The Cost of Beautiful Hair

Girl with beautiful hair
Photo: Bigstock
When we women walk out the door for our dates, we may make it look easy, like we just stepped out of the shower and BAM...we're perfect. And if we're not quite ready on time, our dates tend to wonder what's taking us so long. Do they even have a slight clue as to what it takes to look like we just stepped out of a hair salon or or what the cost of actually stepping out of a salon is? Do they know the cost of upkeep and the time it takes to look our best?
 
We spend not only a lot of money but also a lot of time to achieve the look that suits us the best, and most women cannot prepare like men do. We can't just take a five-minute shower, get a ten-minute haircut, do a quick shave, spray on some cologne, put some gel in our hair, and be ready to go in twenty minutes or less. That is just not how it works by any stretch of the imagination, and now it is time to give a complete breakdown of the cost, both financially and in terms of time, of looking good and getting ready for a night out.
 
Hair Coloring
 
Let’s start with basic hair coloring, going through the entire spectrum from base color to ombré to highlights and beyond. To just get an overall professional base color, the cost is around one hundred dollars per month. Yeah, you can walk down the hair color aisle in the drug store and see color for $6.99. However, boxed color pales in comparison to what a professional hair stylist can do.
 
Do you really want to go on a date with a girl who has sixteen different colors in her hair, unintentionally? Maybe you do, but she won't be nearly as confident with herself or as much fun if she is not feeling her optimal self and that includes fabulous, luxurious locks.
 
Along with the hundred dollars that has just been spent (cannot forget a twenty percent tip), there may be an additional fee for a trim or deep conditioner so your lady is looking at around two hundred dollars every month to look like she just woke up that way. That's over two thousand dollars per year, just for maintenance and upkeep, and that is just the base color.
 
Cash register - The cost of a visit to a woman's hairdresser
Photo: Obsahovka/Pexels
On top of the money spent, there has also been a lot of time and effort expended to make an appointment with a stylist. Popular stylists book up quickly. Coordinating the time to get to the salon is very important, and once you get there, expect to be in the chair for around two hours or so. We haven't even gotten into the more elaborate services that make men swoon. As for time, a cut and color can take about two hours, but that does not include any additions that one may want added, such as a few face-framing highlights or conditioning.
 
Ombré, Balayage and Highlighting
 
If your partner goes the ombré route, and I dare you to explain to me what that means without looking it up on Hairfinder, you are looking at even more time and money. Ombre is the process of gradually going from dark at the roots and progressively getting lighter, sometimes caramel, honey, or bleached blonde.
 
An ombré hair color can cost roughly around two hundred dollars, at minimum, and takes around two hours for the whole coloring process. That does not include any cutting, styling, conditioning, etc., as well as a gratuity that goes into this whole process. The prices can increase based on hair length and thickness. So when you are running your hands through your girl's silky and sexy locks, do not assume that they just came like that.
 
Balayage is another form of ombré styling, but the process is a lot more precise and particular as the color is literally painted individually on the hair. A work of art, if you will. A balayage gives the hair a more natural and sun-kissed look as opposed to the “lower maintenance” ombré style. Yet it still takes, at minimum, two hours.
 
Highlighting hair with foil
Photo: SimpleFoto/Canva
Again, it all depends on the length and thickness of the hair as well as the prior damage and the color that is desired. More factors than you may have thought, right? The cost of balayage is around $200. A balayage is much like ombré, but it is a much different technique that leads us women to make the choice as to which one we will spend our money and time on.
 
Highlighting is super popular, especially with foils, but that is a very lengthy process, taking over three hours. This depends if you want a full head or half head of highlights and the price ranges from seventy-five to three hundred dollars. As for the upkeep, we have to go back every six to eight weeks for touch-ups and spend even more time and money.
 
Hair Straightening and Extensions
 
If your girl has naturally curly or wavy hair, professional hair smoothing with a Brazilian blowout is a popular choice but one that costs around $350 and only lasts about 36 washes. It can also be quite damaging to pre-processed hair, so more may need to be done to the hair, which just adds up in time and money.
 
Hair cut into a beautiful short and sleek bob with bangs
Image: AI illustration
Finally, we have the ever-popular hair extensions, which add length, depth, and volume, but most definitely take your money. To make them look as natural as possible, we can pay as much as two thousand dollars, if not more. That is for the process, and that does not include the hair. Extensions can last between four to eight weeks and the time to apply them can range from under an hour to ten hours. Yes, we will sit in a chair for ten hours to ensure that we get the best look possible and the best value for our money.
 
Now that we have spent all this time and money, we are not going to just let the maintenance until our next appointment go by the wayside. We now need to invest in special shampoos for color, conditioners, and masks for silky hair, sprays for shine...it never ends.
 
So, when your girlfriend needs an extra twenty minutes to get ready, think about where this time and money is going. We do not have the same luxury as men to hop in and out of the shower and look amazing. I mean, we do, but when it comes to dating and dressing to impress, that takes time and money, and now you know just how much!
 
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