Babyboomers.com

I got my hair done Saturday morning – color touch-up and cut. And, because of my new gig here, during the visit with my hairdresser Dana, I pumped her for information about hair issues for boomer women.

Dana has been a stylist for more than 30 years and a lot of her early clients have grown up with her. I think we’ve been together for at least 15 years. We met at softball games when our daughters were on the same team … and when I found out she did hair, I made an appointment. I mean, she always looked like a million bucks. (Actually, I have never seen Dana anytime, anywhere that she wasn’t fabulously turned out.) I figured she could make me gorgeous.

We talked about a ton of topics and ideas Saturday … too many to share in one post. One area that is on the minds of lots of women is how to stay looking great when they’re trying to save money or cut back on personal expenses altogether.

Dana gave me some suggestions that might be useful.

• Depending on your hairstyle, you may be able to extend the time between appointments by a couple of weeks. I generally schedule every five weeks, but since my hair is styled in a bob, I could pretty easily push the timetable. My hair grows really fast, so Dana long ago showed me how to trim my own bangs (which are styled like Reese Witherspoon’s) by twisting them and lightly running a razor down the twist to get the wispy look (I keep a throw-away razor in my make-up drawer).

• Many companies make color-protecting shampoo and conditioning products … Dana is a little skeptical … but thinks they might possibly help keep your color from fading.  I found a website called TheBeautyBrains.com that looks at the scientific recipes for beauty products. It says the only shampoo products that have shown some color protection are Tresemme and L’Oreal Colorvive shampoos. Beauty Brains goes on to say that from a conditioner standpoint, there are no standard rinse conditioners that help protect your color and your best bet is to use a leave-in conditioner spray. This will allow you to get the benefit from the conditioning agents without the negative effects of rinse water. (http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/06/16/will-color-protecting-products-really-protect-your-color/)

• There are quite a number of do-it-yourself hair color products. Dana says she knows from trying to touch up her own color how difficult this process is to do by yourself. She recommends getting a buddy to assist with the process.
  

  I can tell you for sure that this product really works ... my daughter and I used it to cover up my sister's "skunk stripe." Super, natural coverage.

  Apply the color at the hairline … never just smoosh it all over your hair. The smooshing results in an unnatural color build-up all over your hair, not just where you need to cover the “regrowth” (don’t you love that term?).

• The most important consideration with store-bought colors is matching the product to your hair as closely as possible. Dana suggests trying a color just a little lighter than the rest of your hair to touch up your roots. Most of us who color our hair aren’t trying to hide the fact that we’re messing with Mother Nature; we just don’t want a dark or light stripe at the scalp line.

• And finally, maybe scrimping on a salon visit isn’t completely in our best interests … so much self-image is tied up with appearance. My salon is a charming little non-franchise place and my services cost about 25 percent of what they do in a spa-type salon environment. Franchise salons such as Hair Cuttery and others might be good choices for color touch-ups, as they’re generally less expensive. I’d ask if they have anybody on staff that is particularly good with color before making the appointment. If you’re on a really tight budget, most communities have at least one hair design school that offers salon services performed by students under the supervision of a licensed instructor. And prices are usually fairly low … particularly for perms and other pricey services.

What money-saving ideas do you have for extending the life of your color or cut? Please share.