14 Tips for Saving Money on High End Hair Care

High end hair care.  We all want it, but many times it seems out of reach, and we aren’t sure what we should and should not be spending our hard earned money on.  My oh-so-awesome hair stylist Andrew and I got together to talk all things HAIR.  How to tame it, how to style it, where to buy products for it, the BEST products to buy and more.

After meeting with him, I have decided that I knew NOTHING about hair care. 😐  Andrew and I will be getting back together again soon to get even more in-depth on some of these topics.

14 Tips for Saving on High End Hair Care

Salon Product vs. Grocery Store Product

What is the difference between salon brand hair care that you find at your local grocery store and those that you find in an actual salon?  A huge difference!  Salon brand varies in grade, your highest quality product will always be sold at a salon.

The bottles of salon brand product you find at your local grocery store represent the brand yes, but may either be an old formula OR an expired product OR will have more added fillers.

The short answer? Salon bought product is always going to be a better product than store bought product.

The better the product – the less you need to use! 

My hair is getting pretty long.  It reaches to the middle of my back, and when I wash my hair with grocery store product I feel like I need to use a golf ball size amount of both shampoo and conditioner.   No wonder I go through it so fast!

I realize now that I have been overusing my hair product and that if I were to purchase higher quality, I would use LESS of it.  The quality of the product pays a HUGE roll in the amount needed.  This tip alone can increase the value of quality hair care.

Andrew’s sister buys the 1-liter bottles about once a YEAR!!! (hopefully during a sale 😉 )

Salon Quality vs. Salon Quality

Most salons offer a different price range of products, there will be super expensive hair care that will change your life, and then there’s their more inexpensive hair product.  The “lower end” salon quality is still better than store bought.

Salon Grade Hair Care For Less?

Now that we’ve established that salon grade really is the best for your hair – and purchased AT A SALON – you’ll want to pay attention to sales.  During peak business seasons (ie: before the holidays, back to school etc) many salons do bargain deals.

For example, you may be able to score a FREE conditioner when you buy the corresponding shampoo.  You might also find the LARGE bottles for the SMALLER bottle price.  Keep in mind that you are using LESS product because the product is higher quality!

Perhaps more importantly?  By watching the sales and purchasing at your local salon, you are not only getting a better value, but you are also supporting your local stylist or SMALL business instead of the grocery store or big box store.

The bottom line: the more you pay, the less you’ll use AND therefore, the better the value.  Buy when it’s BOGO and double your value!

Best Flat Iron/Curling Iron for Your Money?

Any professional grade flat iron is going to be better for your hair.  The material used for flat irons is typically ceramic or titanium, and which you choose is really up to personal preference.  Andrew prefers titanium, others prefer ceramic.

Remember that this is an investment, the higher end hair straighteners and hair wands will last years and years and years, so the main thing is to stay away from lower end product.  Andrew has owned his flat iron for SIX years and uses it 8 times a day/5 days a week!

Got Dandruff?

My oldest has severe dandruff.  Always has.  In fact, the whole side of my Dad’s family suffers from severely dry skin and dandruff.  I feel you!

If its really bad, you’ll want to visit your dermatologist.  If you’d like to try and manage yourself before heading to the doctor, try NOT shampooing your hair every day.  Dry shampoo is my best friend.   I only wash my hair every 2-3 days, and I feel that it is healthier and stronger (and less dry!) as a result.

You might also seek out a moisturizing scalp product – cheaper than heading to your doctor for starters!

Check out this tip from a reader:

“Aveda Scalp Benefits shampoo and conditioner cleared my psoriasis better than my psoriasis medication”

Protein and Your Hair

Adding protein to your hair is more important if your hair has been over-processed.  For the average person, too much protein actually does more harm than good. (more on this?!)

Diet plays a large part of hair health, think of building a healthy foundation.  What you put in your body, you get out of your body.  This is where a healthy diet comes into place as well.

Curly Hair/Wavy Hair

If you have curly or wavy hair, I feel you! Mine is wavy if I let it air dry, and when it’s super muggy out I look like a Poodle. LOL!   For those of you with curly or wavy hair, you’ll need more moisture and hydration than protein.

Remember, protein is more important for over-processed hair, not necessarily curly hair.

Moisture vs Hydration (not just hair health):

Hydration: when you drink water, you’re hydrating internally. Moisturizing: when you moisturize you’re working on the surface.

Keeping your body hydrated will help keep your curly locks beautiful! You’re working from the inside out.  Bonus: your whole body will be hydrated, not just your hair!

Best Bet for Hair Color?

You will always be better off going to a professional for hair coloring services.  The box you buy in the store is a one size fits all, if you go to a professional, they will formulate for your specific needs, and the damage to your hair will be FAR less than when using a boxed color.

Andrew and I have decided we need to get together again to do an ENTIRE post on hair color alone.  There are way too many factors that tie into hair color that I had no idea about. Stay tuned!!

Making Oily Hair More Manageable

If you have super oily hair, you’ll want to try a few options.  The human scalp produces oil in varying degrees, some are more oily than others.

If you’re on the super oily end, try NOT shampooing as often to get your scalp used to not producing as much oil (see Dry Shampoo above!). If you DO need to shampoo daily, a good product will help regulate the oil production.

Hair and Humidity

Live in a humid climate? I’m guessing you’re wanting your hair to NOT look like a giant fluff ball? 🙂

Andrew suggests a keratin blowout. This is a natural hair smoothing treatment that puts a natural keratin (WHAT HAIR IS MADE OF) back into the hair to make it more manageable and less frizzy.

A keratin blowout can cost around $75, BUT these treatments typically last between 6 weeks to NINE MONTHS, depending on the keratin service.

How to Calm Curly/Frizzy Hair:

What works for one person may not work for everyone else. In general, a good quality detangler when getting out of the shower and a good curl enhancing product will help.

How Much Should You Pay for a Haircut?

This is all based on personal preference.  Prices for hair cuts will vary on location, and the stylist.  The more experience, the more you’ll typically pay.

You could find quality cuts at $8, but keep in mind that you may be getting what you pay for OR there could be a fantastic stylist there as well, it all depends on their passion for hair, how much they care, and how much experience they have.

The Flat Iron Trick? Oh yeah! We did It:

Just twist and twist and twist.  The larger the section of hair and the larger the flat iron, the larger the curl.  The smaller the section of hair, the smaller the flat iron, the tighter the curl.