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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

I’ll be honest… I didn’t start looking into natural beauty product alternatives because i’m environmentally aware or worried about chemicals affecting my health. I did it because I was tired of spending $42.99 every time I want to moisturize my face.

Tea Tree Oil. My now pimple free forehead thanks me every day for this discovery. Before my genius finding, my dermatologist prescribed me a series of antibiotic pills and topical creams. Within a couple of months I ran out of the prescriptions and my pimply forehead came back to haunt me. I don’t even know how much all of the prescriptions ended up costing, but I DO know, that tea tree oil is available for $10.00 on Amazon. (WOOOHOOOO)

Any girl that claims that she has never ever had dandruff is lying. However, ever since I started rubbing tea tree oil on my scalp a couple times a week at night, there has been 0 sign of white flakes.

 

According to the Internet, there’s about 100 more uses for tea tree oil, but acne and dandruff cures are the only ones I can truly attest to. When I burned my neck with my curling iron, I dabbed some tea tree oil on it (because Google said to) and it ended up not scarring! I won’t completely testify to the tea tree oil being the reason for this because I don’t know much about how curling iron burns work, but I always recommend this to my friends so they aren’t left with a hickey looking burn on their neck for a couple of weeks.

 

Witch Hazel. Sounds like a magical potion, and works like one too. I have to start with the fact that this costs about $9.00 from Walmart, but can be ordered online for around $5.00. Yes. $5.00. It’s too good to be true. I’m obsessed with my blackheads. I know I know, they aren’t noticeable to most people, but when I look in the mirror and see a constellation of black dots on my nose, I get a little frustrated. There are lasers and tons of expensive products that claim to remove blackheads from your face completely. But in my quest to spend as little money as possible on improving my skin, I stumbled upon an entire blog dedicated to the benefits of witch hazel. I picked some up at Walmart and I haven’t had to worry about my blackheads since! Witch hazel in another product with about 100 uses, but fading scars is the only other thing I have ever needed it for. Some unlucky people scar from mosquito bites, I of course am one of those people. But I don’t worry about this anymore because I apply witch hazel immediately after I notice the bite and it never ever ever scars.

 

Coconut Oil. My biggest regret thus far in life, is waiting as long as I did to start using coconut oil. I use unrefined organic coconut oil for only $11ish dollars on Amazon and my friends are a bit worried that I have become addicted. My waxing lady told me that she rubs coconut oil on her daughter from head to toe every day. I thought this was a little weird, but I did my research and tested it out for myself.

 

The bottom of my feet used to look and feel as though I hiked an African desert barefoot for thirty years, but now my heels are starting to look as though they actually belong to a human. I get pretty bad razor bumps, and I’ve tried pretty much every shaving cream for sensitive skin that exists. I started using coconut oil as shaving cream AND as post- shaving lotion and the first thing that I did was make my roommate feel my legs. She ordered a jar of unrefined coconut oil for herself the next day. No more dry itchy legs after shaving for either of us! Oh and you can use coconut oil EVERYWHERE on your body, and I do mean EVERYWHERE.

I used to use an expensive facial moisturizer that a consultant at Macy’s makeup section hustled me into buying, but I figured since I was already using coconut oil to replace all of my other beauty products, I might as well rub it all over my face too. Life changing.

For some people, the thickness of coconut oil is too much. I personally love it, but my sister says it makes her feel too oily. Instead of applying it everywhere after a shower, my sister applies it in the shower and lets the water wash it off a bit, but her skin remains moisturized. So if you’re worried about feeling greasy, this is probably the way to go.

Neem oil. Another razor bump remedy. I ordered it off of Amazon in the form of a soap after my sister bragged about how much her skin approved after using it. $10.00 for a soap that does the exact same thing that  $40.00 ingrown hair serums supposively do. Enough said.

Natural beauty products are so incredibly underrated. I get into slightly heated arguments when I see my friends paying for products like Proactiv when they could just be buying much cheaper, more effective, chemical free products.

I don’t know the exact science behind these natural products, and to be honest… I don’t really care. Why spend $50+ a month on products when you could be paying much less for chemical free completely natural products that your skin absolutely loves?

Don’t be a slave to expensive brand name beauty products… the best beauty products grow on trees.

 
UCF Contributor