18 Unusual Uses for Oatmeal

I’ve used oatmeal in tons of DIY beauty products! It’s not only a great ingredient in those recipes, and super cheap, but it is really versatile! In my research, I came across tons of articles discussing how oatmeal benefits your diet, your health, and your skin! Here are my favorite ideas for using oatmeal all over the home:

Oatmeal in the Kitchen

Use as a flour substitute. Just use your blender or food processor to achieve a fine powder. You can also add oat flour to runny soups and dips to thicken them up, use it as the breadcrumb in your meatloaf, or leave an open bowl in fridge or freezer to absorb odors.

Cover an oil spill with uncooked oats for 5-10 minutes to soak up the mess.

Make a sweet, crunchy treat! These homemade granola clusters are SO delicious!

Make your own oatmeal packets! They taste just like the ones for the store, but better. :-)

You can mix oatmeal into your ground beef when browning. It has a mild enough flavor that you don’t notice, but it leaves you feeling full and stretches your grocery budget quite a bit! Learn how from Graceful Little Honey Bee.

Put together a few ingredients the night before, and enjoy these flavorful cups of overnight oats the next morning! No cooking required. :-) Get the recipes from A Beautiful Mess.

Oatmeal for Health & Beauty

Combine equal parts oat flour and baking soda for a simple dry shampoo that will give your hair some life in between washes!

Fill a sock, some pantyhose, or some cheesecloth with oat flour. Fasten it to the bathtub faucet for a bath that soothes sunburns, poison ivy and chicken pox.

Burn yourself? Apply some cold oatmeal to the area to soothe the pain.

Exfoliate your skin with coarsely ground oat flour.

Oats are one of the options for the exfoliating agent in your own custom face scrubs! Learn how to make one just for your skin type here.

Make a heat pillow for headaches, cramps and other pain. I suggest using rice in the original recipe, but oatmeal works just as well (and smells better!). :-)

Lather up and exfoliate with these soapy oatmeal shower bags.

Pack a little bit of oats in to the bottom of your homemade bath bombs.

Chilly toes? Heat them up with this warming foot mask.

Other Uses for Oats

Eat a bowl before a workout for more endurance. It leaves you feeling full for longer and is a great source of prolonged energy.

Does your doggy have a dry, itchy coat? Mix equal parts warm water and oats, rub over the itchy spot thinly, leave for 10 minutes and rinse. If you can’t get your dog to stay still, cover the area with some tin foil while you wait. :-)

Try this simple play-dough that’s edible and homemade! Find the tutorial at Story of Five.

How do you use oatmeal around the house?

I believe we should all love the place we call home and the life we live there. Since 2011, I've been dedicated to making One Good Thing by Jillee a reliable and trustworthy resource for modern homemakers navigating the everyday challenges of running a household. Join me as I share homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make life easier so you can enjoy it more!

Every day I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!