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This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The season is changing and so will many women’s hair color, but the cost doesn’t have to make you want to pull your locks out. Many of us are heading back to school or the office and are craving a fresh look. Here are some tips for inexpensive hair color and care. A previous post covered how to get a cheap hair cut.
Highlights – I speak from personal experience: don’t do this at home or risk looking like a skunk. Instead, have a friend recommend a professional and get highlights done at a salon. For touch ups, you can use a similar color from the drugstore and do it at home. You can also try the natural method and spritz your hair with lemon juice so your hair naturally lightens with the help of the sun.
All-over hair color – Skip the salon color and do-it-yourself. There are some great drugstore hair color brands that will run you $10 to $15 compared to $40 to $45 plus tip at a salon. When you do your own hair color, save a bit of the color in a bottle for touch-ups and when your roots start growing out, dip a clean mascara wand into the bottle and brush the dye onto your roots. Don’t forget to rub petroleum jelly on your forehead and ears before you begin the coloring process to avoid stained skin. If you prefer to get your hair colored at a salon, make friends with your stylist and have them save you a bit of color for touch ups.
Remember that hair color is an investment so avoid over washing your hair if you want to protect and keep it vibrant. To clean your tresses and maintain the color, use a mild shampoo intended for color-treated hair. Avoid blow-drying your hair too much, as it damages the hair and your color may turn brassy. The best advice to avoiding the cost and commitment of color is to go natural.
September 14th, 2010 at 7:22 am
[...] Recently I decided to crunch the numbers and see how much my, er, dirty habit, is saving me. (I also save money by getting cheap hair cuts and opting to go gray naturally, even though there are ways to save money on hair coloring.) [...]
September 14th, 2010 at 11:08 am
I use Nice and easy with highlights 2 times between professional colorings, I get a pro highlight, then the N & E just highlights the highlights…saves me tons of money!!
September 14th, 2010 at 11:18 am
@Mart Good strategy! I used to do with hair cuts. M sister would cut my hair two or three times, then I’d go into the salon. Looked fine as far as I could tell!
September 14th, 2010 at 11:19 am
I went gray at age 24 and (x) years later I still opt to have the silver linings in my life to be in the form of clouds not my hair–especially as a new mom :0
Professional coloring I just can’t sacrifice but since I’m pretty thrifty everywhere else, like my hair, it all evens out.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:29 am
After MANY years of putting my family first when it came to luxuries, I now indulge myself in a weekly trip to the salon, where I get color (every 3-4 weeks), cuts (about every 6 weeks, with the occasional free trim in between), and best of all… head, neck and shoulder massage! Since my hair is naturally curly, it doesn’t require setting or anything “fancy.” In order to maintain these indulgences, I lead a basically thrifty life, and am lucky not to have too many regular expenses other than food, gas and utilities (plus insurance, etc.). Every “sacrifice” is worth the weekly pampering!
September 14th, 2010 at 11:47 am
I wait for my color to go on sale and I use coupons. I also buy enough with coupons to last for several months so that I don’t get caught having to pay full price. I haven’t paid more than $6 for my hair color.
(Wella used to have an R&D center in Woodland Hills where I got my color and hair cut professionally for free every few weeks but they moved it to New York)
September 14th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Save the left over color in the bottle for root touch up, really? It goes bad, have you really done that? I try to use coupons, but have also found that the low end lines ($3-$4) a box work as well as the high end ($10+). I started coloring at home years ago when my hair dresser told me to save the money and do it at home. I get compliments all the time about the color and when people ask wwhat brand I use I truthfully say “Whatever is on sale”. Oh, and I should say I’ve gone from blonde to high lift blonde recently (and have what amounts to dishwater blonde for real).
September 14th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I do the coloring myself and was able to find the color on ebay–so I’ve stocked up–at a great savings.
Remember to check out beauty schools (work by senior students); when I was much younger that’s where I’d go…now it’s Super Cuts and a cut and tip for under $20.00. I go for a simple bob so it only needs a trim every couple months.
In response to cathy: I think the writer was talking about saving the color, not the mix. The color can be saved, the mix, not.
September 14th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
@EllieD I’m glad you indulge yourself in this well-deserved treat. I have a friend who treats herself well – by buying really good and high quality food – and I’ve started to lean in her direction. I’m thinking about ways I can treat myself without spending too much. I would love to get a weekly massage, but that is super pricey.
September 14th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
@bargainbabe ~ Because I’m one of Jeannie’s few remaining regular clients, the massage is basically “on the house” for the most part. She’s a friend as well as a beautician, and won’t let me pay her much for the massage. I do give her a nice gift for her birthday and for Christmas, as well as weekly tips. Still, despite the fact that it’s somewhat costly, it’s well worth it to me.
As for top quality food… I also buy good stuff from produce sources in my area, and know what to look for in the way of meats, veggies and fruit. I also know how to be more frugal in areas where the very top quality isn’t an issue. Creative culinary skills make up for a lot!!!
October 10th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
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