To think hair salons are extortionate?

[chatterbug22]

I haven’t been to the hairdressers since the last lockdown, instead using box dyes. We have a hairdresser in the family so they don’t mind giving the occasional trim every six months.

I’d love to go back to a really nice hair salon, but a basic colour and cut starts from £85-£120, and balayage would be anywhere from £110-170!

AIBU to think this is really extortionate? Theoretically I have the money and could pay but wow, I just think it’s excessive and so so much. I want to treat myself and feel good about my hair. I know costs of everything have gone up and that a good stylist deserves paying well for their time and effort, I would never want to underpay someone. I just can’t believe it’s so much! Up north and not looking at city centre salons either.

I agree with this.

The hairdresser I used to go to is a bargain, she charges £9.50 for a haircut (I don't get it blow dried though). I think men's haircuts are about £5 around here.
I think blow drying it takes about the same amount of time as the cut itself.
However, I know colour is way more expensive, and this price was actually about four years ago.
OK, I just went on her facebook page and it is now £12.50 for a dry cut and £13.50 for a wet cut!

I cut it myself now anyway... I quite enjoy it :)

I paid a lot more when I went to Regis - about £60 if I remember rightly, and also paid more at a local salon when I used to go elsewhere - about £30-£35 for a wet cut and blow dry.
I know people who have spent £400 in hairdressers, but they were there for four hours and had wash, restyle cut, colour, highlights and some kind of feather installed (really).

No but I think it’s disappointing that it’s so out of reach, I consider my wage decent enough to be able to afford a salon trip- guess not.

Agreed. I choose to go the barber instead and spend £14. Couldn't afford a women's pixie cut so I don't get one. I don't see the point in complaining about the cost of a non essential service.

YANBU. I go months between haircuts, and only ever have a trim for this reason and it’s still never cheaper than £35, even when I request the most junior stylist or ask not to have them wash my hair. I’m going to try and find a local college and see if I can get the students to do it.

I pay about £155 every six weeks for foils, three colours, bit of root dye, cut and blow dry. Have been going to my hairdresser for over 20 years. 25 years ago she did a few stars in the west end. For years she was in Clapham; now she works from home.

I'm 62. My hair is a mid ash blonde lots of tones in it. My natural colour was wild rodent; at 62 it's darkish at the back, salt and peppery through the middle and has an uber shit wonderful white badger stripe at the front. My hairdresser is a miracle worker and therapist combined, makes great coffee and on a Friday night pours great wine. It would cost me £350 in Central London.

She cuts ds's, dh's and dd's hair now (highlights the latter too). We always tip. Funny how at the end of lockdown 2021 she phoned me to fit us in first on 12th April. She's also hired for ds's wedding at the end of summer - and she and her dh are coming as our guests.

But they have to undergo years of training , earn a wage , pay business rates , rent etc

Shop around and ask for recommendations

I found a lady who works on her own locally and she’s the best hairdresser I’ve ever had. I’ve been to plenty of top salons in my time too! She does colour cut and blow dry for average of £55 (every other visit she just does my roots and puts a toner on my highlights so it’s cheaper) I’m West Yorkshire

I bet some of you moaning earn way more an hr than a hairdresser and think you deserve it but they don't
There are cheaper hairdressers about but you don't get same service and experience , some you pay for name as more branded so you can shop around for more affordable and mobile hairdressers are often cheaper, it is expensive but not unjustifiably

Yep £170 for cut and colour. Luckily I only get mine done twice a year due to hair type

This!!

If you want a cheaper cut/colour then ask for the junior, but don't expect a complex style or a colour technique which takes years of experience for the same price as a junior as they are still learning.

Balayage is a really complex style as one wrong brush stroke can turn it from perfectly blended to a harsh stripe! It's very time consuming as requires hand painted highlights which in itself is very tricky to do.

DH does my roots with a box dye and we use the money saved for more interesting things like going to our local theatre.

£30 cut
£60 dye

Those that choose to go to say a London priced salon that charges £150+ can't really complain afterwards, can they?

My ex salon hairdresser set up her own garden salon
I have very short hair and have it cut and full colour every 6 weeks
£40.. and a lift home if she's free!
It's a real confidence boost and worth every penny to me

My hairdresser (central city location not UK) charges me the equivalent of £200 for a technical cut and a full head of highlights. I am in there for 3-4 hours.

So that's £50-£65 an hour.

Once you break it down and remove costs of premises, insurance, heat and light, equipment, products she is probably left with about £20 an hour which is a gross salary of £40k. Not a huge amount for a skilled yet physical and mentally taxing job.

For those saying they pay £15 a cut I'm guessing they turn you around in about 15 minutes, dry cut, small cheap premises? In which case it's the same cost for less time.

There are often chives.

Choices. Not chives.

DH does my roots with a box dye and we use the money saved for more interesting things like going to our local theatre

Did you mean to sound so judgemental ?

Between £110 and £150 depending on whether t section or half head.

I have typically 2 t sections then a half head 8 weeks apart (and a cut).

I have stupidly thick hair and a half head takes 4 hours to get the foils through.

I have to take snacks.

I paid £114 recently at the hairdresser's. I was there four and a half hours. So around £25 an hour? With the product costs, electricity and lighting, expertise, the young girl who washed my hair, rent on the building ... Bargain

I go to my local town and it costs me £69 for all over colour and a cut. Bit more if I want some highlights

I don't begrudge it. I can't do it and the cut is excellent. She has 20+ years experience.

You can't compare barbering to hairdressing cost-wise as barbers can get through many more customers in a day so price accordingly. Also far fewer products to buy

I wish women could just use barbers like men do. Or can they? Opinions please! No booking, quick service and good value. Would love that for standard cut and blow dry.

For those saying they pay £15 a cut I'm guessing they turn you around in about 15 minutes, dry cut, small cheap premises? In which case it's the same cost for less time.
My barber cut takes less than 15 minutes. Spray to wet, blow dry after, £14. I can wash my own hair.

I'd hate being in a hair salon a long time though, and I find the hair wash sinks horribly painful. It's my time too, I wouldn't want to pay more for someone to take more of my time!

Absolutely.

And the attitude towards it as a career is awful too even though those of us who use hairdressers do so because our appearance matters to us and they're actually highly skilled professionals

I'm a woman and I just use the barber. Basic cut and blow dry.