Skin care

Are Salon and Spa Treatments Worth It?

Experts weigh in on what hair and facial skin care treatments are worth splurging on and which ones you can do at home

by Molly Roemer, Sharon J. Yi

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Nothing has us running for the hills more than the idea of doing a skin care treatment like a bikini wax at home -- cue horror movie soundtrack. There are some things you can do safely and easily at home, but then there are certainly hair care and skin care treatments that should be left to trusted professionals. Case in point: Loving the trendy lob (aka long bob) is one thing, but deciding to do it yourself by plopping a fruit bowl on your head (visions of the Jack in the Box commercials are running through our minds) is definitely not recommended, and will most likely demand a trip to the hair salon afterwards anyway. So leave the scissors to the pros by going in for a haircut. On the other hand, something like a deep conditioning treatment you can do at home by simply using your fave conditioner and a shower cap. Doing this once a week will help maintain shiny, healthy hair.

You don't have to skip spa trips or settle for uneven highlights because we picked the brains of skin care experts, Olga Lorecin-Northup of Kinara Spa in West Hollywood, Calif. and Annet King, Director of Training and Development for The International Dermal Institute, as well as Whitney Olson, a hairstylist at the Warren-Tricomi salon in Los Angeles and celebrity hairstylist Jessica Tingley -- they revealed which hair and skin care treatments are worth splurging on, and which skin care and hair services you can do at home, yielding pretty much the same results.

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Older comments

Very informative

by cyndi_albritton_hall Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 08:04PM Report as inappropriate

DIY is great stuff!! I swear by Grape seed oil and extract!!

by Mommy_of_Ethan Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 07:04PM Report as inappropriate

Valueble information

by EricaC123 Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 04:59PM Report as inappropriate

These are all great tips. A massage by a professional sounds like heaven.

by kimihavens Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 12:40PM Report as inappropriate

Useful information on what do get done professionally and what to DIY. I much prefer to do most of my beauty treatments at home, but there are a choice number of things that should be left to the professionals.

by HeathRene Monday, October 8, 2012 at 04:50PM Report as inappropriate

GREAT ADVICE... MY HAIR IS EXTREMLY DRY. MY SKIN IS DRY EXCEPT MY FACE, IT'S COMBINATION GOING THROUGH MENOPAUSE. GREATTTTTTTT INFO. I COULD USE ALL THE ADVICE i CAN GET. YOU PEOPLE ARE AWESOME.

by Tlee Monday, September 24, 2012 at 01:56AM Report as inappropriate

really helpful!

by michellefuentes Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 06:01PM Report as inappropriate

Highly informative. Sometimes you get what you pay for, and sometimes you truly don't. If you find a good spa or treatment expert, do not let them fall to the wayside. Self proclaimed experts are a dime a dozen.

by robyne00 Monday, August 20, 2012 at 08:21PM Report as inappropriate

This was really cool!

by Dahlia84 Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 06:24AM Report as inappropriate

Actually, this is a great way to get a deep conditioning treatment for your hair without spending a fortune. I wouldn't use lots of my regular conditioner though. Spending a few extra dollars on a quality deep conditioner is worth it to use maybe once a week. The shower cap traps in the heat from your head and therefore is able to penetrate the hair folicles better. I have dual processed hair, so it can get feeling pretty dry and brittle if I don't keep up with the deep conditioner. If you don't have a shower cap, just go to the kitchen and grab some saran wrap. Use a couple large pieces of saran/plastic wrap to cover your head and then put a towel wrap on top. These are some really great alternatives to the expensive spa treatments.

by flirtygirl214 Friday, July 27, 2012 at 03:08PM Report as inappropriate