How do you get started with going for haircuts and other beauty stuff?

[InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits]

So, I have teenage DDs and talk amongst their friends is all of prom dresses and suchlike. I’ve said I’ll pay for a nice hairdo on the day but I’m not and never have been a regular salon visitor and I’m wondering how that all gets started really. For context I can count the number of times I’ve been inside a hairdresser in my life on two hands. I wasn’t taken for haircuts as a child, had no parents present as a teenager, then it was never a priority as an adult. As a result I have, and have always had one length, long, uncoloured hair and have never had a manicure or a facial or eyebrows or any other treatment type as I wouldn’t know where to start. There are several local hairdressing places where I live so we have a few to choose from.

I don’t really know what’s normal or how to get the DDs into some kind of regular routine with hair care or other stuff. When did you start to go to the hairdresser etc? Who paid for it? Did you go often as a teenager or young adult or is it something that you do more often when you are older? I don’t mean I want them going for exotic treatments every few weeks or to be high maintenance or anything, but I feel like I’m off one end of the scale and maybe I’m doing them a disservice by not introducing them to this stuff? Especially if they are comparing beauty standards to other teenagers for whom the norm is to have lots of outside support with their looks and style. They don’t seem unduly bothered at the moment but maybe they will become so? Do parents take their younger children or teenagers along to a regular salon that cuts adult hair, or is child hair different? What age does child hair become adult hair? I’m totally clueless as to how to transition them to “normal” habits without making them think I don’t like how they look.

TL,DR: I’m clueless with beauty stuff, how do I guide teen DDs into hairdressers/routines

I always went to the hairdressers as a child as did my mum so as I do now, you go when your hair needs cutting. More styles need more regular maintenance and others less. It's up to your daughter whether she wants her nails done regular or not. Most schools don't allow painted nails anyway for a normal school day anyway. Things like getting eye brows shapped generally need doing every 5-6wks. Unsure on false lashes. Again you would need to check if false lashes are allowed for school.

Most salons will also cut children's hair as well as adults. Adult prices tend to start at 12 or some 16. Local Facebook page might be a good place to start for a hairdresser recommendation.

I went as a child but quite irregularly, and I go regularly as an adult for a trim. Nothing fancy.

I took the dc to the same place I used while they were young children. Now I just take DD (12), as teenage DS prefers to visit a barber.

Honestly I would just go in or ring up and say you’re booking for your daughter, make an appointment for a cut, and then turn up with her. You can wait while she gets it done, they’ll point you to a place to sit.

I do find that even with very ‘simple’ hair like mine and DD’s (straight, longish, only a very minimal layer to give a bit of shape) it looks better and stays far healthier if we go for a trim every couple of months. Otherwise the ends get raggedy and we just look a bit scruffy. Not the end of the world, but if I delay it because money is tight or whatever, I always find it surprising what a huge boost it gives us when we finally go.

We went quite regularly to the local salon as children and teenagers.. maybe 3 times a year for a trim or a new style? I go every 7 weeks as an adult to dye my roots (started going grey at 19) so definitely doesn't need to be very regular as a teen.

I found my regular hairdresser by following some local salons on Insta and looking for when they were accepting new clients and sent a message on there.

I find it's really easy to book in to a salon for a quick eyebrow wax as and when I need it but my brows are really low maintenance.

I always had haircut done by hairdresser. Anything else, I had to pay with my pocket money- make up, nail polish, eyebrows etc., but I realise we had much smaller choice of beauty treatments, unlike now (gel nails, laminated brows etc.). I coloured my hair for the first time when I was 26 and paid for it myself.

I bring my daughters to the hair salon about every three months for hair cuts, gave done since they were small I pay for them. If we have a special occasion eg a family wedding I would bring them when Im getting mine done & they get theirs styled aswell.

My older DD has expressed an interest in getting highlights. I wont be paying for this so she will use her own birthday money if she wants them.

They got nails done a couple of times as special birthday or christmas treats. I wouldn’t be paying for them they regularly, I dont even get mine done, they need to get a job for that!

Oh, and the norm is to have a wash, cut and blow dry, but while discussing it at the point of booking they might just call it a “cut and blow dry”; in most places, the washing bit is assumed as part of that.

You do need to still turn up with clean hair on the day, but it’s just easier for them to cut properly if they wash it first and start with it being wet.

Some places will do a “dry cut” for smaller children, using a spray bottle to spritz the hair so it’s damp enough to cut, but I don’t think that is often done for teens/adults. Maybe if someone had sensory issues, I guess.

Apols if any of that is super obvious! Not trying to patronise you, just thinking about what I might not know if I hadn’t been before.

I took my two (one DD one DS) fairly regularly as they were growing up to a walk-in place where you just turn up and wait, they don't wash it, just spray it with water, mime never wanted theirs blowdried. As teenagers they both only go about once a year, they don't enjoy the experience much and are happy to just let it grow. I go once every 10 weeks for cut and blow dry in a different salon, never had it coloured. Never had mine done for a special occasion either, I did offer to take DD to have hers done for prom but she preferred to do it herself at home. She's never expressed any interest in nails, brows etc.

Thank you for all the info!

I was reading another thread about going to the hairdressers less which is what got me thinking as I didn’t really twig that people went as often as they do, as in weeks between visits rather than say, several months or a couple of times a year which I had in my head as being more normal.

Its more, how do you look at hair and think that needs cutting? How do you look at your eyebrows and think, they need waxing? Especially on your DC! Don’t get me wrong, I care about how I look, I like dressing nicely, I’m not too bad at styling hair into curls or updos etc, and I like wearing some make up but I’ve never done anything to my eyebrows other than a little pencilling. And with long, one length hair it just stays the same length pretty much, DCs are the same. How would I know when it needed cutting? The men in the house are the same, cycle between short and long hair with a haircut every 2-3 years at any hairdresser with space, the impetus for a cut being wanting a change rather than the hair itself needing cutting, if that makes sense.

So it would be reasonable to budget for paying for both teen dc, one at college one at school, but only for haircuts and not colours or highlights etc? Do students have the budget to go to salons regularly when they are at university?

For the people who go frequently, eg every few months, when did you start doing that and when did it become your responsibility to book and pay for it?

Thank you!

Well you know it needs to be cut if it gets a little fluffy at the ends but generally, if you're getting it cut by a hairdresser and it's not an elaborate style (same length all over as you say), once a quarter should be enough for a trim and then an inbetweenie if necessary.

I did go to the hairdresser as a child/teenager, my mother paid for it. As I reached my teens I had electrolysis on my eyebrows, paid for by my mother and I've never needed to do anything with them since, it was painful but very effective - thanks Mum and good job, Monica!

All I had to do myself was make the phonecall as a teenager to set up the appointment in order to overcome pathological shyness.

I think I started sorting my own hair out when I went to uni, I do remember going to one in that city. I guess we either phoned up or went in and asked the receptionist to make us an appointment as that was pre-internet. Now I normally make my next appointment when I leave the salon, for 10 weeks time. They send a text the day before to remind me. Do you know anyone you can ask for recommendations locally? Our local FB pages often have people asking that. Also go online to look at prices etc, some are a lot more expensive than others. Maybe look at their social media to get a feel for what their typical client seems to have done. have to say I have moved around quite a bit and therefore used a lot of different salons, some I have liked much more than others.

Similar situation to OP. The salons near me seem very "posh" for want of a better word and are a bit scary for a novice! Most people I know say they use mobile hairdressers but that seems even more scary and I've now idea how that would work - do they bring their own stuff and set up in your house? Do you need to wash your hair in advance?

If I was starting from scratch and just wanted long hair trimming I'd start with one of the walk-in places. They get busy on Saturdays but you can sit and watch what is going on with the people ahead of you in the queue. They are minimum fuss, not ultra trendy and reasonable in price.

My DD is 11 with shoulder length hair, she gets it cut every 4 months or so basically when the ends start getting tangled. She’s moved from having a dry cut to having it washed and blow dried. I’m hoping getting her into this routine will encourage her to look after her hair into adulthood. My DM was very low maintenance so I went to the hairdresser on high days and holidays - looking back my hair was a bit of a mess and I was well into adulthood before I started regular hair cuts. I now go every 3 months.

In terms of eyebrows, I pluck and dye my own and DD is used to seeing me do it, when she asks I’ll show her how to keep them tidy and use a clear gel to keep tidy, she’s too young for regular make up yet.

As she gets older I’ll happily pay for hair cuts and if she wants her brows waxed ill
pay for that, but colouring she’ll need to use her allowance for. I want her to attend to her self care, but have a balance in terms of more high maintenance stuff.

I think colours and highlights are extras so you shouldn't pay for them. How often you get your hair cut it up to you. If you always want your hair at a particular length then it might need cutting more often.how often that it depends on how quickly the persons hair grows. My mum only has a hair cut about twice a year. I have mine cut every 3 months. Mine. seems to grow faster and I like my hair no longer than my shoulders. I also straighten my hair so the ends do split. If at uni, then money might be tight so students might just have to make do with less cuts or home hair cuts.
Fashion generally dictates eye brows. when I was 18 pencil thin was the style everyone had and I wanted that to. I couldn't do it myself so I booked in for waxing at the local salon. I had been working since 16 so had my own money.

My ds and dh go to the barber every 6 weeks. Both have short hair and like it like that.