How To: Budget Beauty Pampering

There's tons of DIY tips & tricks on beauty out there, especially since Pinterest came along.  Although I don't do everything myself, I've figured out some pampering pointers to help you stay on a beauty routine budget.

*The biggest tip I can give is to spread out when you have your services/treatments done.  Although it might be easier to have a "you" day, get yourself on a schedule where you switch out the extra spending.

Example:
1st week of the month - spray tan/products + eyebrows
2nd week of the month - toes/nails
3rd week of the month - massage + eyebrows (if needed)
4th week of the month - hair color, treatment or facial

Below, I've outlined 5 ways to budget my favorite beauty services:

1. Manis/Pedis
There's nothing I enjoyed better after a long hard day at my serving job than treating myself to a pedicure.  These days, Scott and I both are in need of them with all of the running we're doing, so I've been skipping the manicures.

To make nails/toes fit in your budget:
Stick to the basics.  Go for the standard (or basic) pedicure, which usually lasts about 30 minutes for under $30.  French polish is usually an additional $5, so when you get there opt for the first color you're drawn to.  Instead of going every 2 weeks, treat yourself once or month or once every six weeks, kind of like getting your hair done.

2. Massages/Facials
The health benefits of a full body massage are often overlooked.  Going in to relax is an obvious one, but loosening up muscles, helping circulation and releasing toxins are even better ones.

*TIP: When scheduling a massage, be sure to include what you're looking for.  Tell them what kind of pressure you need, and if you have areas you need extra time spent.

Massages and facials can be extremely expensive, especially at high end hotels or salons & spas.  If you can't justify spending money on either ask for them as a Holiday, Anniversay or Birthday gift.  That's the only time I get facials, and instead focus more on working out the muscles in my body.

To fit massages into your budget:
Look for companies that specialize in massage services.  They tend to run specials and affordable monthly memberships.  Both Scott and I are members of Massage Envy, paying $40 each a month, which includes a massage and $40 for each additional one.  Whatever we don't use rolls over into the next month, and you can go to any location all over the country! 

3. Eyebrows
I am a huge advocate for eyebrow maintenance and I'm the last person to want to shape my own.  I've been getting my eyebrows threaded since college and haven't really turned back.  If you don't have threading near you, try to shop around for an affordable place that does waxing.

To make sure you get your eyebrows in:
Really do some research.  It may be convenient to get your brows done at your hair salon, but know that good eyebrow shaping can be found other places.  Try out different shops and see where getting yours done makes the most sense.  When I wasn't getting threaded (which only costs $9), I had a few friends in the field that offered to do mine at a discount.

Also, try tweezing the strays between waxing/threading.  You can extend the need to go a week or so with a little at-home grooming.

*TIP: While grooming at home, keep the shape the professional started and only grab the strays.

4. Spray Tans/Products
I haven't gone into this yet on my blog, but I am an avid artificial tanner... and no, I don't mean going to "fake bake."  Tanning beds are horrible for your skin, not to mention your health.  If you care to have an extra glow or need to darken up for a light outfit, get a spray tan or invest in your own personal line of tanning products.

To save on a spray:
Leave the $30 a spray tan for only a few times a year.  In between those "sprays" I lean on my Loreal Sublime.

This stuff is a Godsend.  It comes in all types of shades, as well as an Instant Action intense color and when I found out about it a few years back, I swore I would never visit a tanning bed again.

The darkest "self-spray tan" I've seen is Sunbrushed, and it's a liquid solution you wipe on with a wash cloth.

 I'll go into all of my favorites DIY tans in another post, but for now know there's other alternatives out there.

*TIP: Love these products? Order online from sites like Amazon.com for a fraction of the price!  

5.  Hair coloring/Treatments/Products
If there's one beauty regime I know I'll be stuck with for the rest of my life, it's hair coloring.  I just don't see myself in the mousey-brown hue I was born with.  With coloring, comes a much needed Hair Care & Products routine to keep your locks healthy.

To avoid spending your paycheck at the hair salon:
Invest in quality hair products, but don't get them all at once.  Aim to spread out re-stocking your products between a few months, or even a year.  Every time I get my hair done I am tempted to buy the new "it" product my stylist shows me.
Don't do it.

Take time to research, or even ask your stylist what you really need.  Get on a product line that works best for your hair and only by a product at a time.  Eventually, you will get everything and the products will usually run out in the same order you purchased them.

I hope these tips help you to plan out your beauty days and budget.  If you have any questions, comments or additional tips feel free to comment below or message me personally.

Happy Pampering! :)

Hair, Skin & Nails Vitamins

Q: "Why won't my hair grow?"
I blow dry it, straighten it, curl it, tease it, color it....oh.

Q: "What can take to clear up my skin?"
There's a lot more solutions than not sleeping in your make-up.

 Q: "How can I strengthen & lengthen my nails?"
There's more than just kicking your nervous habit of biting them.

Let's start with hair.  I will be the first to admit that I was NOT blessed with beautiful locks, but instead fight with it every day to be curly, straight, or somewhere in-between.  Since this isn't ever really going to change I finally accepted the fact that I will have to harm work with it whenever I want to wear it down.

To make up for the damage I'm putting into it I decided to finally take my hairdresser's advice: 

Take Hair, Skin & Nails Vitamins. seriously.

While preparing for my wedding day, I wanted to do everything I could to get my skin it's clearest, my hair it's shiniest and my nails their thickest...even though I ended up using acrylics. ;)

I was on a mission to find what Hair, Skin & Nails supplements would work the best for me and I found my daily vitamin routine after asking a helpful worker at my neighborhood Chamberlins.  Cha-what?! Think of the Vitamin Shoppe or GNC as a grocery store and that's what makes up the Chamberlins Market & Cafe.  You can find great HS&N supplements at any of the stores I just listed, online, or even some at your local grocery store if it has a big pharmacy.

So you're saying you're blessed with long, un-breakable nails or thick, dye-free, "I don't need to straighten it" hair?
I'm not sure we can be friends.
There are still tons of benefits of taking hair, skin & nail vitamins.

First, nail vitamins can prevent hangnails and also thickens nails to prevent them from breaking.  Have you ever seen those crazy looking white stripes or bands on your nail beds?

 
These vitamins can also prevent whatever those are.

As for your locks, vitamins can transform your hair from dull to shiny, prevent breakage and thicken it in no time...not to mention give you radiant, even glowing skin:

Oh, hi perfection.

Vitamins do wonders, but you can always do other things to improve your skin, hair and nail health as well.  *TIP: Don’t leave nail polish on for too long, wash your face on a regular basis and use quality hair products.

In case you missed it, I shared my Everyday Skincare & Everyday Hair Care & Products routines earlier this month.  Maintaining healthy everyday routines produces healthy skin, hair and nails.

Now that I've sold you *fingers crossed* on HS&N Vitamins, here's a quick breakdown on my daily supplement routine:

I start every morning (after coffee of course) with a One a Day Women's.

Don't worry, guys...there's a One a Day Men's, or you can always stick with any other One a Day Vitamin.  The point of taking this is to make sure my body is getting all of the essential vitamins & minerals it needs, every day.

After my One a Day, I put 10 drops of Jarrosil in 4-8 oz. of water or juice.

I was torn between which all over HS&N supplement to choose, and my friend at Chamberlin's recommended this one the most.  It's main ingredient is silicon and it not only beautifies HS&N, it strengthens bones, joints and collagen.  After being on it for about 4 months now, I can already tell a  difference, mostly that my hair is stronger and looks shinier. *GO JARROW!*

The last component of my daily vitamin regimen is Omega 3 Natural Fish Body Oils.

Fish Oil Supplements improve the look and feel of your skin, and can even play a role in clearing up your complexion.  *BONUS: Not only is this great for your skin, but fish oil is great for your overall body's health, brain & eyes.

It's recommended to take 2 or more pills a day, but in my case I take 3 (directed again by Chamberlin's) because I never very rarely eat fish.

I'm pretty good about taking giant horse pills, but for those of you that get intimidated by them, you can also find the Omega 3 Liquid Supplement.

There it is: my best effort towards having Barbie hair, skin & nails.

Just kidding (kind of)...I'm a big fan of taking vitamins because they do a great deal to restore your health.  HS&N vitamins are very important to your general well being, and you will quickly see the benefits after you begin taking them.

Question:
What are some of your staple supplements?

Everyday Hair Care & Products

The number one thing I seem to keep asking my hairstylist is the age-old question of "why won't my hair grow?" There could be a number of explanations including I color it, blow dry and straight iron it, curl it with a curling iron, wear it up a ponytail for work every day, and tease it just to name a few. 

I will be the first to admit that I was NOT blessed with beautiful locks, but instead fight with it every day to be curly, straight, or somewhere in-between.  Since this isn't ever going to change I have decided to accept the fact that I will have to work with it (i.e. damage it) whenever I want to wear it down.  To make up for the damage I'm putting into it I decided to finally take my hairdresser's advice:

Invest Time in Hair Care, Treatments & Quality Products!

Luckily, during the revelation I had about finally taking care of my locks, it happened to be during my professional dancing career where I received hair service & product discount.  Can you tell we were sponsored by REDKEN?!

At first, I was a little reluctant to completely switch over to the brand because previous to Redken I swore by Matrix-Biolage products.  The smell of Biolage is unlike any other shampoo or conditioner I've tried (amazing) and I would buy the S&C as well as hairspray, mouse, and who knows what else in industrial sizes.  I still sneak a few Biolage products in here and there, but the majority of my bathroom cabinets are filled with Redken, Redken and more REDKEN.

To make this cluster of products pictured above make sense, I'm going to breakdown my exact everyday hair care & product routine.  *Majority of the products I list in this post you can find at your local hair salon, Ulta, Target, Wal-Mart, drugstores like CVS or Walgreens, or online at the REDKEN website.

*TIP: If you want to get the most for your money, google the product name and you will see it pop up for sale on Amazon.com, discount beauty supply online shops and even eBay!

5 Basic Everyday Hair Care Steps:

1. Before Washing Your Hair

The first step to a healthy hair care routine is to find a shampoo & conditioner set that works best for your hair and it's needs.  For me, moisturizing is my biggest need in order to strengthen and thicken it to grow.  Also, I need a line that will work with styling products later on, so the set that makes the most sense for my personal needs is the Real Control line:

 
When I first started with Redken I had a dark red hair color and was more worried about it fading out.  To keep my red hue going strong I started on the Color Extend Line.

If you have no idea which way you need to go, ask your hairstylist what type of line would work best for you.  You can also check what end result you're looking for in the left sidebar on their website here: Haircare Questions & Solutions. Base the majority of your product selections off of your line, but know it's okay to mix and match lines to make your ideal product line at home.

2.  Wash & Treat Your Hair

Once you find your ideal shampoo & conditioner, pair it with conditioning treatments.  I veer off from my Real Control line and rely on the Extreme line to deep condition and treat my hair.  Extreme Cat is an easy way to deep condition your hair and is very easy to use. 

After shampooing, saturate your entire head with the Cat spray, leave on for 3-5 minutes, rinse and follow with your regular conditioner.  Besides Cat, I change up my deep conditioning treatments with Extreme Deep Fuel.  It comes in a box with 5 tubes, with each tube supplying enough treatment for at least 2 uses.  Just like Cat, after shampooing saturate your entire head with the conditioning cream.  Let this one sit at least 5 minutes, rinse and follow with your regular conditioner.  Unfortunately, Deep Fuel has been discontinued on the Redken website, but you might still be able to find it at salons.  If not, google it and I'm sure it will pop up somewhere. (That's what I'll be doing when I run out!)

*TIP: When you go in for your next hair appointment, ask your stylist about doing a deep conditioning treatment at the salon.  They use similar products to the ones pictured above, but usually they are a little more intense.  Also, it will extend your hair color's shelf life by conditioning right after processing.

*DOUBLE TIP:  Try not to wash your hair EVERY day, seriously.  If you can help it, wash it every other day to avoid stripping it of it's natural oils and prevent drying it out.


3.  Protect Your Hair With Leave-In Products

You can continue your conditioning treatments with leave-in products, and protect your hair from the damage you're about to do to it with styling.  I certainly mix and match with this collection, and it's a compilation of trying different products out and sticking with the ones that work.

After towel drying your hair, use a protectant like Color Extend Total Recharge to protect your color, strengthen and condition your hair.  *You can also use this product as a treatment (like Cat) in the shower.  Next, apply protein to your hair with a product like Extreme Iron Repair. Again, this product has been discontinued on the Redken website, but a similar product I've tried and love is Extreme Anti-Snap.

Planning on straightening your hair with a blow dryer and/or straightener?  Sheer Straight 06 is a straightening serum I swear by.  This particular product has a lot of different uses including adding protein to damaged hair, protecting your hair from the heat it will soon endure and reducing frizz. Finally, the last thing I do before I blow dry is protect against more frizz with Smooth Down Heat Glide.  Apply 1-2 drops evenly, or less just on problem areas.  I have extremely frizzy hair when I blow dry, which is why I use an excessive amount of anti-frizz product.  This will probably not be the case for most of you, so focus on the Sheer Straight or Anti-Snap, if you're not wanting to have a product store under your sink like I do.

4.  Protect Your Hair After Blow-drying

Obviously, heat is not good for your hair's overall health, so it's important to continue using product the whole way through styling.  If you plan on using a straightening or curling iron, stock up on protectant products to coat your strands while you're heating them.

All three of the products pictured do about the same thing.  The main point of these heat styling sprays are to protect your strands while straightening, as well as fighting against frizz.  I interchange all three of these, *Pictured Left: Redken Spray Starch 15, Middle: Redken Iron Silk 07, Right: CHI 44 Iron Guard.  Spray Starch 15 is a little more intense than the other two and works best if you're curling your hair with a curling iron.  You can use these products before blow-drying, but I have found maximum results when using them by spraying section by section while straightening or curling.

*NOTE: When it comes to straightening tools, CHI is by far the best brand I've owned and trusted to work on any type of hair.  I am planning to dedicate a post just to my CHI products soon, but for now we'll stick to the styling products.

5.  Keep Your Hair How You Styled It!

Would you want to style your hair, walk outside and have it fall back to the way it was before you even blew it dry?  Living in Florida, this has happened to me quite a bit from high humidity levels, but here are some products I turn to to fight humidity as much as I can:

I love Redken Hairsprays.  I own 3 different strengths, Workforce 09 (flexible hold), Quick Dry 18 - pictured (firm hold) and Forceful 23 (super hold) and choose my hairspray according to my hairstyle and how active I plan on being.  In my dancing days, I stuck with the 23 for maximum hold to my curls.  If you're looking to smooth down your frizz or tame your whispies, I turn to Redken Outshine 01.  Use a very small amount and apply a little at a time.  Outshine is a little thick, so if you're looking for something a little smoother, you can turn back to your Heat Glide (pictured earlier), or invest in one of my favorite frizz-tamers EVER - Biosilk. Again, use a very small amount and apply a little at a time.

Not a fan of straight hair?  Get to your curliest potential with my favorite curling product, Redken Ringlet 07.

Super easy curls in 1 or 2 steps.  Apply to towel-dried hair, scrunch and let air dry or defuse for maximum curl and style.

*TIP: Even if you're on vacation you can still take care of your hair.  Invest in a travel line and most importantly, stay on your regular shampoo & conditioner.  Stick to the basics if you don't have a lot of packing space.  I put my travel products on top of our vanity box (AKA wedding ring holder)...lol to show how small you can find these products to take with you!

Seem like a LOT of products? I know...it does, but I do some serious damage to my hair and I'm guessing a lot of you who are reading this are just as guilty as I am. 

I have been through all different shades of hues from platinum blonde to dark red and the key to keeping my hair healthy & on my head is HAIR CARE, TREATMENTS & QUALITY PRODUCTS!  I can't preach enough how important those 3 things are to anyone who colors, blow drys, straightens, curls or even teases their hair.

Question:

What are some of your favorite Hair Care, Treatment or Styling products?