How to Save Money at the Beauty Salon

Let's face it. Getting your hair done at a salon is expensive, even if it is worth it. I'm sure that you feel it's worth every penny, even if it is putting a little bit of a strain on your pocket book and your budget. In this economic time, all our pennies count and everywhere that we can save money makes a difference. Believe it or not, you can save some money at the salon and still receive the services you want.

Most salons offer continuing education to their stylists in the form of hands on classes. Sometimes mannequins are used for this purpose, but real live models are always better! So if you want to be one of the first to wear a new style or technique, your best bet is to volunteer to be a model. Most of the time, you'll still be worked on by an experienced stylist at little or most likely no cost to you. Make sure that you understand very clearly what the class will be learning so you don't end up with a buzz cut when you are trying to grow your hair down past your shoulders. Also, make sure to communicate very clearly your 'parameters' - how short you are willing to go, how light or dark you are willing to go, and how much time you are willing to spend on your hair. You may also want to find out ahead of time how much maintenance your new look will require. If it requires constant trims and color touch ups, you may not save much money even though the first time is free.

If you don't like the idea of being a model, there are a few other ideas you can use to save money at the hairdressers. Many chain salons, whose prices are already low, run regular specials throughout the year. Find out when your favorite services go on sale and plan your appointments accordingly. If you time it right, you can receive discounts on products, perms, color, highlights, and even waxing and cuts. Ask your stylist what promotions are available to you and use them!

Often times, a salon will have a membership club which provides coupons for certain services. Make sure you sign up at the salon or go online to google discounts for your favorite salon. If you sign up by email check your spam folder regularly to make sure it arrived and didn't get lost in email space somehow. Look for coupons from the Welcome Wagon, newspaper, etc, to get the best discount.

The way you wear your hair can have a big impact on how much it costs to be done and how often you need to return to the salon. To maximize time in between visits, try keeping hair in long layers with the overall length below the shoulders. This will minimize that 'grown out hair cut' look and allow you to postpone the time between visits beyond six weeks. For men, keep in mind that hair grows around a half an inch per month, so if you get a buzz cut, prepare for it to look long pretty fast.

If you prefer to color your hair, try to keep it simple. Choose a color that is not too far from your natural color - stay within two shades away from your natural color. This will save you money as you can stretch the time in between color appointments because your roots won't show a drastic change. If you like to have highlights and low lights in your hair, you can save money by just getting them put in the mohawk, fringe, and crown areas. It's less expensive than an all over highlight and as long as your hair is a little on the longer side you won't see that the underneath isn't highlighted. Long hair can stretch out the time in between appointments a little bit longer as the highlights aren't meant to cover up your roots. You could also opt for peekaboo pieces, which would look very hip and chic, and you wouldn't need to touch them up until the grew very long or you wanted to change the color.

Keep in mind that every stylist is different, and every client has different wants, needs, and hair textures so prices may vary considerably. But hopefully, with a few of these ideas and some creative thinking on your own, you can come up with some great ways to save money when you are in th salon.