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13 other uses for shampoo

February 4, 2016 By Hair Romance 18 Comments

Wondering what other uses for shampoo there are? Here’s a handy tried-and-tested list. Some of them may surprise you.

Leftover beauty products? Here''s 13 other uses for shampoo

Or maybe you’re wondering why someone would have shampoo laying around the house? If you’re like me, you’ve tried lots of brands to find what works for you. Or maybe you’re embracing your curls and switching to sulfate-free shampoo or you’ve stopped using shampoo completely.

I dislike wasting products so below are some other uses for shampoo so you can put it to good use.

As a side note, if it’s an unopened product, I like to donate it to a women’s shelter in my area. There are lots of organisations that help the homeless that would love to receive your unwanted beauty products. Remember the products must be unopened for health reasons for you to donate them.

If you’ve tried it once and it didn’t work for you, you could share and swap products with your girlfriends and family. You may help them discover their new fave product. Just because you didn’t like it, doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else.

So for the remaining shampoo bottles in your bathroom, here’s a list of other uses for shampoo.

13 other uses for shampoo

1. Bubble bath

Shampoo foams up really well and makes for a fun bubble bath.

2. Body wash

Use shampoo in place of body wash in the shower.

3. DIY body scrub

You can make a simple DIY body scrub using shampoo as the base. Mix in sugar to your shampoo to create an exfoliating body scrub.

4. Cleaning your nails

Instead of pushing the dirt around under your nails, use shampoo to lift out any dirt from under your nails.

5. Soften your cuticles

Just before cleaning your nails, you can apply some shampoo (or conditioner) to your cuticles. Just as shampoo and conditioner soften your hair, they’ll also soften your cuticles making them easier to push back or remove. You can also mix shampoo in water to soak your hands before a manicure.

6. Shampoo as shaving cream

Recycle your old shampoo and conditioner as shaving cream. It lathers up well and won’t irritate your skin.

7. Fix your zipper

If you have a zip that keeps getting stuck, apply a little shampoo or conditioner with a Q-tip to either side of the zipper teeth. It will glide through like new.

8. Removes laundry stains

If you’ve got dirty marks around your collar, use shampoo on the stains as a pre-treatment before washing your shirt. The oil marks are from your skin and scalp so shampoo is perfectly designed to remove these marks from your clothes.

9. Remove bandaids easily

If your bandaid or bandage is sticking to your skin, soak through the adhesive with some shampoo and it will lift off easily.

10. Clean your hairbrush

Freshen up your hairbrushes and combs by cleaning them with shampoo. Remove any hair from the brush first, then wash it with shampoo and water. Rinse well and let them dry before using them. Be careful not to soak bristle brushes in water but you can soak plastic brushes to remove any hair product build-up.

11. Clean your makeup brushes

A task I never do as often as I should! You can clean your makeup brushes with a little shampoo in the palm of your hand.

12. General household cleaning

The ingredients in shampoo are not that dissimilar to detergent so you can use shampoo as a general cleaner around the house. It’s great for cleaning tubs and toilets and even a dirty oven grill!

13. Wash your car

In a bucket of water, mix in a ¼ cup of shampoo and use a sponge to wash your car.

 

I have read that you can use shampoo as a makeup remover but I wasn’t willing to test this out so I’m not going to recommend it to you. I’m careful with the products I use on my face since experiencing some skin issues lately. I can’t see how shampoo on your face is a good idea so don’t try this at home.

Have you got any other uses from shampoo? What do you do with the leftover or unwanted beauty products at your place?

Filed Under: Hair Products, Hair Romance

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Comments

  1. Darla says

    October 30, 2016 at 7:23 am

    I love these tips, especially using it for shaving cream and to wash makeup brushes. However, to clean toilets, I really think shampoo isn’t strong enough. Toilet cleaners are required to disinfect and kill germs, especially if there has been illness in the house 🙂
    I just discovered your blog and absolutely love it!

    Reply
  2. Pat says

    March 4, 2016 at 11:18 am

    A squirt of Shampoo in hot water is great for washing the floors. Just mop as usual. Floors are sparkling clean and smell lovely

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      March 4, 2016 at 2:26 pm

      Great tip, thanks for sharing, Pat! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sue says

    March 4, 2016 at 7:45 am

    That’s great. Thanks to ‘The Organised Housewife’ for linking to your tips. Our household seems to always have leftover conditioner (Shampoo twice, condition once). Do you have any tips for that?

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      March 4, 2016 at 8:56 am

      Thanks for coming over, Sue! I love Kat and all her tips! You can use conditioner for a lot of the same uses. I prefer conditioner over shampoo as a body wash and to shave my legs. Conditioner is also great as a gentle wash for delicate clothes. You can also use it as a deep treatment on your hair. Leave it on for 10 mins – 1 hour and then rinse out for super soft hair.

      Reply
      • Dana says

        September 9, 2016 at 11:08 am

        We’ve been using “cheap” conditioner for years in place of the expensive shaving creams. In a household full of women, that has saved us so much money.

        Reply
    • Nancy says

      February 22, 2020 at 12:38 am

      I have been using left over conditioner to soften paint brushes after you clean them. Work a small amount into the brush, let it work for a few seconds then rinse. Works great

      Reply
  4. Carla says

    February 5, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    12. GENERAL HOUSEHOLD CLEANING

    The ingredients in shampoo are not that dissimilar to detergent so you can use shampoo as a general cleaner around the house. It’s great for cleaning tubs and toilets and even a dirty oven grill!

    OMG!!!

    I use sulfate free shampoo…that’s why

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      February 7, 2016 at 6:35 pm

      Exactly, Carla!

      Reply
  5. John says

    February 4, 2016 at 11:49 pm

    …. and washing out motorcycle helmets!

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      February 7, 2016 at 6:28 pm

      Brilliant! Thanks for the great tip, John! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Natalie says

    February 4, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    Oh gosh! This post is brilliant! I had NO idea shampoo could do all this! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Aria says

    February 4, 2016 at 11:59 am

    Oh my word. I just realized that I missed a lot of your posts! I didn’t know you came back yet after your break!! 🙁 Now I have to catch up! But, I really like this post! I also use shampoo for shaving and cleaning makeup and hair brushes!

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      February 7, 2016 at 6:24 pm

      Hi Aria! Happy new year! Yes I came back quietly after the break. Hope you’re well! x

      Reply
  8. Cassie says

    February 4, 2016 at 11:56 am

    For washing woollens. Shampoo is gentler than laundry detergents on wool and other animal fiber fabrics like cashmere.

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      February 7, 2016 at 6:22 pm

      Great tip, Cassie – thank you! x

      Reply
  9. francesca says

    February 4, 2016 at 9:53 am

    I didn’t know about #8! so interesting!

    xx
    http://www.cherry-mag.com

    Reply
    • Hair Romance says

      February 4, 2016 at 10:52 am

      Weird, right? But it actually works. I wouldn’t use a purple shampoo though, that will stain your clothes! 😉

      Reply

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