35 Costly Grooming Mistakes You Don’t Realize You’re Making

Not exfoliating before you shave — or between shaves, for that matter — can lead to redness and razor bumps. For skin that feels smooth and non-irritated, use this exfoliating brush a few times a week. It has firm but flexible bristles that slough off the top layer of skin, which can help prevent bumps and ingrown hairs.

If regular exfoliation isn’t your jam, you can use this aftershave solution to prevent ingrown hairs, razor bumps, and irritation. This highly rated formula requires minimal effort — just apply to skin after shaving, waxing, or electrolysis to keep skin smooth and calm. You can also use it between shaves to loosen any existing ingrown hairs.

Instead of spending big bucks at the salon just to get rid of split ends, you can use this hair-cutting comb at home to give yourself a trim. It features a fine-tooth comb on one end to smooth hair and two combs with interchangeable blades on the other end. (Use the bigger comb for thick hair and the smaller comb for fine hair.)

If you usually go to the salon to do your brows, you can use these eyebrow razors in between appointments for quick touch-ups. The tools feature micro-guards to protect skin while you use them, and a specialized attachment helps with precise brow shaping. Plus, these razors double as dermaplaning tools, so you can use them to exfoliate the top layer of skin and remove any fine hairs.

If you feel like you’re constantly shaving (or always making an appointment for a wax), you’ll love this hair inhibitor that helps slow regrowth. Made from natural ingredients and botanicals, it penetrates hair follicles to decelerate growth after hair removal, and it comes in a convenient spray bottle. One reviewer wrote, “This hair inhibitor helped to thin the hairs and slow down the growth within just a couple weeks. Stop debating, just buy it.”

There’s no doubt about it — salon trips are pricey. So if you’re just looking for a trim (and not overhauling your whole look), you can save some cash by using these hair-cutting tools. The set comes with two clips — one for small sections of hair and one for large sections — and they each have a built-in level, so you can get an even trim every time.

If you’re used to getting lash extensions, you can take a budget break and and swipe on this false lash effect mascara instead. A cult-favorite with more than 100,000 five-star ratings, it costs less than a cappuccino, but creates dramatic length, without smudging or flaking. One reviewer wrote, “Makes such a difference and def looks like a set of false lashes.”

If you’re thinking about chopping off your hair because it’s damaged — and you don’t want to chop off your hair — try this deep-conditioning collagen treatment first. Along with collagen protein, the K-beauty formula is infused with deeply moisturizing ceramides to strengthen and soften strands. In the words of one reviewer: “This stuff brought my hair back to life.”

Blow-dry, curl, and flat iron to your heart’s content with this heat protectant spray for your hair. A great way to fend off damage before it starts, the highly rated spray is formulated with argan oil to coat your strands without weighing them down. It provides protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and adds a boost of shine to hair.

It can be near-impossible to keep from smudging a fresh manicure, but these nail polish drying drops will save you the time and hassle of starting over. You can apply them to freshly painted and still-wet nails, and it’ll dry them within a fast 60 seconds. Plus, the formula is infused with jojoba oil and vitamin E to moisturizer your cuticles.

Frequent manicures can add up, but this electric nail drill set is less than the price of just one trip to the salon. Perfect for both acrylic and natural nails, the drill features customizable speeds and comes with all the attachments and bits you need to file, grind, shape, and remove gel polish.

A good base coat and top coat can significantly extend the life of your home manicures, which means you won’t lose precious time re-polishing your nails after just a few days. This wallet-friendly set has you covered on both fronts — apply the Seche Clear before adding any polish, then finish off with the Seche Vite to quickly dry nails, protect your manicure, and add a high-gloss finish.

Unless you’re a professional nail technician, it can be hard to color inside the lines while polishing. Use this latex tape to create a barrier around the nail while you paint, and you’ll never deal with stray polish again. When your polish has dried, you can peel of the latex tape — easy as that.

Professional teeth whitening costs an arm and a leg, but this charcoal powder is a super affordable way to brighten your pearlies. Made with natural ingredients like bentonite, coconut, and orange seed oil, it’s gentler than most over-the-counter formulas, making this a great option for anyone with sensitive teeth. It’s quick, too — just brush your teeth with the black stuff for two minutes before rinsing.

There may not be a person on earth who really loves flossing, but skipping that step in your dental hygiene routine can mean high dentist bills later on. Luckily, a good water flosser like this one can somehow manage to make the process fun. With five modes to suit your preference, it uses a strong stream of water to wash away plaque, remove food debris, and massage gums.

Speaking of oral hygiene, these tongue scrapers remove the germs that linger on the surface of your tongue, and removing those germs can actually help freshen your breath. The two scrapers are made from high-quality stainless steel, and the extra-large heads cover a lot of surface area at once.

New shavers and cartridges cost a pretty penny, so instead of putting a dent in your wallet, sharpen your existing blades with this razor sharpener. Compatible with all blades, the sharpener lets you get up to 150 shaves from each cartridge. Just as good, the sharpener is made with recycled materials, making this an earth-friendly buy.

Using an eyebrow pencil every day means having to buy new eyebrow pencils on the regular. To save some cash, use this eyebrow tint from Maybelline that lasts for up to three days after application. The semi-permanent gel evenly colors brows, fills in sparse areas, and adds definition. Just apply, let the formula set, then peel.

• Available shades: dark brown, medium brown, light brown

Make the most of your sheet masks with these ingenious sheet mask covers. They offer a snug fit that virtually guarantees your skin will drink in all those nourishing essences, and the ear loops offer a comfortable fit. Plus, since they keep everything secure, you can actually do things while you wear it, without worrying about the sheet mask dripping or slipping off. The covers are made from flexible silicone, and they’re washable and reusable.

Every time you throw a disposable makeup remover wipe in the trash, you’re essentially throwing money away. (I’m sorry, but it’s true.) These reusable makeup remover cloths are a budget-conscious substitute, and they don’t sacrifice on effectiveness. The soft, plush cloths take off makeup with just warm water, and they’re endlessly washable and reusable.

Here’s another way to nix one-use products from your life: these reusable bamboo-cotton rounds. Made from organic materials, they can be used with cleanser or micellar water to remove makeup, and you can also use them to apply toner. The 20-pack comes with a net bag, so you can keep them together when you throw them in the wash.

With this reusable swab, you can replace the use of up to 1,000 disposable cotton swabs, making this a wallet-friendly and eco-friendly buy. The swab is made from soft and flexible medical-grade silicone and comes with a protective case in your choice of nine colors, like peach, turquoise, and black.

There’s nothing like the renewed feeling of a fresh facial, but you can save a little money by doing your own at home with this pore vacuum that suctions out blackheads, oil, and dirt. The USB-chargeable device features three modes and comes with four attachment heads, so you can tackle any skin-care concern, without irritation.

Give your razor proper space to dry — on one of these suction cup hooks, for example — and you can help fend off rusting (and having to buy a new shaver). The set comes with two suction cup hooks that can hold up to 6 pounds each, and you can use the other to hold wet loofahs.

I’d wager that a fair sum of money goes to waste over a lifetime just because it’s impossible to get the last drops of beauty products in a jar or bottle. With these long and skinny beauty spatulas, though, you can scrape them clean. The set comes with two spatulas — use the larger one for hair products and cleansers and the smaller one for serums, moisturizers, and other tiny containers.

Another genius way to keep any product from going to waste, these bottle emptying kits help you make the most of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and hand sanitizer. (In fact, they can even be used with sauces in the kitchen.) The kits include stands to hold bottles upside down, along with caps that fit bottles of almost any size.

You can spend a fortune on pricey products to make your hair shiny and strong, but it’s worth getting at root of the issue with these hair vitamins. The vegetarian gummies are packed with follicle-nourishing ingredients like zinc, biotin, and folic acid, which can work together to support hair growth and strength. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they taste like candy.

If you neglect to put sunscreen on your hands, raise your, um, hand. Now that that’s out of the way, your hands really do get a lot of sun exposure and deserve to be protected. This SPF 40 hand sunscreen doubles as a hydrating cream with antioxidant-rich ingredients like argan oil and sea buckthorn fruit, so you’re knocking out two birds with one stone. The formula won’t leave palms sticky, and it’s reef-safe and oxybenzone- and octinoxate-free.

You may not know it, but UV rays don’t just damage your skin, they damage your hair too, leading to dryness, brittleness, and breakage. Of course, coating your hair in lotion isn’t ideal, which is why this scalp and hair sunscreen is so great. The SPF 30 formula is made with plant-based on antioxidants, and the mister makes it easy to apply. Even better, it’s reef-safe, water-resistant for 80 minutes, and can be used on dyed as well as natural hair.

Shampooing every day takes up a lot of time, and it can actually dry your hair out too, so you may want to slip on this shower cap the next time you suds up and rinse off. The waterproof hat features an elastic band for a snug fit and an oversized bow for a cute 1950s vibe.

Satin pillowcases are a beauty secret that’s not so secret. Their smooth texture doesn’t catch on skin and hair the way cotton does, which means you’ll wake up with less breakage and fewer pillow creases on your face. These affordable pillowcases are cheaper than a deep conditioner, and they’ve earned more than 100,000 five-star reviews.

• Available sizes: 4
• Available colors: 24

A stiff-bristled brush has the potential to be hard on your gums, but these extra-soft toothbrushes are gentle as the day is long. The brush head features 20,000 soft, micro-fine bristles that are densely packed to reach between the teeth to deep-clean. Each set comes with six toothbrushes, all with ergonomic handles.

An electric toothbrush can be a significant investment, but this battery-operated toothbrush from Arm & Hammer costs less than a deli sandwich. It features a dual-action spinning brush head that polishes teeth, deep-cleans the spaces in between, and massages gums. It comes with AA batteries to get you started, and reviewers are obsessed — it has a 4.7-star overall rating after 15,000 reviews.

Refilling your existing shampoo bottles is a great way to reduce plastic waste, but it’s also an easy budget hack. This 32-ounce shampoo refill pouch from OUAI features a small nozzle that makes it easy to pour into your bottle. The luxury shampoo is available in three styles for fine, thick, and medium hair.

A lot of times, shave gel will drip to the floor of the shower before you even take a razor to your leg, which adds up to a lot of waste. These compact shave bars though, offer a thin layer of lubrication, and each one lasts for up to 30 full-body shaves. Plus, they’re made with skin-soothing ingredients like tea tree to cleanse and coconut oil for deep hydration.