To think having your hair done is now extortionate- rant

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

So after covid lockdowns I went back to my hairdressers, didn’t know my hair dresser had been promoted and so for a full head of highlights, cut and blow dry was over £200- I’m in a London zone 3 suburb not central London!
This is extortionate so I used a local girl who works from home £85- she’s now unavailable, so this morning I’ve been calling round other salons etc- it’s an absolute rip off everywhere I call!

Last one I rang:
Highlights £70 for one colour- +£15 for an additional colour
Toner £35-£40 depending on length of hair
Cut and blow dry £40-£50 depending on length of hair

Seriously?! The length of the hair subjectivity pisses me off because I cannot plan how much it will cost me (I assume people will call anything past the ears “long hair”).
A cut and blow dry costing nearly £50?!!!
And these aren’t high end branded salons, they’re run down salons on high streets, main roads etc.
I’m not struggling but have to think before dropping over £100 on my hair- surely this isn’t right or is cutting ones hair now a luxury ?!

I would say it is a luxury... especially having colour done.

Salons are always more expensive, you need to find another home based hairdresser

This is why i now box dye my hair brown...blonde is way too expensive. Or i used to go to students. It is a rip off.

Did you go to Rush?

They probably can’t have as many people in the salon. They have to make a living.

It’s ridiculously expensive. Just highlights for my hair is over £100. It’s never been cheap but somehow it going past the £100 mark makes it feel ridiculous.

A simple cut, just left wet wouldn't be much. A blow stu and highlights / colour is a luxury yes which many many people can't afford even outside of the south east. I live up north and it's still the best part of £100 for a cut, colour and blowdry but I'm in the Salon for 2-3 hours, plus skill and expertise and materials plus at the moment additional costs for laundering robes or disposable ones. When you work it out like that it's not so much. Plus, I get it done about 2/3 times a year so per day my hair costs me about a £1. It just seems a lot because its all in one go, but ultimately yes it is a luxury.

Oh I just seen you are talking about regular salons!

I never ever go to Rush because the quality of what they offer hasn’t been that good in the past and they are notorious for deconstructed price lists and adding on extras they they didn’t tell you about beforehand.

I am in London but actually travel back to my hometown in Norwich for a haircut.

Agree, it was 85 to get a colour, treatment and cut and blow before covid - same girl maybe she was promoted i dont know but its now 125. I like her and she does a good job but yes i was shocked. I have long thick hair so it takes about 2.5 hours in all. Still alot. More north btw

Do you have any relatives/good friends in the north or midlands? Or slightly further out of London?

Prices are much more reasonable there and you could tie in a visit with a trip to a hairdresser local to them.

I've never had highlights, toner or a blow dry, so I would say those elements of your treatment definitely are a luxury. How much did you used to pay?

Yeah, it's a lot, but a colour, cut and blow dry with a senior stylist in London - albeit not high end - is bound to set you back. Mine's a bit more than that in a West End salon and i definitely see it as a luxury and only go 3 or 4 times a year, cut my own fringe in between and just live with the roots/colour fading. What did you do during all the time the salons were shut? Did you live with it or do your own dye/cut? I figure i saved a lot last year so that helps with swallowing the price hikes since they've opened. They've had to reduce the number of clients with all the restrictions/new procedures so I get the need to charge more.

My hairdresser has had to increase her prices because of all the extra cleaning and because she can’t have multiple people in at once anymore.

Still no where near that much though but we are up north!

They aren’t @andmeee

I’m East Midlands. Still £130 for highlights and a cut. The posher salon in town is more like £160.

I agree that they have to make a living but their hourly rate is indeed extortionate in comparison with other professionals. I suppose they charge so much because they can - people are able and willing to pay it, otherwise they'd be forced to reduce their prices. It does feel like an awful lot of industries are trying to recoup lost revenue at present. Good luck to them, but it's pretty hard on customers just now. As pent up demand wanes maybe we will see the return of fair prices, offers etc

@nimbuscloud

They probably can’t have as many people in the salon. They have to make a living.

Why not, there's no social distancing now.

Yeah it's a luxury. I get my hair done in Central london for £30 - wash, cut and rough blow dry, not styled.
Having highlights and having your hair blow dry styled afterwards is a luxury. Of course, not judging it, but it is a luxury
Often a luxury people are willing to pay for though, as almost every time I go in, I am the only one getting just a rough dry, and everyone else gets a proper blow dry/styled. Unless I'm going somewhere fancy, I don't get it, as I will just style it myself at home as and when needed. But I'm the minority, so maybe I am the odd one.

Cut, colour and blow dry £55 south east

@SpicyJalfrezi I pay between £70-85 (balayage on long hair and cut) for mine and am also East Midlands.

Getting your hair done somewhere decent has always been pricey, this isn’t a new thing and these more expensive salons usually do your hair better than cheaper or mobile hairdressers, mobile hairdressers are too fast and you get pampered at a salon. I don’t mind spending over £200 on a colour tbh.

I think the issue is the rake-off from salons, not the amount that the actual stylist is paid, and that's the problem. Maybe look for someone who will visit you at home?

I paid £23 for a dry cut in my village in Kent last week. Lovely job. Took about 5cm off and thinned it really well. No idea how much they charge for colouring, never fancied it, but the cutting prices are excellent.

North East here - cut and colour with styling £40. They do a really good job too. I couldn't afford those prices, OP, and I've REALLY started to love getting my hair coloured properly instead of box dyed.

I live in the North West … my colour which is foils, base colour, then a bright red, with cut & blow dry Is £69 - this is in a salon

I'm so lucky because my sister is a self employed hairdresser and she does my hair for next to nothing, and she cuts it for free. If it wasn't for that I'd probably either try and cut it myself or get a friend to cut it for me, and use box dye if I wanted to dye it! Bloody rip off.