Why Getting Your Hair Done Is So Expensive In 2025

It’s no secret that hair salon prices have significantly increased over the last few years. Why does it cost several hundred dollars each time you step inside of a hair salon? In this post I’m going to talk about the four main reasons why getting your hair done is so expensive these days, as well as what you can do to navigate these costs.

As a stylist myself, I am well aware at how much these costs are impacting the general public. That’s one of the main reasons why I create the content that I do for you all. To help you do what you can to your hair yourself from home if you just cant afford to make it into the salon.

Why hair salon prices have gone up so much

Below, I’ve broken down why hair services have gotten so expensive down into four main categories.

1. Inflation

The first reason hair prices have gone up is probably the most obvious, and thats because of inflation. It’s not just hair services that are expensive these days, it’s everything.

Not only have the stylists personal expenses increased creating a need for them to take home more, but the salons expenses have increased as well.

It’d be one thing if it was only the product, or the rent. But the cost of every single expense has increased, which is a lot across the board.

And when the cost of doing business goes up, the price of the service must go up as well if the salon doesn’t want to go out of business.

2. More stylists are choosing booth rental

The second reason is because more stylists are choosing booth rental over the traditional commission employee to the salon setting.

This allows the stylist to do things their own way, using the products that they want, without having to give the salon owner a percentage of their income. And this method is often better for clients as well, because it allows the stylist to cater more personally to the client.

But this option ultimately is much more expensive for the stylist themselves. The cost of renting a chair or a suite is not that much less than the cost of the rent in a full blown salon. The stylists rent percentage is much higher than the rent percentage for a salon with 8 chairs in it.

And this isn’t including other costs that are shared in a salon setting like product, insurance, or even streaming services like Spotify.

3. The services are more in-depth than they used to be

Next I want to talk about the actual services that you’re receiving. Let’s take highlights as an example. If we think back to 10 or 15 years ago, a traditional highlight was MUCH simpler than it is today.

Your stylist threw some packet foils into your hair, sat you under the dryer while she performed a haircut on someone else, then rinsed the highlights, gave you a cut, and sent you on your way. You were likely there for around 2 hours.

These days, the average highlighting service takes about 4 hours to complete, and we can’t usually work on multiple people at once because of how complicated the techniques are. We’re doing balayage, root shadows, pre-toners, regular toners, as well as wet and dry cutting.

Don’t get me wrong, color trends these days looks SO MUCH better than they used to, but it comes at a cost. The looks are more expensive, so the price is as well.

4. Most salon services are considered a luxury

Now this last one is a bit of a hard pill to swallow. But most hair services are considered a luxury. Getting your hair colored is a want, not a need.

While this might be a tough argument for some people, you don’t actually need a balayage or your grays covered to keep you alive.

And luxury services can be expensive. Especially if you bring in a picture of a celebrity to your stylist, and want your color to look like that. You should expect it to be expensive.

I partially blame social media for this, with everyone flashing their perfect hair and lives in general on the internet. It makes the average person feel like they need to spend money on things that otherwise they wouldn’t.

What to do about rising hair prices

Okay now let’s talk about what we can do about the rising cost of hair services.

My first recommendation is to decrease the frequency of your appointments. If you were getting your hair done every 6 weeks, push it to 8 or 10 if you can. In this post I talk about how often you should go to the salon based on your cut or color choice.

Next, consider a more minimal or low-maintenance look. Rather than being a full blonde like me or getting a whole head of highlights, cut it back to a few face framing highlights that can grow out really well without needing touched up super frequently.

And lastly, practice your skills and learn to do some services yourself at home. This is why I create hair tutorials, for those that can’t afford to go into the salon. You should definitely lower your expectations and make sure you understand what you’re doing beforehand, but I’ve seen many people learn to do their hair themselves.

If you’d like personal advice for how to achieve a specific color at home and don’t know how to get there, check out my personalized hair coloring guides where I’ll take in your information and walk you through step by step how to get there.

Conclusion

The rising cost of hair services is due to inflation, booth rental, complex techniques, as well as a high demand for luxuries in society today. While it may feel frustrating, these price increases are often influenced by factors outside of a stylist’s control.

To navigate these costs, consider adjusting your salon visits, opting for more low-maintenance styles, or learning how to do some services at home to save yourself some money.

I’m curious on your thoughts about how expensive hair services have gotten these days. Let me know if you think I missed anything in the comment section! And be sure to subscribe if you want to make everyday a good hair day.