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!

Wow, I never thought there would be so many answers! Thank you so much. It's so interesting to read in such detail about other people's beauty routines and how much you pay. Everyone sounds beautiful and younger than their age, too, so it shows that spending tons of money is not always necessary; it's finding the right things that work for you.

I sometimes am tempted to stop it all and go grey but I think I'll start by stretching out the time between highlights and haircuts. And I will alternate my products with cheaper ones. Then I'll figure out what I want to do longer term...I can afford it at the moment, because other costs are quite low, but worried about longer term, when I might want to reduce my hours.

At least, my clothes are casual and quite simple so I don't spend too much on clothing.

I've always prioritised skincare and bough what I think works. I also invest in my health with good quality food, gym membership and some select supplements. For a long time I wasn't really sure if it was worth it but at 49 I can see the pay off I have had and I do think it was worth it so I will prioritise it for now.

I use La Prairie cleansing balm. My skin is so much more even toned and healthier looking since using it. It's expensive but I pre order from duty free to get about a third off and it's a huge tub which lasts 9 months. The difference it makes is noticeable, I can see the before and after.

I used to use Sukin products as they are cheap as it is natural but I realised it was making my skin rough and irritated so I've dumped them.

I've switched to Dr Hauscka rose moisturiser, it's absolutely lovely and really suits my pink easily burnt face, really soothing.

I have a Curel ceramide spray which I use for cooling off when out and about and Vichy invisible stick SPF 50, the stick stays put whereas SPF creams just get in my eyes and irritate them.

The La Prairie cleansing balm is my absolute favourite though. Value for money considering how much good it does and how long it lasts.

I use a cheap cleanser and moisturiser but spend on prescription tretinoin. Mid range SPF for daily use
occasional serums on none tret nights

used to have bad acne but my skin is happy with tret

makeup - a mix of cheap, mid range and high end as I love makeup

hair - expensive cut once a year. Cheap shampoo and conditioner but expensive clarifying one used every week. Mid range to expensive styling products

Hrft but i have had to cut back on expensive products from time to time. My skin suffers sadly, so when I can, I stock up. My products are Liz Earle skin care, Australian bodywork skin wash, aveda hair care, though I've found some shampoo bars which are ok.
Tried a few other products through liberty bix scheme, and like Kiehl stuff but its not cheap either.

I'm not keen on hairdressers, so trim it myself, but its tied back mostly so not crucial..

My main issues are sensitive skin and scalp, so often the dupes don't work for me, but I do try..

@Arran2024 are there any products you recommend from pure Seoul? There is a huge amount on the website to choose from!

As someone who is budget all the way and has found a skincare regime that makes people ask how my skin is so good, I still think no, in some cases certain skincare or makeup that is more expensive does do a better job, but it’s about finding certain cheap products that work and paying for other things that suit your own skin. People who survive solely on Aldi, Catrice and the ordinary are just very lucky! I live by Avene and le roc posay because I have horror movie skin otherwise- both are regularly on deal. I use all Rimmel which rivals anything else in my opinion but I splash out on primers (Aimee Connolly or Clarins or Mac or Clinique).

I agree that plenty of budget brands do just as good a job (if not better) than luxury brands.....but then it's a bit of trial and error finding what works for you.

With make-up for example I go higher end for some products. Erborian for BB cream and Givenchy for powder because I love them both, Charlotte Tilbury or Urban Decay for setting spray. But Elf blush, bronzer and mascara does not budge ..... neither does my Rimmel eyeliner so I'm more than happy to save money there.

I am more budget with skincare and I would say my skin is really good. I have tried higher end products that feel nice to use but I don't think they've been any more effective, so it depends on how much you value the experience. I'm pretty loyal to certain brands, Garnier/Nivea/Inkey List/Byoma etc and think consistency .... doing your skincare day in and day out is more important than price point.

Personally I feel that as you get older you need to invest a bit more, if you can, on quality skincare with more active ingredients. Having said that I think it is easy to 'overload' your skin and cause either breakouts or sensitivity.
A skincare expert, with no ulterior motive, once likened it to plant care - if you water a plant you can keep it alive, if you feed a plant it flourishes - and there is no doubt that more expensive skincare contains ingredients that will feed the skin more and in formulas and consistencies that are perhaps more easily absorbed.
Burt it's horses for courses, isn't it? Just as we know smoking is bad for us but someone can always tell us their uncle or whatever lived to be 110 smoking 100 a day, so it is with skincare. There will always be those for whom a bit of something cheap will result in glorious skin (lucky them) but at the other end of the spectrum there are those for whom more premium products do show results, or they feel they do, and are therefore happy to pay for them and perhaps economise elsewhere.
There is no right or wrong and none of us have the right to criticise what others are doing or using really.

Set a budget OP as to what you’re willing to spend monthly on beauty and prioritise products. For example, I have my “must have items” and I then go for more affordable options on other things.

I used to always buy expensive cleansers, but I’ve found excellent results with Simple & Beauty of Joseon. I then spend a bit more on my “actives” like retinal by Medik8 and serum by Anua.

For hair care, I can get away with supermarket conditioners but treat myself to an expensive hair mask from time to time. I use a medicated shampoo (Neutrogena T Gel) for dry scalp. I then use Davines Hair Milk before blow drying and a decent high end heat protectant and hair oil.

so basically I use a combination of high end and supermarket bits. Hope that helps.

Also utilize brands and websites that offer a reward scheme e.g. SpaceNK, LookFantastic, Medik8

Really interesting thread, thank you Op.

I'm in my early 60s and currently wondering what I can cut back on regarding skin and hair care. The answer seems to be not much 😂.

Hi. I use the Real Barrier range. I went into one of their shops and this was what the recommended for me, but of course I might have very different skin compared to you. But here is a link to one of the Real Barrier creams. If you scroll down it gives lots of info and reviews https://pureseoul.co.uk/collections/real-barrier/products/real-barrier-extreme-cream-light

I’m a little younger than you (40’s) and I put into a savings account £110 a month to cover my hair, nails, lashes. I should probably start saving monthly for my face creams too lmao. But I do think your monthly costs are a bit high. I go to a good salon £185 a go, but spread the appointments, and probably get my hair done every 4 months. And my face cream I use Elemis and same as you I’ve tried cheaper ones and they’re just not the same, not even nearly. I usually wait for Black Friday and buy the duo, and usually end up with a nice vanity bag and samples as well as cheaper moisturiser.