getting your hair done is expensive!!! Why?
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Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Politics
Forum Description: The politics of Hair is a slippery slope...
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8707
Printed Date: October 19 2025 at 12:51am
Topic: getting your hair done is expensive!!! Why?
Posted By: Kelly
Subject: getting your hair done is expensive!!! Why?
Date Posted: December 14 2001 at 9:29am
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Why does it cost so much to get your hair done? For example, you can go to the beauty supply store and buy a pound of bleach for about 10.00 and a bottle for developer for maybe 3.00. You could get a few highlight jobs out of this. But each highlight job is usually around 50.00. Is this a profit or what? I`ve seen perms on sale at the beauty supply store ranging form .99 to 7.00 dollars, but the average perm costs about 40 dollars. I know it takes time to do these processes, but is it really worth the amount of money that is charged? SO it take 15 minutes to roll the perm, then it process and they rinse, style and all that- maybe cut. Basically the hairdresser has charged you 30 $ for this (subtractig the cost of the perm solution). Very expensive. ------------- The present is the past tomorrow. :) |
Replies:
Posted By: Jennifer
Date Posted: December 14 2001 at 10:23am
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Hi Kelly, If those are the prices in your area, consider yourself darned lucky! I pay $115. just for highlights. I`m concerned when you say, " Is this a profit or what?" Do you think stylists are charity workers? Many have families (not forgetting themselves) to support. First of all, if people don`t make a profit, then they starve! However, all the "extra" money doesn`t go into their pockets. Especially for a salon owner, there is the cost of the rental of the space or he has to buy the business or building. Then there are electricity costs and water costs. Of course, Uncle Sam takes a huge chunk for taxes. There are many, many other costs that I`m leaving out. There are not just the raw products to buy for services, but chairs, and all the equipment in the salon. Often, stylists have to pay "rent" for their stations, and if they charged much less, they simply wouldn`t make it in the world. There are exceptions, but how many *rich* stylists do you know? The average stylist is not wealthy in the least! However, to me, there is one reason for justification for the price: experience. It`s true that some people can perform these services at home for a mere fraction of the cost, and that`s great! But I personally don`t want to mess around with chemicals and my hair at home -- especially highlighting. My hair is already blonde, and that`s a very risky process to highlight at home. Also, professional beauticians are educated in their field. You pay for a doctor and lawyer`s expertise, and stylists are no different. The more experienced and talented the stylist, *very generally* the more you pay. Btw, I hope that you are tipping at least 15% to your stylist if he (or she) is doing a good job. A lot of young stylists that I know still live with their parents because they simply aren`t making enough money to live by themselves. Jennifer ------------- |
Posted By: Hal
Date Posted: December 17 2001 at 10:58am
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Supply and demand for one. Time is money for another. Because you will pay it. Actually something you may not know or thought about, most stylist rent their boths from the shop ower, buy their own supplies as well as pay their own insurance and taxes. Also the better the stylist the more it cost. You know you get what you pay for. My girl friend pays 50 bucks just for a cut. The cost you listed seem quite cheep, enjoy them. ------------- |
Posted By: dianefromcanada
Date Posted: December 17 2001 at 4:16pm
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Reply to message: viewthread.asp?forum=AMB%5FAP121551672&id=3552&page=1#10.3552.1 - 10.3552.1 $40.00 American would equals about $ 80.00 Canadian. Now does it sound cheaper for you? lol Personally I think it is worth every penny to have someone professional do the job. When I had my spiral done it cost $ 100.00 and it took four to six stylist to do mine because I have long hair so did they really make money? It took hours. What really makes me laugh is that you can pay $12.00 to over $ 30.00 for just a haircut. Once they have their name they make the money especially here for sure. ------------- dianefromcanada |
Posted By: Hair_Chick
Date Posted: December 18 2001 at 6:26pm
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Very well put Jennifer!! As a hairstylist it is nice to see that some people do appreciate us! Kelly if you think it`s expensive to have your hair highlited in a salon, I don`t think you would like to know what it costs to have your hair fixed after you try color it yourself!! ------------- |
Posted By: duke
Date Posted: December 20 2001 at 12:34pm
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Basically, I aggree with the views expressed above. There is a market for all kinds of styling, both of physical and chemical nature, and you can`t really blame the stylists for putting a price tag on something that requires time, an investment, overhead. However, I will make several reservations: firstly, many places have a flat rate for a woman`s cut that`s more expensive than for men. That is appalling. Don`t tell me it`s more difficult to cut womens` hair - it depends. If a woman with long hair comes in for a straight or oval trim, that should, by that standard, be cheaper than a carefully barbered mens` cut. If a woman gets a real short cut (those are rare nowadays), a mullet ( :) ) or a perfectly one-length bob it should cost as much as if a man gets the same. Secondly, $115 for highlights? American?! Here in Toronto, I think they`d only be $50 - moose money. Or maybe I`m still in the Java age. ------------- |
Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: January 15 2002 at 12:02am
Hi HairChick, You are so right about the color correction costs. I get at least 3 emails every single day from people who tried to "save a few bucks" and do their own color with disastrous results. Last year I received over 90,000 HairBoutique.com AskKaren emails. Yes, that is 90,000 and more that 40% of the emails were from people with hair color issues. They either had ruined their hair with home highlights, color or bleaching or were confused about how to do their own color. I always advise consumers "don`t pass go, don`t collect $200 dollars, go directly to hair color jail if you do your own color at home". :-) I am very pro-stylist because they are the experts. They did the time in beauty school and hair is their expertise. Even though I spend many hours every day dealing with hair there is no way I would do my own highlights or other chemicals. Nor would I do my own plumbing, electrical wiring or mechanical work. If your stylist of choice seems too pricey, do price comparison shopping. Or check out special coupons or other specials. Some salons have a special coupon for x% off on color w/a cut or cut w/ a color. Ask if they are having a sale or future coupon specials. Best wishes, Karen ------------- That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger or drives you totally insane. :-) |
Hair_Chick wrote:Posted By: lucky
Date Posted: April 05 2002 at 11:30am
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Jennifer, I couldn`t have said it better. And wow! Those prices you thought were outrageous are very inexpensive. (Unless you resign yourself to never go anywhere other than Supercuts.) Since Feb. I`ve spent over $500 on my hair. On average I would usually spend about $120 a month. (Unfortunately with my current job - $600 a month paycut--- I have to be creative.) And regardless, tip a good stylist! OMG, I cannot believe people don`t have a prob. with tipping a waitress well but won`t tip their stylist more than $2.00 Unbelievable. I tip $2.00 to someone who I`ve never met for only waxing my eyebrows ! Normally I tip a GOOD stylist 25-30% (I know not everyone feels this way, so I don`t need the "but some of us cannot afford that." replies I realize some cannot tip that much. Technically, I shouldn`t either. I make $8.70 an hour and I have a mortgage, credit card bills, high utils. etc.) But, you know what? These same stylists have squeezed me in on a moments notice, rescheduled without a problem, will spend a lot more time with me, and I have never been unhappy with the results. ------------- |