The hair would absolutely be the last thing to go for me. I figure I can always restyle the clothes I have. But I certainly can't do my hair myself.

An interesting theory. I wonder, though, if it has more to do with the long hair trend and the natural grey trend. When short hair is trending cuts need to be done more often.

Everyone's thoughts are fascinating! It will be interesting to watch how 2016 unfolds. My next hair appointment is right before Christmas. We'll see if things are better or worse from her perspective.

I've had my own personal recession since I left my marriage, and I largely gave up mani/pedi's and have cut way back on the fashion purchases. But I still go to the salon every three weeks, rain or shine. I have noticed, now that you mention it, that it hasn't been super busy the last few times I was there.

In terms of expenses related to physical appearance and presentation, hair and gym membership would be the last possible cut for me.

carter, i totally believe that hairdressers, housecleaners etc are leading indicators of where the economy is and where it maybe going. that being said, i also believe that even thought the "great recession" was a world wide event, many/most recession are local….i know that the rust belt city i live in wasn't as impacted by the events of 2008 as the east and west coasts, because to be honest, we didn't have the real estate run ups or the kind of major industries that got hit….

Very interesting thread. Agree with UmmLila: hair and gym membership would be the last possible cut for me

Interesting theory.
I would have thought that maybe people are waiting to get closer to the holidays and/or upcoming parties to get their hair done, rather than anticipating a recession.
Colorado is booming too, not too many people here seem to expect a recession; I had to almost get down onto my knees to get my stylist to squeeze me in before Christmas.

What great observations by everyone.....we shall see..... : )

I LOVE MsMary's term : " my own personal recession".

I would definitely stretch out hair appointments to get fewer a year. I tend to wear my hair back a lot anyway. I would not cut back on my skin creams/treatments; such as vitamin C and retinol and a good facial sunblock. Those are almost non-negotiables. Unless we are in danger of going hungry. : )

Like MsMary, I have experienced my own personal recession, in my case since retiring a few years ago. I'd love to have the luxury of regular hair appointments, but it's not an option for me. Luckily, I'm good at managing my own hair between very infrequent trips to the salon.
Aside from my own situation, I think that for most women, hair-care would be the last thing to go when making cut-backs.

All this talk about hair upkeep has me wondering : what do you all think is the lowest reasonable price for a good haircut ?

Summer, your comment made me thing about a couple of things.

Before the recession hit 7 years ago, a fabulous local hairdresser charged $150 now he charges $75. He is a "master cutter". But I would bet that most places in Boston are still over $100. I found a wonderful place that gives me a great hair cut for $50. BUT, if I still worked in the city with clients and meetings and travel, I would definitely upgrade. I have never had much luck of getting a fabulous, expensive cut and having someone else then follow it and upkeep it.

My short hair looks awful when I wait too long between appointments, so I have to go regularly now. But then my hair stylist isn't super expensive, so I can afford it. I would say my eating habits are the first to change with less disposable income. It saves a lot of money if you don't eat out as often.

ETA

Isabel, I pay 18€ for just the cut (cut&go). I paid 32€ today for a cut with a wash and some color. I always tip in addition to that. But anyway, it's so inexpensive that I can afford to go every four to five weeks. My hair stylist doesn't have a fancy title, but he gets my hair!

Astrid, great point ! It made me remember that the one thing that I hated about the "master" cutter was that he constantly tried to get me to do some very avant-guarde things with my hair. I am not a risk taker in anyway. LOL !!!! I was an exceptionally boring client for him. And yes, cutting back of eating out is definitely a main and easy cut back. : )

Although I have noticed a difference between the cheaper and more expensive haircuts, I tend to grow out the cuts pretty quickly. It doesn't mean that my hair grows fast, but that the cut itself looks stale shortly thereafter. It's why I can't imagine spending in the triple digits, on a regular basis no less. I paid $60 US for my last cut using a Groupon, but the regular rate there is $100-200.

By the way, you can often get a cheap cut ($15-20) at hair design schools. The apprentices do the cut while they are overseen by their teachers. The caveat is that is can take a long time.

I bet that busyness of hairdressers does correlate with shifts in the economy, particularly on a local/regional level. I'd suspect that early November is a point where a lot of people put off their cuts, though, until right before Thanksgiving, or in early December so it looks good for the holidays and associated events.

I spend ~$50 with tip at my current place for a wash/cut/style, which I think is about as low as I could go in my high COL area and get a decent result. A couple of years ago I was getting my hair colored, highlighted and cut at a medium-high salon, and although it looked good it just got to be too much - $250 every six to eight weeks was just a ton of money.

I've always been kind of a cheapskate with hair styling, maybe because I grew up in a place where it was a lot cheaper, or because it's something that fades so quickly, and you have to redo often. Clothes, in comparison, you get to keep for a lot longer.