Skin and hair care are far more than cosmetic vanities, in fact, they’re necessities for you to look AND feel your best. Of course, the obvious element of them determining how others perceive you is a big motivator for even the laziest person to moisturize their face semi-regularly. In the end, it is also undeniable that it impacts your mood and consequently how well you function day to day.
There’s a plethora of different cosmetic brands out there, each of them claiming that you ABSOLUTELY must purchase their products while sporting gigantic price tags. So here’s a guide that includes the bare minimum for someone not willing to spend a lot of money.
Hair care
For hair care, the process of identifying what you need is the same as anything else: identify your hair type and get a shampoo and hair oil accordingly (conditioner is universal). Head and shoulders and Himalaya are the cheapest and most readily available brands in terms of shampoo.
Here are a few things to look out for
- No, all-in-one shampoos don’t work, a moisturiser and a de-moisturizer simply cannot function simultaneously, Don’t waste your money.
- Coconut oil is an excellent moisturiser however don’t use it if you have dandruff or eczema. Instead, seek out anything containing tea tree oil and last but not least check the labels, check the quantities, and research diligently.
- For instance, Bajaj’s almond oil which is still in stores to this day has been confirmed to contain at least 70% mineral oil, a cancer-causing mineral that can also lead to hair loss.
Make sure to let your conditioner sit for a few minutes before washing it off (A surprising amount of people don’t read the how-to-use section). - Washing your hair too much can be detrimental unless you’re really getting it dirty. You need only wash it twice or thrice a week and in any case, if you exercise and sweat a lot, remember to shower right after so the sweat washes off.
Skin Care
Skincare is a little simpler to go about; all you need is a moisturizer and an exfoliant. Use both in sparse quantities as you really don’t need a lot, and that way, you get more than your money’s worth. These can last months even if the purchase price looks relatively big to your other purchases; it’s a bang for your buck.
When looking for a moisturizer, identifying your skin type is the first step. Go for a cream if you have particularly dry skin however, if you have an oily disposition, then a lotion is your best bet since if you apply creams with an oily disposition, a gooey residue will be left on your face till you wash it off.
As for an exfoliant, all you really need is one that doesn’t irritate your skin or cause acne breakouts; it might take a little bit of trial and error, but asking around people with similar conditions on websites like Reddit goes a long way.
Giving recommendations here is actually somewhat possible, as there are far fewer individual variables at play.
- Moisturisers- good ol Vaseline (cream), Cetaphil (lotion)
- Exfoliant- Himalaya Aloe Vera face wash
General Hygiene
Now, you want to be presentable every day, smell nice, and have to be clean; well, a bar of soap and a deodorant are all you need. Nothing fancy for either; just get a 10 rupee bar that lasts about a week if you shower twice a day, and almost any deo save for something like Axe body spray will mask your sweat perfectly.
There are more expensive brands of soap that promise several benefits; however, in reality, these work just fiiine if you have a fully functioning daily hygiene routine. Just go to your nearest corner store and ask for a 10 rupee bar of soap; Santoor is reliable, but almost anything works.
Additionally, in terms of cleanliness, showering is an important step, too, unless you’re sweating and working quite a lot. Once a day is more than enough, so save up on water and soap as much as possible.
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