Look guys, I totally care about the environment. I use my own bags at grocery stores. I seriously debate getting my own reusable straws. But also, I used to spend a lot of money on single-use products. It is super annoying and I burn through things like makeup remover wipes soooo quickly because I am almost always too tired to wash my face like a proper adult. I’ve been carefully curating my beauty arsenal for years, and I’ve found some reusable beauty products that work super well and are a one-time (more or less) purchase kind of deal. So, if you use any of these products, swap them out so you aren’t contributing to the demise of our planet, plus more money for happy hour. It’s a win-win.
1. Makeup Eraser
I know. You’re all, “Holly, wtf, I’m not buying a $20 washcloth.” BUT IT IS A SPECIAL WASHCLOTH. Seriously, this thing is straight-up witchcraft. I never thought it would work as well as it does. It’s literally just, like, a microfiber washcloth that you add water to—nothing else—and it removes all your makeup without pulling or leaving residue, and it even removes waterproof makeup! It makes no sense. It’s also awesome if you have super sensitive skin, because you’re not using any irritating products. Wash them weekly and reuse. You’ll never need makeup remover again, so it saves you money long-term.
The Original Makeup Eraser m,akeup remover cloth
2. Blotting Sponge
I don’t understand why this isn’t talked about everywhere, but I’m going to assume it’s because people just don’t know about it. I got this free at some point in a gift set from Sephora, and it has changed my life. My skin is extremely oily, and instead of buying 200 packs of oil blotting sheets or piling on powder every couple hours, I now just use this. It’s a reusable sponge that you blot your face with, and it absorbs the oil, just like a blotting sheet. Except, you can use it endlessly until it basically falls apart (my first one is still going strong, and I’ve had it for ages). You just wash it whenever you wash your makeup brushes, let it dry, and it’s good to go again. The best part is that it doesn’t remove or smudge your makeup, so no need to reapply.
3. Exfoliating Gloves
Where have these been my entire life? Exfoliating gloves are completely life-changing. These gloves work better than any scrub you can buy. They easily slough off dead skin and prep your skin for shaving, and the best part is, you can use them with any soap or body wash you already use. You can reuse them literally until they fall apart in pieces, and save so much money in the long-run, with better results to boot.
4. Hair Ring
These are those super weird hair ties that look like telephone cords (if you were alive in the ’90s), and they are everywhere. But despite being kind of ugly, they are worth the price. These hair ties are invincible. They don’t break, stretch out, or leave creases, and they have insane holding power. It would take three normal hair ties to hold my bun up at the gym (assuming one doesn’t snap in the process). But now, I just use one of these and my hair does not budge. They’re also kind of bulky, so I don’t have any issues with losing them. Instead of having 100 hair ties that I lose or break until I end up with four, I only own two packs of Invisibobbles (six rings total).
5. Wet Brush
I’m just going to be up front with you: I don’t know why this brush works so well. It’s the cheapest brush I’ve ever owned, and I cannot explain to you how it manages to detangle my hair so easily. I have the worst hair texture ever. Sometimes it’s curly, but it’s straight in other places, and no matter what, I end up with basically dreadlocks underneath it every single day. I used to own f0ur different detanglers and leave-in conditioners to try to manage it, just so I wouldn’t cry when I tried to brush it out. I bought super expensive brushes from GHD, Chi, and even a $150 Mason Pearson—which made my hair shiny, sure, but could not even penetrate the barrier that is attached to my head to even get to the knots underneath. Nothing, and I mean nothing, got my knots out without pain. And then someone told me to buy this cheap plastic $7 brush. So I did. And without any product at all, even brushing when wet (which I would never, ever do before, because it would rip my hair out), all the knots come out painlessly and easily. The only hair product I buy now is a heat protectant for when I actually style my hair.
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