Anonymous wrote:Beauty money is hobby money for us. It isn't a necessity nor something we encourage but one of my teens really got into skin care and make-up and she could put her own money towards that just like when the others kids got really into jigsaw puzzles or sneakers or fancy coffees.

We ensure health and hygiene - something that is about superficial asthetic or a trend is up to them.

So do you have a sense of what you spend on beauty products? Or do you not spend anything?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

The body wash is probably the worst thing in terms of expense. You could try dove or aveeno- both are good on sensitive skin. But does she really go through all of this every month? I have long thick hair and my shampoo lasts several months. The cleanser should also last more than a month. Not sure how large the body wash is, but again, seems like it should last longer than a month. You may want to go over how much she should be using.

No, I'm sure they last more than a month. As I said on average it seems her toiletries cost about $75 a month. The brands I listed are just the ones I recall recently. There's also sunscreen (face and body during the summer), moisturizer, hair styling products, nail polish stuff, nail polish remover, razors, and of course cosmetics like mascara and whatever.

It sounds to me like you are going in search of problems. None of this seems especially excessive. Sure you could find ways to save a few dollars here and there - but do you actually care about doing that or are you just trying to make this into an issue for... reasons?

Honestly, I was just searching for information about what other women in the DC area budget or spend on beauty products.

I think I stated in the OP that I don't wear a lot of beauty products or use makeup so I'm not aware of what a reasonable amount is required to spend to look.. professional? decent? Of course there will be a wide range, but even with something as variable as food, I could tell you that $100-$300 a month for a person is a reasonable amount, but $1000 per person is ridiculously high.

I just wanted to hear from others what they were spending. Thanks to the one poster who looked at her budget and shared she spends $150/month on beauty products.

I also looked online and found a few articles or surveys saying that the average American woman spends something like $320/month on beauty (but that includes things like the cost of the haircut and getting nails done, and maybe other treatments like waxing etc.). So anyhow, my daughter's $75 a month on average seems on the low side compared with that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

The body wash is probably the worst thing in terms of expense. You could try dove or aveeno- both are good on sensitive skin. But does she really go through all of this every month? I have long thick hair and my shampoo lasts several months. The cleanser should also last more than a month. Not sure how large the body wash is, but again, seems like it should last longer than a month. You may want to go over how much she should be using.

No, I'm sure they last more than a month. As I said on average it seems her toiletries cost about $75 a month. The brands I listed are just the ones I recall recently. There's also sunscreen (face and body during the summer), moisturizer, hair styling products, nail polish stuff, nail polish remover, razors, and of course cosmetics like mascara and whatever.

It sounds to me like you are going in search of problems. None of this seems especially excessive. Sure you could find ways to save a few dollars here and there - but do you actually care about doing that or are you just trying to make this into an issue for... reasons?

Beauty money is hobby money for us. It isn't a necessity nor something we encourage but one of my teens really got into skin care and make-up and she could put her own money towards that just like when the others kids got really into jigsaw puzzles or sneakers or fancy coffees.

We ensure health and hygiene - something that is about superficial asthetic or a trend is up to them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

I expected to see more expensive products based on your concerns. This seems reasonable to me, although she should not need these replaced each month. If her other personal care items that you named (razors, etc) are aligned with these prices, I would continue to buy for it (all assuming I could afford it, of course - if it is a stretch then there are cheaper versions of all and not all products are necessary. I also give items like make up and nail polish for holiday and bday gifts, or DD buys with her own spending money.

$50/mo (and honestly that’s more than enough). They can’t have everything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$75 a month means she's using too much product when she applies it. She needs to look for dupes of her products that are cheaper also - Trader Joe's sells dupes, as does the local chain drugstore, Target, etc.

What do you think is a reasonable amount?

As an example, I use organic coconut oil to moisturize my body (not face) and deep condition my hair. It's from Trader Joe's. One jar lasts me half a year, if not longer. It's the best moisturizer I've ever used in over four decades.

Coconut oil doesn't absorb into my skin at all it just lays on top of it making me look greasy and shiny not everyone can use this it's even worse in my hair it won't rinse out.

Sounds like you're using too much. A little goes a long way - that's why one jar lasts me such a long time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

The body wash is probably the worst thing in terms of expense. You could try dove or aveeno- both are good on sensitive skin. But does she really go through all of this every month? I have long thick hair and my shampoo lasts several months. The cleanser should also last more than a month. Not sure how large the body wash is, but again, seems like it should last longer than a month. You may want to go over how much she should be using.

No, I'm sure they last more than a month. As I said on average it seems her toiletries cost about $75 a month. The brands I listed are just the ones I recall recently. There's also sunscreen (face and body during the summer), moisturizer, hair styling products, nail polish stuff, nail polish remover, razors, and of course cosmetics like mascara and whatever.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

The body wash is probably the worst thing in terms of expense. You could try dove or aveeno- both are good on sensitive skin. But does she really go through all of this every month? I have long thick hair and my shampoo lasts several months. The cleanser should also last more than a month. Not sure how large the body wash is, but again, seems like it should last longer than a month. You may want to go over how much she should be using.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

This all looks totally reasonable to me, though as a PP said, I'd expect the cleanser and micellar water to last longer than a month.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not a woman who is very concerned about appearances. I just buy budget basics.

My teen daughter is much more interested in everything I associate with being a more fashion and beauty conscious girl in today's society. From my perspective the things she wants on a monthly basis (ointments, creams, makeup, hair care products) are outrageously expensive. But I recognize that my perspective may be out of touch with the cost of just "looking good" as a female in the US.

So - not talking about the actual cost of getting your hair or nails done, or medical products for acne - but just the purchase of products - what is a normal amount of money for a 17 year old to spend on the following consumable products and toiletries each month?

shampoo
conditioner
hair styling products
deodorant
moisturizer
facial cleanser
body lotion
makeup remover
lip balm
makeup
etc.

Or to put it another way - is an average of $75/month to be expected for all of this?

She is being influenced by all of the influencers

Do you think so? What on that list seems .. excessive? She's a beautiful girl (if I do say so myself) but she doesn't look "overly made up" to me at all. Whatever she is doing just looks natural and pretty, I don't think she needs to wear makeup though, except to cover up her acne if she wants.

Anonymous wrote:
Does she have eczema or other skin condition? You don’t need body wash for sensitive skin if you don’t. Soap works fine.

Yes, she does.

That body wash is the first thing to ditch — those are terrible for your skin. They need to put chemicals in to avoid the liquid getting moldy and a lot of people are then sensitive to the chemicals. My dermotollogist told me that plain old dove soap is the best. That’s what I use. Body wash is a total scam. You are paying for water and chemicals.

I’m sympathetic on the hair care products though — I do think the expensive ones are often better. My daughter has that thick curly frizzy hair so she spends a small fortune on hair products to make it curl instead of stand out like Rosanne Roseannedanna.

For makeup the cheap brands are often as good but it does spend somewhat on what specific product. For the high end stuff you are usually paying for packaging and their R/D departments — but then they just get knocked off by the cheap brands.

Anonymous wrote:I am not a woman who is very concerned about appearances. I just buy budget basics.

My teen daughter is much more interested in everything I associate with being a more fashion and beauty conscious girl in today's society. From my perspective the things she wants on a monthly basis (ointments, creams, makeup, hair care products) are outrageously expensive. But I recognize that my perspective may be out of touch with the cost of just "looking good" as a female in the US.

So - not talking about the actual cost of getting your hair or nails done, or medical products for acne - but just the purchase of products - what is a normal amount of money for a 17 year old to spend on the following consumable products and toiletries each month?

shampoo
conditioner
hair styling products
deodorant
moisturizer
facial cleanser
body lotion
makeup remover
lip balm
makeup
etc.

Or to put it another way - is an average of $75/month to be expected for all of this?

She is being influenced by all of the influencers

That said, I don't think 75/month is too much for a girl

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does she have certain expensive products that she likes? Maybe post them here as we can suggest dupes.

Naturium Sensitive Skin Body Wash seems to be one of the pricer items. $13

Makeup Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. not expensive, maybe $4

LaRoche Posay Purifying foaming cleanser-- about $15

Native shampoo and conditioner. About $10 each so $20

so that's about $52 right there.

Does she have eczema or other skin condition? You don’t need body wash for sensitive skin if you don’t. Soap works fine.

None of these are that bad, but she shouldn’t be running through all of them monthly. She could save a couple of bucks by switching to cetaphil cleanser, but really, it sounds like she’s washing too often or using too many pumps of things. I personally don’t like the Native things, and generally find Garnier to do excellent hair products for the drugstore, but these are the prices now. She should switch off shampoos and conditioners to avoid buildup.

So, if this is not a financial hardship for you, then I’d let these items go. She’s not chasing every trendy makeup item. But if it’s a financial problem, have a chat about waste.