When it comes to hair and caring for our hair none of us in this house really
spends a lot of time or money. We find
that a good haircut goes a long way in keeping an affordable coif. In my younger years I spent a great deal of
time and money on my hair, however, as I've grown older I've learned a thing or
two.
I typically get my hair cut twice a year and I trim my own bangs
in between cuts. My girls do the
same. A cut right before school starts
and another one midyear. I trim their
bangs as well and I still cut my youngest's hair as her style is very simple. My oldest now pays for her own trips to the
salon. Whenever possible we take
advantage of any coupons or specials our salon is offering at the time we make
our appointments
I no longer color my hair.
When I decided to go Keto I decided to give up hair color as well. It didn't make sense to me to put strong
chemicals onto my scalp when I was trying to improve my life and health by
limiting my exposure to unhealthy products.
So now when I go to the salon it is a simple shampoo, cut and blow dry.
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| I got the shampoo & conditioner on sale and with a coupon |
Over the years I've used a lot of various product to wash and
style my hair. Now I just stick to the
basics and only use shampoo and conditioner.
The product I use isn't anything special. I find that Suave works just fine and I
usually purchase it when it is on sale and I have a coupon too. I use a minimal amount of the product so it
lasts a long time and I don't wash my hair every day as it really doesn't need
it. My girls wash theirs every other day
while I wash only once or twice a week and rinse in between if needed. Any more than that and my scalp gets really
itchy and irritated. My stylist
recommended I take the "Low Poo" approach and it has really worked
well for me.
We seldom use a hair dryer and allow our hair to air dry. I do use a flat iron to curb my crazy cowlick
and tame some wiry gray hairs. I use a
Revlon flat iron and it seems to do the job just fine. My girls occasionally use a flat or curling
iron on their hair as well, but for the most part they wear it straight.
I picked up a couple curling irons on clearance at Christmas time
as well as a couple flat irons. I gave
the girls the curling irons and a flat iron as gifts and kept one flat iron for
myself as I've had mine for awhile and I assume it will likely give up one of
these days. Having one on hand to
replace it will save me from feeling the need to run out for a replacement and
pay full price.
I know some people have strong opinions when it comes to hair care
and the products to use. We choose to keep
it relatively simple and very affordable.
We always look nice and no one has any issues to be concerned with so in
our case I think the simple approach works very well. I'm just appreciative to have healthy hair
and a happy scalp.
I have an extremely dry scalp from lupus, so I use Head & Shoulders (or, the generic kind). I buy it on sale whenever possible, use a minimal amount, and only wash my hair 2x/week.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I treated myself to a higher power blow dryer that shaves about 7-10 minutes/day of drying time. It's amazing & makes my hair dry a little smoother. This means minimal after drying work. I usually just wash, dry for 3-5 minutes, and go. If I'm doing something special, I may run the flat iron over my hair, but that's not an every day thing.
I get my hair cut 1-2x/year, and don't color. That said, my hair has turned terribly ashy & gray tinted over the past year & I have struggled with it. I may change my mind
Less washing and less product have made a big difference with my scalp issues. I like the no muss, no fuss approach myself. I too am trying to embrace the gray. :)
DeleteI do not have lovely hair and clean and somewhat presentable is all I really care about. I am not product loyal and buy whatever is cheapest, plus I am also a self hair cutter, so no real money is ever spent at the salon.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have it figured out. Easy peasy.
DeleteAnother place to try to get reasonably priced hair care products and dryers and irons is TJ Maxx or Marshall's. My daughter is a hair stylist and can go to a professional store for stuff and gets a discount, but I am very frugal about spending top dollar on hair stuff.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear about your cat. Take care. Barb in PA
Thank you Barb. And thank you for letting me know about those stores. I hadn't ever thought of them for that kind of thing.
DeleteI admit that I do spend the money to buy good shampoo, conditioner and oils for my hair. My hair reaches past my elbows and the cheaper products just do not leave my hair the way I like it. My husband and sons with short hair are fine with the cheaper products. They don’t mind. I don’t use heating appliances on my hair, I let it air dry. When I want it curly, I have my husband braid it for me and when it dries I take out the braids for great waves. I am extremely frugal in that I have not spent a penny at the salon in years. My husband gave me a haircut shortly after we first started dating, best I remember getting and I informed him he was now my stylist. A couple years later after we became engaged, I attempted to give my boys home haircuts, got flustered and had him finish them up. It has been his job every since. My sons get haircuts every three to four weeks and I take a seat for hubby to trim my hair roughly every 8-10 weeks to remove the split/damaged ends and keep my hemline neat. He does a great job and he gives haircuts to my mom and two of my friends, these ladies are very picky about their hair, so I know they would never have asked him the first time, let alone have him keep cutting their hair if he didn’t do a nice job. I don’t mind sharing my stylist with my mom and friends, besides it gives him extra practice. So being I am saving over a grand a year skipping the barbershop and salon, I figure I am doing well keeping costs under control, so I don’t mind paying extra for good products.
ReplyDeleteWow! You are so lucky to have your own stylist. I'm jealous. I'd get the nice hair products too if I were you. I'm fortunate in that I can get away with the cheap stuff, but I do recognize it doesn't work for everyone.
DeleteYes, I am very fortunate, and I really appreciate his talents whenever I see a friend, acquaintance or even a stranger out in public that has a bad haircut. I got really bad haircuts done on my sons at the barbershop multiple times each, that is why I bought a set of Wahl clippers (that I only used once) and I had my share of crying in my car after a bad salon haircut. So yes I am spoiled, and now cannot fathom going to a salon just because they have a coupon, when I got bad salon haircuts I paid good money for. My best friend started having my husband cut her hair as she needed a haircut, it had been a long time time since her last one at the salon that screwed up her hair, and she complimented me on my hair and asked where I had it done. I told her and she turned to my husband and asked him if he could give her a haircut. He said sure, not a problem. She liked the haircut and asked if he could continue to cut her hair for her, she would pay him. He said yes, but said he would not take her money.
ReplyDeleteThat is so wonderful. You know you those clippers paid for themselves with the first cut and now you owe them money! Ha, ha!
DeleteI paid about $50 for that good set of Wahl clippers and yes, I only used them once. But my husband has used them to give my two boys haircuts as well as for use in cutting his hair as well for the last six plus years. So they have been used in over 200 haircuts, they have cost less than 25 cents per haircut and their cost continues to decrease. So they were an excellent investment. I wish I had put the money I would have paid for the haircuts in a bank account and saved it, I would have thousands. But I used the dollars not spent for food, clothes, gas for my car and paying other bills. My husband has used his Japanese steel hair shears, $120 initial cost, to give hundreds more haircuts. They were paid for with just two of my haircuts. He sharpens them himself on a flat hone (he paid $250 for) to keep them sharp. He sharpens shears, knives and other tools on it. Good tools are not a cost, they are an investment. So keeping them sharp and oiled to work properly protects that investment. If the clippers could talk, they would thank us for the cleaning, oiling, and keeping it stored in a clean, dry place.
DeleteYou are going to think this is terrible, but every time I see "Saving my $$" I read it as "Saving my a$$". It makes me snicker every single time. I know--I am a horrible person. Oh well! :^)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh you made me laugh so hard. You know now I'm going to see it that way too from now on. Thanks for that! Ha, haaaaa!
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