How to look well groomed when you are poor

[Chamomiletea]

We are on a very tight budget.

All the threads I see revolve around:

Nails
Hair
Skin
Simple but elegant clothes

All of these require money! I literally can't afford the hairdresser or to get my nails and eyebrows done.

How can I do this at home, cheaply but well?

Also I need a new pair of boots for winter I can only afford one pair, we live in the country I was thinking some short hunters? I would love some leather ankle boots has anyone seen any that are cheap but classic?

Any money we have is going to savings for my massive dentists bills :(

Hair dye

It was too dark

Exactly, the hair dye will have caused the destruction of your natural hair colour before the colour B4 even touched your hair. Lots of dark hair dyes contain Ammonia. This is what strips the natural hair colour away underneath the dye. The colour b4 just takes away the dye to leave what was underneath, which is already bleached hair.

Not sure that makes sense

Anyway OP the point is if you do want to use it (I would advise against) make sure you do a strand test

Thanks for starting the thread OP. I was on that other thread and they lost me with all the talk about super expensive investment bags...

Well that's what is happening. Whether you understand it or not.

Icantthink - thank you for the tip about scissors. I didn't know that. Will definitely try what you suggest.

Be really selective about some of the advice on this thread. Some people's idea of poor is very different to others!

Don't bother with a colour remover. They are bloody expensive and can leave your hair very dry, which then involves more spending on products to sort it.

Don't put box dye on already fried hair. Most of them have ammonia/hydrogen peroxide in, which will damage your hair more. Hat you need is a direct deposit colour like Adore in a natural colour. Direct deposit doesn't alter the structure of the hair shaft.

Be careful with coconut oil. It's touted as a cure for everything, but some hair and skin just doesn't like it. Too much protein can make some people's hair crispy and dry. For hands/nails, whatever oil you have in the kitchen cupboard will do. No need to spend money.

Eyebrows are definitely worth an initial £5 investment for threading or waxing, especially if yours are slow growing and you keep on top of them with the tweezers.

Go through your wardrobe with a critical eye. As @RobsAKnob, mend stuff, iron stuff, relegate anything grotty to the "wear at home" pile. See if there is something simple that you could buy to make you feel good. I bought a grey blazer for £5 in a sale a few weeks ago, and it goes with everything and smartens up anything I wear it with. I know scarves don't get much love on here, but I always feel far more put together with a scarf, which I buy for a couple of quid from Primark.

For boots, try M & M Direct. They have some decent brands with massive discounts. Also Office Offcuts or Schuh Imperfects.

Buy clothes and shoes out of season, Feb/March is the time to buy your winter boots. If you're buying classic plain styles rather than high-fashion it won't make any difference if it's last year's stock.

I am just starting out on this looking groomed thing... George at Asda and Tu at Sainsburys do lovely clothes. I've also found fab long sleeved Breton tops and ankle boots in Lidl. I keep my nails short and filed plus I use nail oil. Makeup wise I keep it simple and natural.

Iron your clothes properly. Clothes look so much more expensive well ironed and you can get away with cheaper cottons etc.
Def let you hair grow out. When I was on maternity and had less money I let all the dye grow out and just had my natural hair colour. Saved me a fortune on hairdressers and never had that “oh she is well over due her roots doing” I think if you are gonna dye your hair you have to do it regularly and spend a lot of money for it to look good. I Recently caved and went back to blonde again now and sometimes wish I hadn’t. Looking back at pics it looks rich and expensive when it’s just natural.
Spend money on the things people see all the time, your boots and your coat.

If you mostly hang around the farm, Equestrian wear is your friend. Short leather jodhpurs boots are cheap as chips and very hard wearing they can look expensive, try tweed riding jackets, or tweed or corduroy casual jackets wear with simple t-shirts you already own and try a clean button down shirt on for a smarter look.

@AdoraBell, if you can, go and see a chiropractor. Uneven wear on shoes can be a sign of misalignment, which will lead to joint problems.
Usually they'll offer a free check.
You might be able to fix the uneven wear with shoe inserts, and improve misalignment with exercise.

@Chamomiletea, don't dye your hair if you are pregnant. It might be safe but your skin and hair will probably be behaving differently. It's not the time to be trying new skincare either.

For shoes and clothes, look out for things you might like on ebay - buy them out of season and stick to things you know you love. It might take a bit of searching. Look for winter clothes and boots in spring and summer, less competition and people clearing out their wardrobes. Look for auctions that end at times when people are not likely to be bidding.

Charity shops are great for bargains. The ones in well-heeled areas are usually good for quality items, but I find fairly rough areas will sell stuff very cheaply and I often find high-end high-street stuff (Boden, Toast, Jigsaw etc) for as little as £1 or under £5. My local hospice shop sells bras for 50p and they look new or worn once or twice. Dress exchange shops are good too.
I have bought lots of mistakes but at that price, I'm not that bothered. I've left things and and regretted not buying them.

I usually disinfect my purchases and wash and iron before wearing.

Some haircuts are much lower maintenance than others. A growing out style will last months. Avoid a sharp bob or pixie cut as they will need a trim every few weeks.
A fairly cheap way of stripping colour from your hair is medicated shampoo.
Budget ranges of make-up and toiletries are often fine. There's always a thread on here.

If you have clear skin you can get away with the barest minimum of make-up, A bit of mascara or eyeliner and tinted lipsalve will probably be enough. Use a moisturiser with a decent spf. Aldi and Lidl sell then for less than £2.

I got 2 winter coats and a pair of Dubarry lookalike boots in June for a grand total of £25.

Total basics

Black, grey and mid blue skinny jeans - primark or H&M are fine.

Straight jeans the same if you can afford and wear these rolled up slightly

Black grey navy merino wool jumpers in a bigger size so you can slightly tuck in at the front. These are 19.90 in uniqlo. Or £15 wool look in M&S

Basic T-shirt’s in neutral colours, go slightly big and tuck in

Couple of leather belts

White plain trainers, easy to get anywhere. I bought brilliant boots in H&M online - 1 pair bikers. One pair lace up boots.

Denim jacket. Pleather biker if you can’t afford leather and a bum covering warm parka, black

Couple of plain colour big scarves - plenty in primark

Hair straighteners! The biggest secret to looking groomed!

Plain cross body bag and simple make up.

I have this as my general uniform and felt perfectly in place with the ladies wot lunch in selfridges this week.

I don't have much cash to splash on clothing and beauty. My tips are:

• spend the bulk of your money on shoes and coats
• Buy less but better quality - quality fabrics like wool, cotton, silk. Second hand and vintage generally better quality than newer. Focus on cut, colour and cloth (3 C's)
• take care of clothes. Repairs, ironing, careful washing etc.
• buy in sales and out of season. January sales are particularly good for winter coats and boots.
• paint and file own nails
• leave haircuts if not needed. Grow your hair out.
• make up is cheap
• keep on top of basics - hair masks, face masks, nails etc need not cost a lot but putting aside time to do them.

I am very fussy on fabric and print (have a textiles background). I lost a lot of weight a few years back and needed a new wardrobe, and can't really afford it. Every month I go over the planned budget for clothes. I try and put aside a small amount every month for a bigger shop for the next season, e.g.£20 a month can go towards to get a high quality winter coat in the January sales for £60.

Another one saying shop in charity shops. I got a pair of next jeans for £2 yesterday and a pair of brown suede ankle boots for £3.50. Most of my wardrobe is from charity shops and the only new items I buy are basic long sleeved tops from Primark.

don't dye your hair if you are pregnant.

That baby will be at least two now so I think she’ll be fine.

Great thread.

Drink lots of water and eat lots of good fat so you get that rich girl glow.

Answer I love your recommendations!

Don't get Hunters - total waste of money. If you need wellingtons that are long lasting, look good etc - I would recommend Le Chameau.

Another vote for charity shopping here. I just bought a pair of £79 Clarks ankleboots for £15 - they'd been worn once or twice. Look for quality stuff - spend time rooting through the rails and be ruthless. Don't buy it just because it's cheap. My son was married recently and I managed to kit him, myself and DS2 out for less than £50 from charity shops. Everything had probably worn once.