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YouLookFab Forum » Topic: . https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:18:04 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1586133 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 20:37:19 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1586133@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. gradfashionista on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1586128 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 20:10:10 +0000 gradfashionista 1586128@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. Isabel on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1586099 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:03:34 +0000 Isabel 1586099@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. : ) Astrid on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1586094 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 17:29:06 +0000 Astrid 1586094@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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! Isabel on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1586091 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 17:23:22 +0000 Isabel 1586091@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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.  Summer on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1586085 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 16:51:42 +0000 Summer 1586085@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. Isabel on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585845 Fri, 20 Nov 2015 22:20:41 +0000 Isabel 1585845@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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.   : )  Minnie on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585767 Fri, 20 Nov 2015 19:03:52 +0000 Minnie 1585767@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. RhondaMat on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585713 Fri, 20 Nov 2015 16:18:53 +0000 RhondaMat 1585713@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Very interesting thread. Agree with UmmLila: hair and gym membership would be the last possible cut for me :-) kkards on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585672 Fri, 20 Nov 2015 14:12:33 +0000 kkards 1585672@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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…. UmmLila (Lisa) on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585446 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 21:05:30 +0000 UmmLila (Lisa) 1585446@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ In terms of expenses related to physical appearance and presentation, hair and gym membership would be the last possible cut for me. MsMary on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585442 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 20:38:55 +0000 MsMary 1585442@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. carter on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585439 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 20:36:54 +0000 carter 1585439@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. deb on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585425 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:53:31 +0000 deb 1585425@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. old chic on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy/page/2#post-1585421 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:41:21 +0000 old chic 1585421@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 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. Peri on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585419 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:22:44 +0000 Peri 1585419@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Just back from my hairdresser and she says she has not seen this. She agrees with a lot of us...women will cut back on a whole lot of things before their hair! She did ask if it was a really high end salon. She said one thing is that women may change to more mid-range if they need to. She is on the high end of mid range, so maybe that's why she doesn't see much economy related change as a super high end salon might see.  Anonymous on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585418 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:21:59 +0000 Anonymous 1585418@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am with Angie, won't skimp on the hair.  If I feel my hair looks terrible, so do I.  Ditto on the ice cream. Anonymous on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585417 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:13:06 +0000 Anonymous 1585417@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I asked my DH, who is an economist, if he'd heard anything about there being a downturn in the economy next year. He said no, and he keeps up with these things. Isabel on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585385 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:58:14 +0000 Isabel 1585385@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This is fascinating and right up my alley.  I think that your hairdresser is absolutely on to something.  Economic data always trails.  The people watching have to have something to SEE and that is AFTER things happen and don't consider it a trend until at least 3 months of the same data.  People living it, on the ground, who work with the public start seeing a pattern long before the government numbers come in. They are the numbers. I don't think that people necessarily know individually and do it consciously.  If I am Sue and I need to cut back on spending, I don't know if my neighbor Marcy and Jan are doing the same. BUT the hairdresser would know. Before the big crash in 2008, I started to notice ( on the way to drop my kids off at school and back ) that there a lot of boats, motorcycles, cars, dirt bikes, jet skis, and so on , on the sides of the road for sale. I thought this signaled that people needed cash and that something was coming. And it did.  But the economists sitting at their computers were looking at that.    But this could be local, it could be that salon....it would be very interesting to note what else and where things are going on. We are cutting back because we had two huge trips this year and my son has been sick and we have had a lot of out of pocket expenses.  : )  Thanks for posting this ! rute on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585384 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:56:12 +0000 rute 1585384@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My sister in law is my hairdresser (I'm lucky I know, she doesn't accept any payment) but she always complain that the grooming (hair and nails) is the first think people cut. in Portugal the economy is in recession for several years now. Many small business have gone bankrupt. I noticed that many saloons  disappeared. As for me I cut first on new clothes, I avoid stores and seeing new trends, I cut on cable tv (less channels), restaurants. Some years ago we have started to take our breakfast at home and now it's a must. viva on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585375 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:40:08 +0000 viva 1585375@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lipstick is another economic indicator -- sales go up in down times.  And speaking of that, I was in NYC this week for work and I spent a couple of hours shopping (Lord & Taylor, Zara, COS, Joe Fresh, & other Stories, H&M, Aritzia) ... and what did I buy? Lipstick. I'm not sure if it is a sign of the economy or what, but I have gotten very very picky about what I spend my money on.  I think about buying a lot of things, but I actually buy very few.  (This has been an evolution, and a good one.) If the economy tanks again, I think I am in pretty good shape, because of this attitude. But I will keep up with my hair. And get an occasional manicure. And pop into Sephora every now and then. Mary Beth (formerly LBD) on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585371 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:26:49 +0000 Mary Beth (formerly LBD) 1585371@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ That is very interesting!  I just realized that when I went to my hair appointment on Monday, my usually crowded salon was mostly empty. But... I think Monday is a slow salon day altogether, because it is located at a popular mall, and open on weekends.   The stylist I currently use, and my previous one, always worked weekends, and were off on Mondays.   I think it was just a slow day.    The lull may also be because Thanksgiving is early this year.   Pretty much everyone I know (including me), woke up on Monday, and thought, for the first time this year, "Holy cow, that's next week!"   I've cancelled stuff this week to try and get things in order, before the four-day "Gateway to Holiday Madness" opens next week. All that being said... I believe your stylist.   I think that despite all of our technology and our removal from our earlier, more primitive selves, we still exhibit collective, instinctive behaviors, in just the same way that the geese migrated earlier through Florida last year, or the same way that the leaves on the trees outside my condo are dumping their leaves several weeks later than past years.    Perhaps this is Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, applied on a larger-scale.   And I expect that as Election Day draws closer, we will see shifts in the U.S. economy for sure. I actually decided last week to scale back a little on the mani-pedis, and stretch those out a little farther, so I can holiday shop with a clear mind.   Now I'm wondering.   My feeling the past six months has been to downsize, and sell off things I don't need, and to be more frugal.    Angie on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585361 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 15:45:05 +0000 Angie 1585361@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Seattle is booming and the economic growth has been incredible here. We are so lucky.  My hair salon is very busy - it's hard to get an app with my hair stylist actually because she's fully booked almost all the time. I go every 6 weeks and spend what I need to on a cut and colour. I will not skimp in this dept. Like Cerinda - I will skimp on other areas of my style if I need to - but not the hair.  Lucy on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585251 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 06:27:42 +0000 Lucy 1585251@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hmm, here's hoping it's a wrong prediction!  I go to the salon every 9 or 10 weeks (slow growing hair has its advantages!) but have both cut and colour each time. It would be one of the last things I'd cut out, because I stand up and talk in front of people a lot. It's important to me to have a certain level of grooming! I can cut out shopping if and when I need to. But for me the first thing to go if the personal budget is tight or if I am saving for something big is the mani and pedi. I like them, but they are far from essential.  Cerinda on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585249 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 06:13:22 +0000 Cerinda 1585249@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Very interesting observations.  I guess I'm a contrarian:  when times are tough, I cut my clothing budget WAY before my salon expenses.  I value trips to the salon almost as much as I value ice cream. Jaime on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585237 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 04:16:32 +0000 Jaime 1585237@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting theory Carter. Hmm. I save a lot of money not having my hair colored (and when I did the roots showed at 2 weeks and were outrageous as 3 - I never understood the 5 week cycle :-)!) but our family spends an enormous amount of money on food - DH is a foodie, we entertain frequently, and that is always the first place we look when trying to cut back.  Marley on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585206 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 02:41:12 +0000 Marley 1585206@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I haven't noticed this at my hair salon.  In fact about 6 weeks ago one of my girlfriends tried to get an appointment there for a hair-cut and all 15 stylists were completely booked through the end of the year.  I have a standing hair appointment with my stylist - every 4 weeks - and if I miss it, I can't get in again until the next month at my regular time. I hope there isn't going to be another recession.  The last one really did us (DH and me) in and we have never recovered from it.  Just gives me a stomach ache to think about it! Beth Ann on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585203 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 02:27:58 +0000 Beth Ann 1585203@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I cut back on red shoes.  Sigh. I still haven't settled into a new life after leaving the old.  I don't have my old income to spend, and I'm not sure what my needs will be in the coming year.  It's really my own personal economy that drives my habits at the moment.  I'm not worried about it -- just trying to be prudent, persistent and patient. Gigi on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585194 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 02:12:32 +0000 Gigi 1585194@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Very interesting theory. I was at the salon a few weeks ago and didn't notice anything unusual. Let's hope she's wrong. I don't do much for my hair other than get it cut every eight weeks. I don't color, not because of the cost, but because I don't like the idea of the maintenance. In a recession, I wouldn't cut back on haircuts because that would impact my self-esteem too much. I would have to cut back on clothes shopping, simply because there really isn't anything else where I spend a significant amount of money that isn't absolutely necessary. Elly on "." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-hair-the-economy#post-1585190 Thu, 19 Nov 2015 02:02:51 +0000 Elly 1585190@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Gosh, I hope not to have to cut back much. Luckily I have a guaranteed job for the next two years as a certain hourly rate, full-time and recently moved to a lower cost-of-living area. My SO isn't employed yet, but he is in a recession-proof field with an employee shortage. Not that we'd been rolling in the dough, but it should be an improvement after a long time of being on an extremely strict budget. I hope to pad my savings and get to enjoy a bit more (more than 2 pedis a year, hair color more than twice a year, etc.). Usually I cut back in incidental spending, then in clothing, hair, and beauty.