Creatively Frugal Hair Care
We asked our readers to share their
ideas for frugally keeping their locks looking great.
"Funny that this
should be the topic for creative frugality this time around. I just used
up all my coupons at Walmart and Target for Suave shampoo, conditioner and
styling aids. I especially go thru a lot of kids' shampoo. We use it as
body wash/shampoo. I have boys with really short hair and don't need to
use so much...one bottle will last a month for the 3 of them (for now
anyway, until they are teenagers). Anyway I got 56 bottles of various
shampoos, etc., for about $40. I know that doesn't seem like a lot of
savings to some, but I won't have to buy shampoo or conditioner for at
least the next 18 months! Maybe even 2 years! Now if I spread that cost
over even just 18 months. that comes to less than $2.25 per month for hair
care. Also, we get our hair cut at places like BoRics, etc., and sometimes
they run specials on kids’ haircuts. One time I got all 3 boys' hair cut
for $8 including the tip! I used to just shave their heads myself at NO
cost (crew cuts), but as they get older they want it cut, NOT shaved."
~ Audrey
"I dye my hair to
cover gray. I have more gray than my
65-year-old mom! To save on costs of dying, I use a do-it-yourself kit at
home. My hair is thin. I mix only 1/2 of the mixture, and save the rest. I
follow directions and do not make up all of the mixture at once. I have a
squeeze bottle saved from another kit that I use to mix the halves. My hair looks great
nearly all the time, I get the coverage I need and
there is no waste. My best bargain so far: finding hair color on sale,
having a coupon that made the total cost .64 and
getting two dye jobs from that box! Can't beat $.32 for a bit of improved self-image." ~ Terri
"I do almost all of our hair care at home. We invested in an
electric clipper with attachments that make shaping the hair very easy
with a bit of practice. Just start slow. You can always take more hair
off; you can't put it back on! I dilute our shampoo 1-to-1 with water.
It gets your hair just as clean as with the same amount usually used,
plus it rinses out much easier thus saving on the water bill. I'm not
ready to face those gray hairs just yet, so I color my hair. I watch for
sales & use coupons on colorant. Instead of mixing up the entire
contents, I measure & mix the needed amounts in a glass dish. If
you're only covering the grays at the roots, as I am, and not changing
the color entirely, first apply the dye to the roots only, then comb the
dye down through the rest of the hair. It gets those grays and helps
blend any faded color." ~ Cheryl
"One thing I learned only recently is to purchase
shampoo and conditioner for my hair type. My hair tends to be wavy and/or
depending on the weather, frizzy. I recently started buying products for
straight and sleek hair. As a result, I don't have to blow dry my hair as
long because the hair products actually makes my hair straighter and less
frizzy!" ~ Lourdes
"My 5-year-old daughter has long, beautiful blond
hair. The only drawback is that it tangles terribly and she has a very
sensitive scalp. In other words, combing her hair brings lots of tears
and/or screams unless I use a detangler product. However, instead of using
the expensive detangler products from the store, I make a homemade version
using 1 part conditioner to 10 parts water. I then put it into a recycled
pump hair spray bottle. It works wonderfully and ‘No more tears’."
~ Cyndi
"I found a good stylist at a moderately priced salon nearby. I
politely explained that I didn't have the extra cash for salon
hairstyling products, so to please not try to sell me any. She never
has. Furthermore, she helped me choose a style that lasts 8-10 weeks
between cuttings and doesn't require a lot of styling products. She
doesn't provide the ‘service’ of selling me $12 shampoo, and
encourages me to dye my own hair. For my part, I've remained a loyal
customer, and I've never ‘saved’ money by cutting her tip…"
"One thing I have asked of my stylist is that my hair be cut in
such a way that all I have to do is shampoo, condition and go! I don't
have time (with 4 children) to be messing with curlers, curling irons,
sprays, etc. She is very experienced, knows what my hair does in
different situations and can give me just the right cut. I am able to
style it when I want for a special look or event, but most of the time
it's wash and wear." ~ Becky
"My best friend is a licensed hairdresser. According to her, the
inexpensive products work just as well as any high priced ones. Her only
advice was to not use the combination shampoo/conditioners because
shampoo is to clean your hair of everything and conditioner puts some
oils back in to keep frizzies, etc. away. Therefore a combination
product is not doing one of those properly."
"Our family of 5 has probably only 3 or 4 ‘professional
haircuts’ per year. My daughters each get a hair cut once a year. They
have long straight hair. My son and husband either get their hair buzzed
with a buzzer, or I cut it myself. I have my hair cut once a year. Last
September I donated a ‘braid’ to ‘Locks for Love’, so I got a
free haircut that time. This saves us tons of money a year! Look for
simple styles that don't need to be cut, permed, etc., and invest in a
‘buzzer’ for men's hair!" ~ Jennifer
"My children's hair gets tangled easily. Instead of buying
detangler at the store, I make my own using a clean spray bottle, some
conditioner, and a lot of water. I usually use about 4 or 5 parts water
to 1 part conditioner. You can adjust the proportions to suit the hair
you are detangling. Make sure to label the bottle!" ~ Margie Z.
"I cut my children's and husband's hair myself and trim my own
bangs. When we need a good overall trim, we go to the beauty school in
our area for those services. Occasionally, I receive a coupon in the
mail for a $3.99 haircut from Great Clips and go there (but only when I
have a coupon). My sister-in-law lives about 3 hours from me and is a
beautician. On one of our visits, she gives me a perm (about once a
year) and it costs about $15.00 for materials and little extra for her
time. In return, I make her crocheted towels to hang in her
kitchen."
"There are a number of ways to save money on hair care. I have
my hair cut at Supercuts . I spent 12 dollars on a haircut instead of 30
dollars which is the going price at an upscale hair salon. I color my
own hair and purchase the hair color on sale for about 7 dollars. The
salon wanted 35 dollars to color my grey hair. I use baby shampoo to
wash my hair and I only use half the amount with no noticeable
difference to me. I work with people that spend 70 to 80 dollars every 6
weeks for a cut and color! Now that to me is money down the drain."
~ Carol
"I shop for products at wholesale distributors (found under
'wholesale' in the phone book) instead of paying for them at a high
priced salon. They carry the same products (even more!) as salons but
are less expensive. I also get my haircut at a beauty school for
cheap!" ~ SH
"I sometimes cut my own bangs and only use about half of the
shampoo it calls for." ~ Shelley
"I color my hair to get rid of the gray, but because my
hair is short and only gray in front, I was wasting
about half of the mixed color since it can't be saved
once mixed. A female chemist friend suggested mixing
only half of the developer and color in an empty bottle.
I measure half of each with a medicine cup, put these in
an empty developer bottle I saved and washed out, and
color my hair as usual, keeping the other half for
another time." ~ PKP
"My husband has learned to cut our two boys' hair himself using
a set of hair clippers he purchased for around $20. He has even taught
our oldest son to cut Dad's hair." ~ Naomi
"I'm a professional nail technician, for ten years, and have found a
salon product at my local Walmart that is wonderful for my hair: Tres
Semme Shampoo and Conditioner. When working in the salon this
was a superb brand and it's a steal of a deal at Walmart where it is sold
for approximately $2.00 per 32 oz bottle..." ~ Michelle
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