Giving thanks!
This is Part 2 of Naturally Beautiful Hair blog's first Giveaway contest. The first giveaway was for a men's gift. This giveaway will be for a woman's gift . Both giveaways are to show appreciation to my blog followers.
Giveaway Part 2: The prize is for a womans green pendant necklace. Very beautiful! Brand new, and only worn once for this photo -
To win this prize, please answer the following question - The economy has been pretty hard on everyone. Businesses are closing down, people are getting laid off, and a lot of folks are really pinching their pennies. What are some of the creative things you have done to maintain your natural beauty while on a budget. For me - I have not gone to the hair salon since last year. I do my own hair, make my own accessories and I try to find my favorite products on sale! Let us know how you have been able to still maintain your gorgeousness, but also maintain your low budget. This is not limited to hair ideas. Any thing having to do with natural beauty - health, loving yourself and or your fashion. The most creative and helpful tips will win this necklace as a prize. This contest will end on June 20th at 9 pm. The winners response will be featured in a future winners post. Have fun and good luck!
Well, lets see I started my own locs via the bradelocz method and I maintain them by latching with a homemade tool. The products I do use on my hair are a combination of natural & cheap like baking soda & Dr. Bronner's for the shampoo, I check the internet to see if I can get them on sale and buy bulk to get the price down ie the coconut oil, essential oils & the Dr. Bronner's. I found the Dr. Bronner's on sale at the online The Vitamin Shoppe store at $29.99 for the gallon jug. I've recently made my own hair ties, shop at thrift stores, and since I like making my own earrings I look for beads on clearance. Today I just picked up a beaded set of hair pins that were 75% off the regular price of $3.99 which brought it down to $.99. Basically, I try to keep it simple and that keeps the cost down. My blog and You Tube channel covers a lot of what I do.
ReplyDeleteI make my own conditioner, shampoo and loc gel. I've also made my own hair accessories with things that I have laying around (of course after visiting youtube and other sites). I only buy aloe gel or any other oil on sale. If its not on sale, then I don't need it. Lastly, I never ever wash my hair at night. The reason is it is super hot here and my hair will air dry in about 2 hours.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my locs go, I have pretty much stop using store brought products. The only product I use is Mango Lime loc spray, which is only when I twist/curl my hair. To wash my hair I use baking soda and water in a spray bottle. After that I use apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle and rinse again. I twist my hair using simply water and a little bit of olive oil for sheen. Then I use the Mango Lime loc spray for hold.
ReplyDeleteDoing this I have noticed the drastic change in the amount of buildup. Not using cremey products has not only been good for my pockets, but my hair too. My locs are lighter and feel healthier.
I also save money because I stretch the product I do used. I dont twist my hair very often b/c I really try to keep my locs healthy as possible When I first locked I read a lot about breakage and thinning from excessive twisting. It was difficult at first (being that everyone expected me to have these manicured locs like in magazines) but I started twisting my hair a lot less. I really only twist them if I have somewhere to go and want to look nice. So my products really last me a lot longer sine I'm not obsessed with maintenance and just clean/nurture my hair and let it do its thing. (Not to mention my roots look better when I twist them).
Skin care wise, I use .Mark brand face wash. I've had it almost 6 months and I'm only half way through it. It takes only a very small ammount so I havent bought face wash in awhile. Another thing that I've used which is great and very inexpensive is simple witch hazel and vitamin E. I saw this gorgeous older woman and she told me about it. So I used it as well. Simply wash your face with water, use the witch hazel like a toner, and use the vitamin E serum. It does wonders and lasts awhile. You can also carry a mixture of the two in a small spray bottle as a refresher throughout the day.
I have started saving money on clothing. Instead of buying new clothes I upcycle what I have. I'm no seamstress by far but the little DIY tutorials are a tremendous help. This weekend, instead of buying new shoes for an event, I found a tutorial to put the cute ruffles on a shoe I already have. It'll match my dress perfectly (which I also made) and cost me a lot less.
I could go on and on (believe I could lol) but I think the key to being more "frugal" is learning to be creative. What we wear, eat, use, etc. does not always need to have a brand name. If we take a little bit of time to learn different things, we'll find a lot of things we love to buy we can either make ourselves. Even if it is just the tiniest thing. Taking old stuff and making it new again.
Okay I'm done, lol. Thanks for the giveaway ^_^
Amazing comments Tupieta, Msfullroller and Just Butterflies! Tupieta, thank you so much for the great and plentiful response. I learned a thing or two... :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for the great response! I have learned a lot of great into. Everyone’s response was very well thought out and informative. I will be trying out some of all of your tips.
ReplyDeleteTupieta – you went above and beyond! I love your entry. Lots of great ideas on how to cut down on cost and creative ways to care for your hair, skin care and clothing ideas. So the winner of this contest is Tupieta! Please email your mailing address to naturalhairbeauty@gmail.com, and I will send the prize out asap.