Saving money on hair care gets easier if you stop believing in certain myths. Let the following ones and your wallet will fatten accordingly.
1. Myth: Buy the Lowest-Priced Products
When you only focus on prices of hair-care products you might not come out ahead all the time. Find a balance between quality and affordability. Find something suited to your hair type, especially if yours diverges from the norm — think: curly, thinning, flyaway, dandruff or dyed.
2. Myth: Never Use Hair Dye
It’s okay to color your hair, as long as you are going darker, according to Health.com. Otherwise, you are stripping your hair of its color, and essentially stripping it of nutrients.
Meanwhile, dying your hair darker can help thicken the strands of your hair, giving it a fuller look. Typically, you want to stay away from dying processes that involve bleach.
While many salon professionals may say that over-the-counter hair dyes cause damage to your hair, there’s no proof that it is any more damaging to your hair than what the salon uses. Switching to a box dye could might save you anywhere from $60 to hundreds of dollars a month — until the time comes to touch up the roots, when you might be better off in a salon.
3. Myth: Always Do It Yourself
Allowing a professional to take care of your hair can help ensure you won’t irreparably damage your hair — which might incur more costs in the form of repair treatments. You can get a cut-and-dye at a professional salon for $75 to $100, depending on what city you’re in.
4. Myth: Serums Can Mend Split Ends
Don’t spend money on repairing split ends. You technically can’t repair split ends. The only way to get rid of them is by cutting your hair. If you really want to help your split ends and encourage healthy hair, cut down on brushing — it causes more breakage.
5. Myth: Never Blow Dry Your Hair
Although heat can damage your hair, you shouldn’t allow your hair to completely air dry either. The longer your hair is wet, the more susceptible it is to damage. The best course of action is to gently squeeze your hair with a towel (don’t scrub it!). Then, once it has air dried lightly, use a hairdryer to finish the job.
6. Myth: Wash It Daily To Keep It Healthy
You don’t need to wash your hair every day, either. Pay attention to how your hair feels to determine whether or not it needs to be washed. If you really want to save money on hair care, try out a dry shampoo. This will have you saving money on hair care and water too.
7. Myth: Shampoos Can Control Oil or Volume
Beware of the claims on your hair-care bottles: There is no such thing as “oil control” shampoo — oil on your scalp has to do with hormones. You’ll also want to be wary of most volumizing shampoos. They, in fact, add weight to your hair and can sometimes pull it down, making it look flat. If you really want to save money on hair care, find a shampoo, dry shampoo, and conditioner you love and stick to it.
8. Myth: Unisex Is More Cost Effective
Not all products will work the same for everyone. If you are looking for hair growth, for instance, most treatments are more effective on women than men. Ironically, men are statistically more likely to go bald. Get products that work best on your type of hair and they will save you from having to invest in remedial treatments.
9. Myth: Your Stylist Suggests the Best Products
Don’t let hairstylists at the salon talk you into buying their items. For the most part, the stylists have been given educational material from the product manufacturers. This leads them to recommend items that may not always be the best for your hair.
10. Myth: Rotate Hair Products
You may have heard that you need to change your shampoo and other hair care products every-so-often or they won’t be effective. This is a myth. If the products you are using are working, keep using them.
Saving Money on Hair Care
Overall, if you don’t cut too many corners — invest a little money into quality products for your hair to begin with, you’ll save cash in the long run.
Readers, how much do you spend on hair care per month? What have you done to try to start saving money on hair care?