Best Deals on Health and Beauty Products - Consumer Reports (2024)

Sunscreens

This Black Girl Make It Matte face sunscreen provides very good broad-spectrum protection in CR’s tests. It’s a gel with a plastic aroma sometimes associated with fragrance-free products. Testers noted that it rubs in quickly but leaves a slightly greasy film on the skin.

This pricey La Roche-Posay Sunscreen Milk delivers on its broad-spectrum promise in CR’s tests. Although it falls short of its SPF label, it still provides very good protection from sunburn-producing rays. It’s a thin, runny lotion that has a slight aroma of plastic that’s sometimes associated with fragrance-free products. It leaves a moderate amount of greasy film and a slight sheen on the skin.

Insect Repellents

This pump spray from Repel is one of the best deet-free repellents and one of the best-performing of any that CR has tested, deet-containing products included. With 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus as its active ingredient, it earns a rating of excellent for protection against mosquitoes and ticks. Plus, CR’s testers found that this product tends not to damage fabric or other materials, unlike many insect repellents.

Hair Dryers

TheGHD Helios, while not as fast as a Drybar model or the popular Dyson dryer, still scored well in our dry-speed tests. It’s one of the loudest we tried, but it gave our testers voluminous locks. The Helios has two heat settings plus a cool shot, two speed settings, and a concentrator attachment. It also features a brushless motor, which could mean that this dryer will last longer than those without one.

Flat Irons

Hot Tools hair styling tools are a common sight at hair salons, and for good reason. Our evaluators found that this flat iron heated up fast and was easy to use. It has variable heat settings to give users more control, and the plates are slightly longer than most straighteners, a feature that could be useful for styling longer hair. It’s important to note that the temperature consistency isn’t reliable and could vary by as much as 20 degrees from the set temperature during use. It has a 2-hour window before it automatically shuts off, so you’ll want to remember to unplug it after every use.

TheGHD Platinum+flat iron is at the best price we’ve seen in a long time. It delivered great results for all three evaluators who tried it. It has only one heat setting of 365 degrees, but it takes only 21 seconds to heat up and then keeps that heat consistent. It comes with a silicone holder so that you can store it before it’s cooled down all the way, and the swivel cord and pivoting plates make it easy to handle. Best of all, the On button is on the inside of the handle, so you won’t accidentally switch it off while you’re using it.

Curling Irons

At a little more than half the price of the Bio Ionic below, the BaBylissPro’s extra-long titanium barrel delivered long-lasting Rapunzel-quality curls in our evaluations. It has variable heat settings and begins to heat up the moment it’s plugged in. (It must be unplugged immediately after use to turn it off.) But the lack of a barrier between the heated barrel and the handle makes it easier to burn your hand.

TheBio Ionic curling ironmight be a great choice for longer hair. The extra-long barrel, 2 inches longer than the ones on standard curling irons, and multiple temperature settings produced bouncy, shiny curls that lasted for days for our testers. But one person thought the barrel was too long for her short hair.

If you hate a tangle of cords when you’re trying to get ready, the Belisa curling iron might be a great option. This cordless model has adjustable heating from 200 to 400 degrees and took only a minute to reach its lowest temperature. The charge lasts about 35 minutes, and it automatically shuts off when it runs out of power, so it may be best suited for people who can style their hair quickly.

Bathroom Scales

The moderately pricedWeight Watchers WW26bathroom scale earns excellent ratings across the board in CR’s tests. It can measure up to 400 pounds and shows weight in 0.1-pound increments. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity that some other scales have, but our tester found it very simple to use.

Showerheads

TheHopopro 6-function showerheadis an easy-to-use handheld shower with variable settings for different users. In our tests, it provided a nice-feeling shower while using minimal water. We tested it with a 1.8-gallon-per-minute (GPM)flow restrictor in place, but it comes with a 2.5 GPM restrictor if you want more pressure.

ThisHopopro showerheadwas the single best fixed showerhead in our most recent tests. Testers found it provided a great-feeling shower while getting top marks for its modest consumption of water. It has five settings and uses 1.8 gallons of water per minute.

TheSpectra+from American Standard delivers powerful water pressure while using minimal water consumption. To switch spray patterns, simply tap the edge of the showerhead or use its cordless battery-operated remote. The remote attaches to the wall of your shower with screws and anchors or double-sided tape, all of which are included. This showerhead comes in a chrome finish.

OTC Hearing Aids

Now owned by the hearing aid company Lexie, the B2 was initially developed by Bose as the first self-fitting hearing aid. You set it up not with an initial hearing test but by adjusting treble and bass volume settings up and down until they feel comfortable for you, and you can store multiple settings for different situations. These hearing aids offer a rechargeable battery, so you don’t have to mess with replacing tiny hearing aid batteries. The Lexie app that accompanies the hearing aid offers lots of support as you’re getting used to your hearing aid, including the option for video calls with customer service.

The Eargo 7 is one of the smallest and most discreet OTC hearing aids available, and it’s self-fitting too, so you can customize it to your particular hearing needs. Still, Eargo is also one of the priciest OTC hearing aid brands available. At a sale price of $2,450 per pair, the Eargo 7 is no steal. (Prescription Costco hearing aids, by contrast, which are programmed to your hearing by a professional, start at $1,500 per pair.) But if you’re interested in trying out the brand, now is a good time to give it a shot. And keep in mind that they come with a 45-day return period, so you can take a few weeks to figure out whether they’re right for you.