Skip to main content

Honesty is the Best Policy: How Much We Really Spend on Stuff Hair Care Edition

Some of our most popular posts have involved how much we spend on shit.  In THIS post we discussed how much we spend on skincare.  In THIS post we discussed how much we spend on make-up and in THIS post we discussed how much we spend on working out.  Since apparently you find this stuff interesting (or really like to judge us), we’ve decided to come back for another installment of how much we spend on stuff, this time tackling hair care.

Katie 1:

I’m not one of those ladies who can get out of bed, shower, and wash her hair and go.  Like me, my hair isn’t that well behaved and it takes a lot of stuff to tame the beast (or at least not anger it). Naturally, my hair is a weird wavy/curly mix that isn’t uniform so when it dries naturally it just looks bad. As a result, whether I wear it straight or curly I always have to style it. Thus, I spend a lot of money on hair care products.  Let’s dive into what I use, shall we?

Shampoo and Conditioner:

Apparently there are curly hair specific shampoos and conditioners and straightening specific shampoos and conditioners and you are supposed to use the one that correlates to how you’re going to wear your hair on a specific day.  Um yeah, I don’t do that.  I use the same shampoo and conditioner everyday (except on Mondays when I use Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo with a deep conditioner).  So what do I use? See below (all prices from Target, Ulta, Nordstrom, or Sephora)

Everyday Shampoo:
  • Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo - $30 for 16.9 oz at Nordstrom  Note – I usually pick up the salon size during the anniversary sale (link to post) for $38 a bottle.  It’s twice the size of the 16.9 oz for almost the same price and lasts me almost a year.
Everyday Conditioner:
  • Kiehl’s Amino Acid Conditioner - $30 for 16.9 oz at Nordstrom  Note – just like the shampoo, I usually pick up a salon size during the anniversary sale for $38 a bottle. 
Total Everyday Shampoo/Conditioner: $76         

Weekly Shampoo/Conditioner: 
  • As noted in this post and above, I’m a huge fan of the original Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo.  This stuff just does what it’s supposed to.  It gets rid of all of the buildup from a week’s worth of styling products and dry shampoo and makes my regular products work so much better.  It’s also $4.89 at Target 
  • Because the Neutrogena shampoo can be somewhat drying, I follow it up with a deep conditioner.  I’m not super loyal to one brand; however, I’ve been impressed with this Kiehl’s Damage Repairing and Rehydrating Conditioner which absorbs quickly and completely and doesn’t weigh my hair down.  A 6.8 oz bottle is $21.00 at Nordstrom and lasts forever 
Total Weekly Shampoo/Conditioner: $25.89

Styling Products (Straight Hair):

I’ve been using the same 2 products for awhile now and have been pleased with the results.
  • TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Leave In Spray - $3.99 at Target is one of the best heat protectant sprays I’ve tried, plus it’s cheap and doesn’t weigh my hair down.
  • Bumble & Bumble Straight Blow Dry balm - $32 at Sephora is legit the best product I’ve ever used.  It’s amazing (and a little goes a long way so 1 tube lasts forever) and even in the hot, humid hell of summer in Chicago, it’s the only product that I use other than a heat protectant spray and my hair remains straight and frizz fee. 
Total Styling Products (Straight Hair): $35.99

Styling Products (Curly Hair):

Unlike my straight hair routine, my curly hair routine is constantly evolving because I’ve never really found a product combination that I like.  It’s either too heavy, not heavy enough, makes my hair frizzy – you get the idea.  Anyway, below are the products that I’m currently using and don’t hate.
Total Styling Products (Curly Hair): $15.17           

Hair Tools: 
  • Chi Ceramic 1” hairstyling iron - $99.95 at Ulta  Um yeah, my Chi is 8 years old and still works extraordinarily well.  Disclaimer: I thought it was on its last legs so I bought the Drybar flat iron.  BIG MISTAKE!  Even after following the care directions meticulously, the damn thing broke after less than a month.  Thankfully I bought it at Nordstrom so returning was no big deal.
  • So… my hairdryer is made by a company called Jibere which was mostly sold at Sally Beauty Supply.  I bought it at T.J. Maxx for something like $29.99.  I can no longer find it for sale online because I’ve had it for so long, but here’s an unavailable Amazon listing for it. 
  • I typically rough dry my hair until it’s about 80% dry and then smooth the front sections with this Conair Gel Grips XL Thermal RoundBrush (which I also use when I do a Duchess of Cambridge style blow out on occasion) - $8.99 at Target.  
  • After smoothing the front with a big round brush and prior to flat ironing, I straighten my hair as much as possible with this Pro BeautyX-Large Ionic Ceramic Paddle Brush - $9.99 at Target. 
  • I also use a wide tooth comb to evenly distribute hair products (and conditioner in the shower).  Mine is ancient and I think I got it for free but this Conair marble design one is cool - $3.99 at Target 
Total Hair Tools: $152.91

Haircut/Color: 
  • I get my hair cut every 8 weeks.  I believe my stylist charges $55 and I usually leave at least a 20% tip so let’s say I spend $70 all in.
  • My hair is naturally really dark which means that the few grays I have are super noticeable.  As a result, I color about every 3 months.  Since I just need a single process, I do it myself and have been pleased with this L’Oreal Paris Excellence Crème Triple Protection Color in DarkChocolate Brown (4AR).  The color doesn’t damage my hair, looks super natural, and comes with a comb attachment to ensure even distribution - $7.99 at Target.  
Total Haircut/Color: $77.99

Total Hair care: $383.95

Honestly, that’s a lot less than I was expecting.  Go me.

Katie 2: 

I have awful hair. It is curly and frizzy, and super fine, which means the products I need to tame the mane make it look dank and limp. I have not mastered the hair game, but I have learned a few things along the way.

Shampoo: 

At any given moment, I have 3 bottles of shampoo open in my shower. Why? Because my hair is awful, and so is my scalp.
  • My scalp gets red and irritated for no reason, so I use Neutrogena T-gel. Let me start by saying that it smells bad. And looks bad. But it absolutely does the job and takes away any redness or little blisters that I sometimes get (I told you it was bad). $36.55 for 2, 16oz bottles, so $18.28 per bottle. 
  • The next bottle I have is for every day use: Clear Shampoo at $6.57 for 21.9 oz. I use this on days when my scalp is feeling a little restless, but not quite bad enough to need the T-gel.
  • My normal shampoo that I use most often rotates. Currently, it’s a small trial-size bottle of B&B Gentle shampoo that I got many moons ago in either a BirchBox or with my Sephora points. So this one counts as free. 
Conditioner: 

I have 2: one for normal every day, and the other is for rainy or humid days when I’m going curly. 
Post Shower Taming: 

When I get out of the shower, I towel dry my hair. For curly days, that involves squeezing my hair upwards towards my scalp with a micro fiber towel, and on straight days, I just wrap it in the above Turbie twist until I’m ready to style.

Styling Products:

Like Katie 1, my curly routine isn’t down to a science because I haven’t found any product or combination of products that I particularly love. Right now, I stick with BB. Curl (Style) Conditioning Mousse and diffuse.

For straight days, I start with a few spritzes of Bb. Thickening spray. I love it because unlike most thickening products, it doesn’t make my hair feel gross. I actually feel nothing, which is great. Right now you can pick up a 2-pack at Costco for $37. Ordinarily, it’s $27 at Sephora. 

Next I take a page out of Katie 1’s book, and have fallen in love with the Bb. Straight Blow dry balm at $32. It really is the best I’ve ever used. I can’t say that in the humid summers my hair remains straight all day, but it is much smoother than I’ve ever see it. And I’ve tried A LOT of products. 

Most days, that’s it. Sometimes I hit the ends with some heat protectant and straighten the ends. I can’t show you the flat iron I have, because it’s super old and the name has worn off and I have no idea what it is.
Hair Tools:

I use a round brush with some grip to dry my hair. Honestly, I can’t find the one I use on Target’s site, but that’s where I got it. It has strong bristles, but none of the hard plastic ones. 

I use this blow dryer, because I needed to replace my sister’s blow dryer when I dropped it into the sink with the water running (sorry Steph!) It’s nothing fancy, but I like it because it comes with 3 heat settings and 3 speed settings, making it easy to customize my dry.

Misc. Hair Products: 

On days when I don’t wash my hair (it’s probably an every other day occurrence, unless I worked out), I hit it with my favorite dry shampoo and brush through with the Tangle Teaser.

Haircuts and Color:

With regards to maintenance, I really hate spending money on getting my hair cut. I have no idea why, I just do. I probably go about every 8-12 weeks (probably closer to 12). Here in Chicago, I usually pay around $75 with tip. I don’t dye my hair- I did once a few years ago, but I realized that it was a lot of time and money in upkeep, and I can think of much better things to spend my money on. Fortunately, I only have a few grey hairs around my temples at the moment, but I’m pretty confident that even when I start getting more, I am going to just say screw it and let ‘em shine.

Elizabeth: 

Finally, I get to do one of these where I don’t feel judged/guilty about my spending!  I have stick straight hair and a color that no stylist has ever let me dye.  So I get my hair cut around every 6 weeks (by a wonderful stylist) and try to put a little volume in with a texturizing spray.  If I’m feeling really adventurous, I will try to put a little curl in for body.  However, my hair doesn’t really hold any styling, so I usually don’t do much.

Haircut w/tip:  $90

Shampoo and Conditioner:  I use Clear Total Care Shampoo and Conditioner.  I ordered the 21.9oz bottles off of Amazon for about $23 total in July and they are probably still over three quarters full.   

Dry Shampoo/Volumizing Spray:  

As one can see, I use a variety.  

Batiste is good and smells nice for $7.99/bottle. 

I also have had a lot of samples recently so I used travel size bottles of Living Proof and Klorane (which I really liked but probably not $20 worth).  

I recently tried IGK Beach Club Texture Spray  and liked it, so I may get a full size even though it is $29 because I could really see some lift in my hair from it.  

Alternatively, I may go back to getting Kevin Murphy Doo.Over from my stylist, it does a nice job and smells super good (I have found from my fragrance purchases that I am a sucker for anything with Cedar Wood and guess what this has in it), but I am pretty sure it costs more than the IGK.  


Oh, and I recently repurchased Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray, which had lasted a couple years, so $29 didn’t seem too big of an investment.


Tools:

I own a Rusk hairdryer. I am pretty sure I got it either on sale or at least with a 20% Ulta Coupon.

I own a curling iron.  This is the only one I have ever really been able to use, so hair amateurs take note.

I own a couple brushes (one is round for when I get out the hairdryer), and once upon a time I got a flat iron at Sam’s Club…no idea about brand or cost and I have rarely used it.

So, there you have it, another peek into our personal routines and how much we spend on shit. Happy judging! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workout Wednesday: Let's Discuss that NYT Article

By know we've all read (or read about) that New York Times  opinion piece shaming women for wearing anything other than sweatpants to the gym. We're not going to link to it here because we don't want to send additional traffic to the website; however, THIS article from Jezebel  sums the article up quite nicely (make sure to check out the comments, they're gold). In short, the author of the opinion piece wears sweatpants to the gym, doesn't see anyone else wearing them and then proceeds to shame women for (1) wanting to look nice in their workout clothing; and (2) wearing anything other than baggy sweats to the gym. The article also cultivates the very thing that the author claims the proliferation of the yoga pants culture seems to cultivate: it shames women for dressing how they want, when they want.  The overarching theme of women shaming aside (because we don't have the time to go into that), most of the points that the author makes in the article are jus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mad for Plaid: An entire post dedicated to Black Watch Tartan

Confession: Katie 1 has a slight obsession w/ Black Watch Tartan. Why? First, because it’s a combination of her favorite colors.  Second, the Duchess of Cambridge.  Third, it has a pretty cool history which makes it even more fun to wear.  It’s fairly common knowledge that Black Watch tartan is named for the 43rd Royal Regiment, commonly known as the Black Watch.  Did you know that Black Watch tartan actually pre-dates the formation of the 43rd Royal Regiment?  In fact, one of the theories behind why the 43rd is called the Black Watch is because of the very dark appearance of their uniform tartan (which we now know as Black Watch tartan).  So how deep does Katie 1’s obsession go?  She could wear a different item of Black Watch tartan every day for more than a week obsessed.  Want proof? Here’s a list of all of the Black Watch items in her wardrobe. Blazer Work Dress Casual Dress Side Zip Ankle Pants Front Zip Ankle Pants Trousers Ski...
3 comments
Read more

Back to Basics: The Sheath Dress

We're back with the second post in our series of basic pieces that working women should have in their wardrobes. If you missed our first, go back and check it out . The goal is to show you those items we come back to time and time again and show you a few ways to wear them so you 1) get some mileage out of the pieces and 2) you don't look (or feel) as though you're wearing the same thing every day. The capsule wardrobe. Be honest- how many times have you pinned it? (Katie 1 would like you to know she's has NEVER pinned it. She has no desire whatsoever to create a capsule wardrobe thankyouverymuch.) Whether it's for vacation or every day, we search for those elusive few pieces that we can mix-and-match in a million different ways to create an entire month's worth of outfits with just seven pieces! We here at Not a Corporate Fashun Blog have no mastered the capsule wardrobe. We, just like you, wake up in the morning with a closet packed full of stuff and ...
Post a Comment
Read more