Is expensive haircare and skincare worth it, or can you cut back?

[Peonies2026]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone else here spends far too much on haircare & skincare, and if anyone decided to cut down, and the results were.

I'm 50 and have a natural look. At least, I wish it were really natural and didn't cost a fortune! Everyone comments on my skin. I've used Clarins for 25 years, and swear by their SPF50 skin protector. Whenever I try a cheaper brand, my skin loses the kind of luminous gloss that Clarins gives me.

Then the hair... I tried various hairdressers and now go to a good London salon. Using them really made a difference. The cut is flattering and the colour is natural (as much as blonde can be natural). But the stylist always pushes for me to have highlights every two visits so it costs a lot.

So I spend about £320 on average a month with all beauty costs combined. I really would like to save that money instead. On the other hand, I'm a bit reluctant to let go. I read everywhere that women are supposed to become invisible at my age, but people still check me out. There's a bit of gossip going around at work about me (I'm very discreet and have a boring job but some people keep trying to find things out and seem a bit obsessed about me!). I'm by no means a great beauty so it's quite nice not to be invisible.

Do people who pay a lot for their 'upkeep' feel it's worth it? Has anyone given it up for a much cheaper routine and what were the results?

I do lots of interesting things on the side, so the only harm this is doing is preventing me from saving more.

Thank you!

When I was at uni 30 years ago one of my housemates used to slather Vaseline all over her face every night. She had nice looking skin, didn’t look greasy.

i feel it would clog my pores right up.

I had a £300 cotton colour once and that’s something I definitely would never bother again with it wasn’t that great, but products I do spend on
I think fundamentally in the salon you are paying for the Person skill in application so you just have to learn that skill at home and use the same products

Some months I spend a lot, some a little.

I have been buying No. 7 skincare for a while now and tbh I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference and whilst it’s not super expensive, I’m sure there are cheaper options out there so maybe I should look around at alternatives.

Make up varies. I do like Charlotte Tilbury and the luminous silk foundation although, don’t wear make up every day so lasts me a while.

I was reading reviews on something I was looking at the other day and noticed one said, ‘I use this as part of my 6 step skincare routine’
6 steps?! Really is that necessary?!

Have we just been duped into buying all this shite?!

The quality of hairdresser has no control over how fast your hair grows?!

I don’t spend much these days. Hair is lovely, natural grey now so that’s saved a fortune. I have always used facial uv products and cleanser at bedtime, nothing fancy, no brand, and these days I use tinted lip gloss. People always say I look young and ask what I use. I have never spent on expensive brands. Maybe it’s genes or maybe that’s all I need. Look at the ingredients, don’t bankroll the labels!

Charlotte Tilbury has just started testing on animals again if you needed a reason to drop that one elf is a brilliant dupe for all of it and cruelty free

Vaseline doesn’t moisturise skin

My one expensive treat is going to get my hair done at the hairdressers. I get my greys covered and go every two months. I tried box colours for a long time. I’m not skilled at applying it to the greys more closer to the scalp and around the back and further down the sides. I don’t mind budgeting for this one treat and everything else I can compromise on - clothes, makeup and so on.

It's fantastic as a last step , rub it between your hands and sort of pat it on and it locks everything else in.

it depends people’s skin etc. my mom is 60+ and only uses the big Nivea tub at night, never moisturise in the morning and you would think she is barely 50. Her skin is amazing.

I'm not sure about not drinking making you look younger. My younger sister has never drunk alcohol and definitely looks a lot older than she is despite somehow having hardly any grey hair at 54.

I think a lot of how you age is genes, bone structure, a reasonable diet and luck.

Also,OP, if you feel invisible you will be invisible and will have little to do with how much you spend on your skin and hair.

I have also been swapping out for more natural products over recent years. I think a healthy diet counts for a lot! For years, my skincare was Simple showergel + spf.

I'm mid-50s and get a lot of comments on my skin. I use almond oil to cleanse, rosehip oil with a gua sha, spf. At night: almond oil, sea buckkthorn oil (in place of retinol) and a honey tallow moisturiser. I also use aloe vera gel with a nu face and some facial exercises. None of these things are expensive (the nu face mini was a Black Friday bargain).

For hair, I have a sensitive scalp, cut my own hair since lockdown and currently using KinKind shampoo and conditioner bars. My hair is thick, long and curly.

I spend on things that make me feel really good and that I can’t find a cheap alternative to. For me, that’s:

manicures & pedicures (I’m cack handed and can’t get the perfect, glossy finish at home)

-retinol, vitamin c serum, azaelic acid (makes much more of a difference than fancy face creams)

a few make up products (I like Nars concealer, Laura Mercier setting powder, Hourglass mascara, MAC lipliner) - the rest if my makeup is drugstore cheapo.

I personally think Clarins and the like are useless and it’s all packaging and branding nonsense (but that’s just me).

I use cheapo moisturiser & body lotion from Savers, and a low cost Korean sunscreen.

If I had a high maintenance hairstyle I might think about an expensive stylist, but I can’t be arsed with the palaver. I dye my roots at home and get a trim three times a year.

Anyone tried beauty pie? What are your thoughts?
also if someone has a recommendation for chest wrinkles which i seem to have. I tried the cheap m&s cream and the expensive trinny. No change.

An expensive haircut (£90), once every 6 months ( which looks good for 6 months) is definitely worth it.

Medical grade , clean skincare products have balanced my skin. People mistake me for being 20 years younger than I actually am.

So for me, a definite yes.

I've started using Medicube skin care, bought it through Tiktok shop & saved quite a bit of money.

I think it depends on your skin/hair. I'm so jealous of people who can use Nivea or Astral, but on me it just sits greasily on top of my skin and flat refuses to sink in at all. The difference between supermarket and high end is enormous, though I think there is a limit, and I'm not sure you need to go all the way to Sisley or La Mer to get results. Or maybe I just want to believe that! I would say hair is maybe different, I think you can usually tell whether someone's spent a lot or not. But again, there may not be much difference between a super exclusive Mayfair salon and an experienced stylist in a really good local salon. Unfortunately (or luckily!) I've never had the opportunity to find out.

I think the implication is that the dye washes out quicker rather than the hair growing more quickly.

@Peonies2026 what moisturiser do you use? Your skin sounds lovely!!

I use Nivea everything, day cream, night cream, masks, moisturisers etc which are peanuts to buy. I get loads for Christmas and probably spend £5 per month on more.

I do my own colour, I’m lucky to have a thick shiny hair with naturally various tones so the dye looks good. Price £6 per month.

Hair cuts work out about £35 per month averaged out.

I buy make up around twice a year spending about £70 in total.

However I do spend just under an average of £100 per month of Botox and fillers.

What ive found useful is training how to do beauty treatments. So now I only go for the treatments fhat I cant do myself and I try and educate myself about ingredients so Im a step ahead of the hype. But yes beauty can be an expensive addiction

I think that getting enough sleep, not smoking or drinking alcohol, a healthy diet and regular exercise as well as wearing a moisturiser with SPF is what's needed to have decent skin rather than any expensive products.

I think this is a lot of it.

I feel I’m a bit late to the party with all this skincare (42), but I don’t think my skin is horrendous.

It’s a bloody minefield - I walk into boots and don’t know where to start!
So just end up buying what I always do, cheap face wash and No.7 serum and moisturiser.

I switched to off-the-shelf brands during lockdown when counters were closed - and never went back. I previously used Estée Lauder ANR and moisturiser, Clinique cleanser, and now use Cerave cleanser and moisturiser, and Inkey List serum. It actually wasn’t strictly about cost for me at the time, just convenience, but the saving is very welcome! I also experimented with makeup switches and am really happy with my ELF mascara, but didn’t like any of the “face” products I tried, so am loyal to my Lisa Eldridge foundation, my Smashbox primer (which I now have to get muled in from the US) and my Fenty powder.

Hair I am very lucky as I don’t pay at all - I look after my salon’s marketing as a side hustle - and get it cut every four weeks. However before I did this (again, around lockdown funnily enough) my DP was made redundant and money was tight. I prioritised my hair over other things I cut right back on when salons re-opened. My thinking is you wear your hair every day. My hairdresser - who owns the salon - is a wizard, and I get at least one random person compliment my hair every week.

I have a penchant for expensive skin care. When I need to replace it I google it - there’s always a special offer somewhere. I haven’t paid RRP for years.