Is Your Staff Secretly Wasting Expensive Products? Use This 4-Step Fix to Save Cash

I'll never forget the day I walked into the back room of a salon I was consulting for and found three barely-used bottles of premium color treatment—each costing about ₹2,800—sitting open on the counter, completely dried out. The owner had been complaining about razor-thin profit margins for months, and there I was, staring at nearly ₹8,000 of waste that had literally evaporated.

That moment changed how I look at inventory management forever.

Here's the uncomfortable truth most salon and spa owners don't want to face: your staff might not be deliberately stealing products (though that happens too), but chances are they're using way more than necessary on every single service. A little extra conditioner here, an unnecessarily generous portion of massage oil there—it adds up faster than you think. According to industry research, inventory carrying costs can account for up to 20-30% of total inventory value annually, and much of that is preventable waste.

If you've ever looked at your profit and loss statement and wondered why your margins are so tight despite staying busy, product waste is probably eating into your bottom line. In this guide, I'm going to walk you through a practical four-step system I've used with dozens of beauty businesses to plug these expensive leaks and put that money back where it belongs—in your bank account.

So, What Exactly Is Product Waste Costing Your Business?

Let me put this in perspective. Product waste isn't just about the occasional spilled bottle or expired product (though those count). It's the accumulated effect of imprecise portioning, staff taking products home, over-application during services, and yes, sometimes outright theft.

When I audit salon inventories, I typically find that businesses are losing between 8-15% of their product cost to waste and shrinkage. For a salon doing ₹10 lakh in monthly revenue with a typical 30% cost of goods sold (COGS), that's anywhere from ₹24,000 to ₹45,000 disappearing every single month. That's ₹2.88 lakh to ₹5.4 lakh per year—money that should be profit.

The really frustrating part? Most owners have no idea it's happening because they're not tracking usage at a granular level. They order products when they run low, pay the bills, and assume everything's fine. Meanwhile, their net profit margins stay stubbornly stuck around 8-10% when they should be closer to 15-20%.

How Much Profit Is Truly Lost to Product Wastage and 'Shrinkage'?

Here's where it gets real. Let's break down the actual financial impact with a scenario I see constantly.

Imagine you're running a mid-sized salon with three stylists and two beauticians. You're doing about 200 services per month across hair, facials, and other treatments. Your product costs run around ₹3 lakh monthly. Sounds manageable, right?

Now let's say each stylist is using just 20% more product than necessary per service—not because they're bad people, but because nobody's ever trained them on proper portioning or held them accountable. That's an extra ₹60,000 in product cost each month that's generating zero additional revenue.

But it doesn't stop there. Maybe one staff member occasionally takes home a retail product "to try" or uses premium products for their own hair. Add another ₹10,000. Some products expire before you use them because you over-ordered without knowing your actual consumption rate—there's another ₹15,000.

Suddenly, you're looking at ₹85,000 in preventable waste. That's not revenue you need to generate—that's pure profit margin you're currently throwing away. Companies that have implemented proper inventory management systems report reducing COGS by 8-12% within the first year, which for this salon would mean recovering around ₹70,000 monthly.

Think about what you could do with an extra ₹8.4 lakh in annual profit. New equipment? Better marketing? Actually taking a proper vacation?

What Are the 4 Primary Causes of Excess Product Usage by Staff?

After working with beauty businesses for years, I've identified four main culprits that drive product waste. Understanding these is crucial because you can't fix what you can't see.

1. Lack of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

This is the big one. Most salons don't have documented, specific guidelines for how much product to use for each service. When I ask stylists "How much color do you use for a full head application?" I get answers ranging from "depends on the hair" to "I just eyeball it."

Sure, some variation is necessary based on hair length and thickness. But there should be a baseline. Without SOPs, every staff member develops their own habits—usually on the generous side because nobody wants to run out mid-service and look unprepared.

I worked with one salon where we implemented simple measuring guidelines: 60ml of color for shoulder-length hair, 80ml for longer. Just having that standard reduced color waste by about 25% in the first month.

2. No Tracking or Accountability Systems

Here's a question: Can you tell me which staff member used the most shampoo last month? Or which services are eating through your most expensive products?

If you're like most owners I meet, the answer is no. And that's a problem because what doesn't get measured doesn't get managed.

When staff know their product usage isn't being tracked, there's no incentive to be careful. It's human nature. The moment you start monitoring usage—even just informally—behavior changes. People become more conscious of waste when they know someone's paying attention.

3. Poor Storage and Inventory Organization

I can't tell you how many times I've seen expensive serums and treatments stored in unlocked cabinets, mixed in with cheap conditioners, without any system for tracking what's opened or who's using what.

When products are easily accessible and nobody's monitoring them, they disappear. Sometimes staff genuinely don't realize they're using a ₹3,000 treatment instead of a ₹500 conditioner because the bottles look similar and nothing's clearly labeled.

And then there's the issue of products getting opened, partially used, and forgotten. I once found seven half-empty bottles of the same hair mask in one salon's storage room. Seven! Each one had been opened, used once or twice, then shoved to the back when someone opened a fresh bottle.

4. Inadequate Training on Product Value and Proper Application

Most staff simply don't understand the actual cost of the products they're using. They know that premium color is "expensive," but do they know it costs ₹450 per 60ml? Probably not.

When I train staff, I always start by showing them the real numbers. "This bottle of treatment costs ₹2,400. We charge ₹1,200 for this service. If you use more than 30ml, we're losing money on every client." That context changes behavior immediately.

Similarly, many staff haven't been properly trained on application techniques that minimize waste. They're squeezing product directly onto their hands instead of using pumps or measuring tools. They're not using applicator brushes that would reduce color usage. Small technique changes can save thousands of rupees monthly.

How Can I Implement a System to Track Product Use-Per-Service Accurately?

Alright, this is where theory meets practice. I'm going to walk you through the exact system I use with clients, and honestly, it's simpler than you might think. You don't need fancy software or a PhD in inventory management—just consistency and a bit of discipline.

Step 1: Establish Baseline Usage Standards

First, you need to know what "normal" looks like for your business. Here's how I do it:

Pick your top 10-15 most-used products—the ones that make up 80% of your product spending. For each one, work with your most experienced, efficient staff member to establish standard usage amounts for common services.

For example:

• Shampoo for short hair wash: 10ml
• Shampoo for long hair wash: 20ml
• Color for root touch-up: 40ml
• Color for full head (shoulder-length): 60ml
• Facial cleanser per service: 5ml
• Massage oil for 30-minute back massage: 15ml

Document these in a simple chart and post it in your product storage area. Take photos of the actual amounts in measuring cups so staff can visualize what 15ml of massage oil actually looks like.

Yes, there will be variations based on client needs. That's fine. But having a baseline gives you something to measure against.

Step 2: Implement a Simple Tracking System

You don't need to track every single product use in real-time (though some businesses do). Start with tracking inventory at two levels:

Daily par level checks: Each morning and evening, do a quick count of how many units you have of key products. Note it in a simple spreadsheet or even a physical logbook. Over a week or two, you'll start to see patterns: "We're going through three bottles of purple shampoo per week, but we only do about 15 blonde services."

Service-based calculations: Look at your appointment book. If you did 50 shampoo services this week and went through four 1-liter bottles of shampoo, that's 80ml per service—way more than the 15ml average you should be hitting.

The math doesn't need to be perfect. You're looking for red flags and trends, not precision down to the milliliter.

One salon I worked with discovered they were using twice as much color as necessary simply by doing this basic tracking for one month. The culprit? One stylist who was mixing full bowls of color "just in case" and throwing away whatever was left.

Step 3: Connect Usage to Individual Staff (Where Possible)

This is where things get powerful. If you can track which staff member is performing which services, you can start to identify outliers.

Let me be clear: this isn't about creating a punitive environment where everyone's terrified of using an extra pump of conditioner. It's about identifying training opportunities and catching problems early.

I've seen situations where one staff member was consistently using 30-40% more product than their colleagues for the same services. When the owner addressed it (kindly!), it turned out the staff member simply didn't know proper application techniques. After a quick training session, their usage dropped to normal levels.

In another case, tracking revealed that products were mysteriously disappearing on days when a particular employee worked alone. That led to a difficult but necessary conversation about theft.

What Is a "Par Level" and How Does It Prevent Over-Ordering?

Think of par levels like the minimum stock you need on hand to operate smoothly between deliveries. It's a concept borrowed from restaurants, and it works beautifully for salons and spas.

Here's how it works: For each product, you determine the minimum quantity you need in stock to avoid running out before your next order arrives. This number is your "par level."

Let's say you use about 10 bottles of your standard shampoo per week, and your supplier delivers weekly. Your par level might be 12 bottles—enough to cover one week's usage plus a small buffer for busy periods or delivery delays.

Every time you do inventory (ideally weekly), you count what you have and order enough to bring you back to par. If you have 5 bottles on hand and your par is 12, you order 7 bottles. Simple.

The beauty of this system is that it prevents both over-ordering (which leads to expired products and cash tied up in inventory) and under-ordering (which leads to emergency orders at higher prices or worse, running out mid-service).

I worked with one spa that was ordering products randomly based on "feel" rather than actual usage. They had ₹2.5 lakh worth of excess inventory sitting in storage—some of it nearing expiration—while simultaneously running out of basic items and placing emergency orders at premium prices. After implementing par levels, they cut their inventory costs by about 20% within three months.

How Can I Use a POS System to Monitor Staff-Level Product Consumption Variance?

Modern point-of-sale systems can be game-changers for inventory control, but honestly, most salon owners aren't using even 20% of the features they're paying for.

Here's what you should be doing if you have a decent POS system (and if you don't, this is a major reason to consider upgrading):

Link products to services: In your POS, every service should have an associated product usage profile. When a stylist performs a "Full Head Color" service, the system should automatically deduct the standard amount of color, developer, gloves, and foils from inventory.

This serves two purposes. First, it gives you real-time visibility into inventory levels. Second, it creates a baseline for comparison. If your system says you should have used 50 tubes of color this month based on services performed, but you actually went through 70 tubes, you know there's a 40% overage to investigate.

Track services by staff member: Your POS should already be recording which staff member performed each service. Cross-reference this with product usage, and you can identify variance at the individual level.

For example, let's say you have three stylists who each performed about 20 highlight services this month. Stylist A's services consumed 1,200ml of lightener, Stylist B used 1,400ml, and Stylist C used 2,100ml. Stylist C is using 75% more product than Stylist A for the same number of services. That's your starting point for a conversation.

Generate exception reports: Set up your system to flag unusual patterns. If someone performs a basic facial but the product usage logged is double the normal amount, you want to know about it. If retail products are being "used" in services at unusual rates, that's a red flag.

I should mention—implementing this level of tracking requires a decent POS system and some upfront setup work. Systems like DINGG are specifically designed for salons and spas with built-in inventory management that connects directly to your service bookings. The initial setup takes a few hours, but once it's running, you get automatic tracking without extra daily work.

What Are the Best Practices for Secure Product Storage and Internal Audits?

Let's talk about the physical security side of things, because even the best tracking system won't help if products are walking out the back door.

Controlled Access Storage

First rule: not everyone needs access to everything. I recommend a tiered storage system:

Open access: Basic, low-cost items that are used constantly (standard shampoo, cotton pads, basic conditioner). Keep these readily available so staff aren't constantly asking for keys.

Restricted access: Mid-range products and anything that's commonly used but has meaningful cost (specialty shampoos, styling products, basic color). Keep these in a locked cabinet with access limited to senior staff or management.

Highly restricted: Your expensive stuff—premium treatments, retail products, high-end color lines. Lock these up tight, and require sign-out or direct manager dispensing.

One salon I worked with was hemorrhaging money on a ₹4,500 keratin treatment. Staff were using it liberally—sometimes on services that didn't even call for it—because it was sitting in the open storage area. After moving it to a locked cabinet and requiring sign-out, usage dropped by 60% overnight with zero impact on service quality.

Implement a Sign-Out System

For your restricted and highly restricted products, use a simple sign-out log. It doesn't need to be complicated—just a notebook or spreadsheet with columns for:

• Date and time
• Product name and amount
• Staff member name
• Client name or service type
• Signature

This creates accountability and gives you a paper trail. When you do your weekly inventory and notice that six bottles of a particular serum are missing, you can look at the log and see exactly who used them and when.

And here's the psychological benefit: when people have to physically write down that they're taking something, they're way more conscious about whether they really need it.

Regular Inventory Audits

Monthly audits are recommended for most businesses, but I actually suggest weekly spot checks for your highest-value items. Pick five or six expensive products each week and do a physical count. Compare it against what your POS system says should be in stock.

Small discrepancies are normal—someone might have spilled a bottle or used a bit extra for a client with exceptionally long hair. But if you're consistently finding 20-30% variance, you've got a problem that needs immediate attention.

I also recommend quarterly "surprise" audits where you count everything without advance notice. Yes, this takes time—usually a few hours—but it sends a clear message that inventory is being monitored seriously.

Create a Culture of Transparency

Look, all the locks and logs in the world won't help if your staff feels like you don't trust them. I've found that the most effective approach is to be completely transparent about why you're implementing these controls.

Have a team meeting and say something like: "Listen, I've realized we're losing about ₹50,000 a month to product waste and overuse. That's money that could go toward better equipment, higher bonuses, or more training opportunities. I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but we need to get this under control together. Here's what's changing..."

When staff understand that reducing waste benefits everyone—including them—they're usually on board. In fact, I've had staff members become some of the best waste-reduction advocates once they understand the financial impact.

Can Efficient Inventory Management Improve Vendor Negotiation Power?

Absolutely, and this is an underrated benefit that most salon owners don't think about.

Here's the thing: when you have solid data on your actual usage patterns, you can negotiate from a position of strength. You know exactly how much of each product you use monthly, what your reorder frequency is, and what your total annual spend looks like with each supplier.

I worked with a spa owner who was ordering products reactively—placing small orders whenever they ran low. After implementing proper tracking, she realized she was spending about ₹8.5 lakh annually with one particular supplier. Armed with that data, she approached them about a volume discount and payment terms improvement.

The supplier had no idea she was spending that much because her orders were small and frequent. She negotiated a 12% volume discount and extended payment terms from 15 to 30 days. That's over ₹1 lakh in annual savings plus improved cash flow, just from having accurate usage data.

Implementing Just-In-Time (JIT) Ordering

Once you know your par levels and consumption rates, you can start implementing JIT principles—ordering products to arrive just before you need them rather than keeping months of inventory sitting in storage.

Research shows that JIT inventory systems can reduce warehouse costs by 15-30% by minimizing storage needs. For salons and spas, this means less cash tied up in inventory, fewer expired products, and often better prices because you're ordering in more predictable patterns.

The key is reliability. You need suppliers who can deliver consistently and accurately. If your supplier is flaky about delivery times, you can't run lean inventory—you need bigger buffers, which costs money.

I've helped several businesses switch suppliers specifically because their current vendor couldn't support a JIT model. Yes, the new supplier's prices were sometimes slightly higher, but the overall cost savings from reduced inventory and fewer expired products more than made up for it.

The 4-Step Fix: Your Action Plan to Stop Product Waste

Alright, let's bring this all together into a practical action plan you can start implementing today. I've used this exact framework with dozens of businesses, and it works.

Step 1: Detect – Identify Where You're Losing Money

This week:

• Do a complete physical inventory of all products. Yes, everything. Count it, categorize it, and calculate the total value. This is your baseline.
• For the next two weeks, track your top 10 products daily. Just note opening count, purchases/deliveries, and closing count. The difference is your usage.
• Compare usage to the number of services performed. Calculate usage per service.

What you're looking for: Big discrepancies between expected and actual usage. If you should be using 20ml of product per service but you're actually burning through 35ml, you've found a leak.

Real example: One salon discovered they were using four times more toner than their service volume justified. Turns out staff were mixing large bowls and dumping whatever wasn't used. Simple fix: pre-mix smaller amounts. Saved ₹18,000 monthly.

Step 2: Educate – Train Staff on Cost Impact and Proper Techniques

This month:

• Hold a team meeting specifically about product costs. Show real numbers. Be transparent about profit margins and how waste impacts the business (and potentially their bonuses/job security).
• Create visual guides showing proper portions for common services. Use measuring cups and take photos.
• Conduct hands-on training for proper application techniques that minimize waste—applicator bottles, brushes, pumps instead of open pouring.

What to emphasize: You're not accusing anyone of wrongdoing. You're giving them the information and tools they need to use products efficiently. Frame it as "we're all in this together."

Script I use: "I know nobody's trying to waste product, but I've realized we haven't given you clear guidelines on portioning. Here's what each service should use, and here's why it matters. Every time we use an extra 10ml of this color unnecessarily, that's ₹75 that could have been profit. Over a month, those little extras add up to thousands of rupees we're literally pouring down the drain."

Step 3: Control – Implement Physical and System-Based Controls

This month:

• Set up your tiered storage system (open, restricted, highly restricted).
• Implement a sign-out log for expensive products.
• Establish par levels for your top 30 products.
• If you have a POS system with inventory features, configure it to track product usage per service. If you don't have one, seriously consider upgrading. Systems like DINGG are designed specifically for beauty businesses and include inventory management features that connect directly to your appointment booking and service tracking.

Critical point: Controls should make waste harder, not make legitimate work harder. If staff need to fill out a 10-minute form every time they need shampoo, they'll find workarounds or get frustrated. Keep it simple and focused on the expensive stuff.

Step 4: Review – Monitor, Adjust, and Maintain

Ongoing:

• Weekly spot checks of high-value inventory
• Monthly full inventory counts
• Quarterly review of usage patterns and par levels (these will change with seasons and service mix)
• Regular staff check-ins to get feedback on the system and make adjustments

What success looks like: After implementing this system, most businesses see:

• 15-25% reduction in product costs within the first three months
• Fewer "emergency" product orders at premium prices
• Less cash tied up in excess inventory
• Clearer visibility into which services and staff are most/least profitable

One of my clients reduced their monthly product spend from ₹4.2 lakh to ₹3.3 lakh within four months—a savings of ₹90,000 monthly, or ₹10.8 lakh annually—without changing service quality or pricing at all. That's pure margin improvement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Implementing Inventory Controls

Let me save you from some painful learning experiences by sharing mistakes I've seen (and made) over the years.

Mistake #1: Implementing Everything at Once

I get it—you're excited to plug these leaks and you want results now. But if you try to overhaul your entire inventory system overnight, you'll overwhelm your staff and yourself.

Start with tracking your top 10 products and implementing basic controls on your most expensive items. Get that running smoothly for a month before expanding. Build the habit and prove the value before scaling up.

Mistake #2: Making It Punitive Instead of Educational

If your staff feels like you're treating them as thieves, morale will tank and you might lose good people. Most product waste isn't malicious—it's habit, lack of training, or simply not knowing better.

Lead with education and transparency. Save the disciplinary approach for proven cases of actual theft, which are honestly pretty rare.

Mistake #3: Tracking Everything Obsessively

Not every product needs the same level of control. Cotton pads? Aluminum foil? Cheap shampoo? Don't waste your time tracking these down to the unit.

Focus your energy on products that represent real money—typically the top 20-30 items that make up 80% of your product spending. Everything else can be managed with simple periodic counts.

Mistake #4: Not Adjusting for Legitimate Variation

Some services genuinely require more product. A client with waist-length thick hair needs more color than someone with a pixie cut. A 90-minute massage uses more oil than a 30-minute one.

Your standards should account for this variation. If you hold everyone to rigid amounts without considering context, you'll either provide poor service or frustrate your staff. Build in reasonable ranges and trust your team's professional judgment within those ranges.

Mistake #5: Ignoring the Data You Collect

I've seen businesses implement beautiful tracking systems and then... never actually look at the reports. What's the point?

Block out 30 minutes weekly to review your numbers. Look for trends, anomalies, and opportunities. The data is only valuable if you act on it.

When Should You NOT Worry About Product Waste?

Let me be contrarian for a moment: there are times when being too focused on product costs can actually hurt your business.

When It Impacts Service Quality

If your staff is so worried about using too much product that they're skimping on service quality, you've gone too far. A client who gets a mediocre color job because the stylist was trying to save ₹50 worth of product isn't coming back—and you just lost thousands in lifetime value.

The goal is to eliminate waste, not to minimize usage. There's a difference.

When You're Still Building Systems

If you're a brand new business and you're still figuring out your service menu, pricing, and processes, obsessing over inventory control might be premature. Get your core business model working first, then optimize.

When Staff Turnover Is High

If you're constantly training new staff, implementing complex inventory controls might not be the best use of your time. Focus first on hiring and retention. Once you have a stable team, then tighten up inventory management.

When the Numbers Don't Justify It

If your total monthly product spend is ₹50,000 and you think you might be wasting 10%, that's ₹5,000 monthly. That's worth addressing, sure, but it might not justify spending 10 hours a week on elaborate tracking systems.

Do a cost-benefit analysis. If the time and money required to implement controls exceeds the likely savings, keep it simple or deprioritize it in favor of revenue-generating activities.

Real Talk: The Emotional Side of Addressing Product Waste

I want to acknowledge something that doesn't get talked about enough: confronting product waste, especially when staff are involved, is emotionally difficult.

I've had salon owners tell me they know a particular employee is taking products home but they're afraid to address it because the person is otherwise excellent and clients love them. I've seen owners avoid implementing controls because they don't want to seem like they don't trust their team.

These feelings are valid. But here's what I've learned: avoiding the issue doesn't make it go away, and it's not fair to your business or your other staff members who are playing by the rules.

When I finally had the tough conversation with an employee who was taking products, it was uncomfortable for about 15 minutes. But afterward, the whole team seemed relieved. They'd noticed too, and the fact that it wasn't being addressed was creating resentment.

Sometimes the kind thing—for everyone—is to set clear boundaries and enforce them consistently. Your staff actually want structure and fairness. Chaos and ambiguity are more stressful than reasonable controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if my staff is wasting expensive products?

Start by tracking your inventory usage against services performed. If you're going through significantly more product than your service volume justifies—say, 30% or more over expected usage—you've got waste happening. Also watch for patterns like products disappearing faster when certain staff work alone, or finding multiple partially-used bottles of the same product.

What is the most effective way to reduce product waste in my business?

The most effective approach combines education and systems. Train your staff on proper portions and application techniques while implementing basic tracking and controlled storage for expensive items. Most businesses see 15-25% reduction in product costs within three months of implementing these combined measures.

How does Just-In-Time inventory reduce costs?

JIT minimizes storage time and holding costs by ordering products only as needed based on actual consumption data. This reduces spoilage and obsolescence while improving cash flow. Research shows JIT systems can reduce warehouse costs by 15-30%, and for salons specifically, it means less cash tied up in inventory and fewer expired products.

Can technology really help reduce product costs?

Absolutely. Modern POS and inventory management systems—like DINGG—automate tracking, provide real-time visibility, and flag unusual usage patterns. Businesses using AI-driven inventory management report reducing COGS by 8-12% within the first year through better accuracy and waste detection.

How often should I conduct inventory audits?

Monthly full audits are recommended for most beauty businesses, with weekly spot checks on your highest-value products. Quarterly surprise audits (counting everything without advance notice) help maintain accountability and catch issues early.

What are common causes of unknown product loss?

The main culprits are over-portioning during services, improper storage leading to spoilage, staff taking products home, expired products that weren't used in time, and occasionally theft. Lack of standard operating procedures and tracking systems allows these issues to persist undetected.

How can I motivate staff to reduce waste?

Be transparent about the financial impact and how reducing waste benefits everyone—potentially through bonuses, better equipment, or more training opportunities. Provide clear guidelines and tools to make proper usage easy, not just expected. Frame it as a team effort rather than policing.

Is automation expensive to implement?

Initial costs vary, but cloud-based solutions have made automation much more accessible. Many salon management systems include inventory features as part of their standard packages. The investment typically pays for itself through labor savings and reduced waste within 6-12 months.

What's a realistic timeframe to see results from better inventory management?

Most businesses start seeing measurable improvements within 4-6 weeks of implementing basic controls and tracking. Significant cost reductions—typically 15-25%—usually materialize within three months as habits change and systems become routine.

Should I implement inventory controls for all products?

No. Focus on your top 20-30 products that represent 80% of your product spending. Low-cost, high-volume items like cotton pads or foil don't need the same level of control. Concentrate your energy where the money is.

Wrapping It Up: Your Path to Better Margins

If you take away just one thing from this guide, let it be this: product waste isn't a character flaw in your staff or a sign that you're a bad manager. It's a systems problem that has systems-based solutions.

The businesses I've seen successfully tackle this issue all share a few characteristics: they're willing to look at uncomfortable truths, they implement changes incrementally rather than all at once, and they approach it as a team effort rather than a blame game.

Start small. Pick your five most expensive products and start tracking them this week. Do a physical count today, then again in seven days. Calculate your usage per service. That's your baseline and your wake-up call.

From there, implement one change per week. Week one: establish standard portions. Week two: create a sign-out log for expensive items. Week three: set up secure storage. By the end of the month, you'll have a functioning system that's already saving you money.

And if you're feeling overwhelmed by the tracking and admin side of things, remember that technology can handle most of the heavy lifting. A proper salon management system—DINGG, for instance—connects your appointments, services, and inventory in one place, automatically tracking usage and flagging discrepancies so you don't have to do it manually.

The money you're losing to product waste right now isn't gone forever. It's sitting there waiting for you to plug the leaks and redirect it to where it belongs—your bottom line. The question isn't whether you can afford to implement better controls. It's whether you can afford not to.

What's your first step going to be?