Whether you’re looking to get a fresh haircut, update your color, or even have professional eyelash extensions applied, these six tips, all from local salon owners, will help save you money and time on your next service.
CHRISTINA LOCKETT, OWNER OF CHRISTINA ANN HAIR BOUTIQUE
CHRISTINAANNHAIRBOUTIQUE.COM, @CHRISTINAANNHAIRBOUTIQUE
Christina Lockett, owner of Christina Ann Hair Boutique in Carmel, recommends that her clients cut back on blow drying their hair when they’re at home, and plan their wash days so they can let their hair air dry naturally. She says this helps keep hair healthier in between salon visits and can let a client stretch their appointments from every six weeks to every 8-10 weeks. Lockett also suggests using a split end sealing product like Davines Melu Hair Shield to help mend dry ends and help keep them healthier longer between trims.
CARLY PHELPS AND KRISTA STOUDER, OWNERS OF MANE MUSE SALON
MANEMUSEINDY.COM, @MANEMUSEINDY
Krista Stouder and Carly Phelps are the owners of Mane Muse Salon in Broad Ripple, and Krista offers a “Dry Trim” option for her women’s haircuts. This is less expensive than her standard cut because it does not include a shampoo or blowout. A client who requests a “dry trim” can come in with dry, straight hair, and from start to finish the haircut will only take around 30 minutes and will save about $25 from a standard cut. So, before booking your own haircut appointment at a salon, call ahead and ask if any of the stylists will offer a dry cut to save the cost of a shampoo and blowout.
LINDSEY COOPER, OWNER OF ILC SALON
ILC-SALON.SQUARE.SITE, @LINZ_COOPER_STYLIST
Lindsay Cooper owns ILC salon in Lawrence, and she offers a “keep it fresh” service for her clients in between their coloring appointments. It includes a clarifying treatment to remove any hard water and mineral buildup on the hair, followed by a “gloss,” also sometimes called a “glaze,” which is typically a clear shine treatment that helps remove brassy, unwanted tones and refreshes the color. A gloss is a smart way to stretch out the time between your hair coloring appointments and it helps add tone and shine back into the hair. At Cooper’s salon, opting for the “keep it fresh” service costs around $100 less than a regular coloring appointment and takes only about an hour to complete, so ask your colorist if they offer a gloss or glaze service to refresh your hair color.
If you highlight your hair, Cooper advises that you can skip your full highlight appointment every now and then and just opt for highlights around the face, or what she calls “accent face foils.” Simply adding 10-15 foils around your face will help brighten up your color and make it look fresh, and can typically save you between $50-100.
MEGAN LAUGHLIN AND TAYLOR MCCARTHY, OWNERS OF THE BEAUTIQUE
BEAUTIQUEINDY.COM, @BEAUTIQUE_INDY
Located in New Palestine, The Beautique is actually two separate businesses under the same roof owned by best friends: Megan Laughlin’s “Hair Beautique,” a full-service hair salon, and Taylor McCarthy’s “Lash & Brow Beautique,” specializing in eyelash extensions, microblading, and permanent cosmetics.
Megan recommends asking your stylist for a low maintenance hair color to stretch your color appointments as long as possible. You can do this by using your natural hair color as your base and choosing what’s called “babylights” or “balayage” color techniques. Clients can also opt for a “shadow root,” which is a technique where a darker shade is applied directly to the roots, to help blend the babylights or balayage in with the natural root color. This allows the color to look more natural as it grows out, allowing a client to wait up to 6 months between color appointments—which will save a lot of money in the long run!
For someone who likes to get lash extensions frequently, Taylor advises to make sure you are washing your lashes with the shampoo your lash artist recommends. Cleaning your extensions 3-5 times a week, or every time you wear makeup, will eliminate buildup on the lashes and make them last longer. This will also allow your lashes to have better retention, saving you money by preventing less full set eyelash appointments and allowing your lashes to look better in-between appointments.
Stephanie Groves is an Indy-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to Indy Maven.
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