Second Life can be a large and bewildering place when you're starting out. Finding other people with your own interests can take a little while. In the meantime, many people take their first steps in the world and go... "My hair looks awful! I have to find a decent wig!"

Or maybe that was just me.

Truthfully, the default ways of customizing your avatar (The little person who represents you in SL) look fairly crude no matter how much time you spend on them. But you're "born" with only $250L and have to get a job or use real money to buy more. Not an interesting proposition for a game you're just trying out.

Fortunately, there are many places that offer stuff for free for new people.

These stores offer big lots of clothes, hair, animations, objects and other things for free or $1L each.
The GNUbie Store in Indigo, Indigo (201, 62, 37)
Freebies & More for Newbies and all, Manitoba (136, 136)

YadNi's Junkyard, Leda (210, 27, 54)
New Citizens Plaza, Kuula (70, 172)

The Free Dove, Gallii (111, 52, 32)

Sarah Nerd's Freebie Paradise, NineInchNerds (132, 105, 23)



Complete Avatar Sets

Linden Lifestyles Headquarter, Calla (164, 50, 0)

    -Jack & Jill in a box...complete shape, skin, clothing, hair, shoes, accessories in a box for L$0

Avatar, Mauve (165, 245, 41)

    -Complete shape, skin, clothing, hair, shoes, accessories, even an AO for L$250


Female Hair
Diversity Hair, Dacham (73, 145, 48)
    -Free to residents under 30 days (look for the voucher box)
Panache Island, Panache (125, 126, 38)

      - White Lies, Shear Bullshit 2 styles, $5L each   

Paperbag Princess, Mischief (119, 159, 25)

    - Free hair in 1 color

Calla, Callatropia (140, 157, 24)

    -4 free women's hairstyles (4 colors each Blonde, Red, Black & Brown) & a clothing pack

Tangles, Cortina (231, 191, 262)

    -1 hairstyle for avs under 31 days old

Here Comes Trouble, Trouble City (37, 37, 25)

    -Has some freebies and some inexpensive styles

0 Style, Metabirds (30, 217, 29)

    -1 hairstyle for L$1. The designer is Japanese and does their best with English, expect some oddities in grammar in notecards.

 
Male Hair 

ETD: Elika Tiramisu Designs, ETD Isle (220, 223, 26)
      - 2 styles $10L each in 5 colors (Must be under 60 days old)    
GuRL 6 Hair, GuRLyWOOD (127, 110, 21)

         -Avatars under 4 weeks old can pick out a hair style and receive it for free.

Calla, Callatropia (140, 157, 24)

    -1 free men's hairstyle (4 colors Blonde, Red, Black & Brown)

    
Hair Editing 101: The Ultimate Salon Guide for Beginners
It's not hard, I promise. Just make a backup copy before you start.
    
    
Female Skins
Sin Skins, Port Seraphine (126, 192, 21)
   -Free skins for female avs under 30 days
Tete a Pied Skins - Womens, Mens, Nouveau (220, 165, 21)

    -Free skins for male and female avs under 30 days
Miau Haus =^.^= w/ GearShift, Yelas (208, 120, 68)
     -Female Newbie Skins $10L
::: BareRose Skins::: HQ, Bare Rose (58, 239, 32)

      -Various female skin shades and makeups for $150L each
Panache Island, Panache (125, 126, 38)
      -1L skins with (strapless) bra & underwear on the skin. (that’s why their 1L!)

Nyte n Day, Couture Isle (50, 142, 49)

    -1L skins with the Nyte n Day logo on the nipples, nails, "girly bits" & big toe

    -2 shapes for L$1

Paperbag Princess, Mischief (119, 159, 25)

    - Free shape & skin

Skin Within, Serenity Islands CTR (166, 228, 22)

    -Free skin with 11 makeup options, shape & 2 pairs of eyes



Male Skins

::: BareRose Men's::: HQ, Bare Rose (30, 209, 24)
     - Various male skin shades  for $150L each

Tete a Pied Skins - Womens, Mens, Nouveau (220, 165, 21)    

    -Free skins for male and female avs under 30 days


Clothes
OPIUM Everyday + SKIN, Alpha Centauri (225, 5, 27)
    -  Dress slacks $75L, Nice tops $50L, and nice jeans.
Little Rebel Designs, Gallinas (99, 90, 58)
    - Suits, casuals starting at $50L
FUNK - Kiana Dulce & caLLie cLine, Plush Lambda (172, 167, 22)     

    -offers newbies 1 month or less a free outfit of their choice under L500    

    - Send a notecard with your choice and your name in the name.
Bossa Nova, Dos Corazones (69, 122, 25)

    -Her signature Copacabana line is L$1 per outfit.

Relika, Eventide South 128, 199, 26

    - L$1 for 3 nice tops and 3 scarfs

Tailsman Designs, Yawgoo (112, 156,97)

    -L$50 dresses

UFonly HQ - Upload Fee Only, Bare Rose (239, 166, 31)
    - clothes ranging from 10-50L
L&F, Boulevard Mystique (170, 109,)
      -A stand of free clothes by Leyla Firefly.
Nevermore Studios, Sovereign Crux (69, 103, 35)
     -Shirts for 35L
Nylon Outfitters, Miramare (190, 161, 26)
    -Box of freebies
imPerfections Main Store, Braunworth (16, 210, 182)
   -$25L clothing pieces
Torrid Wear, Port Seraphine (182, 181, 21)
    -everything for $50L.
Canimal Main Store, Canimal (177, 52, 37)
       - A huge discount section! all 50L & under.


Female Jewelry
Miriel, Nouveau (112, 205, 24)
      -Casual Pearls & Bounded Elegance, 2 Free Necklace & earrings sets in 4 different metals.
Lassitude & Ennui, Nouveau (66, 63, 30)
      -Signature Jewelry, Free, 3 different metals.

      -Free Signature sandals in 3 different colors with the metal in either Gold or Silver

*Cailyn's* - classic jewelry, Gisborne (113, 186, 27)
     - Two sets of free prim earrings.

Alienbear, Bratz (212, 240, 30)

    -4 sets for L$10 and under


Contests

X3D Apparel and Diversity Hair, Dacham (13, 99, 48) are holding a Makeover contest each Friday from now on, the Contest rules are:
    -You must be less than 60 Days old to enter
    -You must be a member of one or both of the groups for the stores
    -You must also be available for a Before and After pic
Details are on a notecard given at front of both stores on the contest poster and there is a raffle ball that you can click on to enter EASY but don't forget you have to be in one of those groups to be eligible. The prizes are 3 Natural packs of any style Hair from the Diversity Hair collection , 3 Outfits of your choosing from the X3D Apparel Collection and 3 Pairs of Shoes from X3D also , and you will be provided with up to 1500L's to purchase a skin.

Misc.

Happy Dispatch
      1L ZHAO animation overrider for n00bs
Reverie Virtual Systems
      Free Wet Ikon Animation Overrider


Other tips for finding Freebies
  1. Once you find favorite designers join their update groups. Several designers offer freebies regularly to their update groups for staying subscribed.
  2. Go lucky chair hunting. It's not always clothing, but there are some interesting things in various lucky chairs. There are even groups devoted to this. Go find a lucky chair. If the letter is the first letter of your first name sit in it and it will give you a prize. If the letter is not call it out on the lucky chair group IM (you will get a LOT of group IMs if you join a group like this) with the location. If someone calls out your letter you can go to that location and claim the prize.
  3. Go dumpster diving. No, I'm serious. Ravenwear has a dumpster that animates you dumpster diving and then gives you a box of freebies. She has the dumpster (& a trash can) for sale for other shop owners to use. So go on put on your best gown and then go dumpster diving. I dare ya.


Additional Articles

Appearance Mode

Style Disorder

Illusions
Newbie Hair article @ Savoir Hair