Skincare is anything but basic. The steps alone in even a basic skincare routine tally to at least 3 and that just covers cleansing, moisturising and sun protecting. There’s also age to consider, day or night, summer or winter, skin congestion, pimples, blackheads, pigmentation, fine lines… and the list goes on and on.
What also makes skincare less than basic is the amount of brand and product options, not to mention the price tag that comes along with these. In my experience, it’s not possible to completely eliminate pricey skincare items from your routine if you want to treat and prevent specific things but it is possible to simplify your skincare products.
Over the years I’ve tried and tested many products and brands and looked for cheaper alternatives. In some cases (pHformula EXFO cleanse) I’ve concluded that the price tag is worth it, but in others I have been able to replace by extremely cost-effective and easy to come by options.
Vaseline
Use: Instead of Eye Cream & Lip treatment
Eye creams are expensive, and I’ve never tried one that has blown me away. I’ve always used Vaseline as lip balm and think it works better that anything but only recently got the idea to start using Vaseline as eye cream too from Dr. Shereene Idriss (@shereeneidriss), a board-certified dermatologist. It works amazing and the best thing is that a huge 250ml tub costs is under R30 and lasts forever. I opt for the original so there are no added ingredients and buy the mini tubs for my lips.
8-Trek + Fabric plasters
Use: Instead of pimple treatments
8-Trek is a drawing ointment that is great to keep on hand for getting rid of splinters. My beautician recommends it for ingrown hairs too. During our celery juice foray, I had a terrible breakout that consisted of mountain sized pimples on my cheeks. I decided to try the splinter method before going to bed at night and smeared on some 8-Trek and covered the area with a fabric plaster. In the morning when I removed the plaster, all the pus had been drawn out and it had flattened. I tried it on the other pimples the next night and it worked like a charm. Within a week, together with my The Ordinary Must haves, the spots had completely healed with no red marks left on my face.
8-Trek costs R25.95 and like Vaseline, lasts forever. Plasters vary in price, but I recommend using fabric instead of plastic as the fabric tend to adhere to your face better – I think the area needs to be tightly sealed to work. You can get a pack of 15 for under R30.
Bio-oil
Use: Instead of Night moisturiser or face oils
Bio-Oil is the priciest item on this list but is still well under R100. A 60ml bottle will cost you R79.95 but a little goes a long way and will last a very long time. Bio-oil is known for helping reduce stretch marks and improving the appearance of scars. For that reason, I decided to try it as a face moisturiser and adore it. I either use it alone at night instead of a moisturiser, or I combine a drop with a small pump of my pHformula moisturiser to make it extra moisturising.
Bentonite Clay
Use: Instead of Blackhead/pimple clearing face masks
I’ve written about this previously, so read how it works here. Summary; best facemask for clearing breakouts. Also it costs R39.95 and as with all the above options, one 200g jar will last you a
VERY long time.
Do you have any skincare alternative tips and tricks? Please share with me in the comments 😊
