The Ultimate Black Friday HSA/FSA Shopping List

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Black Friday is a good time to check your HSA or FSA balance, especially if you have an FSA, since that money usually expires at the end of the year. The easiest things to spend it on are products that qualify automatically, with no paperwork and no Letter of Medical Necessity. 

Here's a shopping list from the Stridekick Shop: sunscreen, acne and eczema treatments, period care, and a few pain relief devices.

Shop Picks

Best Sunscreens You Can Buy With Your HSA/FSA: Soleil Toujours Face Glow Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50, Agent Nateur holi (sun) SPF 50 Dewy Tinted Skin Drops, Proactiv Clear Skin SPF 30 Sunscreen

Best Acne and Eczema Treatments for Your HSA/FSA: Proactiv Solution 3-Step Routine, Proactiv+ 3-Step Routine, Gladskin Eczema Cream, Gladskin Biome Balancing Gel

Best Period Care for Your HSA/FSA: Flex Reusable Disc, Flex Cup, Popmask Small Big Hug Self-Heating Patches, Paingone Ellune

Best Pain Relief Devices for Your HSA/FSA: Paingone Aegis, Sharper Image Hot and Cold Pain Relief Device, TheraICE Headache Hat

Browse everything eligible in the Stridekick HSA/FSA Shop.

Best Sunscreens You Can Buy With Your HSA/FSA

Sunscreen is one of the simplest HSA/FSA purchases: any product that's SPF 15 or higher and broad-spectrum qualifies. These three cover different skin types and routines.

Best Tinted Mineral Sunscreen: Soleil Toujours Face Glow Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50

This is a mineral sunscreen and moisturizer in one. It has SPF 50 with 20% zinc oxide, plus vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, and a sheer golden tint that gives skin a glow you can wear alone or under makeup. It's reef-safe, vegan, and made without chemical UV filters like oxybenzone.

Check that the tint suits your skin tone, since the listing describes a sheer golden shade.

Shop the Soleil Toujours Face Glow Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50 | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Sunscreen for Acne-Prone Skin: Proactiv Clear Skin SPF 30 Sunscreen

This is an oil-free, daily sunscreen made for acne-prone skin, with broad-spectrum SPF 30 against UVA and UVB rays. Proactiv says it's dermatologist-developed and tested, non-greasy, and leaves a matte finish while it hydrates.

It's SPF 30, a step below the others here, which is still above the SPF 15 minimum for HSA/FSA use.

Shop the Proactiv Clear Skin SPF 30 Sunscreen | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Acne and Eczema Treatments for Your HSA/FSA

Treatments for specific skin conditions, like acne and eczema, qualify automatically. For more, see our guide to HSA/FSA-eligible skincare.

Best Acne Routine for Oily Skin: Proactiv Solution 3-Step Routine

Proactiv Solution is the original three-step acne system: a repairing treatment with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, plus a cleanser and a toner. Proactiv designs it for oily or combination skin, and the 90-day size is a full course.

Benzoyl peroxide can dry or irritate skin. Proactiv says to cut back to once a day or every other day if you notice dryness or peeling.

Shop the Proactiv Solution 3-Step Routine | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Acne Routine for Dry or Sensitive Skin: Proactiv+ 3-Step Routine

Proactiv+ swaps benzoyl peroxide for salicylic acid (1% in the cleanser) and adds hyaluronic acid and glycerin for hydration. It's the version made for drier skin, and Proactiv says it's designed to minimize dryness and irritation.

If you tried the original and found it too harsh, this is the one to try.

Shop the Proactiv+ 3-Step Routine | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Eczema Cream: Gladskin Eczema Cream

Gladskin's Eczema Cream is a steroid-free, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic moisturizer for eczema-prone skin. It contains Micreobalance, Gladskin's proprietary enzyme, which the brand says helps balance the skin microbiome and reduce itch and redness. Gladskin says it's safe for babies 3 months and older.

Gladskin calls it clinically proven, which is the brand's claim, and eczema that's severe or spreading needs a doctor.

Shop the Gladskin Eczema Cream | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Lightweight Eczema-Prone Skin Gel: Gladskin Biome Balancing Gel

Formerly called Flare Care Concentrate, this is a lightweight, fast-absorbing gel for full-body use, with the same Micreobalance enzyme. It layers under makeup and clothing and is made for sensitive skin.

It's the pick if a thick cream feels too heavy.

Shop the Gladskin Biome Balancing Gel | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Period Care for Your HSA/FSA

Period products, including cups, discs, pads, and period underwear, qualify without a letter. These four cover protection and cramp relief.

Best Menstrual Disc: Flex Reusable Disc

The Flex Reusable Disc is made of medical-grade silicone, with a patented notch for easier insertion and a leak-free rim. Flex says it holds more than six super tampons' worth of flow, and you can it for up to 12 hours.

Because it's reusable, it's a one-time purchase instead of a monthly one. If you have an IUD or are new to discs, ask your doctor first.

Shop the Flex Reusable Disc | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Menstrual Cup With a Pull-Tab: Flex Cup

The Flex Cup is a reusable menstrual cup with a pull-tab that breaks the suction, which makes removal easier, especially for people with joint pain or hand weakness. It's medical-grade silicone, comes in Slim Fit (22 mL) and Full Fit (30 mL), and lasts up to 12 hours. Pick the size that fits your flow and anatomy.

Shop the Flex Cup | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Heat Patches for Mild Cramps: Popmask Small Big Hug Self-Heating Patches

Popmask's Small Big Hug patches are single-use, biodegradable heat patches for mild cramping. They offer up to 12 hours of relief, and you wear them over clothing, not directly on skin. They're a discreet option for cramp days.

Shop the Popmask Small Big Hug Self-Heating Patches | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best TENS Device for Period Pain: Paingone Ellune

Paingone’s Ellune is a TENS device designed for drug-free period pain relief, so you can ease cramps without reaching for a pill. The research is encouraging: a 2024 Cochrane review found TENS may reduce period pain compared with no treatment or placebo. 

TENS isn't for everyone. Skip it if you have a pacemaker or other implanted device or you're pregnant, unless your doctor says it's okay.

Shop the Paingone Ellune | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Pain Relief Devices for Your HSA/FSA

TENS units and hot and cold therapy are widely treated as eligible without a letter, but check your plan, since these are electronic devices.

Best Wearable TENS for Lower Back Pain: Paingone Aegis

The Aegis is a wireless, wearable TENS device for lower back pain, with large gel pads that cover the lower back. It weighs 82 grams, charges via a rechargeable battery, and you control it with a remote: 15 treatment modes and 16 intensity levels. You can even wear it discreetly under clothing.

Paingone describes it as a CE-certified medical device. Check with a doctor before using TENS if you have a pacemaker, are pregnant, or have back pain that's severe, new, or comes with numbness.

Shop the Paingone Aegis | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Handheld Heat and Cold Device: Sharper Image Hot and Cold Pain Relief Device

This is a cordless, USB-rechargeable handheld device that gives you both heat and cold, which you can use on your neck, shoulders, back, arms, legs, or feet. It weighs 1.5 pounds and measures about 4 by 6 inches.

Treat this as a convenient way to apply heat or cold. Use the same rules as any heating pad: short sessions, and avoid numb skin.

Shop the Sharper Image Hot and Cold Pain Relief Device | HSA/FSA Eligible

Best Cold Therapy Cap for Headaches: TheraICE Headache Hat

The TheraICE Headache Hat is a stretchy, wearable cold cap filled with gel that molds around your head, forehead, and temples. You chill it in the freezer (about 2 hours), pull it on, and the blackout design blocks light. It can also be warmed. TheraICE says it's made for headaches, migraines, tension, and sinus pressure.

It's a drug-free option to keep in the freezer for headache days, and hot and cold packs like this are typically treated as HSA/FSA eligible, so check your plan. If you get sudden, severe headaches, or headaches with fever, vision changes, or weakness, see a doctor.

Shop the TheraICE Headache Hat | HSA/FSA Eligible

Which Item Should You Buy First

Start with what you'll use every day. Sunscreen is the safest first buy, since you'll use it up and it needs no paperwork. If you have acne or eczema, the condition-specific treatments are next. Period care is a smart buy if you're already shopping for it, and the pain relief devices are worth it if you deal with back or period pain regularly.

If you have FSA money left, aim to spend it before your plan's deadline. For anything not on this list, like fitness gear and many recovery tools, you may need a Letter of Medical Necessity; our guide to saving with Truemed explains how, and HSA vs. FSA: How Do These Things Work? covers the basics.

For more ideas, see Looking to Spend Your HSA/FSA? Here's What to Buy First and How to Save Money in Your Daily Routine With an HSA or FSA.

Before You Buy

A few things to know before you spend:

FSA money usually expires. Health FSAs are generally use-it-or-lose-it, though some employers offer either a grace period of up to 2.5 months or a carryover of up to $680 into 2027, and not both. HSA balances roll over indefinitely. Check your plan's deadline, and see what happens to unused HSA or FSA funds.

"Automatically eligible" means no letter. Sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher and broad-spectrum), treatments for conditions like acne and eczema, and period products all qualify without a Letter of Medical Necessity. Most fitness and recovery gear does need one, which is why we left it out of this list. The IRS has the rules, and your plan has the final say.

Pain relief devices are a gray area. TENS units and hot and cold therapy are widely treated as eligible without a letter, but because plans differ, check yours or use the Shop's HSA/FSA checkout.

These are for you, not gifts. HSA/FSA funds generally can only be used for you, your spouse, and your tax dependents. Keep your itemized receipts, and check each brand's page for current prices and offers.