Personal Care Products: Hits & Misses from Dollar Tree

More people than ever are taking advantage of dollar stores because of their rock bottom prices. I've been going to dollar stores regularly for almost 20 years, and particularly Dollar Tree, for lots of those. And in this time, I've purchase a very wide variety of products - some of fantastic quality, and others that were just junk.

Personal care items--beauty products and toiletries--are in plentiful supply at Dollar Tree. Some of them are great buys-others, not so much. It's pretty obvious an item is a good buy if it's a name brand you recognize. More often than not though, there are unfamiliar, off-brand labels to navigate. Read this guide to find out what you can count on, and what you should avoid.

Shower gel

Dollar Tree's house brand is supplied by Greenbrier. Most of these items, which are throughout the store in different sections: food, housewares, personal care--are fair to good quality. The great news is that if you find a product you like, chances are it will be regularly stocked. The shower gels made by Greenbrier are particularly good.

They provide an excellent lather, and have surprisingly high quality scents. My favorite is called "Lily Cotton Blossom"; it is a very fresh, soft, clean lily of the valley scent.

Body butters

The body butters in short, wide-mouthed containers are also a good buy. They're comparable ingredient-wise to inexpensive, drugstore type mainstream brands, with the usual mineral oil, and unpronounceable chemicals. So, it's not top-notch skin care, nor is it close to the quality of better brands of very thick and creamy body butters. But for a simple, nice smelling, thick lotion, it's great. Again, I recommend the Lily Cotton Blossom scent.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a great buy at Dollar Tree. There are several recognizable brands, and they're always well stocked. Pepsodent, Close Up, Aqua Fresh are standards. Check carefully-Several times I've found the normally expensive, organic Tom's of Maine brand tucked away, as well as Rembrandt. Stock up on these if you like them-they are a rarity, and will likely be gone the next time you shop.

Toothbrushes

Any name brand you recognize is a great buy. There are usually lots of Butler, Colgate, and the like in the way of options. Also available are no-name brands-stay away from these. I once purchased bunch of no-brand toothbrushes (to be fair, it was not at Dollar Tree) and the first time I used one, it broke off in my mouth. Obviously, this is a hazard, but aside from than that, it's a waste of money. Don't let that 5-pack tempt you-buy name brand toothbrushes only.

Hair Products& Accessories

Stick to brands of shampoo and conditioner you recognize or have used. The store brands and unknowns are usually low quality-thin, watered down, and unremarkable in every way. Even if it seems like a great deal to get a giant jug of shampoo for a dollar, it's a waste of money if it's useless.

The same goes for other hair products, especially hair gel. The consistency of generic, cheap hair gels is extremely watery, and they just don't work well. Luckily, there are usually some decent recognizable drugstore variety brands, like Suave, and L'oreal. These are a great buy.

As for the hair accessories, the off brands are usually good quality. I've purchased all kinds of barrettes, clips, ribbons, and hair pins from Dollar Tree, and the only issue I've ever had was with some flimsy bobby pins that broke in half.

Cologne

Dollar Tree carries an "imitation" line of spray colognes that mimic fragrances like Ralph Lauren, Anais Anais, and Chanel No. 5. They're not good quality. Spraying them, there is a hint of the intended mock scent, but they all have the same, sickly sweet, unpleasant base note that smells like cheap candy. In addition to that, it doesn't last at all.

I purchased a bottle of the Anais Anais a few years ago, because it did resemble the smell, which I love. However, once that top note of fragrance wears off, all that's left is the sickly sweet, and even that is gone after a short while.

Shower and bath supplies

There is usually a nicely stocked section of shower supplies: bath mitts and gloves, mesh poufs, back brushes, and such. I've purchased several of these items. The larger mesh shower poufs are the same quality as more expensive versions you'd find in a drugstore. I'm convinced items like this are mass produced in the same factories, and shipped out to various places with great discrepancies on the price and packaging.

However, I did run into a problem with the mini mesh poufs. I thought it was a great buy-about 5 or 6 of them in a plastic container for a buck. I had just started offering body treatments in my massage practice that required the client to shower off a thick, messy scrub, and thought these sponges were a great thing to offer unused, and brand new.

For a one time use they were fine, but for any extended use (which is how they are meant to be used) they were terrible. Very cheaply made, they unraveled from the little string, leaving a 3 foot long useless strip of mesh. Stick with the regular, larger ones opposed to a multi-pack 'bargain.'

The shower mitts and gloves are great. The colorful, suction cup stickers for the tub are fair-the suction cups are not very powerful, and they can slip around a bit, which is rather the opposite dynamic of their purpose. They are working for our tub now, but will have to be replaced eventually-not the best bargain.

There you have it-my advice for buying and forgoing some of the most basic personal care items readily available at Dollar Tree.