You may be wondering why hair appointments seem to be so much more expensive than they were 5 or so years ago. We thought we would share some reasons as to why most hair cut and colour appointments are about $300+ these days.

Besides the cost of commercial rent, property taxes (which commercial tenants pay), products, wages etc increasing rapidly over the past few years…hair colour trends have drastically changed. It is not typical for a client to come in anymore and want a basic root re-touch or highlights. Often, we need to use multiple techniques and multiple colour processes/formulations to achieve the desired look (think of dropped root, smudged root, balayage, dimension, ombre, rainbow hair, air touch, colour blocking, global blonding- all terms you have probably heard being used to describe the latest and greatest colour techniques). Even hair that appears to be one colour, like the Cowboy Copper trend, is likely not and requires multiple processes (lifting or filling and toning) to prevent the colour  from fading too quickly.

These techniques not only take tons of product, but time and skill. The time your stylist puts into researching and learning these trends (not to mention colour theory) is usually unpaid and classes are also very expensive.

Social media, hairstylist influencers and “filters” have made explaining the process of hair colouring very challenging for us stylists. Firstly, many clients seem to think that the looks they want can be achieved in one appointment. Most often, they can’t (especially if wanting to go from dark to light or from colouring your hair to embracing your grey). These processes are presented as quick and easy by many social media hair gurus but, in fact, they take many many hours and cost somewhere in the thousands to achieve. Some of these looks also require maintenance, like toners that need to be refreshed every 6-8 weeks. Cool colours do not stay cool for long, the lightened hair warms up due to the natural underlying pigment of hair- this is not often explained, and clients are shocked to find out their grey hair will not be low maintenance and less expensive until all the hair that has been coloured grows out.

Unfortunately, more often than not, a colour you are seeing on social media has been filtered and/or edited and is unachievable on previously coloured hair without the stylist having to perform multiple technical services (or just flat out unachievable depending on our client’s the base/natural colour). Sometimes, wigs, hair pieces and extensions have been used, the model’s hair hasn’t actually been coloured at all (we see this in creative hair colour placements and in celebrities who have frequent hair changes).

In short, as stylists we charge for our time and knowledge plus product. The hair colour trends of today are rarely the single processes they once were. To achieve the looks you’re seeing on IG and Pinterest (and bringing in as your inspo) your stylist will likely have to apply the colour using more than just one technique, multiple processes and LOTS of product! Because of this, appointment times have also increased from 1.5 hours to 3+ hours so be sure you bring some snacks!