A Hairy Situation

Ok, so in this economy, who can afford, or wants to spend big bucks going to the hair salon every week? If you are like me, and can do most styles yourself, then do it.
But if you are like most women (and some men) you either can't or don't want to do your own hair. You can save $$$ by either finding a home based stylist or going to a beauty school.

Home based stylist can be licensed or unlicensed. They do hair out of their home, and usually charge lower fees then salons but higher then beauty schools.
There are some styles and services I wouldn't cut cost on, such as anything using chemicals (i.e dying, perms, relaxers, highlites)
If you opt to get hair weaves, most hb stylist are a good choice. At a salon, a sewn in hair weave cost over $100 not including the cost of the hair. While a good home based stylist will charge about $70.
Beauty schools such as Gordon Phillips and Empire are good for hair trims and new styles. At beauty schools you only pay for the cost of the supplies. Its also a good way to try hot new styles. Beauty schools also do nails, hair removal and sometimes even makeup application. The students at beauty schools are supervised by stylist and cosmotology teachers with tons of experience. So you have next to nothing to worry about.

Now, if you decided you want to try doing your hair yourself. I have found Youtube and other such video sharing sites are a great way to find tutorials on different styles. Lets say you think Ashanti's hair on the Body on Me video was hot...all you do is search Ashanti or Body on Me hair tutorial. Then you'll get a whole list of hair tutorials. Don't try the first one you see. Like anything else. Shop around. Go for the video where the hair texture/length is simular to yours. Some posters are better at explaining the steps better then others.
Hair tutorials can also help you learn how to do your favorite salon services, such as deep conditioning, hot oil treatments, even cutting your own split ends. Just keep in mind, most of the posters are not professionals. Be sure to read the comments, other then the fact that they are very entertaining (on occassion) they can be helpful as some viewers and suscribers offer feedback, reviews and tweeks.

Now we go on to what can be the most expensive part of taking care of your hair. Products.
DO NOT skimp on your hair products. Buying cheap products can damage your hair.
Learn your hair and what your hair needs. If your hair is dry, then you need a shampoo and conditioner that will add moisture to your hair. So using a shampoo high in protein wont help you. Sometimes we gravitate towards the less expensive shampoos because we're trying to save money, or our parents used it...there are a number of reasons why we do it. Im not saying you have to buy expensive salon quality shampoos. But make sure the Shampoo and conditoner is a good one, read the ingredients. Places like Target, Walmart and drug stores often sell a large supply of quality drug store brand shampoos that cost no more the $7. Once again- READ THE REVIEWS! Stores like Sally Beauty, which is a beauty supply store, also has great deals on GOOD hair supplies.
Lets move on to curling irons, flat irons (bumpers), blow dryers etc. Conair is a cheaper but good maker of styling tools, but not always the best. When buying a good flat iron, I would opt for one with a degree setting and not just high, medium, low settings. That way you can find the right temp for you. A temp too low wont get your hair straight enough, and a temp too high will surly damage your hair. This can apply to curling irons too. A good, but inexpensive flat iron can run between $40-70. Curling irons vary with the size, but can be anyway between $30-50.

I purchase at least 70% of my products from Sally's. I got their green or loyal customer cards. It is definitly worth it! It gives me sometimes a 50% savings.