How to Go Natural With Your Personal Care Products and Save Money

Once you have decided to ditch chemical ridden products in favor of more natural alternatives, you may find that a lot of natural products are more expensive than the products you were using before. You want to choose healthier options and be kind to the environment without increasing your expenses for these types of products. So what's a girl (or guy) to do? Here are some areas where you can incorporate natural products and actually spend less!

Shampoo and Conditioner: 
-Consider going no poo. Ditching shampoo all together may sound like a crazy new age, unhygienic thing to do, but no one is suggesting that you have dirty hair and grow dread locks (unless you want to). Going no poo means cleaning your hair without shampoo which strips your hair of its natural oils.
-There are many shampoo and conditioner alternatives out there. A common and cost effective method of going no poo is to use baking soda to cleanse the hair and apple cider vinegar to seal the cuticle and prevent frizz (this would be your natural conditioning rinse).

Moisturizer:
-All natural lotion is great, but you don't have to spend very much at all to moisturize your skin naturally.
-Coconut Oil: This natural moisturizer is great for curing all kinds of skin ailments like diaper rash, burns, acne, and dry skin. It absorbs into the skin quickly and is packed with beneficial antioxidants.
-Olive Oil: This natural oil makes a great natural moisturizer. It does not absorb as quickly as coconut oil (or smell as yummy), but it also contains beneficial antioxidants, and it's cheap and easy to find. Pick some up at your local grocery store and try this recipe for an all natural exfoliating face and body scrub.
-Cocoa Butter. You have probably tried a lotion with cocoa butter in it, but cocoa butter is best on its own. When comparing the effectiveness of cocoa butter lotion to cocoa butter that is 100% pure, the pure cocoa butter wins every time. It's very cost effective as a little bit goes a long way. It is very hydrating for dry skin, great for knees, elbows, and feet. I can buy a stick of pure cocoa butter for $1 at my local drug store.

Soap and Body Wash:
-Soap isn't really a huge expense, but if you can cut costs and use natural bath products, then why not?
-Make your own soap. Consider making your own soap which will save you a lot of money over time and is a fairly simple process. Plus home made soap bars make great gifts!
-Bar soap is typically less expensive than liquid soap, but works just as well so consider the bar variety over the liquid form.
-My favorite cost effective, all natural and organic soap is Dr. Bronner's. Here's why. This soap has a lot of uses. Body wash, baby wash, dish soap, hand soap, face wash, laundry detergent (I've washed my cloth diapers with it!) and more. If you buy the baby mild (unscented) variety, you can add your own essential oils to scent it anyway you like, which is great if you are buying a large amount. You can buy this soap for about $5 a bar or buy a small, medium, or large (it's quite a bit of soap) bottle of the liquid castille soap. The best thing about it (besides the price and the fact that it's all natural and organic), is the soap lasts a long time because you only need a little bit to get a good lather. So you save even more by using less of this soap.

I was not compensated for this post nor was I compensated for mentioning or making claims about any product or company listed above. Any opinions expressed here are 100% honest and my own.