Recession Hair

I've joined the trend as most of you ladies of cutting back.   In my case, this means growing my hair longer so I can stretch out haircuts from every 4 weeks to every 7 and choosing to ignore the new colors coming out.

I had decided when seeing how my sister greyed so nicely that I would try it, but puting that theory into practice has been tough.  

Bucksome Boomer

My family has made several cut backs since the start of this recession and hair is definitely one of them. I have not had my hair relaxed in over a year b/c I cannot bring myself to spend $100 on a relaxer and cut. I keep thinking of other things I can do w/that money. AND i am really cheap or better yet frugal. My husband now cuts his hair and our sons hair and that saves us $90/month.

There are definitely days when I would love the ease of dealing w/ relaxed hair, but I just need to learn more creative ways of working with my hair. What hair products do you use?

I've been toying witht he idea of a BC for sometime now, not for financial reasons but for health reasons, I've been relaxing my hair for close to 20 years now and all this toxic chemical cannot be good for me now and even worse in the long-term. Relaxing never was a financial commitment for me as for the last 10 years I've been self-relaxing and only spent about £5 for the relaxer. I doubt a short afro would suit me so I've decided to braid my own hair (very tender headed and some stylist are very heaving handed when it comes to braiding) and will do so for the next 3 years (I think). It's been a month now and I've been sporting micro braids which took me 6 hours to do and saved me much money, and pain so I cannot complain so far.

Great post thanks a lot.

Lydia A

I used to go to the salon every four weeks - yes, 13 times a year - to get a touch up.  Every other time, I would also get a trim.  I was spending over a thousand dollars a year to keep my hair the way I wanted it.

I moved away from NY and my hair person of umpty-ump years in 2006, and started freqenting a salon in my neighborhood.  I eventually gave up on the idea of getting what I wanted from the salon. A friend who does hair now buys my salon hair color product for me.  Yes, America, what a country - where anyone is permitted to ruin parent children, but you need a license to buy hair color products!  I now either do it myself, or else get together with another friend and we "do each other", as we like to joke.

This decision to do it myself really had nothing to do with the recession and everything to do with dropping a wad of money at the salon every four weeks only to walk out without what I went in for.  They kept changing the formula and they didn't have the kind of round brush that works well on my type of hair, despite my telling them exactly where they could buy it.  They kept trying to sell me shampoo and conditioner and gel.  I felt like they weren't as concerned about my satisfaction as they were about imposing what was hip and trendy and "in" on me, all the while using cheaper and cheaper product and giving me worse and worse results.

I'm really happy doing it myself now, with MY formula, the one I like, the one that makes me feel like a million bucks.  Too bad the salon chose to do whatever pleased THEM.  If they had pleased ME, they'd still be getting my money.

Tink *~*~*

My Mobile Adventures *~*~* ( http://MyMobileAdventures.com )

About 13 years ago I stopped colouring my hair and let the grey shine through. Then about 4 years ago I bought myself electric clippers and started cutting my own hair...well perhaps barbering is a better term.  I did it at the beginning of summer because as a teacher I had a couple of months to let it grow back in if it turned out badly.  But hardly a week goes by that I don't get a compliment on my hair. I've never been much of a risk taker when it came to my hair but this is one risk that paid off both aesthetically and financially.  The $20 investment on clippers has saved me roughly $1200 (12 x 4 x $25) at the hairdresser's!

http://lifebeginsatretirement.blogspot.com/

I started developing enough gray hair to start getting it highlighted a few years ago.  My hair is naturally dark brown so those grays really 'pop'!  I was spending almost $200 for a full highlight and about $90 for a partial in between full highlights.  That worked out to about $300 every 3 mos. or so.  Now, I'm letting it go a little longer than I normally would have and opting for partials and/or just root touch-ups more often.  I'm terrified of trying to dye it or highlight it myself and can't bring myself to go completely without it because I love the way it looks!  Hubby's lucky, although he wouldn't agree wiith that, because he's pretty close to bald so just shaves it off every few weeks himself!  No way could I do that either.  :)

http://somuchmorethanamom.wordpress.com/ ( http://m/ )

Which for me means, no hair dye. I've got the Rogue look going on and I love it! Now that I'm done cutting off the dyed hair, I only have to go in for a hair cut every six months, and oh yeah, I love that, too. :)

Liz Rizzo ( http://blogher.org/blog/liz-rizzo )

I blog at Everyday Goddess ( http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/ ).

Great thought! I was just thinking about all the things I've started doing to cut costs out of my life, in fact, I blogged about it just the other day (I'll include the link at the bottom of this post). Anywho, I decided to get my hair cut rather short several months ago. Since that point it's required unbelievable amounts of upkeep (I have medium-textured, platinum blonde hair). As soon as it starts to grow out it looks shabby and upkept-- this was never the case when my locks extended below my shoulders. I've spent more money on my hair the past year than I have at any other point in my life. When it was long, I could do more with it-- meaning I could camouflage shaggy or split ends by curling it or throwing it in a cute ponytail.

I HAVE cut back on my hair product costs. I used to buy only salon brands like Joico, Halo, KMS and Paul Mitchell...but I recently started using Pantene's Silver Expressions (formulated for gray hair but AWESOME for keeping bright blondes un-brassy) and a styling mousse my Tresemme (much cheaper than the salon brands)! 

Great thought! Enjoyed reading it and all the comments!  Here's my take on recession spending: http://prettyandpoor.com/index.php?title=i_put_the... ( http://prettyandpoor.com/index.php?title=i_put_the... )

I love my locs, but I do need to have the cut, because my hair is Rapunzel long. I, however, am not off the hook when it comes to haircare. I love the neat, manicured look, and gave in to have my hair done at a natural hair salon. It cost $60, but it felt worth it, even during the recession.  So, yes, people with locs can/do get expensive dos.

Claudine Williams 

Freelance Writer

Going to Teach in Korea ( http://www.korea-diva.com )

Follow me at www.twitter.com/claudinew 

( http://www.theatlantatraveler.com/ )

I feel your pain. I am not grey all over, but I have very distinct "Bride of Frankenstein" streaks. I did the frost thing for awhile, but I hated having to pay all that money for what amounted to two small streaks. I also realized that at this point the only women with frosted hair (or "highlighted" as my beautician told me it is "correctly" called) are women who are trying to hide the grey! So now I do all over home dyes. I think my hair is softer and better textured post-dye. I have to do it or at least a touch up pretty often to control the roots at my hairline at the front of my head, but I never could afford that commercially. What bothers me is the toxicity of it all. Wish I could find a natural way. Wait, that would be to leave it alone! Guess I'm not ready for that, yet. But I really do envy Stacey London from "What Not To Wear". She has darker hair than me and the streaks at the temple and she makes it look like a fashion statement! Maybe what we women need is not more hair dye or better cuts, but the confidence to make the world think we LIKE it that way and don't feel the need to cave under the perceived pressure to look a certain way!

I'm getting older, getting more grey than brown hair. So for years I decided to get my hair what used to be called "frosted". I went partly-blond. This is more expensive than going completely blond because it is done with little foily things and a paintbrush -- whatever! Anyway, it is supposed to look more natural because the hair is multi-colored. Right. Natural hair grows in layers of color? OK, I had the money -- and it was almost $200 for a color and cut at an uptown salon that knew how to handle my funky fine hair and didn't make me look like a middle aged freak with a skunk-streak. Cut to the recession. I found a cheaper hair guy. Great news. We were going to slowly color my way to a one color process, so I would save money. Then he needed rotator cuff surgery and I decided to go au natural and let this hair grow out. I had no idea what color it would be. So I pulled it back into a bun or ponytail and let it grow...grey..greyer..greyer...very salty/not very peppery. Dull grey not sparkly grey. And it lost the extra body it got from being colored.

I just called Clairol, and my new box of do-it-at-home hair color is still on my kitchen table. I opened it. Read the instructions. Worried about my hair turning green (it happens to some folks when dying blond). Put the stuff back in the box.

So, yes, I've gone from almost $200 every 6 weeks to zero and then up to $9 a box. Maybe today I'll dye it??? Dye the eggs, dye the hair, dye the eggs, dye the hair.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool ( http://timesfool.blogspot.com )

I not only get less hair cuts because of our current dip in finances, but I've also stopped using the fancy hair wax for my short hair.  Which means I often go out looking like I have a mullet.  I'm not sure I'm doing myself any favours, but my wallet is happy!

Alas, i may be one of the few but giving up my every-3-week hair appt would be the absolutely last budget cut I would choose to make. I'm fortunate that I don't have to make this choice (at least right now).  Just know tha there are a lot of things I would happily give up first.  My hair stylist REALLY likes me!

I always did relaxers at home, so going natural wasn't a cost issue for me. I still buy just as many products as I did before, if not more. I actually think I will spend more initially because I may want to get braids or other styles I can't do myself and I will be getting my hair cut in salons that specialize in natural hair. I've found that these types of services are not cheap. I paid $55 to get all of my relaxer cut out. I never paid that much for a haircut ever! But once my hair gets some length and I'm more used to it, I definitely won't be paying for someone to style my hair for me.

For me, it's closer to ONE HUNNID EIGHTY DOLLARS, my friend.

Thinking of going completely natural mydamnedself this week.  Stay tuned.

---

Karen Walrond is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. Read/See more of her life at www.chookooloonks.com ( http://www.chookooloonks.com )

 I resent paying for my hair cut...which should be done every month to six weeks. I hate thate getting the "girl price" for a guy cut. I hate explaining yes I want it that short. I loved a hair dresser three times in my life. I am afraid that will be it. I no longer will pay 50 bucks for what amounts to a crew cut. But, paying 20 still burns.

~TW ( http://ramblewoman.blogspot.com )
Retro-Food ( http://retro-food.com/ )

( http://ramblewoman.blogspot.com )

For some textures, etc. it will be cheaper to just cut it off. I've heard of this from several black women especially. And for other textures it's more expensive with the upkeep etc.  

Heather B. 

No Pasa Nada: www.nopasanada.org ( http://www.nopasanada.org )

BlogHer: http://www.blogher.com/blog/heatherb

I did get mine chopped off but for me, having it short actually costs more! It definitely requires more upkeep to keep it from sticking up in the morning and since it is short, it's really obvious when it has grown out too much for the cut andneeds a trim. Unfortunately, I'm not too handy with the scissors lol!!  But, I do like it shorter - and I have figured out how to do it without using many products so it is pretty cheap, other than the $20 every 6 weeks for a cut. 

Kathy

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Mama Marathoner ( http://www.mamamarathoner.com )