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Original poster

Why do women pay so much for haircuts

444 replies

Moontan · 09/01/2026 16:04

My colleague just came in complaining about how expensive it is to get her hair cut. She paid 100 pounds.

I was thinking - why don't more women cut their own hair

I think that advertising and marketing has convinced a lot of women - that they must pay someone else a huge amount of money to cut their hair for them.

When it is actually very easy to cut it ourselves.

My mum always cut her own hair.

i also always cut my own hair. Its really easy to cut it very straight at the back, and I also cut layers at the front of my hair

OP posts:
ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 18:04

Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:03

Since when can people not take photos when they are outside?

Very easy to do

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But that isn’t what she said she would do…
still struggling with the reading comprehension..

Spirallingdownwards · 09/01/2026 18:03

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:58

If you ever want to start.

You just put your hair in a ponytail in front of your face. Hair in ponytails or plaits are easier to cut than loose hair. Then you do a quick cut through the ponytail.

That's the trim done

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My hair won't even tie in a pony tail behind my head let alone in front of my face.

I can now fringe trim between cuts thanks to YouTube videos during lockdown but I really can't cut my very fine straight hair to make it look nice/in a style.

I suspect although you can physically cut your hair that's the main reason you won't post an anonymised photo because it would disprove your assertion that anyone can cut their hair (nicely).

Original poster
Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:03

ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 18:01

Yes, OP seems to be struggling with reading comprehension
lol..

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Since when can people not take photos when they are outside?

Very easy to do

OP posts:
HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/01/2026 18:03

Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:01

Yes but you could have done anything in that 90 minutes!

The poster wrote it like going to the hairdressers was the ONLY option for women to have some time to themselves.

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Why do you have an issue with women choosing to spend their time getting their hair done?

ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 18:03

Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:02

Then use the technique for shorter hair

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Which is..?

Original poster
Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:02

GreyRooted · 09/01/2026 18:02

And if your hair won’t go in a ponytail at the front of your face?

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Then use the technique for shorter hair

OP posts:
ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 18:02

Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:01

Yes but you could have done anything in that 90 minutes!

The poster wrote it like going to the hairdressers was the ONLY option for women to have some time to themselves.

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Of course I could have done. My choice and that is what I chose.

Original poster
Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:02

Beeloux · 09/01/2026 17:59

I have hair down to my waist and haven't been to a hairdresser in 5 years. I trim it at home but it’s wavy and all one length so easy.

I’ve had a few snide remarks on how I can afford highlights. I do a full head at home and it costs under £10 using Jerome Russell bleach and toner.

I have really thick hair so going to the hairdressers would be very expensive. Even when I had money, I would have refused to pay £50 for a trim.

That's nice that you do your own highlights! My friend does hers at home too.

OP posts:
GreyRooted · 09/01/2026 18:02

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:58

If you ever want to start.

You just put your hair in a ponytail in front of your face. Hair in ponytails or plaits are easier to cut than loose hair. Then you do a quick cut through the ponytail.

That's the trim done

Show quote history

And if your hair won’t go in a ponytail at the front of your face?

ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 18:01

m00rfarm · 09/01/2026 18:00

Did you read my post? I am out at the moment so don't have the ability to look in a mirror and get the photo right. I was extremely careful to say that it would not be right now.

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Yes, OP seems to be struggling with reading comprehension
lol..

Meadowfinch · 09/01/2026 18:01

Why don't I cut my own hair...?

  1. I don't have eyes in the back of my head so I couldn't see what I was doing
  2. I am not adapt at anything requiring small detailed manual dexterity
  3. I have very thick, very straight, heavy hair
  4. My hair doesn't hang evenly
  5. I spent 7 years finding a hairdresser who could even cut it to sit level, most hairdressers made a complete pigs ear of it and they were trained and experienced.
  6. It still takes my hairdresser an hour of careful layering to get it even.
  7. Having lost all my hair to chemotherapy in 2022, and now regrown, I want an expert to keep an eye on it all.

Possibly the silliest suggestion ever on Mumsnet

Original poster
Moontan · 09/01/2026 18:01

ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 17:59

Of course it makes sense. When my dcs were very young I thoroughly enjoyed 90 mins at the hairdresser’s !

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Yes but you could have done anything in that 90 minutes!

The poster wrote it like going to the hairdressers was the ONLY option for women to have some time to themselves.

OP posts:
Pepperz · 09/01/2026 18:01

Straight hair is much harder to cut, if you want it to look good. Bar trimming the ends of very long hair anyway. Wavy and curls hair is much more forgiving for a home hack 😆

BeQuirkyMintScroller · 09/01/2026 18:01

agree. for my simple, thin, one-length hair, that i'd like an inch off, dry cut, no wash, no blow dry, no styling ... there isnt an appropriate category to put me into in a hairdressers. They can only price for the full salon experience and you still pay £40+ when you sat in the chair for ten minutes.

In most businesses, forcing users into a bundled price for features they don’t want causes them to not renew or not come back.

Salons try to do the same thing, but times are changing. They bundle wash, blow-dry, styling, time buffers then wonder why people with simple needs drop out, ask a friend to run the scissors iver it, do it themselves or go to men's barbers.

m00rfarm · 09/01/2026 18:00

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:56

You wrote very happy to, but you haven't.

Lol

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Did you read my post? I am out at the moment so don't have the ability to look in a mirror and get the photo right. I was extremely careful to say that it would not be right now.

JLou08 · 09/01/2026 18:00

You may find it easy to cut your own hair, many people don't. I've done my own a few times when I've not wanted to go to a salon and it is nowhere near as good as having a professional cut.

ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 17:59

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:55

Yes of course they can want to.

I was replying to the poster who wrote "going to the hairdresser might be the only time they get to themselves". That sentence didn't make sense.

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Of course it makes sense. When my dcs were very young I thoroughly enjoyed 90 mins at the hairdresser’s !

Beeloux · 09/01/2026 17:59

I have hair down to my waist and haven't been to a hairdresser in 5 years. I trim it at home but it’s wavy and all one length so easy.

I’ve had a few snide remarks on how I can afford highlights. I do a full head at home and it costs under £10 using Jerome Russell bleach and toner.

I have really thick hair so going to the hairdressers would be very expensive. Even when I had money, I would have refused to pay £50 for a trim.

BlackCat14 · 09/01/2026 17:58

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:52

Are you following the thread?

I replied to a specific poster .

She said 'not everyone has long hair that is easy to cut"

I replied to her, "I don't have long hair"

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But your overall question is “why do women keep paying for haircuts” and you keep talking about how easy it is to cut your own. You need to realise it’s not that easy for everyone.

Original poster
Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:58

hmmnotreallysure · 09/01/2026 17:56

There is no way I'd be able to cut my own hair. I wouldn't even know where to start. I have had enough crappy hair cuts in my time to completely appreciate how brilliant my hairdresser is and I'll never go to anyone else.

If you ever want to start.

You just put your hair in a ponytail in front of your face. Hair in ponytails or plaits are easier to cut than loose hair. Then you do a quick cut through the ponytail.

That's the trim done

OP posts:
HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 09/01/2026 17:57

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:55

Yes of course they can want to.

I was replying to the poster who wrote "going to the hairdresser might be the only time they get to themselves". That sentence didn't make sense.

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It made perfect sense. It might be and that person might choose to use that time to get their hair done.
It's not difficult to understand.

Dreamingofthebeachandsun · 09/01/2026 17:57

Plus is nice being pampered

ShanghaiDiva · 09/01/2026 17:57

Moontan · 09/01/2026 17:56

You wrote very happy to, but you haven't.

Lol

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poster says they are out at the moment. A little patience required…

Waterbaby41 · 09/01/2026 17:57

Of course 'it's easy' to cut hair. A pair of kitchen scissors and off you go. What isn't easy is make it look great. And home haircuts don't look great.

celandiney · 09/01/2026 17:56

Moontan · 09/01/2026 16:12

What do you mean "yeah right".

See this is what I think is shocking.

Marketing companies have made women think that its not even possible to cut our own hair and we MUST get someone else to do it.

Its easy to cut hair

If you have long (ish) hair it might be.
I have short hair cut tight over my ears and at the back - no way could I do that myself.
I did cut it a couple of times over lockdown,and because it was a good cut originally I managed to keep it reasonable to begin with but it gradually got worse and worse as the original cut vanished!
And I couldn't cut it to be how it was meant to be, only so that it was okish.

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