Kimberly asked me “Do you know where I can get a good deal on a hair cut?”
My Answer: Frugal Haircuts
My first thought was to check with your local beauty school, because they need people to practice on and often offer haircuts and coloring for FREE (or at least deeply discounted). I later found out if you have a Toni & Guy salon near you, you can be a hair model on Tuesday night and get a free haircut during their weekly training night. I just signed-up to be a hair model!
If there isn’t a hair salon near you where you can get a free haircut, then check the advertised specials and coupons in your area. Many salons offer discounts on particular days, like half-price cuts one day a week. My personal strategy is not one I recommend – I simply go for a long, long time without getting a haircut because I have a hard time finding the time to go by myself to get one. It helps that I have a simple straight cut with no bangs, so I can just let it grow and grow until it starts driving me crazy – then I will make the time to get a haircut.
Do-it-yourself haircuts are FREE after you have the tools you need. I’m not adventurous enough for this approach with my family’s hair – but I know that some families do all their haircuts at home for FREE. Think of it as a hobby and work on developing your skills on simple haircuts. I used to work with a couple (same age as me) that cut each others hair to save money. Would you let your husband cut your hair? I know, it would take a lot of trust (and a simple style) but wouldn’t it be a great way to get a free haircut?
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Haircuts for a Good Cause
Katie said “at Hair Cuttery from now until August 15th for every child haircut (under age 18) that they give in the store- the Hair Cuttery will donate one free haircut to children in need in the community you live in. So, if haircuts are on your back to school list- here’s your chance to help!”
Locks of Love is a fabulous way to donate your hair to someone who needs it. If you have at least 10 inches of hair to cut off, you can donate your hair and they will make real hair wigs for children who have lost their hair and are financially disadvantaged. Some hair salons offer a discount or even a free haircut if you are donating your hair. Amy’s daughter recently donated her hair to this great cause. Jessica took both of her daughters to Great Clips (posts here and here) to donate their hair and they got free haircuts!
Pantene Beautiful Lengths is another way to donate your hair, this time to women who have lost their hair due to cancer. You only need 8 inches of hair to cut off. Thanks goes to Zoey’s Mom for the reminder about this program!
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Your Frugal Haircuts
Here are some ways my readers are saving money:
Free is the Best Price
@FlightyHeidi said “Toni & Guy salons require their stylists to continue their training after hours. They need models and the cuts are free!” Check out their website for details, they offer free cuts every Tuesday night.
Debbie said “At the Supercuts here they have free haircuts once a month by stylists learning new techniques. It has to be a salon that has the training, they told me it is a nationwide program.
@Gishers said “One of my good friends is a hairdresser. If I feed her dinner, she cuts all our hair for free.”
@CentsableMomma said “I get my father-in-law to cut my boys and my husbands hair for free!” She later clarified he’s not a barber, but “he has just always cut his own hair. Believe me…I was wary the first time! I’ve thought about trying it myself!”
@BethSportsMomma said “I do them myself. ‘Course it’s easy when it’s 3 guys with really short cuts-military “high and tight” is what they like.”
Use Coupons & Discount Salons
Affluent Pauper says “getting a haircut at Great Clips? Get a coupon to Save $10 off a $50 purchase at Old Navy along with your haircut”
@Giraffefriend said “I sign up for coupons from Great Clips & Fantastic Sams and then time it so they are not getting haircuts all at once!”
Northern Cheapskate said “I watch for coupons to Great Clips and Cost Cutters. Those coupons show up in all kinds of unique places – like the backs of grocery receipts.”
Daisy saw the new Apple Jacks cereal boxes has coupons for Great Clips haircuts “two for the price of one” – that’s a great coupon if you can find it!
Christine said “Sports Clips has a frequent visitor card to earn a free cut (for boys/men) & coupons you can use.”
@ShellyAnnSings said “My family gets their haircut at a Paul Mitchell school, it’s about half what we’d normally pay and they do a great job.”
Natalie said “Dad buzz cut my son and for my daughter, we go to the beauty school. It is a $5 hair cut.”
Georgia said “TGF Hair Salons has discounted cuts for women on Wednesdays and when I went there, I always made an appointment with the same good person.”
Frugal Hair Styles
@LuvMyPeaches said “My daughter wears her hair LONG!! LOL — haircuts few and far between. My younger daughter wears a cute “bob” and we make due with “bangs trims” (which are free) between cuts to stretch!”
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More Frugal Haircut Resources
MomAdvice has several articles about this subject that are worth reading:
Overcoming My Fears: Cutting Hair
Open Your Own Beauty Shop
At-Home Hair Coloring Savings
And Baby Cheapskate has this article with even more resources to check out:
Save Money with At-Home Kiddie Haircuts
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Your Turn
How are you saving money on your haircuts? Please leave a comment and share your strategy!
Also, with Supercuts, if you click on Haircut Reminder, you get a $2 off coupon for your next haircut!
What a lot of great tips. I had never thought of going to a beauty school to be a hair model. What a great idea. I subscribe to the do-it-yourself group. I've been cutting hair at home using hair clippers for years. I even cut my own father-in-law's hair (you know I better get his hair right). It's great, because after the initial investment in a good hair clipper, the haircuts are free.
I cut my husband's hair and mine. Now if I want a different style or updo, then I go to Wondercuts.For my wedding, I paid $20 for my hairdo. That's the cheapest I found, all others wanted $80 or more!
My husband bought a FLOWBEE years ago at a "AS SEEN ON TV" store or website. He suggests getting one professional cut before you start on your own so you have the "pattern" to follow a few weeks…and then years later.
Response to Comment #9 Anonymous – It looks like the $18 charge by Toni & Guy for their "free Tuesdays" is for if you are getting a color or perm. I'm assuming that they also want "hair models" to practice on for just a haircut, but I don't know that for sure. I did sign-up and I'll let everyone know if they contact me and I try it out.-HeatherFreebies 4 Mom
This is a great list of resources, Heather! My husband cuts my hair (and his own hair) so I don't go to salons, but – if I did – I would totally sign up for that Toni & Guy thing. So fun!
Amy's Salon in Tulsa Ok. is offering Haircuts for $2.00 Every Tuesday in August. The address is 4904 S. Union Ave Tulsa Ok.
My husband does his hair and my 2 boys' with a Flowbee! I was not sold on it until I saw the results. Not bad at all. It's paid for itself.
I keep an eye out for coupons that come in the mail. In fact, our local Valpak came in the mail today and there are coupons for Great Clips and Supercuts! I have also taken my youngest to a local beauty school, where hair and spa services are super inexpensive! And I have signed up for e-mails from a couple local salons. One of the salons also offers deeply discounted hair and spa services on a daily basis and they offer chances to be a hair model for their students, which means inexpensive cuts.
Just posted this one – Great Clips is offering Old Navy coupons for $10 off a $50 purchase. One coupon per haircut. Nationwide offer, but expiration is different by market (it's a back to school promo).
If you are doing Locks of Love, Great Clips will cut your hair for free and mail in the ponytail for you! My girls have both donated their ponytails. See before and after pics here:http://momforhim.blogspot.com/2009/07/locks-of-love-gs-turn.htmland here:http://momforhim.blogspot.com/2008/08/locks-of-love.html
We have a Toni and Guy at the mall – very convenient. But according to the web site, it costs $18.00 to get the free hair cut.
My sister is in cosmetology school and there salon is great! 13$ and you get a shampoo, cut, color, and thermal style! Woo =)
The redkin training academy near us does $5 Tuesdays, any cut and shampoo.
I go to the local cosmotology school. The need people for their students to work on and many times they are either free or cost a quarter.
I've been cutting my own hair since probably 5 years ago. I used to have my mom cut it, but she never does it right. I also do my hubby and my sister's hair nowadays. My sis in law had asked me to cut her hair lately. It sure does save a lot. It's easier when you cut your own hair in layers. I have a pair of razors for cutting hair. It's really easy when your style is in layers and not in straight cuts. Last month I cut my hair short, I still have little layer on my back. People love it!
Carrie I have the same problem! My hair is naturally very curly but I also wear it straight as well. The last haircut I got cost me $120 and I left the salon looking like a stick of cotton candy with bangs. Haven't gotten a professional cut since and I get my mom to trim my ends. I would definetly be interested in a tutorial on how to do it yourself :-)
Oh yeah – and after getting a couple of bad haircuts from someone that charged $25, my husband started cutting his own hair and has done it for years now!
I have naturally curly and very FLAT on top hair, and have never been able to find someone who could cut it for a reasonable cost.My husband has trimmed it for me for several years, and recently my sister told me how her hairdresser cuts hers. I tried it, and have been very pleased with the results. The best part is that since I'm cutting it myself, I can keep tweaking it to figure out what works best.It's pretty daring to some, but to me it's no more daring than entrusting someone I don't know from Adam with my hair! I've had some requests for a tutorial, so maybe someday I'll do that!
Another great donation site is Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. This one only requires 8 inches of hair, so if you don't have the 10 inches for Locks of Love it is perfect! http://www.beautifullengths.com/en_US/index_home.jspThis campaign is donated to wigs for women with cancer.