What beauty maintenance do you pay for and what do you DIY?

[mommybunny]

With hairdressers and spas reopening I thought it would be interesting to know what beauty maintenance people feel confident enough to do themselves and what they’re always happy to pay to have done by someone else.

For whatever you DIY, please share tools/guides/products you use!

I will always pay for:

Haircuts (I am far too clumsy with a pair of scissors in my hands)
Eyebrow waxing/shaping (my brows are fair and fine and my eyesight is crap)

DIY:

Hair colour (my hair is naturally fair - see eyebrows above - and I just spritz the roots every couple of weeks with John Frieda Go Blonder lightening spray. I can’t afford the time or expense of the salon visits!)
Nails (Essie Gel Couture - again, can’t afford regular salon visits as my manicures never last even a week)
Self-tan (isle of Paradise drops in moisturiser)
Leg hair removal (a cheap disposable razor from Boots every few days in the summer)

Normally only haircuts (though risked one diy over lockdown) - colour I used to do at home but now gone blonde and couldn't do that myself.

Most other stuff I'll at least attempt diy, because I'm very tight Brows I pluck/dye myself, I have a gel lamp for nails, I tried and failed a lash lift, don't really tan.

I have just booked in for laser hair removal but normally shave at home, never had a salon wax.

Pay for
Haircuts
Facials
Spray tans ( rarely have these though)

DIY
Eyebrows
Lashes
Hair removal
Mani and pedi

Hair colour. I have short hair and discovered over lockdown 1 that I can do a passable job of keeping it trimmed. So outside of lockdown I see the hairdresser slightly less frequently for a proper trim and my highlights. In between I trim myself.

Massage. I pay for back massage as I really need it and it's not something you can do yourself, really. Although a percussion massager does a passable job if push comes to shove.

Everything else I do myself.

Just hair. I get it cut and highlighted by a home hairdresser (so I don't even go to a salon). I have tried to DIY my hair in the past but it just never looks as good as when the hairdresser does it.

I do my own eyebrow, lip and armpit waxing, tanning, dermaplaining, gel pedicures and nails (gel builder for strength then gel polish). Most of these things have taken quite a bit of practice but I've been doing them for a long time so fairly good at them now. Tbf the only thing I can do as good as a professional is my eyebrows, everything else is fine and I'm happy with the end result but not perfect.

I’m so envious of those who do their own eyebrows!

I pay for hairdresser- colour & cut and to have my eyebrows waxed & tinted (am looking into micro blading too).

I have my own gel nail kit with lamp and also have my own wax pot to do everything apart from my eyebrows (too worried ill get wax in my eye to do them myself).

I also pay for the rare facial I get time to have!

Pay for - Haircut.

Anything else I do myself, although I don't do a lot.

Pay for
Hair - cut and colour
Semi perm lashes
Brow lamination and tint
Nails (when can be arsed, more regular before DC)
Dermaplaning (only when flush)

I used to never be without nails and lashes but then had DC so have grown accustomed to baldy eyes 🤣

DIY
Nails - most of time
Brows - most of time for general maintenance
Lashes - strip lashes
Tan
Dermaplaning (for the 99% of time I'm not flush)

I pay for:
Haircuts

And that's about it. My eyebrows are fair and rarely need anything more than plucking a couple of strays every few months. I dye my hair myself, do my own nails, hair removal etc.

I have the disposable income to pay for it to all be done but it's much more convenient to do this shit myself at home than have to arrange, drive to and sit through an appointment.

Hair - Salon coloured every 4-6 weeks and cut every 8-12
Lockdown has proven that this is a wise move!

Pedicure every 3-4 weeks, I have issues with bending and just can't do it myself. Booked in for today!

Legs waxed as they now only need doing every couple of months in summer as they are so fine/sparse.

I used to have my brows done at the same time as my pedicure but I have managed to keep them in check during the lockdowns. Will get them done professionally as they are now out of shape but then maintain myself with the occasional salon appointment.

I used to have a gel manicure every 2-3 weeks but had stopped late 2019, and was only going to have them done for special occasions. I can do a passable home manicure and will continue with that.

However I do plan to book in for a facial, full manicure and maybe some other treatments over the coming months as I have lived like a hermit for a year and feel that I have aged.

Pay for, hair cut.

I've got a Philips lumea now so I will hopefully be almost hair free by summer.
Always waxed my own bikini and under arms.
Do my own nails.

Best tip I ever had for DIY eyebrows is to use a brow pencil to draw an outline of the shape you want then pluck anything outside of that line. I get a much better shape that way and do little top up plucks in between.

Any tips for home waxing? I've always epilated before but fed up of all the ingrowing hairs 🤦‍♀️

When I worked I always went to the hairdresser and she looked after it completely. I do not smoke or drink and considred this luxury was worth every penny.
She cut it, coloured it, put highlights in and dried it twice a week.

I would get my nails done, legs waxed and eyebrows done - dyed and trimmed/plucked.
I also had pedicures and loved being spoiled and pampered.

Now I am retired and have given in to 'The Grey' I wash it and cut my hair very well.

All the other stuff I can do for myself apart from the eyebrows which my daughter takes care of.

I don't mind since I am able to do it all but it was nice when someone else did it :)

I pay to go to the hairdressers for a cut, I don't dye my hair but I imagine I will soon as I am starting to notice a lot of grey coming through!

Brows I do myself, have done for years. My sister kept trying to get me to let her do them (can't remember what exactly but she is trained in it) but refused. I have jet black eye brows and mousy brown hair, if they are too neat and done up I think I'd look ridiculous, given the colouring. I keep them tidy and a nice shape, always get compliments which is nice as was bullied about them when I was younger!

Same OP, brows and hair. I wish I could do my own brows but I'm slow and it makes my eyes water so badly it becomes the most tedious task.

I used to pay for nails but I kept getting sadists doing them, seemed like everytime I went in they made me bleed.

Pay for a hair cut, but I cut my fringe and only visit the hairdresser about once every six months. I get them to tint the roots, the rest of the time I do my roots with a cheap box dye. I sometimes put highlights through it and then use a toner if I'm feeling adventurous.

I do my eyebrows, well sort of. They are thick and black and all I do is occasionally tidy them up, otherwise I'd look like Bert from Sesame Street. Eyelashes are black, very thick and fairly long but the bloody things don't curl nicely, they are errant and badly behaved!

Nails, nothing, they are natural, never do more than get an emery board out if I need to.

I de-fuzz if I really have to but I find it boring. I usually wait for DH to say something!

Haircuts only. Everything else (admittedly very little) I do at home.

Am thinking I might start having a regular facial though, feel I'm old and tired enough to deserve it!

Professionals

Haircut and colour
Mani
Pedi
Occasional hair removal
Occasional facials
Botox

DIY
Occasional hair removal
Occasional facials
Eyebrows

I pay for most things...
-haircut
-color (highlights)
-gel nails
-lash extensions
-facials
-brows (microblading and waxing)
-intimate area waxing

Only thing I dyi is leg/under arm shaving and pedi

Pay for
Haircut/colour
Eyebrow tint and shape
Nails

DIY
pedicure and gel toenails
Hair removal
Lashes

I don't pay professionally for anything really and have never been to the hairdresser, had my nails done etc (am 33 and certainly not a tomboy aesthetic or anything approaching it, I make a fair bit of effort when going out)

I just do it all at home myself and think I look perfectly normal/fine. When I go grey I'll probably crack and have my colour done professionally as I don't think box dye generally fares well but otherwise at home I do:

My own haircuts/trims
Have decent enough brows so just pluck them in the relevant areas and maintain.
Paint nails and toenails and cuticle remove (usually in the summer much more frequently)
Basic skincare routine, the odd face mask
Fortunate enough to have no facial hair so that's fine
I don't fake tan or want to change my hair colour so that's easy enough, I've never dyed it so it's in decent condition.
I shave my legs and underarms daily but don't really bother with bikini line other than trimming so no need to shell out for waxing.

I'm often tempted to just go and get it all done to see what I'd look like but never quite enough to go or shell out.

Pay for hair

Do my own
Brows/threading
Dermaplaning
Nails
Hair removal
Lashes via rapidlash serum!

I pay for everything...

Hair - cut, colored, keratin treatment, plus I get it washed and blow-dried twice a week. I don't ever wash my own hair.
Eye-brows threaded.
Leg, arm-pit hair, and bikini line, lasered off.
Facials once a month
Pedicure once a month, finger nails done while I have my hair blow-dried, once a week or so.
Massage, fortnightly.
Eyelash extensions (very very short natural looking ones) occasionally.
Clothing, suggested by a personal stylist (we meet twice a year, to prepare for the new season)

I am just not very skilled at doing things my self but need to look polished for work. And I work (on my lap-top, usually dealing with my emails) while I get my hair done, so it isn't time wasted.

Hair cut every five weeks, but colour myself with professional salon dye.

Eyebrows waxed/threaded every three weeks.

Nails I do myself every few days, but might get the odd gels done professionally if I was going away somewhere. I shave legs/underarms/bikini line myself, tint my own brows and lashes, and do a pedicure/DIY facial every weekend. I very occasionally fake tan but am quite dark skinned so don't really need to bother.

The only thing I pay for is Microblading. Anything else I do myself. Am pretty low maintenance compared to everyone on here. I feel like a right scruff.