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Price Difference For Men & Women's’ Haircuts

14 replies

SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows · 26/01/2023 14:46

This really is shocking. Why should men get to pay less than women? Not all men have short hair for example. It’s been going on for years & needs to stop.

OP posts:
Thisistyresome · 26/01/2023 15:28

Then go to a men's barber. Women's hair cuts are more complex and take more skill (and often time).

Men's hair cuts are often done in 5 minutes. Some men cut their own hair, many over lock downs found they could manage their hair with some clippers themselves with a family member tidying up the back.

Do you trust yourself (and a family member tidying up the back) to do your hair?

Think through how this woudl work. Would hairdressers be required to not charge more than a set price regardless of how skilful they were, or the work they did? Would a barber be required to charge much more for a 5 minute wizz over a mans head with some clippers?

midgetastic · 26/01/2023 15:35

If you want the same kind of cut as a man then go to a barber

If you want the washing and the styling and a tricky cut , you pay more

HeavenIsAHalfpipe · 26/01/2023 15:38

100% agree. I put a post on a couple of weeks ago on a thread similar to this...

I will never be going to a hairdresser again, ever, for anything. Not a cut or a colour. Nothing - ever. Pre pandemic, it was roughly 15 to 18 pounds for a dry cut in the two hairdressers in my market town. (By the way, there isn't another hairdresser for 18-20 miles. So I don't really have much choice, unless I want to do a 40 mile round trip. And even then there's no guarantee they will be any cheaper.)

I didn't go to the hairdressers from Spring 2020, all of 2021, or the first half of 2022, as I was shielding a bit more because of health reasons, and got a bit paranoid about being in close proximity to people. So I got used to trimming and colouring it myself.

Also, they were closed much of the time because of the pandemic. So that was a another reason for getting used to doing it myself.

Last Autumn (October,) was my niece's wedding and I thought I would quite liked a 'hairdresser' cut, as I've just been trimming and dying myself for about 2 and a half years.

Contacted the hairdresser back in early October last year. They said a dry cut is now 67 pounds. 67 pounds! I said, 'well, how much is it for a wet cut, or cut wash and blow dry?' They said a wet cut's the same as a dry, and a cut wash and blow dry is 80 pounds- so I 'might as well have a cut wash and blow dry really.' So they're trying to make out that a cut wash and blow dry is actually good value, Cos it's only 13 pounds more than the dry cut. Confused

The cut wash and blow dry used to be £30! (Pre pandemic.) I tried the other hairdresser and they said it's roughly 50 to 65 pounds depending on how long the hair is. I said 'mine is roughly shoulder length.' She said 'Hard to say. It could be anything from 50 to 65 pounds... maybe more We won't know until we start cutting it!'

So basically I will be sitting in the chair spending half an hour while she does my haircut, not knowing how much is going to cost at the end.

People can say, Oh yeah, it's all the extra costs for materials and rent and electric and heating and so on. But the fact is my husband went to a barbers shops just two or three weeks ago, (one in a shopping centre in quite a big town.) They spent 35 minutes doing his hair and did it beautifully. They charged him 18 pounds!

So I have absolutely no idea why the two hairdressers in my little market town are charging so much. I imagine many others are the same (for womens hairdressers!) Suffice to say, though, I will never be going again. Until the day I die. I'll just be doing my own hair. I'm just gonna have to carefully trim it and layer it, get the split ends off, and just dye it myself as I have been doing since Spring 2020.

Like hell am I paying nearly 70 pounds for a trim. And by the way, they now charge £200 for highlights compared to 70 to 80 pound that they charged pre pandemic.

I'm not being funny, I have to be careful, but I can cut and trim and colour my hair myself. I don't want to demean the profession, (and I know I am doing,) but they are cutting and colouring hair, they're not doing heart or brain surgery. Basically it's something I can do myself, and I will be continuing to do it from now on. The rise in costs for WOMEN'S hair is outrageous.

And it's no good people saying 'go to the barbers.' They won't do womens hair, they don't do womens hair, and many of them CAN'T do womens hair!

Interested in this thread?

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PeachDelany · 26/01/2023 15:40

I hate grabby hairdressers for their high prices. I learnt to cut & dye my own, I'll never go back now.

SecretVictoria · 26/01/2023 15:40

I go to a salon that does ladies and gents. The barber does my hair (it’s short) and I get charged for a gents cut. No drama.

Comeback25 · 26/01/2023 17:42

Very short hair here....grade 3 back and sides, grey fine hair. Dry cut at hairdresser down the road £13. Barbers near work the other day as hairdresser unavailable for a while was £13.50.

Heatherjayne1972 · 26/01/2023 18:53

I asked my hairdresser friend exactly this
she said that men just won’t pay the prices we do and so to tempt them in they lower the prices
but then the other hairdressers in that locality need to be competitive so it ends up as the man’s hair cut is significantly less

no idea if that’s totally true but it wouldn’t surprise me

YourTruthorMine · 26/01/2023 18:56

As a neurodiverse person I don't go to the hairdresser, making appointments and keeping them is far too overwhelming. I would be happy to walk in. Can't help feeling there's a huge gap in the market

reddingweddy · 26/01/2023 19:27

I go to my local college, it's £10 for a cut and blow dry and the students are lovely. Plus you always get checked by their supervisor before you walk out the door!

arethereanyleftatall · 26/01/2023 19:30

Sorry, but you're being silly. Of course it costs more if it takes more of their time, skills, products etc. it's a business! If you want a simple cut, go to a barbers! It isn't just about length, it's complexity too.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 26/01/2023 19:32

Tony & Guy increased the price of men's cuts to match women's "in the name of equality".

Pinkieismyname · 26/01/2023 19:45

Ive found many barbers won't take ladies as customers. I've very fine short hair. It can be cut in 5-7 minutes by the barber. When I have to go to the hairdresser, my hair is virtually dry by the time the stylist gets around to coming over to cut it and then she has to spray it with water. I'm really not interested in all the washing, massaging , styling and faffing around but most barbers won't take me on. Since lockdowns I've had my dh or dd cut it and you wouldn't know the difference between their cut and the £60 version I used to occasionally pay.

MademoiselleTrunchbull · 26/01/2023 19:50

My partner pays £15 for a cut and another £8 for beard shaping.

MademoiselleTrunchbull · 26/01/2023 19:52

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 26/01/2023 19:32

Tony & Guy increased the price of men's cuts to match women's "in the name of equality".

Great excuse to make a few more £££.

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