Hair care at a snip if you follow these tips
TIMe for a confession: I can’t believe how much I’ve spent on my hair over the years. I’m not one to go for regular beauty treatments, but the one thing I will spend money on is a hairdo, particularly good highlights and professional blow-drys because, frankly, I’m just a bit rubbish at doing it myself.
Maintaining that salon-ready look is not cheap. A survey of stylists who used the booking app Pamperbook found that their female customers in the UK spend an average of £150-£300 on hair appointments each month. But, as I’ve discovered, we don’t have to spend a fortune on our barnet to keep it looking fabulous.
I have a well-heeled friend who gets free, or very cheap, hairdos by offering herself to student hairdressers to practise on.
She tells me there are lots of Facebook groups devoted to being a hairdressing model for free or just for the cost of the hair dye (around £10-£20). She uses Hair Models london ( facebook. com/groups/144851676110202) but says there are similar groups covering the whole country, so look for your area in their search bar or try Hair Models Directory UK ( facebook. com/ groups/ hairmodelsuk).
Also Gumtree.com has a hair and beauty section that often has student or newly qualified hairdressers looking for models, as does Nextdoor.com.
If you like a regular blow-dry, it’s sometimes possible to get a monthly subscription for an unlimited number.
In london this starts at £100 a month (that’s in an east end salon — bodyessentialhair.co.uk/ unlimited-blowdry- s) but they are cheaper in other parts of the country. For example, one salon in Blackpool does unlimited blow- drys for £ 49 a month ( heir- salon.com/memberships). Ask your salon if they would offer that service. even if they don’t, it’s worth seeing if you can negotiate a monthly deal.
Mobile hairdressers tend to charge less than salons, and they will often use your shampoo and conditioner if you prefer, which saves you even more. It’s worth asking friends for recommendations or use one of the online platforms such as Airtasker.com.
If you’re able to book things last-minute or at less popular times, you can often find good deals on sites like Wowcher, Groupon and living Social. Treatwell.co.uk also offers last- minute appointments, which are often cheaper than normal.
If you want to cut costs right down, you can do a decent amount to your hair yourself at home to keep it trim and stylish, particularly if you have a friend or family member who can help.
It’s amazing what you can do with a good pair of scissors and a bit of confidence, as I found when I was at university. I used to cut other students’ hair (though only the boys) with my dressmaking scissors, charging a very reasonable £1 a time to do it! you and a friend could give each other a trim — at least cut off the split ends — with your own professional hairdressing scissors (£ 28.75 upwards at Sallybeauty.co.uk). rhysa Phommachanh from landys Chemist says: ‘ Try trimming your hair every six to eight weeks to keep it looking its best. you can find video tutorials online.’ you can also dye your own hair at home for just a few quid. According to the maker of It’s Pure organics Herbal Hair Dye (£11.95), 63 per cent of women dye their hair at home. The cheapest wash-in/ wash-out dye I found is Superdrug Colour effects for £1.99.
For semi-permanent dye there is Boots’ own- range Perfect Colour at £3.50 or Wilko sells Schwarzkopf Poly Color permanent dye at £2.10. I have friends who swear by root Perfect coloured spray for grey hair to save money in between regrowth. It’s £3.20 at Wilko. The very cheapest shampoo I found is Boots everyday at 75p, and the cheapest luxury product I found is Herbal essences Bio renew for £2 at Superdrug.
If you know what you like then buying in bulk is also a way to save. easho is dedicated to bulk buying ( easho. co. uk/ all-products-bulk/health-andbeauty/
For those with colour, lee Beaver from london’s Blue Tit salon group says: ‘opt for techniques that can go longer between appointments such as balayage or root-smudged highlights, which have a more natural regrowth and look fresher for longer. People with grey coming through seem to be going for a softer root coverage by using semi- permanent, leaving a slightly translucent coverage but a less impactful regrowth.’
Another way to keep your hair in good nick between salon visits, particularly if you’re concerned about hair loss, is to use gentle brushes and switch to silk pillowcases which are supposed to be good for your skin as well as your hair.
The Silk Collection sells posh pillowcases for £49 each ( the silkcollection.co.uk) or you can get cheaper ones (called ‘Jasmine silk’) for £15.99 at Amazon.