Some of you may be wondering why I’m even attempting to write such a post. You may be the type who throws out their products as soon as they expire. I hate wasting, in general. If I find products that I won’t be able to use on myself at the moment, I either give them away or sell them. But, what should be done with expired products?
As an influencer, if you are one too, you will surely know what it is like to suddenly find a few expired hair or skincare products lying around the house. Yes, quite disappointing especially if they are unused or barely used. Also, I use shampoos but barely use conditioners due to time constraints or no patience. So, after searching the internet to make use of my expired hair conditioners, I came across some great ways I could use them.
For those of you who, like me, hate wasting your expired hair conditioners, read on to know how you can use them:
This was like the best use of expired hair conditioners ever. When you are out of shaving cream or if you barely shave, and don’t want to buy any shaving creams as they would expire due to non-usage, you can use hair conditioners instead. Mix a little water to the blob of conditioner and apply to your skin. It will moisturize your skin at the same time. By doing this, you are sure to save a couple of hundred bucks.
When you are tired after a party and need to remove your make-up, apply some hair conditioner with a cotton swab and voila, your face is not only clean but smooth too. Wash your face with warm water to remove the leftover oils from your skin.
When you are out of body wash or body scrub, simply mix your expired conditioner with a few tablespoons of coarse sugar and the juices of a lemon. This concoction will help moisturize and clean your skin while you scrub, and leave your body feeling soft and fresh.
Do you have cracked or dry foot heels? Before you go to sleep, apply some hair conditioner to your heels until it absorbs. Cover your feet with socks. When you wake up, the moisture in the conditioner will let your heels feel much softer than before. Repeat for a week and see how your heels look and feel.
Softening your nails help make the final look neat and clean. Before you do your manicure, soften your nails by massaging a bit of hair conditioner onto them. Leave it on for 5 minutes before rinsing it off. Continue with your manicure.
Sometimes, Band-Aids can be a pain to remove and painful, too. If you ever come across such a situation, rub a little hair conditioner to the spot between the Band-Aid and skin and leave it for a few minutes. You will see that the Band-Aid comes off without a fuss.
We all want to use our lingerie for the longest time due to their cost and feel. In order to eliminate the bacteria from your lingerie, you can soak them in warm water and some hair conditioner so that even the bacteria and dirt will wash off. Hair conditioners have enough cleansing properties to clean your undergarments and keep them soft and smelling fresh, without harming the fabric, thereby making them long-lasting.
Before getting excited, please note that you can use your hair conditioner for zip trouble or easing door hinges. If you have creaky hinges or difficult zips, apply some hair conditioner on them and see how they work with ease. Also, for years we have been using soap to remove our tight bangles and rings, now you can also use your expired hair conditioners to do the same.
Sometimes when your shoes look like they need a bath, quickly dab a clean cloth into some expired hair conditioner and rub your footwear so that it shines and protects the leather from salts and other chemicals. You can also clean stainless steel items like stoves, refrigerators, faucets, etc. with hair conditioners to get them shining.
Have your paint brushes gone hard? Do your make-up brushes need cleaning? Soak your brushes in warm water and a little hair conditioner and leave them for 10 minutes. This will not only clean your brushes but also make them soft and usable.
So, whenever you try any of the above, do let me know how it went. Or if you have already used expired hair conditioners in other ways, do let us know how.
This blog post is part of the
blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with
Queen’s Brigade.
Check out the other blogs of this week’s challenge here.
Check out hacks below on what you can do with beetroot water!
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich
79 Comments
I was fascinated to see all the different ideas you had for using expired products. I only recently learned that shampoos and conditioners expire. I read several articles online that said it could be dangerous to use them, either because they could be infected with bacteria or more seriously, because the chemical ingredients could have broken down into something that would be harmful to your head and scalp.
So my main question is, if it’s possible that these products could be damaging to your hair, could they still be safe to use as shaving cream or foot softener? Or conversely, if they are safe to use as shaving cream, et cetera, why wouldn’t you just keep using them as hair conditioner?
Hey Jennifer, if you’re using good branded products, you don’t have to worry about the chemicals in them becoming dangerous. As the expired conditioner may not be suitable to fluff, shine or condition our hair anymore, it serves its purpose to remove hair, clean clothes, reduce cracked heels and also as detergeants, lubricants, etc.
[…] Check EXPIRED HAIR CONDITIONERS? 10 WAYS YOU CAN STILL USE THEM […]
Thank you for sharing this informative article you have done it very well I have also written an article on Best Moisturizing Conditioners for Dry hair…
Oh that is awesome. Will check it out.
Oh, this is awesome. I have a huge bottle of conditioner which is sitting in the cabinet since forever because it doesn’t suit my hair. I am definitely trying these tips out soon 🙂 Thank you for sharing this.
The pleasure is mine! Thanks for stopping by, Kavita!
Wow this is upcycling at its best! Well my conditioners end up before their counterpart shampoos! Cheers to frizzy curly hair 🤣
Ouch!
Woow loved the post. I always think about expired products which I did not use much . But now I have the idea what to do with them. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome dear.
Cindy, all the tips mentioned in the post are new to me. Can you suggest few for expired Shampoo’s too as I ended up buying a big bottle of shampoo that is no longer in use as it makes my hair dry.
They can be used in a similar way. Start with using it for washing your woolens first.
oh wow. these are some awesome pointers to use expired hair conditioners. Never knew it could do a lot even after expiry date . Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome Hema! thanks for stopping by!
Wow I didn’t know that expired conditioner had so many benefits. Next time I see my conditioner expired, I will make use I do one of these. Thanks for this post, I learned something new today.
You’re welcome dear. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks a lot for these interesting trips. I am going to try the shaving cream option since I need this product daily!
Cheers to smooth skin!
This is a brilliant post Cindy as we all have so many conditioners lying in the house. At times certain brand doesn’t suit so we don’t use and it gets wasted. I loved all the ideas that you have shared to make use of these expired conditioners. This way we save up on money plus make use of them in other better ways. Loved the idea of cleaning and softening a lot. Will try this.
Thanks Rakhi, do try it and let me know. I use it mostly for quick shaving.
Well, I will be wary of using it again on my skin or hair as these expired products have chemical but I can try using it on my shoes and brushes.
Sure thing. I’ve used them as shaving cream though.
This is an absolute eye-opener. I mean who would have thought that an expired hair conditioner would have so many uses. Next time onward, I am not throwing that bottle of expired conditioner and using it for other use like body wash or scrub. Thanks for the tips, Cindy 🙂
Awesome, Rahul, it is awesome as shaving cream too, unless you are particular about the brand you already use. :))
Wow I was not aware of any of these ideas Cindy. like you, I also hate wasting things , will surly keep these suggestions in mind next time, whenever I had expired conditioner at home. indeed, a useful post.
Thanks, Surbhi, do pin it for future reference.
Never knew expired conditioners can be used in so many ways, always used to throw them. Love the ideas u shared.
Thanks, Milan. You know how it is when a conditioner doesn’t work for you. Try some of these ideas and let me know.
There is really so much one can do with expired hair conditioners. Some of these are really novel ideas and are really useful applications. Sandy N Vyjay
Thanks for stopping by and appreciating the post, Sandy and Vyjay.
Oh awesome, i wasn’t aware that we can use expired products in so many ways. Really impressed. Gonna try them surely.
Sure, Aishwarya!
Never heard this but this is such an insightful information. Instead of throwing we can use them for so many things. Thanks a lot for sharing.
You’re welcome, Swati!
Wow! Awesome! I keep looking for ways to use things that are part expiry date and this list was a great find! These are some great ideas, thank you for sharing.
Hey Sakshi, it’s good to see there are many people like me who hate wasting products.
Haha! I’m definitely not the kind of person that throws away expired conditioners – I don’t even check expiry dates on haircare products to be honest… But these tips sure make sense!
Ok, we are alike in many ways then. Hahahaha!
A superb fruitful list, Cindy!!
Loved reading it and some products are my sister favourite so definitely refer her this blog.
Keep sharing more like these updates.
Thanks dear.
Wow Cindy. Though so don’t use much hair care products so mine never reach their expiration date. But these tips are really worth saving and sharing. I might use it to give shine to my stainless steel.
Yeah, Alpana. Try and let me know.
Wow. This is maximum utilisation. I have a couple of hair conditioners which I can reuse now. Brilliant ideas that you have shared.
Shaving cream is my best use.
This is completely new information for me. I will definitely try hair conditioner as a shaving cream. Thank you for the informative post.
You’re welcome, Mehul.
I have to use conditioner because of the water quality in England. I never knew that we can use them after expiry date. I will definitely try your tips. Glad you researched and shared this with us.
Wow Cindy you have brought forth the thing which no one would have thought of it. Expired conditioners and the uses you mentioned are the must try for each and every one. We face many issues in our daily life and this conditioner usage can be a win win.
Thank you Sweta!
I have been using conditioners as shaving cream in the past. This gives me an affirmation that there’s nothing wrong in it. Thanks
Hahaha, cool, Raghav. Awesome to know that!
Never knew that expired hair conditioner could be used in so many ways. Those are some great tips. I loved the trick of using it for cracked feet and for lubricating hinges. Wi try that out.
This is really interesting, Cindy. I was aware of its properties as a leather conditioner but not for cracked heels. Unfortunately, I personally cannot use one since I am allergic to glycerin. But will definitely be trying out the tips you shared with the ones lying around.
I use conditioners regularly. Sometimes they expire and I have to throw them away. You’ve shared really wonderful tips for using them. Thanks dear for such sustainable ways to use them consciously without offering more wastes to the environment.
What great tips.I will keep these in mind for use when my conditioners expire.Some wonderful way to be responsible with our old product’s
Sure, do let me know.
Such a brilliant post Cindy. The way you mentioned how to use expired hair conditioners is really amazing. I di not know about all these, now I will be more considerate towards daily lifestyle activities and usage of products.
Thanks Pamela!
I did not know there were so many uses for an expired hair conditioner. I myself hate throwing away products if hardly used but expired. This is very helpful! Specially the use on cracked heels I have very bad cracked heels which worsen during winters. Will try out an expired conditioner and see how it works.
All the best Shail!
I use expired hair conditioner as shaving cream sometimes, but I was unaware of so many uses of them. If you have any idea on how to use expired hair shampoos , plz share. I have plenty of them.
Similar to conditioners. Start with using them to wash woolens and lingerie.
I didn’t know we can use a hair conditioner for all these. I have used shampoo as a detergent a few times for delicate clothes. Surely going to try out your tips. Thank you so much for sharing them.
You’re welcome, Madhu. Shampoos and conditioners can be used in the same way after expiration date.
This post is an eye-opener! I certainly did not know that expired hair conditioner could be used in so many ways, especially as a cracked heel cream and makeup remover. Usually, I run out of conditioner before my shampoo is over because I have dry and frizzy hair. I use a lot of conditioner in the hope of taming them. 🤣
Oh then you don’t have any expired ones for sure… Hehehe!
Thanks for the nice tips. But I wish I saw this post last month, when I spring cleaned all my bathrooms, I threw out a bunch of them
Awww that’s sad, Suhasini. No problem, pin this post for next time.
i rarely buy or use conditioners as i have very straight hair and it looks limp. But yes the few that come together as a pack usually lie barely used. I use them to clean my combs & brushes. the cracked feet hack is a good one….worth a try for me as i have perpetually rough heels.
Cool, try and let me know if it works for you!
Wow! I never knew that there are so many uses for expired conditioner! Fantastic post, well-researched and informative. Thank you for writing this one.
Thank you Mayura!
I never knew that an expired conditioner could be so useful, I have tried using it for woollens once could try with lingerie next time..haha:) Thanks for sharing new ideas 🙂
You’re welcome anytime!
Amazing post, Cindy. I never use conditioner as I have very silky and limp hair as it is. You have shared amazing ways to use them,I always throw them away but now I know how to use them, Thank you for this useful post with so many tips.
You’re welcome Harjeet. Yeah recently I just got to know that I should not use a conditioner because like you my hair is also silky and scanty.
That’s a great post Cindy! I have few old bottles and me too hate to waste anything
but after reading your post now I would like to try out few of these tips. Thanks for sharing such an informative post.
You’re welcome Smita!