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Repurposing cheap shampoo

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(Ruth discovers Puget Sound...)

Last week I wrote about how we get free shampoo and conditioner from Rite-Aid.

Well, in the process of moving 2300 miles and getting re-situated, we finished off our shampoo stash. (I am not able to stockpile huge amounts of free stuff like the CVSers, unfortunately!) :)

To hold us over until the next free-after-rebate deal on higher-quality shampoo, we bought a bottle of Suave shampoo. I try not to be too picky about most things in life but all that free Fructis and other more pricey brands had us spoiled! (I also had very long, thick, fine hair.) We couldn't stand the Suave shampoo! Very shortly it was replaced with the next Rite Aid freebie. ;)

But now I had a partially-used bottle of Suave shampoo. I was excited when I read somewhere (can't recall where though!) that old shampoo and a stiff brush works great for scrubbing the shower!

I tried it and it worked great! I'm so happy to now have a good use for the rest of the cheap shampoo! :)

Visit Jessica's blog today for more frugal tips and ideas! :)

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Comments

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2009-04-10 06:38.

Another idea for cheap shampoo

Cheap shampoo also works great as a fixer-upper for ring-around-the-collar!! Just pour some directly on collar, give it a quick scrub with an old toothbrush, and throw it in the wash as usual. Works great!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2009-04-10 06:43.

shampoo

someone once told me they used a little (Im guessing very little) amount of suave shampoo for bubble bath. They said if you were sensitive to other kinds this was a good gentle substitute.

Submitted by LizBeth on Fri, 2009-04-10 07:39.

Shampoo

Tammy, Thanks. I've just started using baking soda and a vinegar rinse on my long hair, and I was wondering what to do with the old shampoo.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2009-04-10 08:07.

Repurposing

Great tip..thanks for sharing!

:)

Submitted by Her Royal Highness on Fri, 2009-04-10 10:43.

Repurposing!

Hey, Tammy!

Want to know what else it's good for? Making your own foamy soap!! Just google it and you'll get a bunch of hits.

Also? Conditioner (which is what I've started "stocking" since I realized I had too much shampoo) is a great substitute for shaving cream -- and it doesn't dry your skin out or leave a film.

Finally, Toothpaste (the paste, not the gel) is good on everything from stainless steal to silver! I just used a tube on a cake stand that I found by the dumpster that turned out to be really tarnished silver. AMAZING.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2009-04-10 11:15.

Great for spot cleaning clothes and cleaning bathtub rings

Too bad you were not pleased with Suave shampoo. I just love their lavender shampoo. However since you were not pleased, there are other uses for it. Since shampoo is "designed" to remove bodily oils ih hair, its very useful for removing bathtub rings. It can also be used as a inexpensive spot cleaner for laundry since a little goes a long way. Glad to hear you did not throw it away!!

Submitted by PrudentWife on Sat, 2009-04-11 03:38.

Yes!

I use a generous amount of any cheapy shampoo as bubbles for my kids bath. After they've been in the bath a while, I'll start wiping the ring around the tub with a cloth. They don't realize I'm cleaning while they're playing.

I find this takes much less elbow grease than any other method.

Submitted by Jules on Fri, 2009-04-10 11:52.

Suave ick!

I will say to this DAY, Suave RUINED my hair. It's the WORST shampoo out there. Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't like it.

As a poster above mentioned conditioner, I do use conditioner as a shaving cream. Well, at least the last time I ran out of shaving cream. Then I cut myself, haven't done that in 20+ years ouch! so my have to go back to shaving cream. I think my skin is too sensitive. I was trying to save a few buck!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2009-04-10 13:14.

shampoo

Tammy-what version/type of Suave did you use? DD has oily hair and really likes the clarifying version. I use the color care Suave type and am also very satisfied. I color and highlight my hair. I just had a hair cut yesterday and my stylist commented that my highlights (from Nov) are really lasting a long time. My hair is thick, wavy and remains in excellent condition. I tend to have oily hair, even into my 40's, and I continue to wash it daily. No harm to it. I continuously get compliments on my hair. I also use whatever brand of cream rinse/conditioner that I buy w/ a cpn.
HTH
Carol

Submitted by Tammy on Fri, 2009-04-10 22:21.
Tammy's picture

Suave shampoo

The Suave we used is called "citrus smoothie" and is orange... I think it's just their "normal" line or whatever... I recently cut off 12 inches from my hair (donating it!) and it's still below my shoulders... very thick but the individual hairs are fine. The Suave shampoo/conditioner seemed to leave a heavy residue and tangles. It might do better on shorter hair like what I have now. :)

I wash my hair every 4 days or so. If I wash it more often it seems to get more oily. :) Now that my hair's shorter it's a breeze to wash it, but when it was really long, it took what felt like a lot of extra effort to wash it, comb out all the tangles, and then manage it day-to-day... especially when easier 'do's like pony tails and buns started hurting my head! :| :)

I haven't tried it in a while, but I remember really liking Tresemme, and it's fairly affordable. :) We've tried lots of different things from Rite Aid, and the Fructis is probably our favorite! Good thing, since it's the one that's free-after-rebate most often! :)

Submitted by tesslouise on Tue, 2009-04-14 11:46.

Before we moved last summer,

Before we moved last summer, I cut about a foot off my hair. I loved having long hair, and it was beautiful, but it was time. I wore my hair in a bun most of the time, and like you said, it was beginning to give me a headache. My hair is still very thick, even if it isn't as pretty at my shoulders.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2009-04-10 16:22.

Foam Soap

I second what "her Royal Highness" said. ALmost empty shampoo makes great foamy soap. (My husband actually prefers Suave go figure). I just add a bit of water to the almost empty bottle, swish it and refill my foam soap bottle. I think the ratio is about 1/3 shampoo, the rest water. And it smells good too.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 2009-04-11 23:31.

clean your toilet with it :)

I use nasty shampoo, soap, body wash, and whatever else I don't like, to clean my toilet. I clean it almost everyday anyway, so this way I'm not using super nasty chemicals and my toilet smells great!

Submitted by timcmw on Sun, 2009-04-12 00:42.

Suave !!!

I love suave.

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