This is a Best Of from my first month of blogging! Since most folks don’t go that far back through the archives, I thought I’d do a repost and include it as a Frugal Friday tip. For more great Frugal Friday ideas, head on over to Biblical Womanhood.
Princess (6) has very long hair. She loves her hair being long and hates the idea of having it cut. Since she is a very active girl her hair quite often gets tangled, and I hate having to brush out tangles. I have vivid memories of the pain of having my tangled up hair brushed out as a child (sorry mom-guess I’m scarred for life).
I usually use homemade detangler spray to help out.
Detangler is so simple to make that I don’t know why anyone buys those overpriced bottles of the stuff in the store. All you have to do is mix a decent conditioner (I don’t like Sauve conditioner which never seems to work for me) with water in a spray bottle. The ratio is about 1 part conditioner to 6 parts water. I don’t measure, I just squirt a decent amount in the little squirt bottle and fill the rest up with water and shake. It smells pretty because I have Freesia scented conditioner, and it works.
If you are one of those people who are not comfortable “winging it” here is an actual recipe:
3 Tablespoons of Conditioner + 1 1/4 Cups Water = Detangler
An added bonus is that on days that I don’t have time to wash my short hair before heading out the door I just spray it down with the mix and then comb out the bedhead and let it air dry. How’s that for a quick cheap fix?
Another great quick (and totally free) tip that I have just rediscovered and started using is a very old, old trick. I actually thought of it because I have been rereading all of the “Little House on the Prairie” books. When I remember, I braid Princess’s hair right before she goes to bed. It doesn’t have to be particularly even or pretty-it just needs to be braided. I do my own sloppy version of a french braid, Yankee Bill just pulls it to the nape of her neck and braids it normally. Now when she wakes up we just undo the braid and the hair is barely tangled at all (this would work for a grownup as well!) Guess sometimes the best tip is an oldy but goody!
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Now I could have used that when my girls were little, tho’ I did find an inexpensive store brand version. It’s a great idea.
Thanks for commenting on my FF.
Thank you for re-posting this tip. I’ve been buying the Equate brand of detangler from Walmart but with this tip I’ll be able to make my own at extremely low cost:-)
I hate brushing my hair ’cause it takes out all the pretty waves. Great tip for when I do brush it out!
Glad you gals found this useful! Personally I wince when I see someone who has bought the store made stuff–it’s such an easy, cheap thing to make yourself. A prime example of how being frugal doesn’t have to be difficult.
The braiding tip is also great for reducing the hair cuts needed – of course, frugal hair cuts at home are free but they take time.
The daughter (11) had let her hair grow very long but hated washing, brushing, and putting it up. Add to the mix the curliness and I eventually took a stand – cut it or let me braid it every day.
I convinced her to let me cut it and if I did a horrible job, we’d got get it fixed the next day. Life is so much nicer now that battle is over. Of everyone in our household, she now has the shortest at shoulder length, mine is past the shoulder, and the partners is past the middle of the back.
Now that I’ve grown mine out again I see just how much we’re spending on shampoo, sheesh. Need to get more frugal with that!