In my glory days as a beauty editor, a bonus was being ‘invited’ to receive a freebie at London’s swankiest hair salons, where color and cuts can cost upwards of £500.
This lovely bonus remains for those at the top of the industry food chain, but for me the invites have dried up like split ends. I’m not complaining: 60 percent of those working in the hair and beauty industry are self-employed (like me) and struggling with the rising cost of living.
Over the last three years I’ve spent £120 on a mid-highlight, cut and blow-dry plus tip (10 per cent minimum) at a salon called Gusto in London’s Oxford Circus. I’ve never received more compliments, not even from other beauty hackers.
I have a lot of fine hair that grows as fast as forced rhubarb. So every six to eight weeks I come back to get half or all of my highlights done on rotation, plus a trim and blow-dry. This means that, in a year, I am shelling out over £800. It’s a great value for London, but it’s beyond my finances with the sky-high bills.
And I’m not alone. According to a Financial Times report last month, women on both sides of the Atlantic are balking at the rising costs of salon visits.
Over the last three years, Beatrice has spent £120 on mid-highlights, cuts and blow-drying, so this time she tried to do it herself.
In fact, my £800 a year seems downright abstemious compared to some salon prices. Inflation, rising energy and rent costs, plus more sophisticated coloring techniques, have raised prices across the board by 10 to 14 percent since 2022, and individual cut and coloring are easily £200 even on the UK high streets.
So what is the solution? Judging by the rise of DIY hairstyle videos on the Internet, everything is literally in our own hands. We’re doing our own thing, and I don’t just mean through a box of hair dye bought at Boots (although research company Mintel reports that sales of home dyes are up 10 per cent in the last 12 months ).
No, we cut our hair too. DIY haircut tutorials on social media are going viral, racking up millions of views.
Beatrice has a lot of fine hair that grows quickly. She was impressed with her in-house hair color, she even received a compliment from a hairdresser, but in the end she needed a professional cut and style (right).
How hard can it be? For the sake of research (and my bank balance), I decide to give it a try. I start with the tint and opt for the new Clairol Professional Color Studio (£9.99, available in 15 shades, mine is Cool Chai), which claims the color lasts up to ten weeks by removing metal build-up from water. This is much longer than the shade they give me at the salon, so if it’s true, I already have a winner.
I’m nervous because my roots and ends are different colors. I go through each section applying product up to the middle of the length for 20 minutes, then ten minutes for the ends. The color is alarmingly dark, but there is no turning back.
Fortunately, once all the treatments are removed, I am delighted. Obviously it’s different to salon highlights, but my hair still retains several shades and now feels as soft as silk. I am pleased to report that after three washes the color has not faded.
But that was the easy part. Now it’s time for the home haircut. I found a practical guide written by American celebrity stylist Jen Atkins on YouTube. With clients like Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian, she gets my vote.
It first shows how to spray your hair with water and then divide it into sections. Despite using a regular comb in the video, Jen claims that a “rat comb” — one with a long, thin handle or “rat tail” — is best for parting hair. I happen to have one of these and for a moment I feel like a seasoned pro, or as close as I can get to one.
Beatrice followed a DIY haircut tutorial on social media, the videos of which went viral and racked up millions of views.
Kardashian’s Stylist Jen Atkin Offers Hair Curling Tutorial on TikTok
It’s time for the cut and with shaking hands I pick up my £29.99 Filarmonica hairdressing scissors from Sally Beauty. It immediately feels strange. My goal is to do a “simple” trim, but looking upside down in the mirror I can’t determine where the scissors should cut.
It’s strangely disorienting, like patting your stomach and rubbing your head at the same time, with the sharpest scissors in your hand.
The first cut is a disaster.
I cut a very crooked line in the front that will be extremely difficult to correct without making myself too short. My previously straight layers are now very uneven.
After a disastrous first cut, he discovered that there was a serious disadvantage to not having eyes in the back of his head.
“I have faith in you, you can do this,” Jen encourages me through my laptop. But Jen, I really can’t.
Going rogue again with his YouTube tutorial, I try to trim my back, cut my finger, and feel the blood running down my hand.
The applied plaster persists, which is a mistake. As much as you’ve looked at haircuts in the past, there is a serious disadvantage to not having eyes in the back of your head. A few more hits later and I give up, horrified.
It looks like I’ve treated myself to a self-made mullet. There is no choice but to book an emergency professional cut with a hairdresser who can see me in no time.
As my stylist/last-minute savior carefully cuts, he compliments me on my hair color and asks me where I got it done. I feel deliciously satisfied telling you that it was I. He does an excellent job fixing my hairstyle and diplomatically refrains from asking me who did it so badly.
I’m surprised at how good the color is, which is a huge financial win; after all, highlights are the most expensive part of maintaining my hair. But as for cutting it? I will never try it again. Ever.
I appreciate my regular cutter and his scissor skills even more. In fact, with the money I’m saving on color, I’m increasing your well-deserved tip.