10 Things You Can Do to Cut Hair Care Costs

Savers Tips #8-17:  Cut Your Hair Care Costs to Grow Your Savings! 

I know, you say you will never cut costs on your hair.

You need to look good. You need to look professional. You deserve it.

Fine.

But you still can cut your hair care costs.

Have you added up all you spend on your hair in a year? Ouch! Here are some easy ways to trim your hair care spending. Choose the ones that you are willing to try.

10 Ways to Cut Your Hair Care Costs

1.  Cut the Cost of Your Shampoo in Half.

Keep your expensive shampoo if you must, but dilute it with an equal amount of water. The shampoo will actually work better and lather more easily with the water mixed in. Just save an empty shampoo bottle and fill it half way from a new bottle. Then fill the rest of the way with water and mix well. Try it; you’ll like it.

To get really radical, try using a cheaper shampoo but keep your more expensive conditioner. Some people find they can’t tell the difference. If you have color-treated hair be sure to use a shampoo designed for that at whatever price point. Any shampoos that fail your test can be used to hand wash delicates or used as a stain remover for clothes.

2.  Give Your Shampoo the Time It Needs.

Be sure you shampoo for a long enough time. I discovered that if I shampoo longer I don’t need to shampoo twice. So I use half as much shampoo by shampooing only once per shower. I just shampoo as long as I would have with the two shampooing times together. It works.

3.  Shampoo Less Often.

Shampoo your hair every other day instead of every day if that’s what you’ve been doing. It keeps your hair from being too dried out, saves you time on alternate days, and, again, halves the amount of shampoo you use.

4.  Make it Easy for Kids to Use the Right Amount of Shampoo.

If you have kids, put their shampoo in a pump bottle and tell them how many pumps they should use. It’s easier than expecting them to get the right amount out of a bottle.

5.  Use Bargain Shampoo for Those with Short Hair.

My husband has fairly short hair and use any kind of shampoo with the same result. He

uses shampoo from hotels, bargain shampoo, and sometimes he even just uses a bar of Ivory soap! All with the same result. Save the more expensive shampoos for those who

really need it. Generic no-more-tears shampoo works fine for children also.

6.  Control the Cost of Teen Shampoo and Hair Care Products 

If you have teens who insist on using way too much shampoo and hair products, have them buy their own. It will cut your costs and make them more aware of what their habits are costing them. I bet they learn to cut back on the amount they use.

7.  Trim the Cost of Haircuts.

If you have sons, seriously consider getting a simple haircut kit. For less than the price of one or two haircuts you have “free” haircuts for years. It’s actually very easy to use and you can adapt it for many styles. Walmart carries the Wahl hair clippers kit for about $25 and it’s available at other stores as well.   You can use a cheap shower curtain as the cape or just cut their hair while they stand in the bathtub. After you gather up the hair from the tub they are ready for a shower. If you get good at these boy haircuts your husband might be ready to be clipped also!

A little tip for getting the back of the neck shaped nicely. Put a baseball cap on his head backwards. Then use the bill of the cap as your guide for where to buzz off stray hair.

8.  Choose a Hair Style that Can Last Longer Between Haircuts.

Girls can wear pony tails, pig tails, or braids for a long time between haircuts.

Women can put their hair into a French twist, a loose bun (see photo), or a variation of a pony tail and/or braids to look professional. A style that is supposed to look tousled and have fringe bangs will not look like it needs a trim as soon as a perfect bob. A “Mom Haircut” works well and is easy to wash and wear.

If your bangs need to be trimmed, but the rest of your hair is fine, ask your regular stylist if they will trim them for free. Most will if you have developed a relationship with them. (Don’t forget a small gift for them at Christmas or their birthday.)

9.  Get the Best Prices on Hair Products.

Generally the highest prices on hair products are at salons, drug stores, and grocery stores.

It pays to compare prices for products you use often. Find the cost per ounce for a true comparison. Just divide the price by the number of ounces in the container. You might be surprised which bottle is a better deal because manufacturers change the amount in the bottle to confuse us.

If you belong to a discount club like Sam’s Club or Costco, remember to check if your brands are a good price there. And places like Walmart and Target often have good prices. They are also the best place to find bargain shampoos. When I find a shampoo that costs less per ounce than the liquid hand soap I use, I use it to refill the hand soap pumps too. It’s gentle enough and has nice fruity scents to choose.

You can sometimes find good deals on ebay, believe it or not. Watch out for shipping costs though.

10.  Color Your Own Hair.

Don’t feel you can do it yourself? Do what I did. Get a hair color buddy! I got together with a friend who always colors her hair and does a beautiful job. Seriously, I asked her where she got it done, because it was so gorgeous. I told her how I was afraid to do it myself. She offered to color my hair to show me how easy it was. I was sold! I’ve been coloring my hair for years and it looks great, if I do say so myself. I save about $100 every time I do it. That makes me smile. Even if you color your hair yourself only a few times, it’s $100 savings every time.

Click here for my tips on getting a professional result when you try DIY hair coloring. I also include a way to have a professional do it for you at reduced cost.

This post is part of a series sharing 50 Money-Saving Tips You Can Use. Click here to see all the tips shared so far. You can save thousands more this year!