Natural beauty products often come with a high price tag. This is because better quality and cleaner ingredients cost more than the artificial ones.

Luckily, you don’t have to break the bank to buy the good stuff.  Over the years, I’ve found many ways to save on natural body, skincare, and hair products for kids and adults. Here are my top 5 strategies to spend less on natural products:

1. Avoid buying special “kids'” or “women’s” products

You’ve probably heard of the “pink tax” and witnessed it firsthand: products labeled for women (like shampoos and razors) cost more for less. It’s the same for kids’ products–soaps, shampoos and creams made for children are much more expensive than products made for adults.

So to save money, stick with gender- and age-neutral products and use them for the whole family–from infants to grownups. For example, I’ll buy Dr. Bronner’s Castille soap and use it as shampoo, body wash, and hand soap for my baby and everyone else in the family. If there’s a natural product I like for myself (like conditioner or sunblock), I’ll use it on my kids. In most cases, there’s no need to buy separate products if they’re made of natural ingredients anyway (read labels carefully!). I save even more by buying a big bottle and refilling smaller containers as needed.

 

2. Re-purpose kitchen items for your beauty regimen

The truth is, you can make any body-care product you need out of food items. Coconut oil can be used for almost any beauty regimen purpose: it’s a great moisturizer (for baby to grown-up), make-up remover, hair de-frizzer, cuticle softener, under-eye cream, shaving cream, and may even protect your baby’s diaper area from rashes thanks to it’s anti-fungal properties. Sugar makes a luxurious scrub for face and body. Avocado can be turned into a soothing face mask and hair mask. Vinegar is great as a hair rinse, facial toner, and skin soother. (Hydrogen peroxide is another great toner, by the way, and it can also treat acne.) You’ll find loads of great DIY beauty product ideas containing these and other ingredients on the internet. Bonus: Add your favorite essential oils to any product you make and create the scent you love.

3. Dilute foaming products so they last longer

Many hand soaps, shampoos, face wash, and other sudsy products can be diluted with water and still be very effective. Diluting them makes your products last a lot longer (and you’ll save even more if you buy in bulk). There is no hard and fast rule in terms of how much water to add–experiment with different proportions and see how they work for you. Start with adding 1/5 water; you can always add more. For instance, I often dilute hand soap by 1/4 to 1/3 water with no discernible impact on how it cleans.

4. Know where to shop
I used to buy some of my natural products at Amazon, until I discovered I could save much more by shopping at Thrive Market. Thrive has a great selection of healthy food, supplements, and natural body care products for up to 50% less than Whole foods and other stores. Plus, you can buy food and toiletries in everyday sizes and you often get a free gift with your order (I’ve received free avocado mayo, raw energy bites, organic tomato sauce, and natural hand sanitizer).

Thrive’s prices can be significantly lower than Amazon’s. For example, Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Castile Soap (32 oz) is currently $18.40 on Amazon and just $10.95 on Thrive. An 11 oz bottle of Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Shampoo is now $11.75 on Amazon vs. $7.45 on Thrive. The savings are real!!! Click here to try Thrive for a free month and get 15% off your first order, plus  free shipping for every order over $49. The annual fee is $59.95, which you will quickly make back in savings.

5. Stick with affordable beauty brands

Some brands produce great, clean products at a relatively low price point. Dr. Bronner’s is one of them. In addition to their famous castile soap, they also make shaving gel, various hair care products, toothpaste, and lip and body balms, all at very affordable prices.You may not find all of these products in stores, but they are sold on Thrive Market and Amazon. Everyday Shea makes really affordable bath products and lotions for kids and adults (on Thrive, you can get Everyday Shea body wash and shampoo at $7.95 each for a 32oz bottle!). Finally, EO (“everyone”) also has skincare and bath products for really great prices (see for yourself). All three of these brands get great reviews and I’ve been personally pleased with their products.

 

I’d love to hear your tips for saving on natural body care and make-up products. Please share! In the meantime, enjoy shopping while saving!