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Tip Store: Beauty: Baths & Showers

Make It More Relaxing

​Add a few drops of Lavender oil or Eucalyptus oil to your bi carb soda bath and relax even more.
Contributed by Wendy Bailey

​Soap, Soap and More Soap!

My little bit of luxurious expense is when I do my big shop which is about every 8 to 10 weeks (I live rurally), Instead of treating myself to a takeaway lunch, I make lunch and with the money saved buy a couple of up market soaps or body soap wash in my favourite smell that are on special. It gives me that added pleasure in the shower which is also 'me' time. 
Contributed by Sally Coverdale

MOO Gentle Body Wash

​Ingredients:
1/3 cup liquid Castile soap (from health food shops)
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup of carrier oil (olive, avocado or sweet almond)
45 - 60 drops of either lavender (for a night time body wash) or peppermint (for a morning wake-up body wash) pure essential oil

Method:
Combine all the ingredients with a whisk until thoroughly blended, or add to a blender and pulse until thoroughly blended. Pour into a pump bottle. Shake well before using - this recipe separates when it is left standing, but is easily combined with a couple of shakes in the bottle.

MOO Body Wash

​Ingredients:
3/4 cup liquid Castile soap (available from health food shops and online)
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp vegetable oil (grapeseed, jojoba, sweet almond, sesame, olive all worked)
1 tsp Vitamin E oil (available from pharmacies and health food shops)
50 drops essential oil

Method:
Combine all ingredients. Pour into a clean pump bottle. Shake well. Let sit for one hour. Place in shower. To use shake gently before pumping onto face washer or shower scrubbie. 

You can choose the essential oils you use. Try your favourite combination of invigorating oils, or at the moment, your favourite combination of germ fighting oils. If you shower at night, choose a sleepy time combination to relax you before bed. 

​Know the Igredients to MOO the Formula

To know if we can MOO, we need to know the ingredients. I had a google and there isn't much in it.Ingredients: Paraffinum Liquidum, Laureth-3, Isopropyl Myristate

Paraffinum Liquidum is liquid paraffin which is a mineral oil.
Laureth-3 is an emulsient which helps avoid an "oil slick" bath
Isopropyl Myristate is used to help products sink into the skin.

A really simple version would be to add an oil of choice to your bath. However, you will have your typical "oil and water" slick. 

There are emulsients you can buy to stop the oil slick, one example is Polysorbate 80 which can be purchased from bath/soap maker suppliers. Often bath/soap product suppliers have recipes on their website.

Even if you don't end up MOO-ing a recipe, I would recommend looking at local handmade bath product makers. They do all the hard work formulating a recipe and they might have a similar product that is cheaper and handmade, usually without using mineral oils but instead vegetable oils and butters.
Contributed by Kate Bradshaw, 18th August 2016

​MOO Moisturiser

I make a Skin cream/Moisturiser which I apply after a shower. I use my face washer for a bit of a dry off in the shower, then get out and apply the oil from top to toe before applying my (MOO) deodorant and getting back in the shower to squeegee the glass and let the oil soak in a bit. 

Anyway the recipe for the oil is:
 1/3 Olive Oil, 
1/3 Coconut Oil (both cheap and fabulous), 
1/6 Macadamia, 
1/6 Almond… or any good oil that you like,
 then a bit of Rosehip (more expensive), 
and an essential oil that is recommended for topical use. 

I also put in some Jojoba oil - which is fab for your skin, also. I put mine in a nice pump bottle as it can be a bit hard to dispense from other bottles.
Contributed by Susie Venkat, 18th August 2016

​Bucket Wash

Get a 10 litre plastic bucket and put it in bath; three quarter fill with cold water. Next boil large kettle of water and when boiling pour into bucket. Mix up water then kneel in bath and with sponge wet yourself from head to toe then apply shower gel to sponge and lather up. Then rinse sponge under tap and from bucket rinse off head to toe a luxurious experience. It's what society, the utility companies and electrical retailers don't want you to do.
Contributed by William Bradshaw, 11th August 2016

​Luxurious Bath Gel

In need of a quick, inexpensive but beautiful Christmas gift - for yourself or someone else? Then this bath gel  will fit the bill perfectly. The only ingredient you may need to buy especially is gelatine, and you'll find that in the baking aisle at the supermarket, otherwise you should have everything else.

For women, I like to use lavender oil or a combination of lavender and orange oils or rose oil to scent this lovely bath gel. For men I use lavender and patchouli oils or sandalwood, vanilla and lime is nice. The scent is optional but adds a touch of luxury. 

If you are going to colour your gel, add just a drop or two of food colouring to barely tint the mixture for the prettiest results.

Ingredients:
1 cup shampoo
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons gelatine
food colouring
essential oils

Step 1. Sprinkle the gelatine over the boiling water to soften then stir with a fork until it dissolves.

Step 2. Add the food colouring and essential oil to the water (if you are using them).

Step 3.  Slowly stir in the shampoo, making sure you mix it all into the water.

Step 4. Pour into jars and set aside to cool and set.

There are some lovely jars in the dollar shops. I found a large heart-shaped bottle with a cork for just $1.50. I estimate that the bath gel costs approximately 70 cents to make, so all up the gift cost $2.20 or thereabouts.

I also tied a big gold bow around the neck of the bottle, with some wire edged ribbon left over from a Christmas gift.

Food colouring and essential oils are optional, if you have them on hand use them, if not it won't affect the finished bath gel at all.

If your  gift recipient prefers a shower to a bath, pour the mixture into a squirt top bottle or a pump bottle with a larger pump before it sets and they will still be able to enjoy the luxury of their very own bath or shower gel.
Contributed by Cath Armstrong

​MOO Body Wash on a Budget

Approximate $ Savings:    $7.00 per 500ml
 
My husband is an apprentice so funds are very limited and of course we have had to forgo a few little luxuries. Recently I went browsing at a local continental shop and found my favorite body wash but at $8.00 for 500mls was way too expensive. So I decided to make my own body wash. I purchased two bars of the same brand and fragranced soap at $1.99 per soap and make my own body wash. I boiled 6 cups of water, turned off the heat and then added the 2 bars of soap which I grated. I made sure I stirred it until all the grated soap was dissolved. I then left it overnight to set. If you find the soap is a little too think just add more hot water until you get the right consistency. Make sure you do not boil the grated soap though. So I got 2 litres for approximately $4.00, compared to $8.00 for 500mls.
Contributed by Silvia Gim, 24th February 2013

Hand Soap

I was thinking recently how I could save money by making my own liquid hand soap as I have seven children and our household seems to go through a lot of it. I went to the Reject Shop and bought a $2 bar of lovely smelling soap, took it home, grated it and cooked it up in an old pot until it was dissolved, and then kept adding water to gain the required consistency. I then ran an old stick blender through it to make it smooth and silky and added some more water. From one bar of soap I made at least 4 litres of liquid hand soap and all for the grand total of $2.A standard bottle of pump hand soap costs at last twice that, and it will last me ages. I also recycle the pump bottles, the ones I have I have had for the past 4 years.
Contributed by Tracey Bruellke, 6th July 2012

Beautiful Bubbles on a Budget

Buy cheap-as-chips family sized shampoo (1L for $2.99 at Aldi) instead of bubble bath ($5 from Priceline). It foams even better than regular bubble bath. Win Win!!!
Contributed by Lorraine, 22nd June 2009

Shower Gel Savings Breakthrough

Approximate $ Savings: $36 per person per year
  
I have discovered by using a nylon mesh body washer and just one squirt of shower gel, you really can get at least 6 months or more out of one 750ml pump pack of shower gel. There are plenty of suds, as I wash myself over with water first, and because I use only one squirt (rather than two or three, with a face-washer), the shower gel hardly gets used. I still smell clean and fresh, but there are just so much more soap suds to go around, thanks to the nylon mesh!! :-) What's more, if you wait for the specials on shower gel, you can save extra dollars (of course!).
Contributed by Jane, Nundah, 22nd May 2009

Lovely Lather on a Smaller Scrubbie

Approximate $ Savings: 50% off
  
We prefer liquid body wash to bar soap, and the body scrubbies made of netting. After purchasing a small, travel size, scrubbie for a recent trip, I found that I need much less body wash to produce a lovely lather on the smaller scrubbie. When rinsing out the larger ones, there was always an excess amount of suds washed down the drain...and wasted! I also save on the cost of the scrubbies, as the smaller ones are a bit less.
Contributed by Laura Toy, 1st July 2010

Safe Deodorant

Another use for apple cider vinegar - use as a safe deodorant - put in spray bottle (dilute if have sensitive skin), spray armpits after washing, flap a bit til dries - can use salt crystal (free of aluminium chlorohydrate) while still wet if need stronger while ridding your system of the aluminium in commercial deodorants.
Contributed by Karen Border, 20th February 2009

Scented Baths

Put some Epsom salts in the bath and add a little of the perfume for a relaxing and fragrant bath. Or use perfume instead of deodoriser in the bathroom. Just spray as is, or dilute with distilled water in a spray bottle. Add a little perfume to the rinse water when rinsing your hair. Or put a little in the rinse water in your washing machine, along with white vinegar, instead of fabric softener.
Contributed by Diana, Bonnells Bay, 15th February 2009

Triple Duty Bubbles

If you prefer to use liquid hand soap as opposed to cakes of soap that become wet and messy, don't refill with hand soap refill. It is far too expensive at between $4-$6 for 500ml. I have been buying Fun Time Space Bubbles bubble bath liquid one litre bottle for $1.99 and it works fine. My husband also uses it neat as a pre-shave foam. If it is gentle enough for kids, it sure is gentle enough for us tough old birds too.
Contributed by Louisa Wermenycz, 15th February 2009

Clean Kids and Loads of Fun with Bucket Showers

I have 4 children under 5 and during summer we have a special game we play - instead of a traditional bath or shower - we have "bucket showers". The kids get naked in the backyard and I wash them with about 5 buckets of water. They love it. And we save money too. If it is hot we just use cold water, if not I add a bit of warm water. We do it about 40 times in the year. For 4 kids I approximate a saving of about $100. No gas cost, no electricity cost, plus much reduced water cost- plus a clean bathroom!
Contributed by Paula, Lane Cove, 26th January 2009

Soap Scraps

I was reading today's tip from Marybeth. I take the new bar of soap into the shower with me, wet both the new bar of soap and the soap scrap and meld the two together after my shower. By the time I use the shower again both have stuck together firmly albeit a strange shaped bar of soap.
Contributed by Valerie, Cooloola Cove, 10th June 2010

Open Soap to Harden

When not making my own soap, and I buy it, I get a bulk supply and unwrap the lot and keep it in a basket in an airy place. This hardens off the soap, making it last much longer. If you want to make your own soap, there are oodles of recipes on the internet. Try to read as much as you can before attempting as it is an art but easy when you know the tricks of the trade.
Contributed by Deb, Lanena, 7th January 2009

Self-foaming Bottles Cut Soap Costs

I have recently bought some self-foaming bottles from eBay. They are great because you can dilute soap, shampoo, non-soap wash at a rate of 1:4 up to 1:10. There is a slight outlay to buy the bottles but my family have sensitive skin and use a lot of expensive skin soap alternatives, so in the long term, it will reduce waste. The advantage of foam soap is that there is no need to wet hands before lathering, there is water already in the foam, so the tap just needs to go on to rinse the foam off.
Contributed by Cynthia, Glenwood, 15th May 2010

Bountiful Bubbles

Approximate $ Savings: up to $8 a month

Each bath time with my son requires his bath to have bubbles in it, but running out one day i used a tiny squeeze of shampoo into the running water and voila, heaps of bubbles! Shampoo is cheap to buy without using fancy brands and I think the bubbles actually last longer in the bath when using it as bubble bath than the actual bubble bath stuff itself!!
 Contributed by Lisa, Narrabri, 29th September 2009

This Mum Just Loves Baby's Bath Milk

Approximate $ Savings: $20-$100+
  
Instead of spending large amounts of money on moisturisers and body washes I use my baby's products. I use Johnson's Bath Milk as a body wash in the shower and soothing naturals as an all over moisturiser, my skins has never been softer, my pimples have reduced AND my stretch marks are softening. I'm saving so much money by not buying the very expensive adult creams/washes! (I would need 4-5 different products to do these things).
Contributed by Hayley, Morayfield, 30th July 2009

Soap Free

I haven't used soap when showering for years. Instead, as I wash my hair every day with a mild, good quality daily shampoo, I use the suds from that to wash with. I also buy liquid soap and pour quarter of it into another container - replacing it, in the original container, with cold water.
Contributed by Mi, Mt. Druitt, 18th March 2009

Switch and Save on Deodorant

Unfortunately in my experience you will always have more wastage with stick deodorants versus roll-ons. Even without the breakage, they tend to use more per underarm than a roll-on. I shop at Aldi and stick to the Aldi brand roll-on antiperspirant deodorants - they don't seem to be any less useful than the 'brand' name ones!
Contributed by Kelli, Horsham, 20th January 2009

Dilute Before Lathering Up

Save on hair shampoo, pet shampoo, handwash, fabric softener, dishwashing detergent etc. If you have a heavy handed partner like me you'll appreciate this. All the above needs water to lather up so instead of using it at full strength, add water to it when the bottle is halfway (or even less, just experiment) and you can make it last at least twice as long. No need to buy extra mixing bottles, most of us will usually have a spare bottle of that product in the cupboard anyway.
Contributed by Kiky Hutchinson, 22nd January 2009

DIY Deodorant

Approximate $ Savings: $4 approximately every six weeks

When your roll on deodorant bottle is empty prise off the roll top and fill the bottle with white vinegar. You'll never had to buy deodorant again, it works very well, there is no worry about chemicals and the smell goes almost immediately.
Contributed by Gaynor, Warrandyte,14th January 2009

Nature's Solutions to Rough, Dry Skin

Approximate $ Savings: $50 per year
  
Some of the best and cheapest beauty solutions come from nature. Instead of spending huge amounts on expensive body scrubs, mix half a cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of milk, 1 tablespoon of honey and half a cup of raw sugar. Rub the mixture all over your body for the best scrub of your life. the olive oil, milk and honey are natural moisturisers, and even Cleopatra used to use a mixture of milk and honey to keep herself looking young!
Contributed by Dora, Niddrie, 3rd September 2008

Wee Wipes

Approximate $ Savings: $200

As girls and ladies use a fair bit of loo paper for wees, we found a solution to the expense of toilet paper. Take a worn flannel sheet, cut into squares (about 15cm) and hem all edges. Use in the loo for wee wipes. When used throw into a bucket of water with tea tree oil added, then when doing a load of towels on hot wash throw in the wipes, wash, dry in the sun and reuse over and over.
Contributed by Anonymous, Dundas, 1st June 2008

Stretching Shower Gel for Many Uses

Approximate $ Savings: $5 on separate purchases

I have saved heaps this week and for weeks to come by purchasing Aldi's Shower Gel Refill Bottle. I have diluted and added to re-used pump bottles in the kitchen, laundry and bathroom for moisturising hand wash. Another re-used pump bottle in the bath, again slightly diluted and the kids have great smelling bubbles. And of course there is another re-used pump bottle in the shower for its original use of shower gel. All this and I still have half a bottle for further refills as needed, great saving.
Contributed by Michelle, Banks, 27th March 2008

Multi Tasking in the Shower

To save time and water in the shower I multi-task. for example, while I rinse shampoo out I cleanse my face, while I have conditioner in my hair I cleanse my body or scrub the shower, then while I rinse the conditioner out I brush my teeth. I find I spend half the time that my partner does in the shower even though he hardly has any hair.
Contributed by Anna, Chipping Norton, 17th August, 2007

A Simple MOO Moisturising Body Wash


pproximate $ Savings: $10.00

Grate a bar of velvet pure bath soap and 1 bar of Nivea, sorbolene or Dove into a large pot. Add 2 litres of water, heat, stirring until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of sorbolene lotion or another moisturizer and mix in. Allow to almost cool, then mix with a blender in batches (or use a stick mixer) then pour into bottles for use. This is a really creamy and soft body wash and feels terrific on the skin. Use with a shower puff to make your skin feel great. This makes over 2 litres for about $1.50.
Contributed by Kim, Frankston, 6th August, 2007

50:50 Body Cleansing Foam

When replacing your bathroom hand wash cream or children's bubble bath solution, fill the existing bottle to fill with refill to the halfway to two-thirds full mark... then fill the rest with water and gently mix together using the end of the squirter tube or a skewer. This saves you a maximum of 50% per refill and the cleaning/bubble power of the wash is unchanged!
Contributed by Debbie, Dubbo, 5th March 2007

Puffy Soap Saver

My husband doesn't think he is clean unless he is all lathered up with soap from head to toe, so he was going through a cake of soap much sooner than he should be! To solve this problem I bought him a puffy shower scrub (the nylon mesh type - they only cost $1 each). I recently discovered that these work just as well with bars of soap as they do with the liquid body washes which can be quite expensive. I asked him to rub the soap across it just a few times and then use that instead of the soap. He was sceptical, but found out he still gets the same amount of lather, and uses much less soap. Now I save on the cost of soap and have a happy and clean husband who I no longer need to nag about his excess soap habit!
Contributed by Karen, Kellyville, 8th March 2007

Handy Homemade Liquid Soap

Approximate $ Savings: $6.50+ – Thursday 1st March 2007
Having sensitive skin I am unable to use many of the lovely liquid soaps on the market....so I make my own! Grate 1 bar sunlight soap (white one) and 1 bar of dove soap (I use pink so the final product is pink and pretty!) Add them to a pot with about 6 or so cups of water, bring to boil, allow to cool then give it a whizz with the stick blender then pour it into hand wash pump packs. It fills about 4 or 5 of them, leave it overnight to thicken water it down if desired but I leave mine. I love this soap and it costs about 20c per bottle! Looks good too!
Contributed by Jacqui, Gungahlin, February 25th 2007

Deodorant Solutions

I was using a deodorant crystal stick. I found that after a few weeks the top of the crystal became sharp and scratchy. I broke it into smaller pieces, added to a spray bottle of water and use this. Now I can use it on my whole of my body and have no wastage.
Contributed by Beth, Palm Beach, 4th December 2006

Stretching Liquid Soap

Get your soap-on-tap container, dilute the concentrate and you will use less water to wash it off. Save money, have clean hands and use less water.
Contributed by Beth, Palm Beach, 4th December 2006

Coloured Bathwater For Cents

Recently my son went through a stage of refusing his bath, and his grandmother bought him some expensive bath colouring products, which worked. Well they quickly ran out and in desperation I used a few drops of food colouring (it doesn't stain the bath). It worked, Joshie was happy saving me energy and sanity at the end of the day and he didn't even want added bubble bath!
Contributed by Sarah, Seven Hills, May 15th 2005

Homemade Shower Gel Just $1.63 a Bottle

I have made my $4.89 bottle of shower gel into 3 bottles which now only costs $1.63 each by dividing the amount into three and adding a third of sugar water and a third of glycerine water. The sugar water is made up of 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup water and boiled till sugar dissolves and let cool. The glycerine water is made up from 1, 200ml bottle of glycerine and 600mls water added. It lathers up really well and you only need a tiny bit (5 cent piece size) and it leaves your skin feeling really soft. Next time I'm going to try for 4 bottles out of 1, which will only be a cost of $1.22 a bottle.
Contributed by Sian, Mackay, May 11th 2005

De-stress in the Bath

Try using Lectric Soda washing and bath crystals. Great for aching limbs feet etc. Buy near the washing powders etc.$1.50/rather than $6.00 for Radox etc. I use it all the time.
Contributed by Julie, Thurgoona, April 14th 2005

Instant Liquid Soap

All those little left over bits and pieces of soap, microwave them and put in container with pump handle and you have instant liquid hand soap.
Contributed by Sonya, St. Kilda, April 26th 2005

Don't Waste the Last of the Cake of Soap

Get the new cake of soap out and before you finish your shower press the old cake onto the new one and by the next shower it will have stuck to the new soap and you will be able to use the last of the soap.
Contributed by Ann, Hamilton, April 29th 2005

Sea Salt Body Scrub

For the best, most economical body scrub around - just mix some grainy sea salt with a little home brand baby oil. The salt is a great natural exfoliant and the oil also moisturises your skin at the same time - two birds with one stone!
Contributed by Hannah, Ferny Grove, April 17th 2005

Getting it All Out

When a flat-bottom-based container that WILL NOT fall over is dedicated to the bathroom then when a product is empty just drain upside down. When no more can be drained the container may be cut in two (MAY NEED A SERRATED KNIFE-TAKE CARE) and the top portion inverted to become an "OVERLID" and the adults can finger wipe it out to get the LAST drainage. (Often one two and three uses) alternately the -opened container may be covered with glad wrap if found the product has many more than 2-4 serves available.
Contributed by Lorna, Annerley, March 18th 2005

Black and Gold Milk Bath

I find that I have dry skin and lotions don't seem to help much, I then started putting 1 cup of the black and gold milk powder to my bath once a week and my skin became soft, smooth and supple. It is cheaper than most moisturisers and safe for the kids to use as well!
Contributed by Kay, Salisbury East, October 17th 2006

Exfoliating Gloves are Cheaper than Body Scrubs

Don't even bother using a body scrub, just buy a pair of those 'rough' shower gloves for a few dollars, use your regular soap for your body and scrub all over. Works perfectly! I use a facial wash instead of soap on my face anyway and the gloves work as good as any scrub I've ever used.
Contributed by Kerrie, August 12th 2006

Soap Saver

When the soap in the shower or bath becomes too small to use moisten a new cake and the used one and press together. No waste at all.
Contributed by Illona, Bundaberg, July 28th 2006

Cheaper Bathroom Wipes

I've noticed Sorbent Clean and Fresh Wipes popping up in more and more people's bathrooms. At $6.40 for a packet of 40 wipes - that's an expensive alternative to toilet paper. In our home, we use a no brand container of baby wipes instead. A container of 150 thin wipes costs around $4. If you prefer a thicker wipe, a no brand pack of 80 costs around the same ($4). 40 Sorbent wipes each month for 12 months costs $76.80. The same amount of thick no brand wipes each month for 12 months costs $24. The same amount of thin no brand wipes each month for 12 months costs $12.80 - a massive saving of $64!!! I use no brand wipes when changing my daughter. A wipe I consider good enough for my toddler is good enough for me!
Contributed by Dee, Connells Point, July 13th 2006

Note: It is not recommended that you flush baby wipes. Dispose of them as you would normally. Keep a wastepaper basket in the bathroom to make disposal easier.

Soothing Bath

A simple and economical way to relieve dry, itchy skin is to completely dissolve a cup of salt in a bathtub of water and wash as usual. For a more luxurious bath you can use sea salt. This bath is often more effective than using expensive bath oils.

One Product for Hair and Body Wash

Use a cheap shampoo as a body wash; it's a lot cheaper than some expensive body washes! Use a cheap shampoo as a body wash works just as good won't dry your skin out and is cheaper than some expensive body washes and there is lots of lovely smelling shampoo!!!!
Contributed by Ashlee, Bligh Park, August 17th, 2006

Soap Saver

I was notorious for buying shower gel at $4 or more per bottle because I hated soap going all soggy. Not only that, it was annoying trying to wash with a tiny little bit left. I came across a product called the "Exhilarating Soap Saver" at The Body Shop. It is a lovely pouch you place your soap inside and wash yourself with it and fantastic for exfoliation. It uses up every little bit of your soap and even if you have heaps of other little pieces of soap that have done their time, just shove them all in and use them up. Just hang the pouch up with your soap inside once your done. I thought it was a great idea and it only cost me $6.50 and it lasts as long as a face washer.
Contributed by Emma, Kirwan, December 13th, 2005

Soft Soap

The cheapest and softest soap to use in the shower I have found is not in the soap section of the shopping market but in the laundry Isle. It is pure laundry soap pack of 4 only 97c (and that's 125g cakes not the usual 80-100g cakes.)
Contributed by Sirena, February 17th, 2003

Homemade Relaxing Bath

_At the end of a long, hot, stressful day take a nice relaxing bath. Save yourself a fortune - don't buy those commercial and very expensive bath additives. Buy a box of bi-carb soda and keep it in the bathroom. You might like to store it in a moisture-proof container if you are going to leave it there. Then just add about 1/2 cup (about a handful) to your bath while it's running. Climb in, lay back and relax! The bi-carb neutralizes acids on your skin and washes away the grime and perspiration, leaving your skin feeling soft and silky smooth.