As college girls, we have enough expenses to deal with, without having to also budget for hair care. If you’re looking for ways to save money, without sacrificing great hair, here are 3 ways to cut back:
Grow it Out
If done right, longer hair requires less-frequent trips to the hairdresser, saving you major dough. Make sure to go easy on hot tools, always use heat protectant spray, wash your hair every other day, and deep-condition your hair once a week. If you follow all these steps, you’ll avoid split ends, and may only have to get trims once every six months, like me!
Cut it Yourself
Let’s not go crazy and lop off an uneven six-inches a la preschool days, but trimming your dead ends or bangs can easily be done at home. The first step is to get some decent shears from a beauty supply store, your regular kitchen scissors won’t cut it (no pun intended). Next, make sure to cut in front of a mirror, measuring off with your fingers where you’d like to trim. Before you cut, slide your fingers down an inch, to leave room for error. Cut vertically into the hair to make the cut more natural, and less harsh.
Lose the Salon Brands
As lovely as salon brand hair products may be, it might help to realize that they are a luxury, and one that you likely can’t afford. Drug store brands will do the trick in the meantime, and often go on sale for insanely low prices, so check flyers for the best deals. If you’re really in a pinch, you can even make your own shampoo from ingredients in your pantry, or make your own hair mask, perfect for the truly thrifty college girl.
What Do You Think?
Is your hair an expense you just can’t afford? How do you save money on your hair? Leave us a comment or forum post and let us know!
Your scalp adapts itself to the levels of moisture it receives – so if you really want to save money, don’t wash it often. I am extending my time between washes to five days. Contrary to what you might think, my hair has never looked better!! It is shiny, healthy, and thick. If you allow about three weeks for your scalp to adjust to each extra day between washes, then you should be on the right track. Not only will you be saving money on shampoo and conditioner (I have a lot of hair, so this is great for me), but you will find fewer split ends (your hair is at its most fragile when wet), you will save styling time and money, you will cut your water and electricity bill (my hair takes a lomg time to wash, so this is also a major perk!), and your hair will probably be shinier and healthier.I will come clean (no pun intended), that I did get a lot of dandruff in the first few weeks of extending my time, but this vanished quickly and was a small price to pay.
That was a really good article, thank you:)
Definitely try non-salon brands! I used an expensive salon brand for years in high school, but once I went away to college I could not see spending my limited budget on it anymore. I tried a cheaper brand (Sunsilk) and ended up loving it way better than the salon brand–for a fraction of the price.
Also, you do not need to wash your hair every day. In fact, you really shouldn’t. You only need to shampoo once or twice a week. Condition more often.