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 ?!

@OnlyFoolsnMothers I only meant saved on haircuts, sorry I wasn't clear

I love my hairdresser, Im in London and got my hair coloured, cut and styled for £84 a few weeks ago. My stylist is great, if she increased her prices, I'd still pay. I can't cut my hair myself and I'm happy to pay for her time and skill to do so.
Having your hair done by someone else is a luxury, not a necessity.

@anon12345678901

I love my hairdresser, Im in London and got my hair coloured, cut and styled for £84 a few weeks ago. My stylist is great, if she increased her prices, I'd still pay. I can't cut my hair myself and I'm happy to pay for her time and skill to do so. Having your hair done by someone else is a luxury, not a necessity.

Would you stay if jumped to over £200?

I agree, I go to the hairdresser about 1-2 times a year, I only get a trim and it's £50! I also just don't understand how cutting 2 inches of hair equates to that amount, but I guess I do see it as a luxury, like I would see a massage or something (similar hourly rate). Then I trim it at home myself in between.
I guess even if did get it done more regularly (every 12 weeks for example) that would average about £17 a month which doesn't feel as bad when you think of it like that.

If I had to start cutting things from my expenses yes a haircut would be something I don’t need but I wouldn’t call it a luxury- strictly speaking you don’t need many things but it’s a sad state when families on “good” incomes but not 6 figures can’t afford a haircut and a cinema trip in the same month- we aren’t talking the Maldives

I'm in Scotland and my last visit was for highlights, in 2 different colours, a cut & blow dry and that was £60. I'm only having highlights to disguise my greys as they were getting a bit more noticeable. Luckily, my greys seem to be well dispersed across my head rather than going grey from the roots, if that makes sense.

I think £60 is quite dear! I'll keep up with the highlights until they don't hide the greys. I don't know what I'll do after that! I imagine more maintenance is needed for a full head colour, whereas getting my highlights redone every six months works at the moment.

I don't really consider getting my hair done to be a luxury, though. Who wants to walk around with hair that's scruffy and/or ageing?

Of course having someone else do it is a luxury. Anyone who's not physically disabled can cut their own hair - the only variable is what it will look like when they're done, and whether the particular style they want is attainable that way. I keep mine long and lop off the ends myself when it gets too ratty-looking. That's not perfectly straight, but neither is my hair, so it looks fine. It's up most of the time for my job anyway. If you want it short, there are plenty of clippers that will do the job.

And even if a cut wasn't a luxury, everything else on that list certainly is. Many people happily go their entire lives without artificially colouring their hair, and many more do it themselves out of a box. I don't even know what "toner" is, so I'm guessing it's not essential to human existence. And a blow dry? Come on now. You really can't do that yourself?

As with just about everything, there is a spread in costs and experience.

I’ve just looked up and if OP is not happy, perhaps she should look at Supercuts. They are available all over London and their prices seem very reasonable. I haven’t ever used them, but they are obviously successful given how many branches they have.

@TheKeatingFive

and they do just as good a job.

I don’t think everyone would necessarily agree with that.

When it comes to colour particularly, it hasn’t been my experience.

Well, that's just down to who you use, surely?

If I couldn't find someone else I trusted then yes. I choose to pay for my hair, if I decided I couldn't afford it, I would box dye and pay for a cut less often than 6 weeks.

If you want someone else to do your hair, then it's a luxury, no one is entitled to have their hair done professionally simply because it's scruffy or aging.

"Threads like this, whatever product/service they're about, are deeply unintelligent."

I think the main issue for me is that the prices seem to have increased dramatically and certainly beyond inflation in recent months.

So those of you saying it's a luxury, and they've got overheads to pay, and staff deserve a fair wage - yes, of course.

But if your salon, and competitor salons in your area, have hiked prices by a percentage that makes a big difference to affordability, without any obvious change in service, then people are going to be surprised and shocked, and wonder what the justification is for that. I think it would be more 'deeply unintelligent' to keep handing over the cash without it crossing your mind that you're unquestioningly paying an extra 30% or whatever.

Threads like this allow hairdressers to explain why I guess, so it's a good thing, a good discussion to have, imo.

I use a back street salon. Best salon ive ever been in. £50 for highlights, cut and blowdry. Im in South Yorkshire

I've used more up market ones and they're no where near as good.

@SprayedWithDettol

As with just about everything, there is a spread in costs and experience.

I’ve just looked up and if OP is not happy, perhaps she should look at Supercuts. They are available all over London and their prices seem very reasonable. I haven’t ever used them, but they are obviously successful given how many branches they have.

Oohh I forgot about super cuts- thank u will check them out, none super near me but I could take the train

The way I look at it, is if someone spends an hour doing my hair then something like £35 is cheap, because they have overheads.

I wear my hair all the time, so that amount every couple of months isn't much if you work out price per wear.

I pay £130 every 8 weeks

My hairdresser has won many awards for his colour skills. He’s a genius. I don’t mind paying it at all!

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

You’re not paying for the bleach on a foil though?!?

You’re paying for the years of skill it takes to get to that level

You could do your own hair if you think it’s bleach on a foil. I’m not a hairdresser. But that’s below the belt

Any trade person. You’re paying for their skill and knowledge. The products. The time it took learning it. You’re paying for tons.

SMH.

@Sportysporty

'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.

Here here!

I dunno, I spent 180€ today and I look 5 years younger so I don't begrudge that.

I hate going to the hairdressers and I was a bit uptight when I went in. To be fair, she did exactly what I wanted and was really nice but with minimal chat. I looked like a mad witch when I went in so I'm not grumbling .

I don't mind paying for skills. Its when I have to pay for something that I didn't want that I bristle. And that happens. Probably why I only risk it twice a year. I used to have a wonderful hairdresser that I gladly paid 250€+ but he got ill and couldn't work anymore. I'd give anything to have that relationship again, bless him. He was a diamond, never found a better hairdresser.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

It's about expecting to get expensive treatment on your hair for next to nothing I don’t think £100 is next to nothing Like I said I think people should be able to get a hair cut for less than £50

They can though.

I saw a lady in America who had her hair done and it came to over $5000

I had a cut.toner and colour today for 39.00.im in Kent

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

"The price of hairdressing supplies has gone throught the roof the same way lots of other 'raw' and trade materials have."

Well then the % of the cost of a haircut that is attributed to 'raw materials' should go up by the same increase of course.

I agree, OP, here in the West we are being similarly extorted. I have ceased to dye my hair, DH now cuts the back, and I do the front (we have the same arrangement with the lawns, coincidentally). I feel oddly liberated from the tyranny of hairdressing, the only downside being that I do actually look like two unskilled people have cut my hair.

I pay £42 for my wash, cut & blow dry. Before the pandemic it was £35. I don't live in London. I use someone who is trained but no longer a hair dresser. I give her £25.