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 pay a little over £300 for mine, but I don't get it done very often, I do get it highlighted and it's starting to show but only recently, but certain circumstances mean I've not been able to go for a while.

They are an independent salon in the centre of a SW city. It equates to about £60 ph which is maybe 5 x what I make.

The hair cut seems reasonable, it's the rest that's expensive and that's time consuming. I pay £40 for a curly cut and blow dry and tip at least £5 , having found a hairdresser who knows how to cut curly hair I'd pay more to be honest

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

'Most hairdressers are women on not much above minium wage women, as are the customers'

So can you articulate any reason why hairdressers should subsidise a service for other women or men? Why do you think hairdressers deserve less than minimum wage for thier job just because you think you 'deserve' a haircut?

And as for the @fourminutestosavetheworld 'the raw price should go up by the price increase well that's pretty much what most of us have done - we have less capacity with covid, PPU, staff having to isolate, and de/bleach etc going up on average by 20% - thease cost have to be passed on - get over it or cut it yourself.

No one makes you have your hair cut or died, no one makes you use a certain hairdresser. Some of you are quite frankly entiltled arse holes.

We are not the NHS - we are people running buisnesses

OP the prices down where you are sound so much cheaper than up here in Scotland, it also depends on the level the hairdresser is at, junior stylist, salon stylist, senior stylist then style director, and each have their own price tag for their level, and then there are the colourists who also have the same type hierarchy with the price tag to boot.

There is a chain of good salons here named Cheynes, and for 3 colours (chocolate brown, caramel and blonde) and a cut with the colour director and then a cut from the salon stylist then pre lockdown, this was about £230!!

I go to an Aveda salon in zone 3 London and highlights, wash and blow dry and it is £167. It was £165, but now apparently they recycle the foil, and use recyclable disposable towels. And the cost is charged to the customer at £2. Really? So absorb the cost into your prices as you no longer have laundry costs. It may only be £2, but it is the straw that broke the camels back. Going to look for a cheaper salon. Probably paying £20 for the Aveda name.

"And as for the @fourminutestosavetheworld 'the raw price should go up by the price increase well that's pretty much what most of us have done - we have less capacity with covid, PPU, staff having to isolate, and de/bleach etc going up on average by 20% - thease cost have to be passed on - get over it or cut it yourself."

Aren't we allowed to wonder why prices in our salons have suddenly increased so dramatically?

I'm sure you can think of a service you use, where you would raise an eyebrow if the cost increased by 30% with no obvious reason.

If your prices have only increased by a nominal, fair amount then much of this thread is really obviously not directed at you.

As this thread shows, many people are now cutting it themselves or shopping around as you suggest. I myself am just paying it, but interested in the reasons for the increases.

Your reasons are mostly due to covid. When you stop 2m distancing and using PPE, will you reduce the prices? If not, the honest answer to why prices are increasing beyond inflation is just 'because people will pay it.' I don't think there's really anything wrong with admitting that you've had a tough year, people realised how much they appreciate their hairdressers during lockdown, you could get away with price increases due to pent up demand and now think you will probably keep them that way.

My reasons are a mixture and who knows when covid will end? - Capacity and ppe are probably half - I can't service 2/3 people at a time - this particularly affects colour as with 45 mins development time I used to be able to put another cut in now i just don't have the space. PPE is cheaper than last year but again takes time up and has increased our waste bill. We are still cleaning between each client and again this is time.
Staff being off with short notice costs money as you often can't fill the space and again clients are cancelling often last minute due to covid. If You miss 3/6 clients a week @£45/250 on an already reduced capacity that's a huge hit for any small business.
Plus as you said many people now colour at home (Ihave done some expensive colour corrections from this 😉) so a percentage of even established clients have become just cuts so £40 rather than £70/£250
Our overheads are fixed so this comes out of profit.
A tube of wella dye has gone from £9.50 to 14/15.50 - IF you can get what you want
Some tubs of bleach and developers have gone up by 50%

So my honest answer is yes its covid - 30% is pretty much industry standard from what I see - as I've said we are not cartels or monopolys and in most towns there is a good choice of where to go - no one is forcing anyone or restricting choice - so essentially a free market going on.

Therfore when you see an across the board rise like than then it's pretty obvious that there is a reason.

My issue is not with people questioning the rise its the entiltled attitude of a few that is -'' I deserve a luxury personal service from a skilled person '' for less than it really costs, because well 'its not vain to want to look
nice' or (insert other stupid reason here).

Will prices come down after covid? I don't know it will be 2/3 years on from the base point. Staffing is going to be iffy in my opinion due to Brexit and crap wages - Product costs never come down - will they continue to rise again who knows.

Your 'just be honest' bullshit is patronising and insulting - under the guise of 'people are only asking' and 'you've had a tough time just admit your gouging people'

We run buisnesses - its not a girlie pin money hobby. It's our lively hood. Prices are set by market forces the same way they are for any trade or service not by some greed to gouge people. I keep repeating most highstreets have multiple hairdressers - not happy with what I charge? then there's plenty of choice.

So can you articulate any reason why hairdressers should subsidise a service for other women or men? Why do you think hairdressers deserve less than minimum wage for thier job just because you think you 'deserve' a haircut? I didn’t say deserve, I did say it should be “cheap”- I said over £200 is extortionate, just like £75 a day for my child’s nursery is expensive. It’s fine I get it, I cannot go to the salon anymore

*didn’t say it should be cheap- that should read

I think it’s expensive, but does now reflect changes in who’s coming through the door over the years. Now women tend to have longer hair, this tends to take longer to style than in years gone by when hair was shorter. You used to see lots more people with grey hair and it wasn’t a big deal, years ago. Or they home dyed.

I’ve noticed that barbers charge much less because it’s quicker and easier, but even then there’s increasingly a long price list of other things that can be done, so I think men’s hair is going that way too.

In short, I think in the past people tolerated worse hair. Now expectations are higher but you do probably get what you pay for.

I’m always astounded by some of the comments about hairdressers so I’m going to pipe up

To the posters saying that they only have an little bit taken off so why is it the same price
Cutting off 1 inch , 5 inches or more is done using the same technique and the same scissors . Why would it be cheaper ? ( and people think hairdressers are stupid … )

We have an allotted 45 minutes for a cut and blow dry . We often don't know who will be arriving , so some clients take less , and some take way more . I don’t charge more to the clients who take half an hour extra
My salon turnover is around 220000 per annum , my profit is usually between 19 and 23000 .
The overheads are huge . VAT is 20% . Wages bill is about £90,000
Music licence 400 per annum
Accounting bills were expensive at over £200 per month . When we were closed during lockdown I was paying £120 extra for them to do the furlough claim
Disposable one use gowns are £120 a box
Gloves went up to £15 a box
Colour is about £10 per tube ( we can use 3 on some clients )
We serve beer , posh coffee with a chocolate and cream , Diet Coke cans
Spotify subscription, water rates , electricity, Digital magazines , computer and booking system , IT support ,
Hairdryers are £100 each
Training courses are about £400 per staff member along with travel and hotel
My new fancy massage wash basins I’m getting cost £10 K then the costs of the plumbing
These are a small list of my many overheads

I’ve put my prices up by about 10/20 %
Not one customer complained , I should have done it years ago

Are folk really blind to our overheads ?

If you want it cheap then get a mobile or go to a no frills super cuts .
If you want somewhere nicer with add ons then be prepared to pay for it , or don’t go
My salon is packed and we are turning clients away.
I think we are worth it . Plumbers and mechanics charge loads , why are hairdressers seen as less worthy of decent pay ?

But some complaining that we are ripping you off because we aren’t .
I have to pay my staff when they have holidays the same including commission , 4 staff off for 6 weeks in total is 24 weeks paying out wages with less income
Lockdown meant no takings for months but my overheads were still £4/500 per week when shut

To the folk who boast about paying next to nothing for a dry cut then the stylist will be earning very little
Are you happy to support that ?
My highlights were £92 , are now £114 including cut and toner
Cut and blow is £44 . We don’t do dry cuts , and we have got rid of cheap kids cuts who often take longer

@Valerievalerie

I’m always astounded by some of the comments about hairdressers so I’m going to pipe up

To the posters saying that they only have an little bit taken off so why is it the same price
Cutting off 1 inch , 5 inches or more is done using the same technique and the same scissors . Why would it be cheaper ? ( and people think hairdressers are stupid … )

We have an allotted 45 minutes for a cut and blow dry . We often don't know who will be arriving , so some clients take less , and some take way more . I don’t charge more to the clients who take half an hour extra
My salon turnover is around 220000 per annum , my profit is usually between 19 and 23000 .
The overheads are huge . VAT is 20% . Wages bill is about £90,000
Music licence 400 per annum
Accounting bills were expensive at over £200 per month . When we were closed during lockdown I was paying £120 extra for them to do the furlough claim
Disposable one use gowns are £120 a box
Gloves went up to £15 a box
Colour is about £10 per tube ( we can use 3 on some clients )
We serve beer , posh coffee with a chocolate and cream , Diet Coke cans
Spotify subscription, water rates , electricity, Digital magazines , computer and booking system , IT support ,
Hairdryers are £100 each
Training courses are about £400 per staff member along with travel and hotel
My new fancy massage wash basins I’m getting cost £10 K then the costs of the plumbing
These are a small list of my many overheads

I’ve put my prices up by about 10/20 %
Not one customer complained , I should have done it years ago

Are folk really blind to our overheads ?

If you want it cheap then get a mobile or go to a no frills super cuts .
If you want somewhere nicer with add ons then be prepared to pay for it , or don’t go
My salon is packed and we are turning clients away.
I think we are worth it . Plumbers and mechanics charge loads , why are hairdressers seen as less worthy of decent pay ?

But some complaining that we are ripping you off because we aren’t .
I have to pay my staff when they have holidays the same including commission , 4 staff off for 6 weeks in total is 24 weeks paying out wages with less income
Lockdown meant no takings for months but my overheads were still £4/500 per week when shut

To the folk who boast about paying next to nothing for a dry cut then the stylist will be earning very little
Are you happy to support that ?
My highlights were £92 , are now £114 including cut and toner
Cut and blow is £44 . We don’t do dry cuts , and we have got rid of cheap kids cuts who often take longer

But I completely think £114 is decent- I’d grin and bear £150 for a great colourist- but my issue was over £200. Why compare plumbers or mechanics, unless I need to start paying the same for my nails as a house rewiring - the jobs are different. You’re right though, you can charge what you need/ want if turning people away

This is why I now go to Sally's and buy hair colour + developer and bleach powder. I do my roots with the colour (dark or medium blonde) and throw a few random highlights in, particularly around the front). Sometimes it comes out really nicely, other times a little less well ( and I use a bleach London toning shampoo - Pearlescent). It's not quite as nice as Salon prices but it's saving me about a grand a year! (And I quite enjoy doing it). I always hated the hairdresser so this suits me. I've found that Salon quality dyes come out much better than box dyes - much less likely to become brassy.

@girlmom21

Stop getting highlights if you can't afford it.

Do you always miss the point in a conversation?

@OnlyFoolsnMothers your attitude wasn't oh its expensive - it was I deserve it to be cheeper

Well said @Sportysporty and @Valerievalerie

Thank you for explaining about some of your overheads. Personally, my query was about why prices have rocketed so much in recent months as presumably all of those overheads have always been there.

My hairdresser has also scrapped social distancing and the only costs associated with covid that I can see are face masks and I think they might still be doing more cleaning between clients. She also charges if you cancel within 48 hours, which I certainly don't mind. So maybe you can empathise a little with a customer surprised at paying £180 for something that previously cost £120? It is a big jump. I have been going to her for about ten years, lots of perfectly understandable pay increases over the years, so it is a shock and I think hard to justify despite your breakdown.

But you are right and people have plenty of choice. The salons with talented hairdressers, good customer service and a sensible price increase will endure I'm sure, but those who give the impression of fleecing the customer (and I'm afraid you don't know every hairdresser in the uk and you get this in all industries so I'm sure you know they exist) will suffer for it over time.

Incidentally, I have used a plumber and a decorator this week- the plumber was £300 for the morning and the decorator was £120 per day, so I think my hairdresser's hourly rate is more (but of course has overheads).

I get very annoyed with people's attitudes re hairdressers! Dont go if you feel 'ripped off'!

A PP said 'I give her £25' as though it should be free but generous old you will push £25 in her hand!

And as for the people who say they do their own/DH does it etc and you get loads of compliments. I just dont believe it.

Its not just about the £ per hour. Do people not realise that there is the shop to rent, the rates to pay, the staff costs including juniors, holiday pay/sick pay.

No, I am not a hairdressers btw. I used to go into Central London for the experience and paid £95 for a cut and blow dry and knew it was more than my local salon. It would be, its London rents and staff costs.

A good hairdresser is worth their weight in gold.

'' But I completely think £114 is decent- I’d grin and bear £150 for a great colourist- but my issue was over £200.
Why compare plumbers or mechanics, unless I need to start paying the same for my nails as a house rewiring - the jobs are different. You’re right though, you can charge what you need/ want if turning people away''

You really don't get it do you 😂 if you don't like the price go somewhere else - you don't get to set what a buisness charges with anything other than shopping there or not.

And plumbing/electrical work/building etc are an almost exact cross over of skill set type/experience /training except for the general sex of most of the service providers.

And I do belive some people are able to dye and even cut thier own hair pretty well - but mostly as you get older grey coverage and texture takes much more technical knowlage than a box of Nice and Easy.

"It's one thing to be surprised, quite another to label it as "extortionate " and to belittle the skill/effort involved."

I do think that the increase at my hairdressers is extortionate and hard to justify, despite all that has been said here. I have paid for now of course but will be looking elsewhere as you suggest. I certainly wouldn't belittle her skill - or anyone else's - as I've enjoyed going for many years.

I do find the defensiveness a bit surprising. There are regularly threads on here discussing the cost of tradespeople, childcare, holidays and so on. I remember a thread outraged that some shops were offering discounts to certain employees during covid. The response to all of them could be 'don't use them then' but it is a discussion forum after all.

I was thinking the same this week as just booked appointment. Last time cut an highlights cost £100 did not dare tell DH.