We all want the best beauty products for our hair, skin, and nails, but don’t be fooled… retailers, stylists, and so-called-experts are after your money as much as any other professional. Of course, they’re going to try to give you a product that will work for you, so you will come back and buy it again, not because they care about your frizzy hair and wrinkled skin. Trust me… the girl behind the department store make-up counter is not your friend, nor is your hair stylist or skin care therapist. They are at work and their job is to make you spend as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not speaking negatively about them, as I’m one of them, but you have to understand that the beauty product industry is one that makes billions of dollars a year off of un-knowing people like you. Do you believe that your insurance or real estate agents are invested in your personal well-being, or do you think they’re more interested in collecting their paycheck? Beauty Professionals may be more personable, but you are still a client, and the successful ones always have their commission in mind.

You have to be smart about your product purchases, unless of course you have an unlimited amount of money to spend on products, in which case, you’re reading the wrong the blog, as I’m constantly trying to find new ways to save my readers’ money.

I totally understand the love for beauty products, and the need to purchase them. I’m not telling you to stop buying products, I’m just suggesting that you keep the following tips in mind to avoid over-paying for the products that you love.

1. Buying Products That Don’t Work

There are certain things that beauty products just can’t do. While it may be hard to give up on the thought od "miracle creams",avoid throwing your money away on products that “claim” to do one of the following:

- Reduce cellulite (Although it would be great if it could, no cream or lotion will fix this problem)

- Speed up or slow down hair growth. (Hair grows about ½ inch per month. No cream, or lotion will change that. The right multi-vitamin may have minor positive effects on the speed of growth if taken correctly)

- Remove or fade tattoos (painful and expensive laser treatments are the only way to do this. Tattoos are forever kids, consider that before going under the needle!)

- Repair Split Ends (I’ve told you this a thousand times… The only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off! You can hydrate hair to make them less visible, you can treat healthy hair to prevent them from coming, but once they’re split….that’s it)

2. Buying your Products from so –called “Experts”

I addressed this in the introduction… buying products in a salon or from a doctor is about the same as throwing 30%-75% of the total cost down the pooper! I know from experience that salon products are marked up at least 100%. This means that if the salon purchased the product from the distributor for $10, you’re going to pay $20+. Retail is a huge part of salon business. You can purchase the same product at a beauty supply store for about 25% – 30% less. Stores like Sally’s, Ulta, and even Rite Aid carry most popular salon brands. If you’re super-thrifty, you can purchase products online directly from the distributor for 50% - 75% less! The same goes for dermatologists and especially plastic surgeons. We’ve all been trained to think that doctors can be trusted, and that’s exactly why people purchase obscenely overpriced products from them without so much as a second thought. These doctors “prescribe” the products that they carry, and suddenly you’re paying upwards of $100 every time you leave the office. Chances are, those same products can be purchased elsewhere for much less, and like prescriptions, there is most likely a “generic” or alternative product that will serve the same purpose. With a little persistence and research, you could save yourself a lot of money. If you’re unsure, feel free to submit your questions to me, as I’m an esthetician and more than willing to research the products. I’m always looking for new blog topics!

3. Buying the Same Product for more.

Have you ever seen the commercial for Olay Regenerist? They claim their $15 - $25 product beat a $50 cream, $100 Cream, and $300 cream in a product test. I don’t doubt this for a second, as there are TONS of manufacturers with dual product lines or matching ingredient lists. You would be surprised at how many identical products are out there with different names. Manufacturers will change the color and/or fragrance of a product and sell it for 2 or 3 times the price! There are only so many ingredients that can be combined for a certain purpose…far fewer combinations are possible than products are available. For example: Herbal Essences and Pantene have identical formulas, but you’ll pay $1 or $2 more per bottle for Pantene. Also Finger Paints brand nail polish is made by OPI. The formula is exactly the same; Finger Paints even have catchy names like OPI, yet the price difference is almost the cost of an entire bottle of Finger Paints. Physician’s Formula make-up, which can be purchased in most drug stores, is fragrance free and hypo-allergenic, yet thousands, maybe even millions of people pay twice as much or Clinique make-up. Check ingredient lists before purchasing high-end products. You may be surprised to find that they contain the same ingredients as the low-priced products in the grocery store!

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some products are truly unique, and cannot be substituted. For example, I use Dermalogica’s skin care products. There is no substitute for these products that were developed by the International Dermal Institute. I purchase them at South Hills Beauty Academy, as I have been unable to find them cheaper anywhere else. Also, natural chemical-free products such as my “Indulgence” bath and body products, which are made from all natural, all edible ingredients are rare and unique. You cannot compare a preservative free natural product to that of a store-bought one (give me a break, I deserve a plug here and there, it is MY blog, and I'm giving you all of my secrets!).

I hope this helps to save some of your hard earned money while allowing you to keep looking and feeling your best!

Send your Beauty questions to [email protected] and I’ll answer them in my next blog.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for another dose of the beauty blog!

- Bethany