I know it may be hard to belive that I – an admitted beauty products addict – would recommend things that aren’t actually beauty products.  However, there are lots of budget-friendly options you won’t find at Ulta or Sephora.  Here are a few:

Petroleum Jelly (Some tips not recommended for oily skin.): 

– Smooth over extra dry skin before applying self-tanner to prevent drawing attention to your dry parts when they turn orange.

– Mix with sugar to exfoliate skin (honey also works for this).

– Prevent hair dye from dyeing skin.  Create a barrier around the hairline before dyeing hair.

– Increase perfume longevity.  Dab it onto your wrists before spritzing to make your perfume last longer.

– Remove eye makeup.

Lemon (Juice):

– Fix self-tanner.   Rub half a lemon over the spots that went way-beyond-bronze.

– De-stain nails.  Soak nails for 5 minutes in lemon juice to remove stains.

– Highlight hair.  Mix a couple drops into your conditioner for “natural” highlights.  (Not recommended for dry hair.)

Mayonnaise:

– Natural hair conditioner.  Apply room-temperature mayo to completely wet (not shampooed – use hot water only) hair.   Coat hair completely and pile it on top of your head.  Apply a plastic shower cap or bag over the hair and leave for 30-60 minutes.

Vinegar (distilled white works, apple cider is better):

– Natural hair cleanser.  Get all the hair product build-up out of your hair with a simple rinse of 1 cup vinegar and 2 cups water.  Use after shampooing or conditioning, depending on the dryness of your hair.

In Summary:  You can save a lot of money by using these (and other) household products for your beauty regimen.  Just use common sense when deciding what’s right for your hair/skin.