Happy New Year!
As we’ve previously discussed, we could all stand to save some money in today’s economy. There are ways to do that in almost in every aspect of our lives.

One area to save money in is personal care. This may count for just you or may apply to others in your family.

As you may know from my bio or other posts, I have a young daughter. One of the things we were struggling with was cradle cap (this refers to the dry-like skin attached to the scalp or stuck in their hair). It can be really hard to get rid of and there are tons of products claiming to be the best for it. We actually found an easy solution and you may already have it in your home. Two words: olive oil. Yup, that’s it. We put olive oil on her scalp and let it sit while we washed her up, then take a fine tooth comb and combed her hair several times and then just washed her hair like normal. It worked like a charm! This may take a few baths, but you’ll notice a difference!

Other tips include using bars of soap (instead of body wash – pro level! Make your own soap!), making your own dry shampoo (I use arrowroot powder), and learning to cut your own hair (and maybe your family’s too) at home. I, personally, cut my husband’s hair for him and have been doing this for a couple of years now. It saves us a lot of money because his hair grows so fast. He’s also had bad experiences with other stylists being too rough. You can also let your hair air dry or wash every other day instead of daily.

There are tons of posts on saving money through personal care, especially if you talk to someone who lived through the Great Depression, where they had to make their own personal care supplies. You may not be at the point of making your own deodorant, but maybe you’re willing to try a simpler alternative. Simple bars of soap clean just as well (if not better!) than the fancy products (plus they have fewer chemicals!).

What ideas do you have that could save you money and be gentler on your body? Let me know in the comments!