Tipping hairdresser after an expensive treatment.

[Bubblegum22]

I’m getting hair extensions which will cost £550, Aibu to not tip or should I be tipping 10%, which seems to be standard? Or whats an acceptable amount in your opinion?

Maintenance is circa £200 every 2 months so tips will add up over the year (if I decide to keep them in that is).

I’m not sure what the protocol is these days with more expensive treatments so would appreciate some info on other people’s tipping etiquette/or not at the hairdressers, particularly for more expensive services.
Would be great if any hairdressers here could offer some guidance on what they’d expect.

Thank you.

I think we've got different ideas about what constitutes a "fortune" so I'll leave it there.

I got overcharged by £20 today for a trim - should have been £55, charged me £75 with no explanation or reason, when I queried it against their website price list, they refunded me but I will not return after they blatantly tried to pull a fast one.

I’ve never tipped a hairdresser and I didn’t when I got extensions either they are so expensive and to maintain!

I tip my hairdresser around 10% and I live in Scotland!

I used to tip hairdressers, but they charge so much now that I rarely do these days.

Most hairdressers I know seem to be pretty well off too.

These days, I don't tip unless I think they've gone the extra mile and done an exceptionally good job. If I do tip, I just ask whether I can add a tip to the card total when making the payment. They always say yes!

I wouldn't give cash. That would seem a bit patronising and weird to me somehow if I was paying by card.

Bit tight never to tip, but when it’s expensive I wouldn’t do 10%

I tip

I wouldn't say the £50 is particularly expensive these days. It always costs me at least £85 and I live in the north! This is why I don't usually tip.

I would base it depending on the arrangement the hairdresser has with the salon. If they are renting a chair, they keep most of their earnings so no need to tip (although nice). If they are employed, they are only getting a fraction of the money so the tip is greatly appreciated.
It is quite common in the UK to tip hairdressers and beauty therapist. But what I found when working in the salon is that far fewer people think about the assistants who shampoo hair. These girls/boys are the lowest earners in the salon and do the most gruelling work - getting you refreshments, scrubbing the floor, running around multiple hairdressers, and washing your hair. They really appreciate a couple of quid even if you decide tipping your hairdresser is unnecessary.

My hairdresser is likely to be on much more per hour than me (in a professional role)
Last cut and full head of highlights recently was £400+
I do have thick hair and it takes a few hours, but I didn't tip.

When you pay, you can give the money to the receptionist and ask them to pass it on to XYZ. Every salon I worked in kept separate named envelopes in a reception drawer where tips for individual stylists were stored.

I don’t tip because even though I make the appointment in person and they can see how thick my hair is (and it is very long and thick), and even though they’ve told me they’ve got a note against my name that I’ve got very thick hair and need extra time, every single time I end up being rushed because they don’t allocate enough time.

I used to tip but the service alone is a lot

However - tipping the apprentice is more sensible. Apprentice wages are awful.

You’re spending so much, I wouldn’t tip at all.

My hairdressers charge extra for thick hair which seems a bit of a cheek.

I kind of see the point that it may take them longer to cut thicker hair, but at the same time, it seems like a form of discrimination. Can you imagine the uproar if fat people were charged extra for clothes in larger sizes because they use more material?

I always used to tip (except if the hairdresser was the salon owner) as does my Mum, but it has become so expensive nowadays that I don't anymore; my payment goes straight to my hairdresser. But if one of the younger women or man wash my hair (assume they are apprentices) then I tip them.

On that sort of treatment I would tip but for just a cut , I round up to the nearest note value, with a bit extra just before xmas

Why is it tight though? You’re already paying for the actual service itself, which is now incredibly expensive. Many many hairdressers are quite well off. For those on MW, there are so mang other professions in this country that are also on MW but don’t get tipped.

I have always given my hairdresser £3 and the trainee who washes my hair £1. Every little helps. I give it in cash and the salon manager notes down who gets what tip, so I know they treat their stylists fairly. I get a nice cappuccino and head massage all-in with the price so it's a lovely pampering experience

Well of course 'every little helps' and 'people appreciate tips' but why do only some low paid workers get tips while others in similar jobs with similar pay don't?

That's what no-one can explain.

I stopped tipping - hairdressing is an expensive service now and most hairdressers earn extremely well.

I would tip the salon I got my eyelash extensions at well over 10% every appointment (eg rounding £32 infills up to £40), I had to cancel an appointment last minute as my daughter was suddenly taken ill and they told me that not only were they keeping my deposit (fair enough), but they expected me to pay for the rest of the appointment!! I’d been going to this salon every two/three weeks for over six months, never missed an appointment before. Fair to say I never went back and found a new salon.
I’d say don’t bother tipping honestly, from my experience it isn’t particularly appreciated and doesn’t get you better service.

I hate tipping so awkward
Why hairdressers, waitress and taxi drivers but not podiatrist, nurses, or train driver???

There's no need to have to explain or justify the tip. It isn't the law.

i enjoy a cordial relationship with the person who does my hair, and I decide to give them a few quid extra, as a gesture of thanks - my money my choice.

i don't have a personal rapport with someone in Tesco or the bank, and the fact they put my shopping through the till which takes them about a minute isn't sufficiently meaningful to say here's £3 for you. But I'm always pleasant and give them the time of day while they're scanning my potatoes and washing up liquid.