Of all of the household products I’ve written about over the years, hydrogen peroxide is definitely among the most useful of them! From cleaning to laundry to personal care, there’s not a lot that little brown bottle can’t do around the house. In fact, I talk about hydrogen peroxide so much that I even wrote a whole eBook about it! (Check out Hydrogen Peroxide Magic in my shop, or get it for free if you’re an OGT Plus member!)
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But even though I’ve written quite a lot about hydrogen peroxide already, I’m still discovering new ways to use it. So I thought I would share some of those discoveries with you today! Check out these 7 ways you can use hydrogen peroxide for beauty, hygiene, and personal care. (You might already keep hydrogen peroxide in your bathroom cabinet for first aid purposes—and in that case, you won’t even have to change where you store it!) :-)
Related: 35+ Uses For Hydrogen Peroxide You’ll Want To Know About
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7 Ways To Use Hydrogen Peroxide For Personal Care
1. Fade Blemishes & Discoloration
You can use hydrogen peroxide to lighten acne scars, age spots, and other skin discolorations. Use a cotton pad to apply a thin layer of peroxide to the affected area. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with water. Over time this treatment will lighten those spots and make them much less noticeable.
2. Treat Acne
Acne forms when excess oil and bacteria get trapped in your pores. Hydrogen peroxide can help eliminate acne in two ways; it helps exfoliate the topmost layer of skin to expose new skin cells, and it helps kill the bacteria trapped inside your pores. Wash your face, then use a cotton pad to apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to acne-prone areas. Use sparingly, and follow up with a moisturizer.
3. Soften Heels & Eliminate Foot Odor
Hydrogen peroxide is great for treating all kinds of foot issues, including rough skin and odors! Just add equal parts hydrogen peroxide and warm water to a foot bath. Soak your feet in the solution for about 10 minutes to kill bacteria and soften skin.
4. Whiten Teeth
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the best whiteners and brighteners you can buy. You can even use it to whiten your teeth! Follow the link below to learn how to make a simple homemade teeth whitening treatment with hydrogen peroxide.
Related: This Easy Teeth Whitening Treatment Will Save You A Fortune
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5. Clean Makeup Brushes
Even if you have the best skincare routine, you’re undoing all your hard work if you don’t keep your makeup brushes clean! Dirty makeup brushes can harbor all sorts of grime and bacteria that can clog up your pores.
Clean your makeup brushes by filling a small cup with equal parts hydrogen peroxide and warm water. Soak synthetic brushes in the solution for about 5 minutes. Then rise the brushes with clean water, and use a clean cloth to gently squeeze out any remaining water. Let your brushes air dry completely before using.
6. Brighten Discolored Nails
Some nail polishes can cause your fingernails to take on a yellow or orange hue. But you can use hydrogen peroxide to brighten your nails and remove discoloration! Apply a cotton ball soaked with hydrogen peroxide to each affected nail. Let them sit on the nails for a few minutes, then rinse clean. Follow up with lotion or a cuticle cream, as hydrogen peroxide can be harsh on sensitive skin.
7. Highlight Hair
Use hydrogen peroxide to add natural highlights to your hair! Add equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide and water to a spray bottle. Spray the peroxide solution on damp hair, then let dry to promote subtle, natural highlights.
What’s your favorite way to use hydrogen peroxide?
Dear Jillee,
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NancyGrace,
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Can diluted hydrogen peroxide (5%) whiten the skin ?
Hello all just an FYI food grade hydrogen peroxide is what we should be using ,3 %is the diluted form. That is not the Brown bottle from the dollar store. but you can locate at health food stores , or Amazon. It comes in 30% but it’s suppose to be diluted To 3% look it up (FOOD GRADE )alot be of health benefits. Again This is not your Brown 75cents bottle, uTube and Amazon has info on it even books.
How can I use hydrogen peroxide to clean my mop head? I would like to wash it in the washing machine along with peroxide. Will that be safe for my washer?
Yes! Just add about 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide where you would normally add the detergent :-)
Great tips Jillee
My favorite use is to remove red wine from carpet. Dump it on, wait a bit and blot it away. Why did it take me 20 years to learn this?
Thanks Jillee for all the great peroxide tips. I have always used it as a mouth rinse and never had a problem with it.
I appreciate your blogs and have gotten several good tips from you. When my daughters ask me how to clean something I just look it up on your site.
Lots of great ideas – but I don’t think spraying it on your hair is one of them. Hair is very fragile and this could cause it dry out and then get frizzy or even break off.
I love using hydrogen peroxide as an essential beauty staple! However, I’m highly into haircare and wanted to mention one thing… Highlighting hair with traditional bleach and peroxide is, in my opinion, much better for the hair than spraying in hydrogen peroxide. From what I understand, the hydrogen peroxide is what does most damage to the hair, and if it is sprayed in and left on until your next shampoo, it will continue to do damage. A bleach and peroxide treatment to lighten hair, although still massively damaging, is at least a timed process and is rinsed out within 20… Read more »
According to Dr. Oz, you can put half a capful in your ears when you feel a cold coming on. We have tried it and I think it does work to prevent or lessen the severity of the cold. Check it out!
I put peroxide in an empty eye drop bottle and put a drop under my dirty fingernails after working in the garden.