I don't like to bother with a lot of time or expense on my hair - most of it doesn't do much, anyway. Usually shampoo with an liquid antibaterial hand soap (I wear a visor a lot and work outdoors, sweaty stuff!), trim off what sticks out wrong... Occasionally use a small amount of conditioner or Aussie Slip or Hair Insurance - such a small amount, I only buy one bottle that lasts for years.
So true and I couldn't agree more. I too have been natural since February 2011. I noticed my edges were getting thin and stopped relaxing in December of 2010. I did the "snip snip" or BC in February the following year. My best decision ever. Now I love my natural curls and am on my journey to BSL hair. In the meantime I do my own hair and use protective styling sometimes. Now I'm rocking Senegalese twists. Love the look and low maintenance. Only cost me $15 for supplies. LOL
I save money by using natural hair product like honey, olive oil and eggs to condition and style my hair. I also do my hair at home. I have my own hood dryer and steamer for conditioning treatments and styling like roller sets and wraps.
I shave my head. Oddly, I still use shampoo (for my scalp & my Fu Man Chu). Even if I didn't, I suppose I'm still trading one bunch of costs (hairspray, mousse, shampoo, conditioner) for another (razors, that stuff that makes hair fall out, sunscreen). I haven't even considered which bunch costs more, and don't think I want to
The money I spend with my face with skincare and makeup, I save up with my hair. I consider my hair to be quite naturally healthy and low maintenance, even being pretty long. I will usually use cheap shampoos and conditioners, like Garnier. I also will buy when they are on a sale! The only way I will get more expensive hair products is when they are on a huge sale or "buy one get one free". The only product that is a bit more expensive that I use on my hair is Chi Silk Infusion after shower, but even that costs $20 and lasts me over one year! I've had mine since the beginning of 2013 and it still has product, since you only need a tiny bit to leave your hair soft and silky. So my biggest tip to save money on your hair is to treat it nicely so that you don't need to hydrate it professionally, try not to use a lot of heat, and make sure to keep it protected when you do. That way it will be always healthy and you won't need to spend a lot to take care of it.
I think "healthy hair" starts with a good diet; not that one should 'plan one's menu' according to one's hair-needs, but healthy hair IS the sign of a healthy diet. (This is where we decide whether this is a 'forum-discussion' or a 'blog-discussion'! ) What kinds of foods do you think are best for 'healthier hair'? (See: if that goes well as a branch of this discussion, we're on a 'forum'; if not, we're more like a 'blog' ... That's "Science!")
I also stick with the basics and that saves me a lot. I basically just use shampoo and that's it. Maybe twice a week, I would use conditioner, especially if my hair starts to look a bit dull. I don't like putting hair color because I think the original color of my hair suits me better. The only thing that I woudl do in a salon would usually be a trim or probably a hot oil from time to time. That's it. Overall, my hair is still healthy even though I don't do too much with it.
I also used to apply eggs on my hair to condition it 2-3 times a week. I really can't spend so much money on maintaining my hair. Since now I have a young baby, I don't get enough time to spend on my hair so I just use shampoo and comb it neatly. I also cover my hair when going outside if the sun is hot and bright.
I think the main way is to do most of it yourself, especially if you color your hair. I find that there are also so many sales and coupons for hair products. A lot of times brands have a promotion and coupon. If you aren't brand specific you can save a lot by buying whatever is having the best promotion.
I actually save from the dyeing of my hair because I buy a hair dye and dye it myself with the help of our housemaid. The salon charges $12 for the dyeing the hair that includes the shampoo but they also charge for their own hair dye (they don't allow customers to bring their own hair dye). And since I dye my hair at least once a month, it is as if I am saving more than $100 in the span of 1 year.
One of the ways that I save money on hair care products is by using the Product African Black Soap. It seems to have a thousand and one uses, especially where both the skin and hair are concerned. You can also mix it with other things, to get the desired effects that you would like.
I also spend a lot of money on my hair. My hair type is not very easy to manage, so it needs specialist care. I go to this posh hair salon which is very pricey, but well worth it. People around me often comment on how gorgeous my hair is, even thinking I may have some hair pieces in it. I also buy expensive hair products from the same salon. But I also get affordable ones from the high street to mix it up and lessen the amount I spend on my hair.
When it comes to personal care, I spend very little in hair care because, on the one hand may hair is very thin and somewhat scarce and, on the other hand, I do the same @Corzhens does; dye it myself, and even trim it on my own. Dying my hair for long, long years, and doing it sometimes more than twice a month, is responsible for the thinning of my hair at this stage of my life, besides it was debilitated with all those treatments used throughout the time, hence prone to fall and therefore I have to wear a short hairstyle most of the times. Since my hairs doesn't longer grow that fast, I only have to dye my hair every two months, and I avoid most beauty treatments, but I use dermatological formulated products to keep it healthy and try to get its thickness back.
Even though my hair care costs have always been pretty minimal - as I'm fortunate in that my hair is relatively easy to maintain and stays looking good without having to do anything other than - have it trimmed a couple of times a year, protect it from the sun, wash it regularly with a good quality shampoo and let it dry naturally - the latter of which I prefer to do - as it avoids the damaging effects of hairdryers and heated styling appliances - I've managed to reduce the cost ever further over the past couple of years. As apart from being lucky enough to find an excellent store brand shampoo and conditioner - equal in quality and in some ways slightly superior to the more expensive brand that I used to use - that lasts way longer and is a fraction of the cost of my previous brand - since discovering Argan Oil some years ago and now use that for anything ranging from a deep conditioning treatment to a hair smoother, styler and fixer - my costs are now almost negligible - as instead of having to buy individual styling products and fixers - everything I need is now all in one bottle.
Like many we all have our special ways to do things for our hair. Our home we don't dye. We shampoo and like Fructis and buy it when it's on sale only. We buy very cheap like at Walmart .89 vor V05 shampoos. To save even more money we curl our own hair. I took a few classes of hair styling at college and know how to cut hair so we save even more for I cut my Mom's hair and she likes it. Just can't give her the bob up with a machine she likes. I bought the vacuum hair cutting machine to cut my hair. I cut only the side of my hair and my Mom cuts my back and other trimming when necessary. We save a lot of money. I always watch when I ride the bus of what's where and found 2 hair stylist that cut hair in the neighborhood for just $8! So when I got extra money I plan to go to one of the hair stylist that I found riding the bus.
These days, I cut my own hair. I usually do it the ponytail way mentioned previously, although one time I cut my bangs too short using that method, because I was cutting several inches off the length. I now just pull out some bangs before I start cutting, and that has fixed the problem. I color my hair about every 2 months, and usually buy a product that's on sale. I've only recently heard of Schwarzkopf, and I'm not sure if that's better than what I've been using, but I've considered trying it, if I can find it at a discount price, just to see if there's a difference. I haven't had a manicure or pedicure in quite a while, but I think those are well worth getting a couple of times a year, just to help with my cuticles. I don't particularly care for the experience of sitting in the shop, but am always happy afterwards.
