Hair cut and colour now exceeds what I earn in a day. Absolutely fed up.

I might be wrong but I think the point the OP was making was not the hair dresser was charging too much, of course their costs needs paying etc , it’s just the imbalance in wages next to the cost of living. People who work hard won’t be able to afford hair cuts and this will be a problem for hard working hairdressers too. It could have been lots of industries. It’s about the rise in the cost of living vs wages rather than a criticism of the cost of a hair cut. ( of course no one has to have a hair cut but surely hard work mean we should be able to have a few things that make us feel good otherwise what is the point)

Assuming you are going somewhere reasonably decent for it to cost that although I am staggered that it's a "rough" dry at that price. A decent hairdresser should want to see the end result.
I pay around £130 for mine extremely thick long hair but my hairdresser is now mobile (used to be same cost in a salon 10 years ago).
I would ask around. Sometimes people have little gem salons that you'd never consider from the outside but have a really good stylist inside.

It depends how long it is since they last rose prices. Many businesses hold them as long as they can until they realise they're losing money or the owner is working for free.

Because that's the reality of small businesses, as well as all their other costs, you'd hope the owner is making a decent income for their efforts and given that even NMW is £25k now, you'd want an experienced, skilled person to be making at least £40/50k, otherwise what's the point of working for themselves when they can earn as much, if not more without the risk and likely longer than full time hours.

OP, try the It's Pure range of colours. They cover grey brilliantly and are so easy to use at home. All natural ingredients, no chemicals.

Same in Scotland. PP outlined all the costs that go into running a salon but it’s so much cheaper here in all regards and the hairdressers do very well for themselves. Just sucks to live in London I guess but that goes for all aspects of living there imo 😬

Mine closed her salon and started working from home, she converted a small downstairs room. Her prices went up and she said it was to pay for the new "salon" 😂

£70 a month insurance??!?! What are you driving? Mine is £220 fully comprehensive a year.

The cut and colour also sounds very expensive. I would perhaps shop around.

Can't afford, or can't justify? Because if it's the second, personally I think a days wages is well justified on an aspect of your presentation that you will 'wear' every day, and may be important to how good you feel about yourself. If you break it down to a daily cost it feels a lot more reasonable, if you're a person to whom hair matters (not saying you should be, but most of us are!)
Most people will happily pay for more clothes than they need, a variety of shoes and assessories to wear now and again, yet your hair is with you all the time.
Not a hairdresser BTW, so no skin in the game, just my perspective.

OP exactly the same position as you, cannot justify the expense or the time or sitting in front of a mirror for hours on end looking at myself.
I decided to 'embrace' the grey and not a decision I have regretted.
I do invest in expensive saloon shampoo and conditioner which makes all the difference.

I was someone who always thought they would colour their hair always but having made the leap I am glad to have done so.
I do really think the products you use will make a huge difference and., whilst they are expensive, it is a lot cheaper than paying for a colour.

You need to shop around. I pay around £85 for the same or you look at groupon offers etc. a lot of salons have days in which colour is cheaper

I like my reasonably priced local hairdresser that I've been going to for 40 years.

I doubt you're pmsl either. You make your choices and others make different ones.

Yep, in the north here too - I pay £75 for cut, full head highlights then blow dry & hair straightening

It absolutely will be but there is nothing hairdressers can do to change it. Because they also need to eat and heat their homes. The problem is that the cost of running a business is too high and is rising. Do you know, for example, what a water and electricity bill is like for an average salon? It's huge and it rises just as fast as your household bill. There is only so much the salon can swallow before they start passing the cost to the customer. So it's hard for a business - any business - to simply charge what a client can afford nowadays.

All of their costs will have risen too.

Maybe so, but an increase of 42% in three months is a bit steep

£160 North East. Now stretching out time between appointments.

Totally unaffordable for me, though i do understand they have to charge that much to make a profit. I get a cut and blow dry every 3 or 4 months for £50, there are cheaper junior stylist but to be honest they arent as good so I pay a little more. I use semi permanent box dye for the grey. I work with people who have highlights, eye lashes, botox etc and often wonder how on earth they do it, it must cost £100s every month!

I pay £108 for a full head of highlights with cut and blow dry. It’s an out of town salon so cheaper rent I expect than town centre. This is West Midlands.

I think there's a lot to be said for embracing your natural self and not spending your hard earned money on cosmetic alterations to make you look like someone else. But we are all different and if this is important to you, you then you will need cut back elsewhere.

I’m in a similar position. It is depressing.

I feel your pain OP (fellow nurse here). I have switched to a much more natural look and I go far less frequently.
my advice would actually be to find out your colour season (this is quite easy to do if you don’t already know). Some seasons (summer and winter) actually really suit grey hair so you could blend it in and you might find it even makes you look more awake. I know most fear the grey, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. But overall the cost increase is just depressing for everything!

Thankyou !
I have an unfortunate residual chip on my shoulder as i was written off at school so i get very prickly about this …

All my family are academic and I passed very few low grade exams, I've since realised since having all my children who are similar that i have ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia, so it turns out im not thick , I just cant do exams

However now im old, I've realised I can channel what i am very good at !

That’s what I was going to say. I’ve always gone to local salons. It’s £48 for half a head of highlights and a cut and blowdry at mine.

I had mine done yesterday, £95 for a pink balayage with dark everywhere else, plus blow dry and curl. I thought that was reasonable for nearly 4hrs in the chair!

Bloody hell, that's over £70 a week if you go every 6 weeks - £10 a day on hairdressing!

I don't think I'd pay that even if I was loaded. I'd rather have a cheaper haircut and give what I saved to charity.