We all know someone who will willingly spend their last $50 on a brand name beauty product. In fact the very suggestion that they should use a generic or grocery store brand is like a slap in the face and I’m sure some of you are like this too when it comes to your hair products.
Hey, I’m all for splurging on occasion but when you’ve just gone through your third jar of a $37.99 deep treatment in a month, it’s time to sit back and take stock of how you will afford to feed your hair product habit.
You may not know this but most high end brand name products have higher price tags partly because of their quality ingredients but also because of their beautiful eye-catching packaging, along with advertising costs involved in promoting the product. Essentially most of the time we are paying for the product to be advertised to us!
Cheaper product manufacturers stick with more basic packaging and with little to no direct advertising, they rely on word of mouth to promote their products. They use their budgets wisely, mainly to research a formula which will work every bit as well as the high end versions.
If you are feeling the pinch but you still want to give your hair quality care or you still want to feed into your product junkie-ism (tsk tsk), product swaps are the ideal solution.
Even if you are not a PJ now, as your hair grows longer, you will find yourself using more and more product to properly cover all your strands. When you eventually find yourself using half a jar of hair treatment in one deep conditioning* session, you will understand how expensive long hair can actually get!
Using cheaper products for some of your washes is helpful because it allows you to leave your more expensive stuff for special occasions or when you want to really pamper your hair. Don’t expect miracles from the really cheap products but for your basic weekly washes, they will get the job done.
Look, bottom line is that spending a great deal of money on consumables that you have to purchase over and over is not a great idea. Every now and again you may still want to purchase your favorite high-end product, but I’ve come up with a few swaps that will save the thrifty girl money in the long run. Now you can have fabulous hair products at a fraction of the price!
Curl defining hair creams
Pricey – Miss Jessie’s Original Curly Pudding – $27
Prudent – KeraCare – Natural Textures Defining Custard – $11
Deep treatments
Pricey – Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense Concentrated Nourishing Treatment – $37
Prudent – KeraPRO Restorative Treatment for Dry to Very Dry Hair – $10
Stand dryers
Pricey – Pibbs 514 Kwik Dri Dryer – $320
Prudent – Ovente HDS11 Professional Salon Hair Dryer with Stand $189
Flat irons
Pricey – FHI Heat Platform Series Styling Iron – $140
Prudent – Andis Titanium Flat Iron – $39
Hair steamers
Pricey – Deluxe Hair Steamer With Timer – $109
Prudent – “Melissa” Hair Steamer – $80
Hair Repairing Masks
Pricey – Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask – $31.25
Prudent – Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask – $6.41
Curlformer Hair Rollers
Pricey – Curlformers Extra Long & Wide Styling Kit – $69.99
Prudent – Vakind Hair Curler Magic Spiral Ringlets Former – 14.00
Root Straighteners
Pricey – EdgeStick (Black) Edge Control Styling Tool – $89.99
Prudent – Red By Kiss Ceramic Root Straightener – $25
9. Leave In Conditioners
Pricey – MIXED CHICKS Leave in Conditioner – $17.00
Prudent – Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream (Pack of 2) – $12
If you are in the need of product junkie rehab, click here!
