Aspirin is known worldwide as a means for relieving headache, fever and inflammations. Since it is often a generic drug, many people take it for granted. Some fear taking aspirin because of the common notion that generic medicine has terrible side-effects and aspirin reportedly causes Reye’s Syndrome. It may not be as safe as prescription drugs, but you still have plenty of reasons to buy those pills. The funny thing is, none of those reasons are actually concerned with the treatment of diseases and body pains.
Aside from being an analgesic and an antipyretic, aspirin has an assortment of alternative uses. You can actually use it as a pimple remover, a shampoo supplement and even a gardening agent. So, the next time you purchase aspirin, you should place it in the bathroom or beside your gardening tools, instead of the medicine drawer. Here are 15 surprising uses for aspirin.
1. Acne Treatment – Crush one or two tablets then mix them with a small amount of water. When the solution is ready, apply it on your pimples. Allow it to settle for two minutes then wash it off with facial wash and water. After washing, your pimples will be drier and will disappear at a faster rate. (Learn how to prevent acne)
Acne removal
2. Treatment for Insect Bites – Just like pimples, insect bites are marked by redness, itchiness and sometimes a burning sensation. You can use aspirin to remove those annoying welts. Just apply aspirin solution to a mosquito bite or a bee sting and it will gradually fade. (For mosquito bite cures, learn how to get rid of mosquito bites)
Soil conditioner
3. Stain-Removing Hand Sanitizer – If you combine lemon’s acidity to aspirin’s stain removing properties, you’ll get a cleaning solution that can remove cigarette, coffee and grass stains from your hands. Crush a few pills and mix them with fresh lemon juice. With the sanitizer ready, you can finally get rid of those unsightly hand stains.
4. Soil Conditioner – The large presence of fungus affects the richness of soil and takes away nourishment that is supposedly for the garden plants. By treating the soil with aspirin solution, you can wipe away fungus from your garden. Just make sure that you use only a small amount of aspirin. Using too many pills can damage your plants. The ideal amount is one tablet of aspirin per one quart of water.
5. Dandruff Remover – Having dandruff is not only itchy on your scalp, the flakes are also unsightly, especially if you’re wearing a dark-colored top. To get rid of these critters, crush two aspirin tablets and mix them with one serving of shampoo. Apply the mixture to your hair and leave it for about two minutes, so it can settle on your scalp. Rinse the mixture off then shampoo your hair once more. After the final rinse, the flakes are either gone or lessened.
6. Hickey Concealer – A hickey can be a cause for embarrassment. Hide the tiny product of your lover’s passion by rubbing it with aspirin solution then rinsing it with an eye drop. If the hickey is still completely visible, you can just hide it with an actual concealer.
7. Unconventional Ornament – Dilute a couple of aspirins in water. The week after, add another aspirin to the mix. Continue adding aspirin after every days until crystal-like figures form within the mixture. Eventually, the aspirin crystals will grow and form a nice piece of modern art.
Crystal
8. Exfoliant – Salicylic acid found in aspirins is often used in exfoliants and facial cleansers. Instead of buying those expensive products, just use a water–aspirin mixture to make your skin look more beautiful.
Callus remover
9. Callus Remover – Crush six aspirin tablets. Mix the powdered aspirin with half a teaspoon of water and lemon juice. Once mixed, apply a generous amount on a callus. Cover the callus with a warm piece of cloth. After fifteen minutes, remove the cloth then rub the softened callus using a pumice stone.
10. Bloom Extender – The life of a cut flower is pretty short, even if you give it proper care. If you add powdered aspirin to the water in the vase, the flower will stay fresh longer.
11. Fabric Stain-Remover – Just like with hand stains, aspirin can remove spots and blotches from fabrics. Dilute a couple of aspirin tablets in water and apply the resulting solution on the stain. For hard-to-remove spots like egg and blood stains, add cream of tartar to the solution. The thickened paste is potent enough to remove almost all stains. (To learn new fabric stain removal techniques, read how to get rid of fabric stains)
12. Solution for Stained Hair – Troubled by stains or chlorinated spots on your hair? If you have a pack of aspirins on hand, you don’t have to worry. Dilute eight tablets of aspirin in warm water, creating an aspirin solution. Apply the solution to the discolored portions of your hair. After fifteen minutes, the original color of your hair will be restored. If it does not work, simply repeat the entire process until all the discolorations are gone.
13. Anti-Fungal Powder – Athlete’s foot and other skin irritations caused by fungi can be treated using a few aspirin pills and talcum powder. Grind three pills until they are powderized. Mix the powdered aspirin with some talcum powder. Now, apply the anti-fungal powder on the skin irritation. Do this process twice a day to kill the fungi and ultimately, treat the irritation.
Foot powder
14. Instant Sick Leave – Take a good amount of aspirin pills in succession and you will instantly have a good reason to take a sick leave. The downside is, you will feel woozy and your bodily sensations will seem like they’re out of control. A visit to the hospital may actually be necessary.
15. Wart Remover – Apply a generous amount of crushed aspirin onto a wart. Cover the wart with duct tape (see how to remove warts with duct tape). Soon, the wart will disappear like an insignificant afterthought. In case you didn’t know, both the aspirin and duct tape are clinically proven to treat warts.
Wart cover with duck tape
Aspirin is pretty useful, with tons of alternative uses, but before using the product, you should consult your doctor. If you’re asthmatic or allergic to aspirin, chances are, the pills’ effects will be more harmful than beneficial. Once you have secured the doctor’s approval, that’s when you can enjoy all the effective and budget-friendly uses of aspirin.