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What's a reasonable amount to pay for a teenage girls' trip to the hair salon?

My 16-year-old daughter wants to get her hair cut and colored - with stripes or something - and the process, even at our fairly reasonably price family salon is more than $100! My wife says we need to do it, its important to her self esteem, and that's what the rate is. I say I like her hair color and my hair cut costs about $12! We give her a small allowance, but that would pretty much eat it up for a couple months. Am I just an ogre?

Edwardo asked in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report

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6 Answers

  • Moon_small
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    I don't think you're an ogre; unfortunately there is a startling difference in price between the generic 'man's haircut' and a woman's haircut (and a 16 year old is no longer receiving a child's haircut).

    You can shop around for quotes, but $100 doesn't sound too unreasonable for a woman's haircut involving color (they are separate processes after all) and, let's face it, you don't want to go the cheap route with the harsh chemicals involved in semi-permanent hair coloring.

    If it helps you can find her extra things to do around the house that are above and beyond her normal responsibilities in order to offset the cost; or you can insist she pay for the color aspect out of her allowance.

    You can also look into DIY and/or temporary options (kool-aid, manic panic, etc.), too, in order to determine whether this is something she really wants long-term but, yeah, the price seems pretty typical.

    A.M.L. answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Photo_on_2011-05-23_at_16
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    I think 100 bucks is reasonable...just a haircut at a salon for a woman is usually around 50. I agree with A.M.L. about letting her do extra chores around the house to offset the cost.
    Something that is fun, cheap, and super trendy right now that might be a possible alternative is feather extensions.
    They are feathers that are attached to a lock of hair via a bead. They can be washed, blowdried, straightened, curled, you name it. I have had mine in for about a month without any problems at all. Mollie at Derby Salon on Roosevelt & 45th does them for only 25 bucks.
    The number is 206.526.1470.

    lilmonster206 answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report
    3 comments by RM, lilmonster206, and lilmonster206…
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  • Profilepic_small
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    You could also try going to the Aveda Institute or one of the other schools for something cheaper.

    Carole answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Sho_small
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    I wouldn't say you're an ogre - you just have sticker shock. I've gotta say, though, $100 for a cut and color is pretty damn good. Haircuts given by a professional that are more complicated than a buzz cut or a quick trim cost waaaay more than $12. Color can take several hours, so the price goes to the products and the colorist's hourly rate (or the price for a time-consuming service). The price can really add up. Guys and gals who get simple cuts with no color have it really good.

    Is it up to your daughter how she wants to spend her allowance? If this is what she wants to spend it on, why not let her? This will be a good opportunity to learn that she can have Salon Hair or a few nights out at the movies, but not both.

    Another option, especially if she wants an extreme color that's hard to keep up (ex: hot pink), is to get clip-in pieces or even a full wig. You pay for them once, they always look good, and they can be added or removed at will.

    rickibot answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Shack_small
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    emily

    If she's willing to go DIY, she and your wife or another friend, can put highlights/stripes in her hair herself.

    If she has dark hair, she'll need to bleach her hair first so that the color shows up: Get some hair bleach from a drug or beauty supply store. Either use the showercap with holes and the hooks provided, or get a hair-coloring/flat brush and do the tinfoil wrap thing to get chunky highlights. Wash that out, then use the dye all over the head (if she wants really colorful colors, go to a salon like Vain and pick up a tub of manic panic/special effects/etc, and not the colors they have at the store.

    If she has light hair, then the bleach step can be skipped, and the color can be applied to the chunky/stripy area herself.

    This DIY approach can be really fun, I did stuff like this all the time when I was a teenager (blue! green! red!). But, if something goes wrong...well, let's just say that a girl's hair is very important to her, and you'll be wanted to get a professional to correct any mistakes. (Seconding the aveda school for reasonable prices.)

    emily answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Dscn0421_small
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    Sphinx

    I know lots of women pay about $50 a pop for haircuts. I am not one of them. For years and years I had extremely long and usually layered hair and I now have a very short pixie cut that requires monthly trimming and shaping and I've been going to Rudy's (multiple locations) for the last 6 years for haircuts. It's pretty much always a good cut and it costs me $21 ($26 with tip). You're not going to get a woman's hair cut for less than that anywhere but a Supercuts type place where they hire kids without training. That said, it might be worth experimenting with some other options for color. I've colored my hair quite a few times and only had a stylist do it twice- doing a drugstore color is fast, cheap, and actually pretty fun. Other answerers had some good ideas as well (Feather extensions- sounds awesome!).

    If she really, really wants to do the whole salon-route, I would have her pay for at least a portion of it herself- not the whole $100 unless she has a job and she usually has to pay for her own haircuts, clothing, shoes, etc. I also question the idea that she "needs " to do it for self-esteem, but mostly because I hope your daughter's self-esteem isn't riding on her hair. (If it is, there might be some other issues you guys need to address.) The other thing I think you guys should consider is whether this is a color job that'll need to be maintained with regular appointments, because in that case the $100 is just the beginning.

    Sphinx answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago | Report
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