that sounds interesting! Is that moisturising or what does it do to the hair? I have hair that's prone to get a bit greasy after about 2 days, and since starting to pin curl my hair I've stopped using conditioner because I find it weighs my hair down and I lose the curls much quicker. Maybe white vinegar is an alternative worth trying...

 

[TillyMilly]

What is vanishing cream? LOL, it sounds cool. Also where did you get kaholin clay from? Sounds interesting!

Ponds vanishing cream is an oil control mouse mosituriser. i think it's discontinued now. i bought a stock and have 6 jars left. they changed the fragrance from years ago- it used to smell like MACs make-up wipes do now- iris?. I got the clay from the pharmacy- it's dirt cheap. They sell it for use when you have a stomach upset- you are supposed to mix it with water and drink it to bind you.

The coldcream and salt is really working a scrub- i have tried it on my face and it's not too harsh. The only problem is that i have to really scrub it off with shower gel and a brush so it doesn't gunge up my razor when I shave afterwards (could shave before I supose? - but i like to exfoliate on dry skin- it works better!) and the tub gets gungy too!

 

[Fatal Red]

LinaSofia - I use apple cider vinegar as a post-wash/condition rinse. It helps the hair cuticles to lay back down, thus making the hair smoother and shinier while helping to seal in moisture. Just make sure to dilute (I use 1 tbs in about 16oz. water) and apply on scalp after rinsing any shampoo or conditioner out. I squeeze the excess down my length, then rinse out completely, I have had no problem with a smell from this method.
Oh, it is also a natural anti-fungal/bacterial, so I even use some after a shower in my underarms instead of commercial deodorant (which gives me a rash).
I feel like I am forgetting something....Don't get any in your eyes? lol, if I remember anything else I'll let you know!

 

[Gracie Lee]

As a scientist, I feel like I should interject a bit of intellectual mumbo jumbo. While I have no idea if this is the sole cause of all the benefits reaped by using it on the hair, a mild acid rinse, such as vinegar, removes soap residue (specifically the phosphate compounds found in nearly everything) from surfaces. That's why scientists use it after we do our dishes (we use dilute hydrochloric acid, though) - soap residue can mess up our research It should also be noted that, for handwashing silks, especially crisp fabrics like taffeta and organza, it is recommended that you do a dilute vinegar rinse and a final cold water rinse for the same reason: the residues from detergents ruin the hand of the fabric. Thanks, all... now back to your regularly scheduled beauty chat

 

[sheeplady]

LinaSofia- A lot of people use Apple Cider vinegar as a rinse, but I find it makes my hair too greasy.

How I use white vinegar is that I have it loaded into an old pump shampoo bottle. I do six squirts (about maybe 2 tablespoons or less) into a 16-ounce cup, and fill with warm water. Then I dump it all over my scalp and length of my hair. If I need more conditioning on my ends, I can up more vinegar into the water, but I never put more on my scalp (grease). Then I rinse it out well with warm or cool water (the colder the water the more shiner the hair). If my hair is really dry, I wet my hands and apply a few drops of oil to my wet hair (- only one or two drops- Almond or jojoba oil work well) and spread all over my hair. I only do this maybe every two months.

I have really fine hair, and sometimes a conditioner will leave my hair greasy looking- I could never use it above my ears.

So far I am really pleased with the baking soda (washing once a week) and the vinegar. From the start I had hair that could only go two days without looking like a mess without washing. Now I have three days of lovely hair, the fourth day is slightly greasy (like the end of day two for me before); around day 4 and days 5 and 6 I do a water only wash where I massage my hair under hot water to lessen the grease. I am holding out to see if the grease will lessen up even more.

But you don't need to use baking soda to use the vinegar. I was really suprised how well it worked.