Who doesn’t love a bit of pampering once in a while? Having an occasional manicure, facial or massage is a huge treat, but these treatments can be expensive. However, there is one way you have almost any hair or beauty treatment you want for a fraction of the usual price.
Finding low cost beauty treatments
The trick to having low cost beauty treatments is to find a student learning how to do them. And the best way to do this is to locate your local college! Those running hair and beauty courses are often crying out for customers willing to let their pupils practice on them. To entice you in they offer treatments for just the cost of the materials.
Now is a good time to do this as students have done enough training to be reasonably proficient. They are also likely to need people to work on at the moment as the academic year is coming to an end and the students are being assessed. They will want to get a good mark! Don’t leave it too long, however, or the summer holidays will start and they will close.
The savings are huge! Yesterday I had my eyebrows waxed and tinted and also an eyelash tint for just £7.50 at my local adult learning college. There is also a further education college that has a huge hairdressing and beauty salon.
If I wanted to, I could have a luxury manicure for £10, a full body massage for £15 or a cut and blow dry for £6.50. Fancy half a head of highlights? £13.50. I can have a leg wax for £10, a bikini wax for a fiver or a full set of party lashes for £5.50. Bargain!
The pros and cons
The biggest and most obvious advantage is the low cost, of course. You also have a tutor monitoring and supervising all the way through so the students are very careful to do a good job. The cons could include having a dodgy hair cut , but I have had enough of those paying the full price. I have used the hairdressing section of the college on several occasions and not had a bad experience yet. As for beauty treatments that could go wrong, I had the worst wonky eyebrow threading experience once with a fully qualified lady in a department store.
The other disadvantage is that treatments are offered term time only and you need to book well in advance. Lots of money savers know about them and they get booked up!
Have you used the students at a college for hair and beauty treatments? How did you find it?
Debbie says
I had my hair cut by a school, for the first time, about two months ago. The young woman did a nice enough job. I suspect she cut the back a bit shorter than the front. But, I just had my husband trim it for me and it seems much better. I have shoulder length curly hair, so it’s easy to hide problems. I would go back if the price is right. I think it helps if you don’t have a fancy cut. I don’t do the other beauty things; nails, waxes, eyebrows. I do my own or not at all.
Julia says
A local beauty school used to come into my kids primary school once or twice a year offering the kids free haircuts to practice on!
They only offered a set choice of 2 styles/lengths for girls and 2 clipper lengths for the boys but with 4 boys it all helped – and in the end encouraged me to buy some cheap clippers to do them myself in-between!! Now my husband just uses them on himself!
I used to get trims from my local college for £2 – £3, but find now that even the college prices round here are silly. I’ve not had my hair cut in about 3 years now, – I just trim the fringe up myself when needed.
I find pulling out the grey hairs works well enough as an alternative to dyeing at the moment!! 😀 😀 Helps to have blond hair to begin with though!
Otherwise the nearest I’ve ever got to pampering myself was buying some plastic, pre-painted, fingernails to stick on for my wedding!! 😀 😀
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
If I pulled out the grey hairs I would be bald lol .
Eloise (thisissixty.blog) says
My local college has College has two salonsi. Different towns, both modern and well equipped. They offer just about everything that a normal salon does and at a fraction of the usual cost. I haven’t used them but friends who have are impressed. I keep meaning to give it a go.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
You should, Eloise!