If you're on a budget and want to begin using natural healthcare products, here are some tips to follow.

Buy natural bandages before anything else

When you have a modest budget, it's not always possible to immediately replace every item in your current healthcare product collection for a more natural alternative (especially as some of the organic, natural versions of everyday healthcare products can be a bit more expensive). Instead, you may need to make these replacements gradually.

If this is the case for you and you don't know which items you should start replacing first, you should begin with buying natural bandages. The reason for this is that bandages can be useful for a wide range of minor health issues (such as blisters on your feet that need to be covered so your shoes don't rub at them, as well as cuts, grazes and small burns). As such, this is a multipurpose product that will address several types of minor injuries, which makes it good value for money.

More importantly, however, because a bandage is usually left in contact with your skin for several days at a time whilst the wound that it's covering heals, it's more important that it does not have any unnatural and potentially harmful chemicals infused into its adhesive or unnatural dyes that could cause a skin reaction. In contrast, purchasing a natural replacement for your antiseptic cream, that you would probably only apply to a wound in small quantities, once or twice, might not be quite as urgent.

Continue to read the ingredient labels

There is a myth that natural healthcare products are filled with mild, ineffective ingredients. In reality, the ingredients in natural healthcare products can be just as potent and effective as the ones in non-natural products. Whilst this is a positive thing, it does also mean that you need to continue to read the ingredient lists to ensure that each new natural product you buy is suitable for you.

For example, if you're sensitive to some essential oils and have had skin reactions to them before, you should check that the natural bandages you buy are not infused with any essential oils. This is important if you're on a budget because if you accidentally purchase bandages with, for example, antiseptic tea tree oil in them, you might not have the cash to just throw them away and replace them with plain natural bandages. By reading the labels of the natural products you're interested in carefully, you can avoid buying products that turn out to be unsuitable for you.