Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Less Is More - A Minimalist Approach to Bodycare

I'm a simple person. I'm a paper pad and pencil gal. I take 5 minute showers, cut my own hair, and wear 2 different kind of socks because one side of a pair quit. I have many of these quirks.

I'm a minimalist, meaning I continually ask myself, "Is that really necessary?"

So, here I am asking: Are all these body care products necessary? An average bath routine consists of at least 6 products: Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, facial moisturizer, body lotion. There's a reason why women spend on average $471/year on body care products (Businesspundit.com) ...because of all this stuff . So, how do we spend less, use less, and save more:

Tips to Minimize your Bodycare Routine:

1 Bar of Cold Process Handmade Soap = Body wash + Facial Cleanser + Body Lotion

Go Handmade! Cold process soap makers create soap from scratch with sodium hydroxide (sorry peeps, no lye = no soap). Recipes are made with mild, cleansing, and moisturizing oils, plus during the soap making process, natural glycerin is created. These soaps are gentle enough to use as a body soap and facial soap. Added bonus: Naturally retained glycerin eliminates the need to moisturize your body with lotion.

1 Shampoo Bar = Shampoo + Conditioner

Go Solid! Shampoo Bars contain all the cleansing agents without stripping your natural oils. No need for conditioner. If you have hard water, the minerals from the water will stay in your hair -- simply use a vinegar rinse (2 teaspoons in 1 tall glass of water). Not up to the task? Just alternate, use the bar until you feel like you need a good rinsing, then go to your regular shampoo.


Jojoba Oil = Facial Moisturizer

Jojoba Oil (it's actually a liquid wax) contains properties similar to our skin's sebum. It makes a great moisturizer (even for sensitive skin), a little goes a long way, AND it's another all-in-one -- facial moisturizer, body lotion, and hair oil.

So...guessing that 1 bar of handmade soaps runs around $6 and lasts a month, $6x12 = $72
A shampoo bar should last you about 2 months, $7 x 6 = $42
1 Bottle of Jojoba Oil should last about 3-6 months, $5 x 2 = $10

Total spent a year = $124

Not bad...