How can I cut costs w/ my haircare routine?

[Jae6]

Hi all,

I need to cut costs in my routine, so I'm hoping you all can help. Here's what's currently in my arsenal:

Shampoo: Mastey Traite
Conditioner: Jessicurl Too Shea
Deep treatment: Shiseido Tsubaki
Clarifying shampoo: Pantene
Leave-in: Infusium, Beauty w/o Cruelty (I don't use these together)

My goal: replace a product when it runs out. With the exceptions of the Mastey & Beauty w/o Cruelty, I wouldn't repurchase the rest of the stuff I have listed. I'd really like to replace everything w/ less expensive stuff, but...

My vices:
I have sensitive skin
-no sulfates (on a regular basis, even when I water them down. I own a bottle of Pantene 'cuz every couple of years I try to test to see if I can go back to using drugstore stuff...of course epic fail every time LOL)
-no 'cones (I break out, and once in a while I forget this, hence why I own the Shiseido & Infusium)
-no aloe
-no lemon oil
-no rose
-I have hard water
-no jojoba, avocado oil (break me out)

I suspect I'll run out of the Beauty w/o Cruelty leave-in first, so I guess that's the first one that could use replacing first. The Pantene gets used by my bro whenever he comes home, so I also need a replacement for that at the moment since i don't consider it really in my arsenal (just use it 'cuz it's there). After that I might run out o Shiseido by summer if I use it regularly, otherwise I'll run out of that by the end of summer, I THINK. S/C is going to last me at least through summer, unless I start using the Jessicurl (2/3rd-full liter bottle) as leave-in haven't tried this yet though).

Let me know if you guys need more information. Thanks all!

random: I just measured today and noticed I'm an inch away from my goal! :cheese: I guess I'm a "typical" 6-inches-per-year grower, heh. Once I get to my goal length I'm going to maintain it to fix the horrible ends that haven't been cut since '07!

[Periwinkle]

Have you experimented with not shampooing every wash? That would have you use less shampoo. You could also try diluting your shampoo, which would have you get through it slower.

Clarifying - have you tried bicarb of soda (or whatever it is that you're supposed to use - might have been baking power but I can't remember what the difference is)?

[Leabhar]

Your list of "vices" is like mine! I have hard water, too. Here's what I've found helpful:

Shampoo: Trader Joe's Nourish Spa shampoo. About $3 for a bottle, and you need to dilute it (a lot) or it will dry your scalp. Sulfate free.

Conditioner: I use Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose for the most part, and I dilute it right before using it. Pricey for a whole bottle ($8-11) but it lasts a long time diluted and it's just as effective. I've tried the TJ NS conditioner and didn't like it much; you could try the VO5 cone-free conditioners and see if they work for you. V05 conditioners will run you under a dollar a bottle and you can also dilute those. (I find them not as moisturizing as the AO HR)

Clarifying shampoo: I hear Suave clarifying shampoo works well. (and it's cheap!) I don't really clarify my hair, but if I had to that's what I'd use.

oil: jojoba and avocado (and coconut) oils break me out, too, so I use EVOO. Works great, is cheap, and you don't need much day to day. Grapeseed doesn't seem to break me out, either, but I don't think it works as well as EVOO.

vinegar rinse: I have hard water, as I said, and I like to do these once in a while. I use white vinegar, heavily diluted, and if I really want, I'll follow with a filtered water rinse.

Filtered water/distilled water rinse: very optional, but worth it for when you feel like giving yourself a treat. Hair comes out soft and silky.

I wash my hair every three or four days, btw.

HTH!

[krt1013]

Avocado breaks me out, too! I thought I was the only one.

AOHR is a great conditioner, as is V05.

Since you are looking for less expensive options, I'd check out Biofusion Hydrating Conditioning Balm or L'Oreal Nutri Gloss Curly/Wavy as well.

The Bioinfusion Leave-in is great, too. So is Yes to Cucumbers stuff, but it's a little pricey.

[purplebubba]

A simple way is to save an empty bottle of some sort. Or more than one.
Divide your shampoo amongst them.
Then add some water to each bottle. I'd say about 1/4 bottle of water tops.
It depends how thick the shampoo is you're using.

At cosmetology school they were really cheap. They would buy gallon jugs eta: of shampoo and then would put about an inch of shampoo in a Suave bottle and add the rest water. It still lathered up but it ran through your fingers. So as long as you don't dilute it to the point that it runs through your fingers before you can get it on your head you'll be fine.
It's just another fun experiment to try.

[wintersun99]

...........

[Deborah]

You could consider going CO for washing. Then you just need a bottle of really cheap conditioner to wash with, and a bottle of white vinegar to dilute and use for a final rinse (this part deals with your hard water issues.) You don't really need anything else. This would save you a LOT of money. :)

[teela1978]

I like the trader joe's nourish shampoo as well. And agree to dilute it. I dilute all shampoos though. I find that the reason I tend to need more shampoo is that I can't spread it well. If I dilute it it gets to my nape easier, sulfate or not.

The loreal nutrivive conditioner for curly/wavy is also very nice. It used to have a cone but doesn't seem to anymore... check bottles pretty well in case the store has slow turnover. I don't mind cones so I don't look very often though.

[may1em]

Here's another vote for diluting shampoo. Diluted shampoo can be runny as all heck, so I use plastic bottles with squeeze nozzle tips, so I can apply the 'poo directly to my scalp. I like the ones with measuring lines on the sides, but I'm pretty sure one of the ones designed for ketchup or mustard would work.

Do you have a Sally Beauty Supply near you? They sell this stuff called Queen Helene Mint Julep shampoo - it's a concentrate sold in a green 16 oz bottle. It's designed to be diluted 1 part shampoo to 7 parts water, so you get a whole gallon of product for about 3 bucks. You can also dilute it 1 part shampoo to 15 parts water if you like it weaker. Its biggest selling point for me is that it's non sulfate and has a short ingredients list. I do find it a bit drying, so lately I've been mixing in a part of VO5 vanilla mint tea conditioner. (1 part 'poo, 1 part conditioner, 6 parts water).

Also, the cheap Suave and VO5 conditioners are mostly all cone free and good for CO washings. They are usually a dollar a bottle.

I've also had good luck with most of the Trader Joe's brand stuff I've tried, though I don't like it as much as some other stuff I've used. It ranges from 2-4 dollars a bottle.

No good ideas on conditioner that isn't TJ's, though. I splurge on that one thing, and I'm going to start using the same stuff for the shower and as a leave-in after I run out of my leave-ins. Pretty much, how many products do you really need? I need non-sulfate 'poo, a sulfate containing clarifying shampoo, a cheapie no-cone CO conditioner, a thicker conditioner, a styling product, and an oil. That's six products total, and two of them last forever because I mix them and dilute them, and one of them I can use in cooking (coconut likes my hair best). I also skip the styling product a lot, so I could give that up.

If you can, splurge on the one or two products you love and save elsewhere.

[salamander]

I just use coconut oil for a deep treatment and a leave in. Very cheap, very effective! Although if you have trouble with oils making you break out, you might want to go with olive oil. Be sure to use it in very small amounts as a leave in, olive oil is heavy!

[jastark84]

Conidtioner from v05, or tresemee could work

[Dianyla]

I've been using lowfat coconut milk instead of conditioner for 3-4 years now. Very economical.

Also, I dilute my shampoo about 1:15. I use a squirt bottle with a pointy nozzle (they sell them for condiments like ketchup/mustard). I put in 1 oz of shampoo and then fill the rest of up with water. The pointy nozzle makes it easier to apply it directly to my scalp, so that it doesn't just run out of my hands like PurpleBubba was saying. It's better on my scalp and hair because it doesn't strip of all of the sebum, and it's much cheaper.

I only wash about once a week. Also, if I only wash my scalp I don't need to use any conditioning agent on the length/ends, so that saves money as well.

In between washes, I might use a little jojoba, or coconut oil, or other oil/butter on my hair. I buy that in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs (http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/).

I really don't spend very much on haircare. Basic hair cleansing and conditioning seriously only costs me about $10 a month.

[manderly]

Hmmmm, let me break down my costs:

$45 for about a year supply of CV poo bars = $3.75/mo
$1.50/mo Suave condish
$18 2 year supply of coconut oil = $.75/mo
$5 for about 3-4 months of Giovanni leave in = $1.43/mo
$5 for about 3 months of vinegar = $1.66/mo


That comes to $9.09/month. Those are all estimates and I'm probably off a bit, but that's pretty good at about $120/yr. Considering I no longer get haircuts every 3-6 months (I was always lazy) at about $60 a pop, I don't dye my hair (I've been spending a bit lately trying to find a good match to grow out, but this shouldn't continue), and I don't buy tons of new "miracle" products on a whim.

[RancheroTheBee]

You could try not washing it for a while. CO-ing, water-only, etc, etc. I'm sure that if you diluted and cut down on washing, your shampoo would last you a lot longer.

Also, this might eliminate your need to use a leave-in conditioner.

[embee]

I have cut down the frequency of shampooing - varying of course with winter vs. summer.

I dilute my shampoo a great deal - like 1/4 shampoo and 3/4 water in a squeeze bottle.

When I wash my hair I squeeze a goodly squeeze of that into a big plastic cup and fill that with warm water and pour it gently over my hair, sometimes about 1/2 at a time so I have 2 pourings. I scritch a bit with my fingertips on the scalp and let the diluted shampoo mix run down the length. I never *wash* the length, it gets dry enough on its own and doesn't get much scalp oil on it anyway.

A bottle of shampoo can last me the better part of a year this way.

In fact, I've quit with conditioner, which I thought would never happen. This tiny amount of shampoo doesn't leave my hair all static-filled - there must be some residual oil on the length, which is all to the good!

[rymorg2]

This will be interesting....

I'm another vote for either diluting shampoo or using something else. I use Flower Moon Soap's Dairy Whip most of the time. That is $6 for a large tub that I've had for MONTHS and am ony about 1/2 way through it. The shipping was the same, so $12 total. I also use catnip infusions as conditioner now. There's a thread on them in the recipes forum. That was $5 for a HUGE thing of catnip and 2 gallon jugs of distilled water a month, about $2. The catnip will last me months too. So it ends up costing me maybe $3 to $3.50 a month? More if you add in the oils that I have for oiling and deep conditioning. Not too shabby.

Incidentally, I'm totally chemically sensitive and can't use chemicals most of the time either. Occasionally I have to use a sulfate because of our hard water, but it is much fewer and farther between now. And I'm a stylist too....:shrug:

[Girltron]

I suggest reducing frequency of use. If you have products that work well for you, simply cut down on the amount you use and the frequency of use. You didn't say how often you wash your hair or deep treat or use leave ins. I don't see much difference between a once weekly deep treatment and a twice weekly deep treatment on my hair, for instance. And in my opinion, the less handling the better overall.

Many of us use very cheap leave ins that work well, like AVG or coconut oil. There are cheap deep treatment options too like my new favorite, coconut milk, or maybe SMT depending on the kind of conditioner you use in it.

[Queenie]

Scalp washing has cut down on the cost of conditioner dramatically. I do a full wash (s/c) once every two to three/four weeks. My hair is very oily so I have to wash my roots every two to three days, but still my shampoo goes a long way. I don't dilute it, but if I would it would cut down on costs even more. This is all my current hair routine holds, aside from semi-regular indigo.

I used to oil, condition, do herbal treatments and whatnot - multiple times a week. I didn't stop that because of financial reasons, it just happened when real life took over. My hair is just as happy without all the fuss. And a rare treat is even more appreciated now :)

[lorig713]

Most VO5 conditioners are cone free and you can find it for $1.00 or less. I like them very much.


For me, less expensive no sulphate shampoos are harder to find. One time when I was waiting for my AO on-line order to arrive, we went to Walgreen's to find something in the meantime. There was only one no sulphate shampoo on the shelf called Naked Naturals. It was reasonable priced and I would definitely buy/use it again.


Another affordable item I use is Monoi Oil from Bath & Body Works. One bottle lasts me about a year using one or two squirts 2 or 3 times/week on freshly washed dry hair. It makes my hair easy to comb and silky feeling. I've actually have people reach for my braid and exclaim that it feels like silk.

Good Luck! :D

[Jae6]

Wow, thanks everyone! Now you've got me wondering if I could get my shampoo to last a year and a half by watering it down (I'm already working on washing my hair less often...ugh, this is not easy because my hair absorbs the coffee smells @ work in not a good way). I've written down everyone's suggestions as a checklist to make sure I give each one a good-faith effort, since I tend to forget what I have/haven't tried LOL.

[Kirin]

Creme of nature detangling shampoo - No sulphates about 3.00

Vo5 conditioners - A lot of variety, cone free, about 99cents

[liseling]

I would try COing - you can massively reduce shampoo usage or do away with it altogether that way.
Also, you could try finding a company that sells their product in bulk - usually cheaper in the long run, as well as being better for the environment. This site in the UK: http://www.faithinnature.co.uk/
gives you the option to buy conditioner (and shampoo) in 5-liter quantities. Great cone-free conditioner too.
My only expenses are the conditioner, some oil, which is cheap and lasts forever, and maybe 1 bottle of clarifying shampoo a year.
Plus, using the same conditioner as a leave-in that you use in the shower helps too.

[plainjanegirl]

Creme of nature detangling shampoo - No sulphates about 3.00

Vo5 conditioners - A lot of variety, cone free, about 99cents


Creme of nature? I have never seen that anywhere. So does it provide slip since it is a detangling shampoo? When I did a google search it looks like it is for ethnic hair.

[Susana]

You could try not using shampoo. Lots of people do it. Here are some:

The first one is about an experiment in which 5 women did not shampoo their hair and their results:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-394226/Could-survive-shampoo.html

This one is about a woman who has not used shampoo or chemicals in 11 years:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/200806413291687

You can find loads more on google and right here on this website:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=144

Baking soda can also be used, as well as a mixture of water and vinegar instead of conditioner, coconut oil as a conditioner....for instructions on these you can google "No poo", you'll get lots of hits.

[WritingPrincess]

Have you experimented with not shampooing every wash? That would have you use less shampoo. You could also try diluting your shampoo, which would have you get through it slower.

Clarifying - have you tried bicarb of soda (or whatever it is that you're supposed to use - might have been baking power but I can't remember what the difference is)?
Periwinkle, I'm pretty sure you're thinking of baking soda. Baking powder is baking soda plus cream of tartar and usually some cornstarch.

[kirstybn]

I like CO washing with Suave Naturals coconut (about one dollar), and conditioning with L'oreal Nutri Gloss (about four dollars). When I do this my scalp is less itchy!! I also use coconut oil for a treatment, and a little olive oil for frizz!!!

[venividibxtchy]

There seems to be a lot of contention on how much to dilute shampoo.

I have the same problem with "spreading" the shampoo, and tend to use more for this reason. But I also sometimes find that my hair doesn't feel clean after just one wash...it might be all of the oils and such that I use.

I really want to try dilution, though.

To answer OP's question:
- Cheapo conditioner (Vo5, White Rain, Suave -- works better than the expensive stuff, anyway).
- Like others have mentioned, stretched out hair washings.
- Kitchen treatments (oil, coconut, honey) for deep conditioning when needed.

[Johanna]

Currently I only use a few products on my hair. I don't want to overwhem my hair by using too many products at once.
I use a 200ml bottle ($4~) of head and shoulders that I watered down to about 60/40.
Pantene 750ml bottle that I watered down to 50/50. I bought two bottles of this for $10 on sale. And then I have coconut oil and honey as my treats.
On all of that I've spent about $30-$35 so I spend at most $3 a month on my hair. Plus I don't go to hairdressers either.

But the only problem is, what I don't spent on products, I spend on hairtoys!!! Oh well, at least I feel pretty :P
In comparison, my partner spends more on his hair every two months than I spend in a year.
Haircut every 7-8 weeks = $30
Shampoo every three months = $5
Hair gel/wax every 1-1.5 years = $30
That's about $200 a year. Maybe I should encourage him to water down his shampoo? lol

[getoffmyskittle]

Trader Joe's has inexpensive sulfate-free shampoos. I've never used Too Shea so I don't know what it's like, but TJ's has good conditioners too -- they break me out, so I can't use them, but my hair liked them. Coconut oil is an awesome deep treatment. Can you use jojoba oil as a leave-in?