Best Multipurpose Beauty Product EVER

The best product I have in my bathroom pantry is also one of the cheapest. Back in the day, my mom used petroleum jelly but it's much too heavy for some uses. I have gone a better route.

Anyway, I'm not going to tease you with a lot of lead-in jibber jabber. The product is a bottle of glycerin that costs me about 50 cents per ounce. I'm not sure if the brand matters but I have used this one from NOW Solutions for about 5 years or more (since I moved to Iowa where the winters are harshly dry).

Just glycerin*. That's it.

One bottle usually lasts me about 6 months (I do Subscribe and Save) and I never have paid more than $10 for a 16-ounce bottle. Depending on how you use the product, you may go through a bottle faster. (Keep in mind to test that you are not allergic to glycerin. Use your common sense.) Here are some of the ways I use my glycerin:

• Relieve dry skin or cool down from heat - Add it to water - I use about 5 parts water to 1 part glycerin - in a spray bottle. I spritz my face and hair throughout the day to relieve dryness in the winter or cool myself down from the heat in summer. I have lately begun to add rosewater to glycerin for this.
• Skin & hair spritz - Add a few drops of glycerin to rosewater for my hair and skin. I can use this all year round to help with dryness.
• Boost hair products - For my hair products that are not as moisturizing as I like, I will mix some with a bit of glycerin. 
• Boost cheap lotions - As with hair products, the same goes for cheap lotions except I tend to add a lot more glycerin to lotion.
• Soften scented lotions - When I buy a scented lotion and want to tone down the fragrance - or make the lotion last me longer - I will add glycerin.
• Hair mask - If I don't have any conditioning masks handy, I will make some using regular conditioner and glycerin. I have sometimes added yogurt to this mix and I recently tried adding powdered goat milk. You have to choose and adjust any additions depending on your hair type, texture & needs. My hair tends to be dry so, often enough,  just adding the glycerin will work.
• Dry feet - For dry feet or after a nice pedicure, I slather on glycerin and put on some socks for a few hours or overnight.
• Perfume boost - Instead of petroleum jelly, rub glycerin into your damp skin & let it rest before applying perfume. This only works so-so for me but other people say that it helps a lot with the longevity of their scents.

cheap little sprayer

• Lip balm - Add a little with a drop or two of water or another oil to a small container to dab on your lips. Glycerin does have a sweet taste so you may or may not like that. I have added food flavoring to these balms to help with the taste.
• Lip scrub - in place of coconut or other oils, use glycerin in your homemade lip scrubs. I like to use glycerin and water with a small amount of baking soda.
• Cuticle care - rub some into your dampened nails and cuticles. After I do remove any gel polish, I use glycerin for several days to treat my nails.
• Face wash - On the rare occasions that I use anything other than oils to clean my face, I use glycerin. This is especially when I use any soap product. Also...
• For a face & neck wipedown - if you are on the go and cannot properly wash your face and neck, use a baby wipe and glycerin with water to clean away oil, dirt, and sweat without drying out your skin.
• Body wash - Add a few drops to your body wash. I tend to use "moisturizing" body wash but if I do use any other kind, I add a little glycerin.

There are probably several more ways to incorporate glycerin into your personal skin and hair care - just like with some of your favorite oils. My most-used formula is probably the water-glycerin-rosewater mix. And don't bother buying the pricey rosewaters made specifically for the skin or hair. The cheapest and best rosewater I have found is the Cortas brand which is mainly used for cooking and baking. I like it best because it's just rosewater and nothing else.

Just rose water. That's it.

By the way, when I was writing this, I decided to look up how other people use glycerin and randomly found some sources and am surprised by some of what I learned:

• WebMD - always points out cautions. This is not a substitute for checking with your doctors, folks!
• From Very Well Health - I did NOT know about wound healing or laxative effects. Wow.
• Homesteading - You can treat mouth ulcers with it???
• Bellatory - explains how to make bath bombs and soap. I've seen glycerin soap. I'm too lazy to make my own!
• Lifehacker - There are ways to use glycerin around the house. (I'm leery of anything with the word "hack" in it but...)

Basically, you can replace - or boost -  a lot of products with glycerin. You're welcome.

Peace

--Free

* Vegetable glycerin is usually made from some type of plant source (vs animal). The label does not indicate the source for this brand's product, and neither does the NOW website as far as I could tell. However, this is the detailed description given about halfway down the Amazon product page: 

Pure vegetable glycerin is an outstanding moisturizer and skin cleanser that also provides softening and lubricating benefits. It’s easily soluble in water, making it suitable for use in all of your favorite cosmetic applications. Pure vegetable glycerin has a long shelf life and does not easily oxidize. It is derived from non-GMO palm, grape seed, or coconut oil. Ingredient: Glycerin. (my bold)

**QUICKIE** Glycerin

Glycerin is fairly cheap. I get the 16oz bottles. This is how I use mine:

• Add some to bad or semi-decent hair moisturizing creams. I add and shake well or turn upside down for a few days. In most cases, adding the glycerin keeps me from tossing a product that didn't originally work well for me.
• Add some to lotions and body creams. Same as above. Glycerin boosts the moisturizing properties. However, I do not use glycerin on my face because it seems to clog my pores or just sit too heavy.
• Add to essential oils that I wear as personal fragrances. I basically use the glycerin as protection from the oil.
• As a hair and skin treatment. I mix the glycerin into some hair conditioner, apply to my hair and sit under a dryer or with a plastic cap for 10 or 15 minutes before rinsing, drying, and styling. For my feet, I apply the glycerin heavily, wrap my feet in extremely warm, wet towels and cover those with plastic shopping bags. To prolong the warmth, I will rest my feet on a heating pad. After 15-30 minutes, rinse and apply lotion.
• Glycerin is also good for removing stickers from glass and other non-porous items. To clean the glycerin residue, wipe with alcohol or vinegar. 

I was going to add how to make soap with glycerin (because I used to know this). I am too tired tonight to look up the recipe for you, but I did run across this page. It had some interesting tips. I did not know about making a cleaning paste with glycerin.

Peace

--Free

**Quick Post** Hair & Skincare Tip

Sometimes, when you know something, you assume everyone knows that thing. Assumptions are not useful so I'm popping in to share a simple beauty tip with you all. This is for men and women. Here goes:

If you tend to have dry hair or skin, maybe try some of this:

this just happens to be the brand I ordered this time

It doesn't have to be that specific brand. I'm thrifty and have used several brands - all priced under $5. This just happens to be the one I ordered this time around.

You can use this right out of the bottle if you want or you can add it into your other hair and skin products. I rarely use it straight except for on these dry feet of mine. I like to add this to leave-in hair products and skin lotions. I almost don't know what lotion without glycerin feels like.

Glycerin is a humectant. It is ultra moisturizing. Straight out of the container, it feels thick and greasy. Don't freak. Once applied to dry skin, the greasy part goes away leaving a soft and dew-like feel.

Like I mentioned, I rarely use it right out of the bottle on my hair. That's only because it takes patience to apply it. My hair is kinky-curly and thick. When I apply straight glycerin, I have to take my time and apply it to really small sections. That's because you have to smooth the thick glycerin into the hair. It's a pain in the tail, but totally worth it. Applying to damp hair is easier. Mainly though, the easiest way is to apply when mixed in with some leave-in conditioner.

You can use glycerin on your lips and cuticles and rough elbows. I'm not sure of people can be allergic to it so... use common sense and maybe test-swatch or something.

I've been using glycerin for a while, but I did not know until recently that it seems to help perfume last longer on the skin. Score.

So there you go. I've reviewed different brands of glycerin before but assumed most people knew the general benefits. A neighbor of mine never heard of using it for the beauty benefits. It's cheap and versatile, which is why I keep some around.

Peace
--Free

For the Love of Glycerin

Recently, I've posted about hair care products that have not lived up to my expectations. During one of my product tryouts, I ran across information about using glycerin to improve some of the products that I won`t be able to return for refunds. Because I am a strange kind of person, I got curious about why glycerin was so recommended. I did a little bit of research.

According to much of the info I ran across on various sites (focused on everything from beauty care to healthcare), glycerin is like a do-all, solve-all kind of item. Of course, when I use the word "information", I'm talking about internet information where everyone is wise and wonderful and knows exactly what they are talking about. So I take it all with caution, a grain of salt and a medical hotline on speed-dial.

If lots of internet wisdom is to be believed, we should all be buying glycerin by the gallon because it can be used in just about every part of a normal person's day. I'll stick with the few things about glycerin that interested me:

• It's great for adding not just to hair products, but it can improve lotions and soaps too.
• Also (and this really surprised me), some people take glycerin orally to relieve constipation. 
• Surprise again - Some people use glycerin to treat dry mouth and gum tissue problems.
• Tired of being surprised, but some folks believe that glycerin can (when taken orally) encourage weight loss. (Maybe that ties in to the constipation relief?)
• (NOTE: did you know that glycerin is sometimes prescribed? So don't just let the internet be your healthcare guide. Check with a doctor about anything you plan to use that could have a negative effect. I myself don't even like to breathe the air without a prescription!)

Anyway. This glycerin. Who knew it could be used so many different ways. And why the heck had I not heard all this before!?

I've used this before
& never thought about it

Since I am paranoid about believing even a tiny part of what I read on the internet, especially when it comes to my health and well-being, I'm super-cautious about ingesting anything without my doctors' approval. But I can't wait until my appointment next week to ask about trying oral uses of glycerin. In the meantime though, I'm sure even my docs sometimes wonder what the hell is going on with this hair of mine so I am already testing glycerin in my beauty products.

Did I mention that glycerin is a fairly cheap purchase? At least for now. Soon as everyone starts getting hot about it, the price is going to be jacked up like crazy. Just you watch for it. In the meantime, I paid too much and still, for just under 12 bucks, I was able to get a 4oz bottle each of "100% Pure Vegetable Glycerin" and a Rosewater Glycerin mix. My first test was on my skin. I picked my knees because, well... See I had been playing cars with my nephew. This means a lot of crawling around on the floor and getting all ashy-kneed in the process.

Anyway.

The pure glycerin is a thick-ish syrup-like substance that I expected to be sticky (based on some user comments at review sites). When applied straight, it does have a slightly tacky feel on my skin - like a thin coating of petroluem jelly - but it's not unpleasant or too noticeable. When applied with my body lotion, there was very little tacky-ness. I actually love the way it feels applied straight, no chaser. Another plus: no odor at all.

probably cheaper than my 4oz bottle...

The Rosewater glycerin mix is as thin as water. Directions are to shake well prior to use - I guess to distribute the glycerin. This is something that I will definitely be using on my face prior to applying my regular moisturizer. When I applied to my han

ds, there was zero tacky-ness. The rosewater (which is a scent I'm not usually wild about) is not over-strong or unpleasant. I actually  kind of like it because I was about to be testing this one on my hair as well.

To get a good idea of glycerin's moisturizing benefits, I wanted to make sure my hair was really clean and completely dry. I did a shampoo and rinse-out conditioner to get every strand nice and clean. Thanks to some of the other products I`d tried on my hair these past several days, the being dry as a bone part was no problem.

I tried the pure glycerin on a hank of hair on the left side of my head and worked it in real good. Without looking in a mirror, I did a "touch test". Wow. Big difference between the treated and un-treated hair. Lots of instant softness and the sort of bouncy feel I get with really good products.

Still not using a mirror, I treated a hank of hair on the right side with the rosewater mix. Nice enough, but not nearly as moisturized (by feel) once it dried.

Finally, I took a look in the mirror and... Both side looked lots better than my un-treated hair. Hair can definitely look as dry as it feels. My un-treated hair was about as crunchy as fresh potato chips.

Bottom line: I think that using glycerin is going to be good for my hair simply because the moisture retention will help reduce breakage. Also, I'll be applying both the pure and the rosewater mixed version to my scalp as well. And, because I can use less of other products, I won't need to wash as often (to get rid of their odor and buildup). Less washing, less drying out and handling.

I will have to report back on how this does on my skin over the longer term. I`m going to be using the rosewater on my face and the pure product on the dryer areas of my body. For the rest of my skin, I will add glycerin to the regular lotions I am currently using. What I can tell you right away from using the pure glycerin is that my hands didn't dry out every couple of hours like they normally do. Usually I am reapplying lotion after every hand-washing or time out in the cold. Love that.

If you are thinking of trying glycerin, I understand that it`s available (for reasonable prices) at most drug stores and chains. I happened to get mine at our local health food store just because I was in there to pick up some honey! Even though I will be able to stretch the use of a 4oz bottle for weeks and weeks (because a teensy bit goes a loooong way), I paid too much for such a small container, so... shop wisely. Also, just think of being able to maybe salvage some products by boosting their properties (and your lotions) with a bit of glycerin. I think this is money well spent. As far as ingesting the stuff.... I would check with a doctor first! I'm just saying and I'll keep saying it as long as there are people who believe everything they see online. 

Peace
__Free