To think £150+ is very expensive for highlights and a trim?

[Mischone]

I've been a bottle blonde for years and started letting my roots grow out last year to give my hair a break. I've got quite a bit of regrowth now and wanted it all done properly, as opposed to doing it myself at home as I'm used to.

I went to a well known salon today for a consultation with a senior stylist who has a great reputation and i was quoted £140 (minimum) For the highlights and then an additional £20+ for a small trim.

She recommended I opt in for conditioning treatment too but I can't afford that.

I paid the £50 deposit for the highlights and booked in because I really want it done, I've had a shit time of it this year battling depression and PTSD so i wanted to treat myself for once and feel like the "old me" again.

Now I'm home and the excitement has worn off I'm feeling quite uncomfortable about the cost. I'm not well off, I can afford to have it done as a one off but if that's the price I'll have to pay every 6-8 weeks there's no way I could continue to go there.

AIBU to think this is bloody extortionate?

Forgot to say, T&G might have an offer like 20% off for new clients

The college's of hairdressing and some salon's have trainees who cost a lot less.

@burnoutbabe they won't let me leave with wet hair? Can they actually charge you 20+ for putting you under hot air and refuse to let you leave otherwise?

Jesus it gets worse.

I can't afford to spend any money on a blow dry. I can afford to pay for the colour and that's it so I don't know how they'll enforce that one.

If they're putting bleach on my hair surely washing it off and drying it should be part of the fixed price, I'm appalled that it isn't

When I used to go to T&G, the blow dry/styling was actually included in the colour fee (cut was always separately charged). Maybe your salon does it differently but it’s worth ringing and clarifying?

I've not RTFT but yes, that's about the going rate at a salon for a senior stylist (certainly a lot of money though!).

Could you ask around for a good mobile hairdresser who might be a bit cheaper due to overheads and just as experienced if not more so? I also recommend balayage as opposed to foil highlights, you don't get that abrupt line of regrowth and can space out appointments a lot more (my hair is only dark blonde naturally but the regrowth looks so stark done with foils).

I have to say despite PP's advice, I wouldn't recommend box dye for going lighter, I've never known it not to ruin my hair. Going darker is a different story and can look great though.

T&G are in my experience very set in what they can and can't do and unwilling to tailor any of their services to the customer's needs so maybe there is a local salon that could do a better job for the same or less cost?

Yes. In East London I pay £80. Tho the new girl last time said my very thin hair would look thicker with solid colour last time. It's cheaper & hers looked great, (I'd commented what a gorgeous colour hers was) so I did it. £20 cheaper & I love it.

The pictures you like above have more than blonde in them. The one on the left has darker shades from roots to ends, so would mean adding a darker colour through your existing colour. The pic on the right has darker shades too, but not as many as the left. Neither is close to your current colour IMO. It will take work to get that look - it's multiple colours.

This is why I stopped going, it’s expensive. It was a lot of time, but it’s also a lot of money. So I grew out the highlights and cut my own.
I just can’t justify it.
It sounds average to me

To get my hair looking like this, which is sort of the brunette version of your blondes, it's four different colours. Chocolate panels, new foils, base colour for roots freehanded through length and finally toner on new foils, which are brighter than my existing foils which gives another level of contrast. This is not my hair - it's the pic I took to my hairdresser to work from. Take the pics you like so your hairdresser knows what you're aiming for.

It's not weirdly uncommon to have to pay that much for a top stylist at a well known salon, but I'd not be bothering regularly, I'm pretty sure I could get that for half the price or at least under £100 at my local salon but I'm not in London. Not that that helps!

I'd probably get highlights not balayage just as it's easy to feck up balayage although if it's decent salon prob not an issue.

Enjoy your treat regardless, sounds like it's much needed. x

I'm going to show her the photos and say I'd like this type of balayage, so do you think they'll charge me extra for the sake of putting some darker colour in?

I'd presume they're going to have to add some dark regardless to get a decent balayage as the bulk of my hair is light blonde?

My hairdresser thinks that conditioning treatments are a rip-off and that you get results that are just as good by leaving a decent deep conditioner (the John Frieda one is very good) on your hair overnight.

It certainly makes a big difference to the condition, I've done it a couple of times. You need to put a towel over your pillow when you go to bed though!

I think you have to decide what you want.
I pay £150 for colour, cut and blow dry.

Go every 6 weeks.It is a priority for me,I have a professional job and it is important,for me,to look as good as I can
I don't grudge the money at all.
But that's me.
You might be better going somewhere less expensive,or somewhere where they have a more flexible approach

Did you ask her about maintenance,,ie how often will you need it done

Don't see the point in paying that for a one off,and then 4/6 weeks later its back to square 1.You need advice from a hairdresser on what is best for you going forward and in line with our budget

I think thats pretty standard. You should have had a think about it before parting with your cash.

I'm at home with a newborn at the minute so I don't have to worry about having it redone every 6 weeks to look polished for work just yet.

The stylist said balayage is low maintenance so having it refreshed every 3-5 months is sufficient, I'd be able to afford that - just not every 5-6 weeks for highlights. I will likely go to A training academy to have it refreshed next time or find a reasonable mobile hair dresser.

I agree I should have had a longer think about it but I felt a bit ambushed to leave the deposit. My mental health is a bit shit at the minute and even going somewhere like that makes me anxious

Price sounds right, I pay 190 for trim + colour, also in London

And your stylist is right about balayage, I have a blonde balayage on very dark hair and it looks v good for a good 4-5 months

I won't be bothering with the oplex or the other more expensive conditioning treatment they recommended.

I used a deep conditioning repair mask from super drug for about 7 quid before when I used to colour my own and it's fab, I think it's the tony and guy brand actually come to think of it.

The likes of rush and headmasters always have 50% off sales or I think rush does this on Tuesdays.

do you think they'll charge me extra for the sake of putting some darker colour in?

They don't at the salon I go to, I normally get a couple of different colours put in (including a darker shade if the colour is starting to go blocky) and then a toner over the top and that's all included in the price. I think your best bet is to just be honest about what you can and can't afford, and they should be able to work something out that's within your budget.

Yes I agree.

I'm going to tell her from the get go that I can't afford additional cost for blow dry or other treatments so I'd like her to do as close as she can go the picture for the £140 ive been quoted and that's my lot.

Sorry, I haven’t time to read the whole thread but I just wanted to add there have been several threads on MN about how poor Tony and Guy are. I went once for a colour and was sorely disappointed.
Sorry, OP, just thought you should know.

I pay for a decent cut as I cant do that myself, and do my own colour, once you have understood the numbering system on the boxes, your colourist could explain this to you and then you do it from then on
Google smudging. I do it on my daughters hair..

The stylist I'm booked with has some really good reviews on Google so unless she's written them herself I'm not too worried about the quality of the colour job, I have potentially blind faith that it'll turn out nice

I'm really sorry you had a bad experience haverhill I do hope it's not the same for me, I'll be devastated.

The reason I wanted to go somewhere professional is because my poor Barnet has been fried to within an inch of its life by home colouring over the years.

OP, did you manage to ring the salon? Seems like you have a few questions!

This is what their voucher looks like, worth asking if they’d accept it? Would definitely make your first visit more affordable if you do need to pay for extras like the darker blonde etc.