If you want to cut costs on hair care, then read on!
How I Save Money On Haircuts
I started losing my hair when I was in my early 20s. When a guy starts losing his hair, he has a few options to minimize the problem – Rogaine, rug, or raze it.
I’m not particularly vain when it comes to my appearance (which you can probably tell by looking at my photo), so spending lots of money to forestall nature was not an option that I considered for very long. The decision was thus made to start cutting my hair very short.
The first phase was to have a professional do the job. After all, this was a pretty major step, and I wanted to have it look as good as possible. When I swung by my normal hair salon (a low-cost place next to the grocery store) the hair stylist was a bit hesitant to make such a drastic change to my style, for fear that I would blame her if it ended up looking bad. I convinced her that I would not hold her liable –- after all, it was hair, and would grow back.
As it turned out, I never went back to that hair salon. The next time I needed a haircut, I bartered for it. I would babysit for a friend of mine on occasion, and we decided to trade babysitting for haircuts. This worked out pretty well for me. Previously, I hadn’t charged for the babysitting –- I like kids and it was fun.
But soon, I was packing up my bags and moving out of state. The time had come –- I needed to start cutting my own hair. I headed to Wal-Mart and bought one of the cheapest hair clippers they had –- a Conair that cost about $20.
This is NOT Kosmo’s head, but a funny image from FunPeak.com.
Image from FunPeak.com
Cutting My Own Hair!
Cutting your hair with clippers is actually fairly easily. You put the appropriate guard on the clippers (1/4” inch for me) and just move the clippers over your head repeatedly. When everything is the same length, you are done. If one section is longer than it should be, just zip the clippers over that section once more. The trickiest part is the back of the neck. Some clippers come with a little grooming tool that works perfectly for this area. You can also use a disposable razor. Hold one hand in place to mark the hairline (wrap your thumb and forefinger around the back of your neck) and just shave your neck upward until you hit that point.
What have I saved over the years? Money, certainly. I’ve had the same hairstyle for about 10 years and have been cutting my own hair for about 8 of those years. Assuming about 9 haircuts a year, that means I’ve avoided 72 trips to the salon/barbershop during those 8 years. That’s upwards of $1,000 in savings (and could be much more depending on your location and styling preferences). Over that span, I’ve spent about $40 for clippers –- the first one died several months ago. I’ve also spent a few cents on electricity.
In addition to money, I’ve saved a lot of time. What is your typical wait time when you get your hair cut? Mine is about 45 seconds. Oh, and those “bad hair days”? A thing of the past. My hair looks the same every day, with absolutely no effort. I don’t even own a comb.
I am happy to announce a special offer for readers of The Digerati Life. For the next week, you can save 25% off anything in the Hyrax Publications Store by using coupon code DIGLIFE25. If you want to sample before you buy, check out the teaser for Kosmo’s latest work of fiction, Tip of the Iceberg.
Fun and Crazy Haircut Ideas
And since we’re on this topic, how about a few more fun haircuts for a laugh? Or maybe you’d like to try out something unique for your head! Check out FunPeak.com’s list (sorry, but the hairstyles here are primarily for men or boys 😉 ):
I’ve got another guest post from one of my favorite guest bloggers, Kosmo! In the past, he’s given us food for thought on topics such as donating one’s body to science and what constitutes tipping etiquette. Today, he’s decided to talk about his haircuts. 🙂 Kosmo is an aspiring novelist, vehement opponent of the designated hitter, student of true crime, and plays the keyboard for The Soap Boxers — an eclectic, team-written web magazine.
Copyright © 2010 The Digerati Life. All Rights Reserved.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Really enjoyed this post and the pictures! I work with a blogger who recently wrote about the same topic. I would love to see the female version of cutting your hair to save money.
Love the pictures and the blog on cutting your own hair. I have been cutting my own hair for over 27 years now!!! I never liked the way the barber did it so first my dad started cutting my hair and then I taught myself through trial and much error.
LOL nice way to save money. But it’s only a good way for men 😀
Love the pictures, great haircuts.
Being that I’m a girl this wasn’t so helpful to me but my boyfriend (a college student looking to save money) was very grateful. Loving the pictures though, awesome.
Those pictures are so cute and creative! I don’t think I could date someone that did that though. Just a little too cheesy for real life. One day, maybe. More, and he’s lost his girlfriend.
Being a girl, this post doesn’t really help me with my hair troubles, unless I cut it all off 🙂 However, I’ve been getting $5 for a long time from my neighbor who is a retired hairstylist. She does a great job, layers and everything for that cheap. A dye job costs me $20 with haircut included. Its a great deal and I don’t waste a lot of gas and time driving to a hair salon. Another cheap way is going to student salons (people learning to become hairstylists) and asking them to cut your hair. There, you might not like the result as much.
I was at one of those discount stores and they had a hair cutter on sale for $16. I decided it was time to start doing it myself. Given that I had hair a little longer than normal it was a major change cutting to 1/2 inch. I figure the money I’ve saved on haircuts, hair products, time, gas and time getting the other stuff then I’ve saved about $300 in 2 years.
Awesome pictures man I had to show my friends they cracked up. I like the guy in the hoodie.