A Three-Part Installment by Sway Contributor Odeen Eccleston

Today’s Discussion: Hair

Technically, it’s just an abounding assemblage of dead protein, dammit! Yet, technically, it’s also arguably one of the most emotionally-charged topics for women where physical appearance and self-image is concerned– particularly women of colour. For generations, females have been conditioned to consider their hair their crowning glory.

Women spend billions of dollars annually on hair and hair care/styling products, and black women spend more money on hair care than any other ethnic group. Thousands are spent on bi-weekly trips to the salon, expensive hair extensions, hair colour, flat irons and products that promise to reverse the damage done by the daily harm– often unnecessary products that guarantee body, health and strength but deliver disappointing results.  Though hair is understandably important to you, you must not and cannot afford to be a slave to it, especially if in debt or determined to stay out of debt.

To be liberated from the enslaving societal pressures of hair, some brave souls sever ties with the stress by getting rid of their locks altogether.  Shaving it all off in the name of defiance, minimalism, or edginess is a trend that is now more popular and socially acceptable than ever.  Kudos to those beautiful belles who manage to stay hella fly sans their tresses, (Solange Knowles, Amber Rose and Chrisette Michelle immediately come to mind). To reduce your hair care budget by at least 50%, you need not chop off your mane in its entirety; you will, however, have to start cutting major corners.

1. Location, Location, Location. As a real estate professional, knowledge of the dollar and cents value of property based on location is integral.  Location is undoubtedly important when it comes to buying and selling property but is definitely NOT important with regards to getting yourself a stunner hair-do for the highly anticipated End-of-Summer Big Barbecue Bash. The poorly heated unfinished basement of your Church Sister Aunt Betty may not be glamorous, but Betty gets the job done just as efficiently and impressively as the multi-award winning stylist Alberto at his high-priced High Park Salon– for a fraction of the price. Getting your hair done in the basement of someone’s crib instead of the sleek salon in Yorkville will easily save you hundreds.  All that matters is that the hair care provider is a certified professional. If you are a young person saving for your future/trying to speed out of debt, it is imperative that you sacrifice the cool, swanky atmosphere (for now), and get your hair done at discount rates elsewhere.
2. Loyalty is priceless. She miraculously manages to transform the hot mess on your head that you disgracefully walked in with, into an eye- and compliment-catching masterpiece that you’re proud to walk out with. She listens attentively and comments caringly when you’re spilling your guts about all the drama that transpired in your life since your last appointment. She knows you well and knows what works with your hair, and by virtue of this solid foundation and established relationship, she never fails to hook you up.  So once you’ve built a good rapport with an affordable hair-care professional, stick with her. If you don’t develop a sense of consistency and monogamy with one hair salon, it’ll cost you. No sense cheating on someone who gives you the whole package: someone you can trust, rely on (even when you only give them super short notice), makes you better, gives you everything you need and has your back.
3. Wearing weave can get pricy. But if it’s the Rapunzel lengths that you love, desire, and are not willing to compromise on for the life of you, consider this: one pack of hair extensions can run you upwards of $100. $100 times two to three packs plus the cost of professional installation/removal conservatively speaking equals $500-$600. Easily.  And the hair in that price range often has the audacity to lose its lustre after only a couple of weeks, so to stay fresh, you end up spending $500 per month on weave!  $500! On weave! Per month! For someone in debt or on the verge of debt this is utterly preposterous. So if you must have top of the line weave, buying Indian Remi hair that lasts a year is a prudent choice. I recommend a company called www.IndianHairNow.com. This type of hair is purchased by the pound and is a better investment, as it lasts longer and looks more natural.  You can shampoo, condition and re-use it  countless times, so in the long run, it is definitely more bang for your buck.
4. Take advantage of those little sample packet thingies. The owner of your local beauty supply shop may not have informed you of this, but ya know all of those products that he sells? (The relaxers, the deep-penetrating moisturizers, the hair dye, etc.). Well, the companies behind these various products are grateful for his business and inundate him with samples of their products as a token of their appreciation and to ensure that he has a certain degree of product knowledge. So if you’re trying to save money, you need to be bold and ask him for multiple samples of shampoos, conditioners, treatments, anti-frizzers and moisturizers. If he doesn’t have them right there by the cash register, he will indeed have them stored somewhere in the back. Don’t let them go to waste, gladly stock up on these samples to save yourself plenty.
5. Know when to do it yourself. Again, if you are in debt, sacrifices must be made. You simply cannot afford frequent appointments to the salon for root-touch ups, shampoos and trims as often as you may need to. If you currently go the your hair stylist every other week, cut it down to once a month, or even bi-monthly if you can. This will save you the cost of labour and the cost of gas. In between visits, save tons of money by shampooing your hair yourself, doing at-home protein treatments, and calling upon a good friend to help you flat iron the back part of your hair that you just can’t adequately reach yourself. Also, if you can’t do it yourself, ask your bestie to help you to take out your weave – what the heck else are bff‘s for??
6. Time is money. Whether your hair is long, short, relaxed or natural, if you are currently making strides to get out of or stay out of debt, you simply must spend less time on your hair. If this means preserving a perm for longer by swimming less, wearing a silk scarf nightly despite your boyfriend’s complaints, or rocking your fabulous natural curls (as opposed to getting them straightened at the salon weekly), then you must do what you’ve got to do. You can go swimming all you want, let your guy sweat out your perm whenever you want, and bone straighten your hair so often that you never have to untangle a single stubborn set of curls ever again– when you can afford to do so.  Make sacrifices on your hair today, allocate those saved dollars towards the depletion of your debt, and help ensure that a comfortable, care-free, hair blowing in the wind lifestyle is in your near future.

…..to be continued.

****Check back later for more tips, the conclusion of this three-part series about How to Stay Fly While Staying Out of Debt & more.

In the mean time- do you have a hair regimen or any hair tips that save you time and money? If so, I encourage you to share in the comment section below…who knows your tip may very well help someone out.

Have any style, lifestyle or real estate questions for Odeen?  Don’t hesitate to email her at: misstorontorealtor@gmail.com, or check out her website at www.MissTorontoRealtor.com

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