The holidays bring light into the coldest and darkest days of the year with some festive cheer. There is something comforting about stepping into businesses and homes that have been given a holiday makeover, even something as simple as peppermint candies in a glass bowl or a poinsettia plant on the window sill. If you love to go all out for the holidays but haven’t had the budget to back you up, you can still bring your clients into a world of festive fun with these simple budget-friendly hack to get your studio into the holiday spirit. (@kaylauntangled) 1. Get items that you can reuse year after year In the spirit of the holidays, people tend to go out and purchase silver tinsel and even mini Christmas trees that will not last beyond one holiday season. As a salon owner, you have the opportunity to invest in your festive decor by purchasing items that can be reused year after year. Festive snowflake string lights, a holiday vase, a faux wreath or a holiday snow globe can last a long time, making the purchase worth your while. (@shearoasisrenee) We love these beautiful LED candles that create a warm ambiance for the holidays. There is nothing quite like a room that feels candlelit in the wintertime. If you don’t quite have the space for full-sized candles, try LED tea lights instead. The LED tea lights are great for bringing light into tight spaces, emphasizing any holiday displays, and filling decorative lanterns or candelabras in a way that does not pose a fire hazard. Add one real holiday scented candle into the mix and your salon will feel like a total spa. (@kiersten_shadeandcomb) Think about items that you can mix into your decor that can be reused and you won’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel every year. Although there may be a greater upfront cost to doing this, give yourself a small budget - think under $70 - and remember that this is an investment in your business. If you usually spend $35/year on decor that gets tossed in the trash after the season is through, it will only take two years for you to have both upgraded your holiday decor while saving yourself money in the long run. Contemplate the life of an item before buying it and you’ll save your business money in years to come. We like to think about the life of something in terms of how many uses you’ll use it - so if you use something once and it cost $10, that is $10 per use. If you buy something that costs $30 and will use it for 5 years, that is $6 per use. That is smart spending! 2. Choose your unique theme Are metallics getting you in the mood for New Years? Or maybe funky colors are more your vibe? You don’t need to be religious or traditional in your holiday choices. In fact, your clientele is diverse and likely to be celebrating all kinds of holidays this season, so think outside the box, and look for holiday decor that inspires and fills you with joy. Any joyous makeover to your space will make it truly feel like the holidays in your studio. (@lokiestudio) Stylist Danielle Avila recommends a white and gold theme, to keep it festive without going overboard on the overwhelming holiday color palette. We love the sleek simplicity of “less is more” in the holiday scheme to keep your space feeling festive, yet calm. Your workplace should remain a space of serenity and keeping things simple also tends to keep costs down a bit. (@lacygarrisonhairstudio) 3. Bring in Family Relics and Hand-me-downs This is a time of year all about tradition. Add some holiday cheer free of charge by borrowing anything that your friends or family may have used for holiday decor in the past. Ask around to cousins, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles. You never know who has downsized or would like to get rid of burdensome clutter. Sometimes people forget about holiday decor they have stored away for years, and having a purpose for (or even just clearing out) all the stuff may come as a relief. You never know what might be hiding in the old attic, and it surely never hurts to ask. You can add in the fact that having something from them in your salon would feel really special during your busiest time of the year. (@kaylauntangled) They don’t really make holiday decor like they used to, so you may find some great quality items! Jenna Lytle (@quartzhairstudio) uses a vintage Christmas tree from her grandmother, which she says “totally fits the vibe of the Quartz Hair Studio.” If your family has never been big on holiday decorating, try a local thrift shop to recreate that vintage decor vibe. Nothing screams the holidays like some old fashioned relics of the past. 4. Shop the Deals! We asked Sola stylists about some of their favorite places to grab holiday deals for salon decor and here were some of their insider tricks of the trade: Sola Salon’s Brows by Lana (@browsbylana) recommends Michael’s 50% off holiday