Tight Budgets Lead to 'Recession Hair'

Tight Budgets Lead to 'Recession Hair'
At-Home Hair Styling Is a Sign of the Economic Times

By STEPHANIE SY
Oct. 4, 2009

Much has been written about uncommon economic indicators, such as economist George Taylor's hemline index, which predicts that women's skirts get shorter in bullish times and longer in bear markets.

Photo: Tight Budgets Lead to 'Recession Hair' At-Home Hair Styling Is a Sign of the Economic Times
Many hair salons around the country are noticing a new trend: call it recession hair. It is increasingly do-it-yourself, especially when it comes to hair color.

It's usually longer, possibly greyer and, generally, less well-coiffed.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/recession-inspires-hair-care/story?id=8552095

Getting kind of shaggy.

so either I let it grow out and gray

or I buy a 3 dollar box and do it my self and not get the neat multi shades I normally get

color job...dunno...maybe that shaved head look will come back ;)

and put some peroxide and water in a spray bottle.

Over several days of a couple sprayings a day I turned into the streaky blond I'd always wanted to be (a certain amount of gray hair is a great driver for this).

and over time that does the job.

It's not a one-day project -- but the price is right! (I also got a great tan that summer and now have several odd-looking areas on my hide to prove it...)

With a bottle of 20 (or 40) peroxide and a packet of Ultra Blue powder (or a similar product). You can buy the ingredients at places like Sally.

I cut it myself and never dyed it.
I prefer that.

It's going to be the local barber, I think. I wear mine short and ragged anyway, and haven't coloured my hair in ten years or so. I gave up on the well-coiffed; mine is dark, thick, and curly. I live in Toronto, close to the lake. Coiffed? You've got to be kidding. I could spend, and did spend, a fortune on hair products. I now wash it, finger comb it, and call it done.

I don't die my hair, but I see it at Walgreens for as little as $3 a box. I think it's normally about $6.

I have a smallish patch of gray at my roots and have been considering blending those in with my natural auburn highlights, so I've kind of looked around.

Slightly longer than a crew-cut. Think Johnny Unitas flat-top, except with rounded-off edges instead of corners, and more hair around the sides. I could probably learn to buzz it myself, but that would be a HUGE step I'm still too scared to take at the moment.

of my head - the recession!! I haven't had it cut in over a year and its grown down to my waist. I do color at home but have usually done that - recession or not.

And now shave my head weekly

I get to save $15 every 3 weeks...

I figured I'd get it done once and then maintain it myself. I'm skeeeered though. How's it working out for you?

The hardest part is cleaning the the hair

and bare spot in the back, so I made it all go away.

I shave head and face in the shower, and use a triple blade disposable. A good moisturizing soap removes the need for shaving cream. I keep a mug and brush on the shower shelf, and as the bar soap gets small, I scrunch it into the shaving mug.

I don't even need a mirror any more. Finish off with a vitamin E moisturizing skin cream.

I like getting those semi permanent colors ("Splat" is a good one) and doing all, or just the front part of my hair funky colors.

I used to do my own frosting for years but decided to just let it turn grey because it saves money and sort of has the same look anyway on my ash blonde/brown hair.

But anyway, as far as "coif" goes, all I have to do is put it in a pony tail and clip on a piece of fake hair. Wa-la...instant style. :7

(a meal-in-one meat/cabbage/onion pie -- it's a Fresno thang) for hair cuts these days. For some reason, at 54, I have very little gray so I don't have to have my hair colored.

I stopped paying for haircuts months ago. Why blow $20 when it never looks good anyway?