Self-care is a big business in the United States and across the world. The title “self-care” includes all types of things for your personal grooming. For example: manicures, pedicures, massages, haircuts, hair coloring, make-up (permanent), waxing, brows/lashes, and other products. So many ways to drain your bank account. Let’s address one of the items that ends up taking a large chunk of this category. Your hair!
If you are female, any hair expense can amount to a large dollar annual expenditure. If you have your hair colored or highlighted, the bottom line is even more expensive. We are talking upwards of $125 for each appointment and that’s not including a cut. The cut can add up to an additional $40-$50 easily. If you add on the expensive brand name shampoos, conditioners, brushes, and gels, a visit could amount to upwards of $200, not including your tip. If you are male, the hair expenses are not as severe, but there are still adjustments that can be made to earn money for you and your family.
For men, I would encourage you to do one of the following to reduce your hair expenses. Your first option is to get your hair cut at one of the cheaper places like Great Clips (www.greatclips.com), Fantastic Sams (www.fantasticsams.com), etc. You can spend $13-$20 on a cut which is on the lower end. If you currently go to a salon, you can reduce your expenses dramatically. Sometimes a local barber may have reasonable prices too.
Your second option, and I would say the best option, is to have a friend (even your partner) cut your hair. If you don’t have a super fancy cut, it is quite easy to do. You have to invest in purchasing a razor, but they have become quite reasonable. We purchased ours at Costco for around $15. Considering the fact that my husband used to spend around $15 on a haircut, we made back our money immediately on the very first cut. My husband used to get his hair cut at Great Clips so he was on the low end of the spectrum anyway. He knew exactly what attachments to use and I trim it up at the end with scissors, if necessary. I had seen it done so many times that I had an idea of how it should be done and I’ve gotten better over time. With Covid, a lot of people have started doing this out of necessity and not necessarily due to finances. I wonder if they’ll continue moving forward. I would recommend that they do.
There have been two unfortunate incidents that have occurred when I began being his “stylist.” The first one was when I forgot to put an attachment on the razor and made one swipe on the back of his head without it. Those who know what I’m talking about are probably laughing pretty hard right now. I tried to blend it in, but there was just no disguising it. My husband said that it was no big deal when I told him about it, but then he looked at it. He wasn’t thrilled, but he’s so low maintenance that he didn’t kill me. We now joke about it and he says that it looked like a version of a playboy bunny on the back of his head.
The second incident was when I tried to highlight his hair to give him the sun kissed look that so many of the stars had. Let me begin by saying that it was my first attempt at any color, so…it didn’t turn out exactly like either of us wanted. I tried to only do the tips and used a comb to move the color through the hair. Unfortunately, since I’m not a professional stylist, I didn’t get the same depth all though the hair. In some spots the color went all the way down to the scalp (full color) and in other places, just the tips. That was the first problem. The second problem was that when the time was up, the color looked orange instead of blond. I’ve since found out that I didn’t leave it on long enough. Before we could find out this information though my husband freaked out and had me basically shave his entire head very short. Unfortunately, you could still see some color on parts of his head. He had some buddies who called him skunk until it grew out. Surprisingly enough, I am still cutting my husband’s hair. However, there have been no more escapades with color—for obvious reasons.
If you’re female, there are so many facets to consider. Many years ago, I reviewed our annual expenses as I was looking for places to make cuts. My annual hair expenses added up to quite a bit. Even though I only highlighted and cut around 3-4 times a year, it amounted to around $500per year. With tight finances, I figured it was time for me to make some changes in my spending behavior. I first began by asking friends for the names and prices of where they went. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the prices low enough for my financial goal. Next, I starting calling around to places near me. There are usually cosmetology schools in cities that charge a fraction of the price and they do a great job. I chose one of these for my highlights at a reduced cost as compared to a regular salon. Because I was not able to find prices low enough in the haircut arena for my liking, I ended up going to Great Clips myself. With these changes, I was able to reduce my costs by $75 per visit, with the change in the highlighting and cut venues. You can do it too. It may take two trips, but the $75 x 4 is worth the earnings for my family. *Full disclosure…now that I don’t struggle to account for every penny, I currently use a traditional salon for my hair care needs. I still look for reasonable costs on these items and trim my bangs in between appointments to keep my costs down.
In deciding what products that you should buy for your hair you shouldn’t put all of your focus on brand names. I remember one time that I got my hair highlighted, the stylist was talking to me about the products that I use on my hair. I named off several brands to her. Some of them were “salon” products and some could be purchased at the grocery store. She proceeded to tell me that the brand name products were the best choices to use. I believe that this may be true for some, for sure. For me personally, the statement struck me as funny because the conditioner that makes my hair easiest to comb and reduce tangles is NOT a salon product, but one that I buy at Costco. Something to be aware of is that a higher price does not necessarily mean better or more effective products. It could mean that, but a lot depends on how your hair handles it. **It’s important to note that when you get to the bottom of your shampoo and conditioner bottles, make sure you don’t waste the amount that remains. I would recommend purchasing special nozzles to make sure nothing is wasted. Something like this is perfect to get the quality product that is hiding from you. https://www.amazon.com/ZWC110-Zero-Waste-Cap/dp/B01N54EK6K/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=upside+down+lids+for+shampoo+bottles&qid=1616630258&sr=8-3
There are lots of products out there to choose from, but you need to use the ones that work for you. Simply, I’m saying that you may be able to find a lower price product that works for you. A lot of it is trial and error. Even if you decide to use more premium products, look for special deals, sales, and promos. Stock up when they are available (just like stock piling with groceries). This is my same advice for all of your products that you use. This includes, shampoos, conditioners, gel, lotion, make-up, and skincare. You don’t always have to use the high price brands out there to find something that works for you. It is important to note that if you’re not getting good results from your products, you may choose to pay more. There’s no sense in spending a bunch less money if it makes your hair look and feel like straw. If you’re a skeptic, start by keeping your high price merchandise and spend a few bucks to try some cheaper alternatives and compare the results. You may be able to save some money on basic items.
In reality, people will choose to spend money on items that are important to them. This is pretty consistent across the board. If there are areas in your life that you would prefer to choose more higher priced items, I think that it doesn’t have to destroy your budget. You can choose to earn savings in other places in your life. My only recommendation is for you to be picky about those areas that you want to splurge a little. Make sure that they’re not in every area of your life. Remember this blog is finance hacks for the regular person. I understand that there are certain things that are important to you that you may not want to give up. Focus on making larger cuts in other areas to help offset the higher prices in that category.
コメント