Great Hair on a Budget

I'm really not one of those people who goes all out for using these new age trendy terms, like, Recessionista. Which, for those of you who just happen to be like me and have no idea what it means, until you Google it online of course, is a budget conscious fashion diva. It is someone who knows how to keep herself looking beautiful in today's challenging economic times.

When I heard this term and looked up its meaning, it made me think of what this means to the majority of us women, as far as our beauty routines go. We are forced to stretch the dwindling dollars of our beauty budget about as far as we possibly can, just to get those much needed items we cant live without.

So, just maybe, Resessionista is a term used to describe all of us savvy shopping women.

Which brings me to the root of this article, what products or beauty routines, should we thrifty, beautiful women spend our money on to keep ourselves looking and feeling like the Recessionista's we are?

As every woman knows, our hair is the crowning glory on our overall look. If our hair isn't just right to face the day, then we walk around under a black cloud of gloom. But it really isn't necessary for us to spend a small fortune on keeping our hair shiny and healthy. Using a cheaper version of expensive shampoos is just as good and works just as well on our hair as the more expensive brands. One I've found that works wonderfully on thin hair is Mane And Tail, which is supposedly a horse shampoo but gives our hair tons of the body and shine we crave. And at just under $3.00 for a large bottle its also a great value. Suave shampoo and conditioner for thin hair is also good however Mane And Tail is definitely my favorite.

Color is another big issue for today's women. With our beauty budget dwindling, some of us can't afford our weekly or monthly trips to the salon to obtain that perfect color. But expensive salons are not necessary to get that salon quality look and perfect shiny color we all crave. Try Clairols Nice N Easy hair colors at home for an indulgent treat of high gloss color and wonderful protection for your hair against the elements, and you can find it in 174 different colors and shades, so you're sure to find the perfect one for you.

Of course, there's lots of tricks and ideas you can use to make the most of your beauty routines, and the best part of it is, they won't cost you anything.

To achieve loose, bouncy curls in your hair, roll hair under on large size rollers, when rollers are removed run your fingers through your hair and lightly spray with a product like Pantene Ice Shine. The old trick of rinsing your hair with ice cold water to maximize shine really does work by closing the cuticle and creating a smooth surface. If you use a blow dryer always aim the dryer down the hair shaft to reduce frizz. Use a deep conditioning treatment to keep your hair healthy and your color vibrant. And on really dry hair, a little dab of Vaseline petroleum jelly works wonders to condition and add shine. For a deep conditioning treatment for any hair type consider using beer or buttermilk to deep condition your hair, then wrap hair in heated towel for 15 minutes followed by a ice water rinse. This conditions the hair and adds shine, as well as bounce and vitality. Again, a cheaper version of the more expensive products works just as well. My personal preference just happens to be
the Pantene styling products, they work as well or better than, a lot of the more expensive products I've tried. Having great hair doesn't have to cost a fortune. And you don't have to go with really expensive products to get a really expensive look. To check out great products and ideas for healthy hair on a budget visit www.pantene.com, www.healthyhair.com, and www.manentail.com