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 ?!

Definitely look for home based hairdressers, it’s more convenient, way way cheaper and far less riskier than a salon covid wise.

@Paq

If it's just bleach on a foil then you don't need to go to a hairdressers do you?🤷🏻‍♀️

No one needs a colour and highlights to not look like "a scruff". Are you saying every woman without highlights is scruffy? You have a distorted view of female grooming. Not surprising given the world we currently live in.

I’m saying not cutting my hair would look scruffy yes, is that a controversial opinion? I would like highlights- yes that’s a choice- It’s still only bleach on foil, I don’t think it should cost hundreds of pounds.

Colourings ones hair is a distorted view of grooming? Is preferring some blonde in my mousy brown hair some kind of perversion?! Who knew

I grew up thinking a hair cut was an entirely normal thing everyone did....it shouldn't be so out of reach. It's like everything seems to be in this country. Ordinary things suddenly becoming so expensive that only wealthy people can afford it.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

I think a reasonable price would be c£25-£30 cut and blow dry and highlights totalling no more than £100

then do it yourself, or ask a friend to do it for you.

You might find the skills behind it justify a higher cost for the people spending their time doing your hair.

Do you also think a reasonable price for a night in a suite at the Savoy should be £100 because you don't want to pay more but you are entitled to a break?

The sense of entitlement is amazing!

'because they can' - hairdresser's aren't sone kind of cartel or monopoly FFS, but we are proffesionals who train for years on minimum wage then have to pay for premises, insurance utilities etc! The price of hairdressing supplies has gone throught the roof the same way lots of other 'raw' and trade materials have.

MN really pisses more off with this idea of rip off hairdressers then kissing the ass of anyone who gives thier cleaners hoilday pay.

Most hairdressers are women on not much above minium wage.

@Beautiful3

Yes just agree, prices have shot up. Its crazy money now! Since lockdown I've tried various blonde hair dyes, to cover my greys and look closer to my salon colour. After a year, I've finally found an expensive box dye that achieves this. My hair looks just as good as when my hairdresser does it. I'm chuffed to bits. If I were you, I'd look at trying expensive hair dyes and look for ones that mix 2/3 colours in one. Or try one online. You consult with them (and send a pic of your hair), they mix a colour and post it out to you. Its exactly what you'd get in the salon. Makes it look so much more natural. I'm saving so much money too!

@Beautiful3 Which box dye are you using?

Colouring your hair is a luxury - I'm happy to argue that getting a half decent cut isn't though.

My hairdresser charges £40 in a city for a cut and blow dry. It takes at least an hour so when you factor in the cost of utilities, products, insurance, council rates, PPE etc she's really not getting a huge amount of money per hour for her skill (which she's of course going to be taxed on like everyone else).

I'm far from flush but I don't begrudge paying for someone with skill to cut my hair. Plus having it done at the salon means I don't have to clean up my own home afterwards (I have tonnes of hair and it gets everywhere!)

Hair dye is pure vanity though, one I'm glad I've stepped away from thanks to Covid giving me an excuse to just let the grey grow out. I appreciate that it's a hard broken vanity - but we do need to accept that it's a luxury and pay accordingly.

Well OP, think its time to start box dying your hair seen as you think its as easy as a bit of bleach in foil. Also it does make a difference with how long or short hair is as you use more product and time on longer styles!

Do you also think a reasonable price for a night in a suite at the Savoy should be £100 because you don't want to pay more but you are entitled to a break?

The sense of entitlement is amazing!

This is rubbish. A haircut is just ordinary grooming and maintenance. I've seen upteen videos on social media of homeless people who are looking dishevelled being given excellent haircuts. It's a basic need

@Sportysporty

And op it's not just 'bleach and foils' you, ignorant entiltled idiot. It's years of training and experience plus everything else to rrun a proffesionals buisness.

Fucking condescending beyond belief

Still think it’s expensive, that’s what I was highlighting - bad choice of words and obviously I rate hairdressers and I don’t attempt to do it myself - but when they cost the same as a private dentist or doctor per hour, yes I think it’s too much.

I am in London and paid £90 for cut and dye in Leicester Square. It was at a Chinese hair salon and I find that cheaper than regular hair salons.

Really no need to call someone an idiot. So rude

"It's just bleach on a foil"

Ok, so do it yourself, will save you a fortune. Might as well cut your own hair too whilst your at it "it's just cutting with scissors"

Do you also think a reasonable price for a night in a suite at the Savoy should be £100 because you don't want to pay more but you are entitled to a break? so by that argument the cost of a Mars bar should be the same as a wk in Dubai

@user1471457354

Well OP, think its time to start box dying your hair seen as you think its as easy as a bit of bleach in foil. Also it does make a difference with how long or short hair is as you use more product and time on longer styles!

So why do some salons charge more just to cut long hair? How does that make a difference. In fact, I'd think that cutting long hair is less technical than cutting short hair

I’m not knocking the skill and time involved at all. I stopped having it done about 5 years ago because I just couldn’t afford it. I did go to a college for a cut, which was great (and cheap) but took literally all day.
Growing the highlights out was painful, and I do miss them. But whilst I might find the money for a random one off, there’s no way I could afford the upkeep.

This is rubbish. A haircut is just ordinary grooming and maintenance. I've seen upteen videos on social media of homeless people who are looking dishevelled being given excellent haircuts. It's a basic need

going to the hairdresser is a luxury, especially for a woman.

You do realise that many, who could easily afford it, chose not to go and look perfectly groomed and polish. I bet you won't even notice who does and who doesn't. You will notice a bad colour though.
Styling and faffing with your hair IS a luxury.

While a £10 haircut is out of reach for a homeless, it's hardly the luxury price quoted by the OP when a man goes to a random barber.

Yes it is vain to want to look nice- it’s not a crime to want to look nice though

It isn't about bleach and foils, its time. A lot of time you are sat in a chair when they can only have so many people sat in the salon. Its high rents and training costs and insurance for staff.

Go on local Facebook groups and ask if anyone can recommend a home hairdresser who comes to your house. Mine charges £28 for a cut and blow dry at home in South east. She said even with having to drive between clients, she's earning more than in a salon due to the high costs of running a salon.

Or ask about cut without a blow-dry.

Distortion is not a perversion, no. They are two entirely different words. You can't afford the going rate for highlights. Honestly, my heart bleeds for you, especially since you are so polite to people on this thread.

Haven't you noticed that demand and supply drive prices in a market economy? Not just skills and training? Your comparison with dentists is about as sophisticated as the people who argue that nurses should be paid more that footballers.

Still think it’s expensive, that’s what I was highlighting - bad choice of words and obviously I rate hairdressers and I don’t attempt to do it myself - but when they cost the same as a private dentist or doctor per hour, yes I think it’s too much.

you don't get to decide what is "too much" because you don't want to pay 😂

If it's too much, don't go and choose a cheaper option.

All these people who expect everything for nothing: like a handmade birthday cake for a tenner (buy a supermarket one!). It's ridiculous.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Yes it is vain to want to look nice- it’s not a crime to want to look nice though

but your thread is not about looking nice.

It's about expecting to get expensive treatment on your hair for next to nothing. If you choose a luxury option, you pay the price of that luxury and the skills and time of people doing it.

Cut and blowdry is normally a 45 min appointment alone. Private dentists around us usually charge £50 for a 10-15minute check up. No, the hourly rate of a hairdresser is not comparable.

Hair dye is a luxury.

A quality highlight is also a skill that requires training, experience and talent. It is also a service primarily offered by women. When we say it should be available cheaply, we are really saying that skilled trades in female dominated fields are not worthy of adequate compensation.