Five products for $5 and under

Yeah, you read that right! Cool products for small change.

Phyto Shield Botanical Toothpaste, $5 for 100g – Available in Herbal, Lemon Myrtle, and Propolis.

Jeymar Lavender and Tea Tree Shampoo Bar, $2.90 for medium and $4.90 for large – A nourishing solid shampoo.

Kereru Lip Salve, $4.50 for 6.4g – Available in Calendula, Teatree & Lemon, Geranium – clear, Natural Rose – pink, and Clear Strawberry.

Clear as Mud Face Mud, $4 for one 10ml sachet – Purify your skin with this bentonite clay mask.

Ecostore Boxed Soap, $2.49 for 80g – Available in Coconut, Lemongrass, Manuka Honey & Kelp, and Vanilla.

Face masks

Using a face mask once a week is good for your skin. I like Trilogy Purifying Masque, $33.90 for 35ml. Evolu Purifying Mask $35 for 75ml, is also good. Although both these masks are for all skin types, they are clay-based masks, which are good for oily skin, as are mud masks. Another clay mask is Dr Hauschka Cleansing Clay Mask, $62 for 90g, which is in the form of a powder which you mix up with water. I didn't realise that it was a powder when testing it out at Farmers once, and spilt quite a large amount of it on the ground. Anyway, moving on from that...


People with drier skin will benefit from a moisturising mask in a gel or cream form, like Living Nature Ultra Nourishing Mask, $59 for 50ml. As for those with sensitive skin, try Weleda Almond Facial Masque, m$22.50 for 30ml.


Some other options:


$10 and under: Clear as Mud Face Mud $4 per 18g sachet, Skinfood Mud Masque 100ml $9.99


$25 and under: Clear as Mud, $24.99 for a box of seven 18g sachets


$30 and under: Weleda Iris Intensive Treatment Masque 30ml $25.50, Alba Botanica Hawaiian Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask 85g


$45 and under: Living Nature Deep Cleansing Mask - 10 5ml sachets for $42, Living Nature Hydrating Gel Mask 50ml $42, Antipodes Manuka Honey Treatment Mask 75ml


$80 and under: Ren Multi Mineral Detox Facial Mask 50ml $69, Ren F10 Enzymatic Skin Smoothing Facial Mask 50ml $74, Ren Jiaogulan Cell Energising Facial Mask 50ml $76

$90 and under: Dr Hauschka Firming Mask 30ml $89

$120 and under: Aveda Deep Cleansing Herbal Clay Masque 125ml $102, Aveda Intensive Hydrating Masque 150ml $117

Teen products

When you're a teenager, your skin can really start acting up. Oiliness, blackheads, pimples, clogged pores...not fun. Not all teenagers get acne, but it is pretty common. A lot of teens are also on a tight budget, so I'm focusing on affordable skincare, bodycare, and makeup.

A foaming cleanser is best for acne-prone, oily or combination skin types. Try Sukin Fomaing Facial Cleanser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Foaming Facial Cleanser, also $12 for 125ml.

A good ingredient for oily skin is witch hazel, which can be found in both of the above cleansers, as well as in a lot of toners, such as Natural Instinct Toner, $12 for 125ml.

Natural Instinct Aloe Vera Gel ($12 for 125ml, and $19 for 250ml) works well as a moisturiser, and Weleda Iris Moisture Cream, $23.50 for 30ml, is also good, as it contains witch hazel.

Exfoliating two or three times a week helps get rid of dead skin cells which might otherwise clog your pores. Try Skinfood Exfoliating Scrub, $9.99 for 100ml, or Sukin Facial Scrub, $12 for 125ml.

Once or twice a week, after exfoliating, use a clay or mud face mask to draw out impurities. Skinfood Mud Masque, $9.99 for 100ml contains clay, and Rotorua mud. Clear as Mud Face Mud contains bentonite mud from Parehaka. It's $4 per sachet, or $24.99 for a box of ten sachets.

Some teens have dry skin. A creamy cleanser is better for dry skin. Try Skinfood Cleans All Cleanser, $9.99 for 100ml, Sukin Cream Cleanser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Cream Cleanser, $12 for 12ml. For moisturiser, try Skinfood Nourishing Moisturiser, $9.99 for 100ml, Sukin Moisturiser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Moisturiser, $12 for 125ml.

There are a lot of great natural body washes out there. One of the most affordable ones is Pure Innosenses Shower Gel, $11 for 375 ml, available in Reviving (Chamomile and Feijoa), Relaxing (Lavender and Iris), Energising (Rosemary and Citrus), and Hydrating (Peach). Also great is Sukin Botanical Body Wash, $12.99 for 250ml, $16.99 for 500ml, and $24.99 for 1 litre.

Pure Innosense Body Lotion is also pretty good. It's $12 for 375ml, and is available in Reviving (Chamomile and Feijoa), Relaxing (Lavender and Iris), Summer Skin (a gradual tanning lotion, scented with vanilla and mandarin), and Sensitive Skin (fragrance free). I like Sukin Hydrating Body Lotion, $12.99 for 250ml, and $21.99 for 500ml.

Not all natural makeup is expensive, so for teens on a budget, here are some options:

Foundation: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation (available in Beach Sand, Desert Sand, and Sunset) 10g $23

Blusher: Natio Mineral Blusher (available in Sweet Petal) $16 , Natio Mineral Brush N Blush (available in Rose) 3.1g $15

Eyeshadow: Natio Mineral Sparkle Dust Eyeshadow Compact (colours are Pink, Aubergine, Copper, and White) 0.3g $18 , Natio Mineral Eye Shimmer (available in Silver, Rose, Lilac, and Gold) 1.5g $15, SHE Australia Dusting Powders (not specifically for eyes, but could be used as eyeshadows. Available in quite a few shades, not sure what they all are.) $12.95

Bronzer: Natio Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer (available in Sunswept) 18.1g $23

Lip colour: Alba Terratints Lip Balm (available in Blaze, Bloom, Dawn, Garnet, Sienna, and Sunset, although I've only seen it in Blaze, Bloom, and Sienna) 4.2g $8.9

Nail Polish: SHE Australia Nail Varnish (available in fourteen colours, not sure what they are) $14.90

I haven't yet come across any particularly low-cost natural concealers, eyeliners or mascaras.

Stockists

Sukin: Commonsense Organics, Health 2000, Farmers

Natural Instinct: Homestead Health, various pharmacies

Skinfood: Woolworths, Foodtown, Countdown, New World

Natio: Farmers, various pharmacies

SHE Australia: Various pharmacies

Alba Botanica: Commonsense Organics, Homestead Health

Pure Innosense: Various Pharmacies