RQ: Which beauty products to invest in

photo tutorial source: my dear friend Coconutrobot.com

Reader Question: If you are living on a budget that doesn’t allow for the expendable income of purchasing extra products, what should you invest in? Is it better to invest in good shampoos & conditioners? Or should you skimp on those and really put your money in the products? Which would you recommend?

This is a really great question. And there isn’t a cut and dry answer to what should ALWAYS be invested in and what you can go cheap in, but I thought I’d answer by sharing what I’ve learned in my experience.

I’m going to answer in light of hair products, not makeup or skincare because I think you are asking about hair products.

So, FIRST of all. The very, very first thing you should invest in when it comes to your hair is a good haircut. A good haircut is key to your hair styling well and looking nice. So, find a stylist you love and get a haircut that flatters you and looks fantastic. Don’t go cheap on your haircut–you’ll regret it. Products cannot fix a bad haircut.

Then I would argue shampoo and conditioner could go either way. If you have otherwise healthy hair, you can probably go a bit cheaper on shampoo and conditioner. If you hair has a lot of needs from being colored or damaged, it will likely be worth it to at least invest in a great conditioner. If you can’t get both, get a cheaper shampoo and a nicer conditioner.

As far as styling products go. I think hairspray is the biggest game changer when it comes to your hairstyle lasting. So if you are going to take the time to style it, use some good hairspray. My favorite is Kenra Volume 25.

Smoothing oils, leave-in treatments and even volumizing products can be bought cheaper but you may not have the best results with them.They shouldn’t be damaging to your hair, though, so the worst that could happen with a cheap styling products it residue or leaving your hair unaffected.

When it comes to tools, go cheap with brushes, clips, combs, etc. Invest in a really good blow dryer. Why? I think a great deal of the damage done during styling is with a blow dryer thats too hot. Instead of looking for heat in a dryer, look for speed of air flow. My favorite blow dryer is the Rusk Speed Freak. Look into getting a good flat iron, but you can go mid-range with a curling iron to save some cash. Hot Tools often has sales and their irons are great mid-range options!

I hope this gives you a bit of a jumping off point as you try to decide what to invest in!