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Original poster

Should I be upset at paying £300 for haircut

831 replies

charlieginger1987 · 16/04/2021 22:16

Hi ladies,
Have waited 7 months to get my hair done and finally went today. I got a full head of balayage highlights, a root tint to cover my greys and a cut and blow dry. The website was really unclear and it said £130 for a full head of balayage. Knowing sometimes that hairdressers add optional extras I budgeted £180 just in case. I got to the till, the receptionist seemed awkward, didn't confirm the price straightaway, so I asked her what it was, and £300 appeared on the credit card machine. I can only guess that she didn't say the figure out loud because she was embarrassed to charge me that much. I didn't want to say too much in front of a full salon full of people but I simply said "wow that's expensive?" She shrugged and didn't say anything but "your e-receipt will be sent directly to you". I thought I'd best pay and then query the receipt later as I already felt so embarrassed and caught off guard.

Looking at the receipt they have charged me for:
£130 full head of balayage
£65 full head of permanent colour
£65 ladies cut and finish
£35 olaplex
£5 tip
Total: £300

Am I right to be completely shocked at the price of this?? It did take 4 hours and I have long thick hair but really? Have you ever heard of a haircut this expensive and fellow hair stylists, does this price sound reasonable to you?

Needless to say I have sent Rush an email but am I being unreasonable questioning the price of this haircut?

OP posts:
Harmonypuss · 19/04/2021 20:13

@SheldonesqueHasGotTheWeevils

My hair hasn’t been cut for about 20 months. At least. I really don’t know.

The last time I had my hair cut (by my hairdresser) was around March 2019. I don't have a fringe so don't have to worry about it getting in my eyes but I've just let it grow.

Just before Xmas I decided it was looking a bit straggly on the ends so I grabbed a scrunchie andpulled all my hair up into a ponytail. I eased the scrunchie down to where I wanted it, grabbed a big pair of nine sharp scissors and chopped my hair just above the scrunchie.

I've got a pair of feathering scissors I use on the dog, so I just went over the ends of my hair with those a little bit. The whole process took less than 10 minutes in my bathroom.

I think it looks OK, my friends and family have said that it looks nice, so I'm sticking with this for now. I'll probably see my hairdresser later in the summer, I'll let everyone else who's desperate for a cut get in first.

Minikty · 19/04/2021 20:18

Oh my gosh 😮 £300 is absolutely disgusting. No you are not being unreasonable, your right to complain. Your basically paying for the fact they've been closed the whole of lockdown. I wonder how many more people will be caught out on those ridiculous prices.😱

SheldonesqueHasGotTheWeevils · 19/04/2021 20:25

I admire your bravado harmony

I should try simething because I really can’t make it worse Grin

I have bum length hair but not all of it. Things went a bit wonk over the last few years and I got lots of bald spots. It is in a stage of regrowth but I look as though I’m a bit mangey. The hair round my face thinned and/or broke and my hair is probably challenging for a professional Grin

My old girl’s scissors are still in the cupboard though... Wink

HunterHearstHelmsley · 19/04/2021 20:29

[quote Ferrylights]@hunterhearsthelmsley. Its the shampoo and bonding conditioner, it's definitively Olaplex, not a knock off. Wasn't cheap but expected some noticeable difference if it carries the Olaplex brand. If it"s not fit for purpose it shouldn't be sold as such. Unimpressed thus far.[/quote]
On their own they won't make too much of a difference. The treatment itself is pretty decent though (however I use Knight and Wilson from Superdrug. Not quite the same effect and I have to do it myself but a fuckton cheaper)

blubberyboo · 19/04/2021 20:32

Jeepers I normally pay £52 for a colour wash cut blow dry

In fact, I reckon for what you paid I could have gotten my hair, living room and bedroom painted

Sweetpea1989 · 19/04/2021 20:34

Last year I had exactly the same cut and colour as you OP, I went to a new Saks salon that had just opened, offering half price cut and colours. I gave it a whirl and the bill was £200..... so £400 full price. OMG I’m in the midlands and the town isn’t particularly up market!

Goodiebagh · 19/04/2021 21:05

Gutted for you! Thats a huge amount of money :(

Bumblebee1980a · 19/04/2021 21:55

They shouldn't have charged you for a full head of permanent colour, instead you should have been charged just for regrowth (roots).

Also they should have asked if you wanted a hair treatment - £35 is quite a lot.

I would call and demand some money back!

Marshasthorn · 19/04/2021 22:00

For £300s I’d expect to see your hair covered in Swarovski crystals!

JanuaryJonez · 20/04/2021 00:05

I've used an at-home hairdresser for a decade now. She worked for years at a top London place and regularly styled on fashion shoots for ID and The Face.

She's the best I've ever had and she charges me £65 for a cut and colour, and I'm in the South East!

prawntoastie · 20/04/2021 00:14

Rush done the the same to me. The one in Kilburn. Went in for full head of lights, I could have used a mascara wand and got more colour. It was a battle but I did get my money back after threatening court action.

Rush are no good

HowWeAre · 20/04/2021 00:52

[quote Ferrylights]@hunterhearsthelmsley. Its the shampoo and bonding conditioner, it's definitively Olaplex, not a knock off. Wasn't cheap but expected some noticeable difference if it carries the Olaplex brand. If it"s not fit for purpose it shouldn't be sold as such. Unimpressed thus far.[/quote]
You need to buy Olaplex no3

LadyPuff85 · 20/04/2021 02:44

I have really thick hair too, on a normal cut and blow-dry mine always takes 3 hrs. I had exactly the same balayage done before lockdown, cut and blow dry and it was 120, the most I have paid is 180 for colouring and cut and blow dry. To charge a tip without asking is awful too, who does that. I'd definitely be finding a new hairdressers.

Harmonypuss · 20/04/2021 03:23

@SheldonesqueHasGotTheWeevils

^I admire your bravado harmony

I should try something because I really can’t make it worse^

Go for it girl!

With hair as long as yours you've got plenty to practice on. Start by maybe using my method with the scrunchie or some other band to tie it up with and take it right down to the last, maybe 3 inches (7-8cm) then cut just above the band. Take s look at what you've done then decide whether you want to take any more off.

Be brave! Pull up those big girl knickers and give it a go. Good luck 😘

tigerbear · 20/04/2021 07:36

I’ve just been quoted more than that by a mobile hairdresser (to come to my house in SE London): cut and blowdry is £130, root tint £135, and olaplex treatment is £65. Total will be £330.

I told her I can’t afford that, and asked for just the root tint and a wet cut (just a trim). She’s now quoted £200 for that.
No way!

Buggersticks · 20/04/2021 09:52

Fucking hell! Who cut it, John Frieda? I hope it lasts you a good few years!!

lozzybeast · 20/04/2021 13:39

The most I have ever paid is £120 and that was for full head of roots & balayage, cut and finish and conditioning treatment. This was in a very posh Birmingham salon with one of the senior stylists. So ok add on an extra £50 for london and you’re still nowhere near! YANBU

MrsRockAndRoll · 20/04/2021 16:26

Any update OP?

Percyprod · 22/04/2021 08:57

Why do women pay such high prices? Even the so called celebrity hairdressers just doing the same thing but people are willing to pay the stupid prices. As a mere male I get a haircut every 6 weeks or so, £6.50. The barber seems to make a good living.

dementedpixie · 22/04/2021 09:09

I got my full head of highlights and cut and blow dry yesterday for £57 at an independent salon in Scotland. I'm always pleased with my results from there. Ds got his hair cut there too as his is long and it cost £10

HaveringWavering · 22/04/2021 09:16

@Percyprod

Why do women pay such high prices? Even the so called celebrity hairdressers just doing the same thing but people are willing to pay the stupid prices. As a mere male I get a haircut every 6 weeks or so, £6.50. The barber seems to make a good living.
@Percyprod

“Why do some men spend so much money on cars? As a mere female I have a 2008 Nissan Micra and it is all I need. I don’t go on the motorway very often and I don’t care what people think of me”.

Does that help you understand.

Some people are willing to pay more for nice things that they want.

HaveringWavering · 22/04/2021 09:22

And the material and labour costs for doing highlights are obviously higher than the cost of a pair of scissors and a set of clippers in and out in 29 minutes.

HaveringWavering · 22/04/2021 09:22

20 minutes.

ilikecakeandiknowit · 22/04/2021 09:53

In Norfolk and I get this for £80
£300 is outrageous

BertramLacey · 22/04/2021 12:54

Why do women pay such high prices? Even the so called celebrity hairdressers just doing the same thing but people are willing to pay the stupid prices. As a mere male I get a haircut every 6 weeks or so, £6.50. The barber seems to make a good living.

I doubt your barber would cope with my hair. It's long, very thick, and curly. However, the curl is quite uneven - in places it's slightly wavy, in others it corkscrews. This means that when you cut it, you don't know how much it will bounce up and therefore how uneven the cut will look. There are ways to cut it to remain in tune with it. Oddly, having listened to various hairdressers over the years I'm now more familiar with how to cut it than an inexperienced hairdresser who isn't used to curls. So I can give it a better cut on my own than a bad hairdresser will give. But of course the right hairdresser can do it far better than I can.

I could get a barber to give me a buzz cut for a tenner, but then I'd lose my gorgeous red curls, so I spend a bit more money on it (though still about 15% of what the OP spent).