Alternate Uses for Products You Hate

I haven't been very good at reducing my stash of products as promised, and it was tempting for a while to think of gathering all the products I hate and throwing them out en masse into the trash. However, the part of me that was raised to be thrifty and unwasteful cannot bear to part with even crap products that do me no good. And with the mass of specific products out there micromanaging and marketing every tiny unit of the human body into being shaved, groomed, slathered and massaged "properly," it's difficult to think outside of the box.

Then one day it occurred to me. What can scrub the face can also scrub the feet. And what can moisturize the face can also moisturize the decolletage. And what can cleanse the makeup off your face can cleanse the makeup off the brushes!

Take the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, which I don't actually hate, but will be using until 2025 at the rate I dab my fingers into the pot. Some complain that it's too harsh for the face. Well, if it's too harsh on your delicate parts, how about using it on the not-so-delicate areas, like the soles of your feet? Making it do double duty is the only way that I am going to get rid of it.

And how about this Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser that does nothing for my face (except to possibly aid it in breaking out)? It's been gathering dust in my bathroom cabinet for months and no one will take it off my hands. I used it to clean my concealer brush and it worked like a charm. That brush is clean without being stripped, just like your face is supposed to be after using this. At around $7 in the drugstore, it's also much less expensive than the MAC Brush Cleanser or other cosmetics company brush cleansers that typically sell for more than $20.

And this Marcelle Essentials Night Cream - it's actually not mine. I got it for my sister on a whim one day and she said she didn't like it. So there it sits on her vanity, all lonely and dusty and neglected. I suggested she use it to slather it on her decolletage and arms and hands like a body butter, where it won't have a chance to break her out. She thought it was a good idea.

Though it seems she hasn't actually put the idea into execution yet.

So, it's not like the idea is genius, and I'm sure a lot of practical-minded women out there are already doing the same thing or even more creative things with disliked products. Like I said earlier, it's difficult to train the mind to resist the labels that are pre-applied for us. At least, I do.

How about you? Are you already using certain products in ways that they're not really meant to? Is there something you hate in your stash that can double as something else that you need?