Tip #7 - Blowing hot air

This tip is so simple to do it’s unreal, but many (many!) people will find it impossible. 

Don’t use hair dryers. Or straighteners, curlers, or any other electric heat-inducing hair styling tool.

There are so many reasons why this can save you money.

1- Good quality hair stylers are expensive, but bad quality ones simply don't work, may explode, or (in the case of straighteners) can pull out your hair.

2- The time and effort spent doing your hair can be better spent on other things, like sleep or work. If "time is money", it’s not worth wasting half an hour or more on heating your scalp.

3- Electricity costs money.

4- The cost of ruining your hair due to heat damage is very high. This can result in paying out for expensive nourishing treatments, or even losing your hair entirely and having to start over. 

Personally, I haven’t owned a hair dryer in four years. I had a straightener and curling set when I was about 14 but it was terrible and I never really used it. Instead, I let my hair air dry, and am (usually) satisfied with how it falls. At the moment I have short hair, in a style which I specifically asked to be easy-care (the cut itself was free – see my previous blog post on how to get free haircuts). When I had longer hair, I would either wear it in an all-purpose pony tail, or when I wanted a slightly fancier style, I would braid it, wrap it into a bun, or pin it while it was still wet. 

And the best part of not using any heat to style my hair? My hair is super healthy. Every time I see a hair dresser they comment on how smooth and healthy my hair is). No expensive treatments necessary!

Tip #2 Cut-price beauty

Let’s face it.  As much as I like to deny it, looks can sometimes be important.  But beauty treatments, to me at least, have less to do with the beauty side, and more to do with having a few hours of pampering with the phone turned off, where nothing else matters. 

Problem: beauty treatments are expensive

Solution: don’t go to the professionals

In the past few years, I’ve realised that student salons and spas are just as good as professional places, will take longer (more relaxation time!) and cost WAY less.

As a direct price comparison, last year I spent ₤87 from my birthday money on a haircut, facial, and eyebrow wax at a high-end salon in London.  This year, I’m getting a haircut, facial, and manicure and will be paying ₤28 pounds. 

The haircut is free because I will be a hair model for a student hairdresser.  The facial, at ₤18 pounds, and the manicure, at ₤10, are cheap because student spas don’t charge for labour, only materials.

Total savings: ₤59

Hair modelling opportunities can be found by searching “free haircut” or similar key words on local internet posting boards such as gumtree in the UK or kijiji in Canada.  Searching for student spas in your area will turn up results for cheap beauty treatments.

(Note: the cheapest thing would, of course, be to not get any sort of haircut or beauty treatments.  But I’m unwilling to give up my yearly birthday pampering)