So you’re skipping the fancy coffees, brown bagging to work and going longer between haircuts. But here’s another way to save: Do things yourself rather than paying someone else to do them.
Many women spend a ton of money on their hair and nails. But they don’t have to, say beauty experts.
For your nails, once or twice a week, soak them in soapy water, file them and then buff them for a nice sheen, says Nadine Haobsh, author of Confessions of a Beauty Addict, who does her own manis and pedis.
Use a cuticle cream to soften the cuticles and nail bed.
Feel free to skip the fingernail polish, she said. A few swipes of colour on the toes will make an at-home pedicure look more professional — she’s a fan of the always-in-season burgundy or red — but if you have attractive feet, you can go without.
Make sure to keep your hands and feet super moisturized.
Haircuts are best left to the experts. However, people can cut their own bangs, said Kenneth Darrell Creel of Studio 627 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Cut the bangs while they are dry, and cut vertically into the hair rather than horizontally, he said.
To keep hair colour looking fresh, do your own touchups, said Creel. Apply colour to the roots once a month in between treatments. See a professional at the end of the third month, he said.
Stick to simple touchups, said Creel. Highlights and applying multiple colours are best left to a professional.
