This is kind of a random list of various penny-pinching skin, hair, nail, and body care tips I’ve learned over the years, somewhat out of necessity. Yes, this article applies almost equally to men as much as women.
General
Compare unit prices (price per ounce, liter, gram, kilogram) to make sure you’re making a properly informed decision. If you have two bottles of facial cleanser, one for ¤10 for 500 mL, another for ¤6 for 250 mL, do the math and realize the ¤10 bottle is the better deal from a unit pricing standpoint (all other things being equal).
Skin care
A lot of people swear by the adage “you get what you pay for” when it comes to skin care products. I’ve heard of certain masks (usually spelled “masques” at this price point), cleansers, scrubs, etc. sold at truly frightening prices. The quality tends to go up a bit as the price increases but beyond a certain point the difference is truly negligible and there are exceptions to the rule where products at a lower price point are actually better than those at a higher price point.
At least some of the time, “for men” packaging and branding is an excuse to pad the profit margin just a bit more. Of course, sometimes the “for men” products are truly a different product, but often not. The thing that the manufacturers are counting on, of course, is that men won’t bother to comparison shop with similar products not marked “for men,” won’t consider it an “apples to apples” comparison, or are willing to pay significantly higher prices just for silly differences like a different scent. You don’t have to play into their hands.
Baking soda can be used as a scrub by mixing with water, lotion, or cleanser.
Planet Green has more information on how to do this.
Body care:
One can make one’s own body powder with ingredients such as cornstarch and baking soda. http://www.rachelssupply.com/dust.htm has a few recipes as well as the ingredients themselves.
In a real pinch, cornstarch can be used by itself; it is the primary ingredient in most bath powders and many baby powders, though it will cake up a bit in the absence of an anti-caking agent (the most common being tricalcium phosphate). One may also mix cornstarch with another cornstarch-based powder to stretch an existing supply.
Nail care:
If you’re out of money for nail polish or remover, or don’t like the look of polished nails, try a nail buffer, usually available for less than the cost of one bottle of polish, but will last much longer. There are two-step, three-step, and four-step versions; some of the four-step versions contain a side that is actually designed for smoothing the edge of the nail, not the surface. I recently scored a two-step buffer at a local drugstore for $2.59, usually smaller versions with three steps are available for $2 or less. Sometimes the quality is lacking at dollar stores though.