The Upside: Cost Cut Your Haircut

I have a Frederic Fekkai habit. It wasn't always like this. I used to get my hair done by a friend, for next to nothing. We'd sit in her apartment, drinking cucumber enhanced martinis -- zentinis -- and swap stories . It was fun until she gave me tiny black highlights that looked like bug antennas. That's when I rushed to what I always heard from my mother, who grew up on the Lower East Side, was the Holy Grail for hair: Frederic Fekkai. (She'd never been there, but always talked of it like it was some Golden Hollywood movie). Oy vey! It was like when Sid met Nancy! Fekkai is fantastic, reliable, they pamper you like you're Mrs. Dick Fuld, but it's a death blow to my budget.

There is a way to get a great haircut for super cheap or next to nothing. The first way, which I haven't tried yet, but seems extremely promising, is to be a model at the Toni & Guy Academy. On Friday, I asked this striking blond who wandered into a bar full of French people dressed in '80s jazzercise getups, where she got her smart, chic, just-below-the-shoulder cut. She gets it all done for free, the highlights, the cut, at Toni & Guy, as a hair model. If I wasn't so emotionally involved with my colorist, I might try it.

UPDATE: To be a hair model at Toni & Guy, you've got to attend an open "casting call." The location on Madison Avenue in New York has them every Friday. And you have to be open to getting your hair styled--something modern and edgy--not just trimmed, but you can request a certain kind of look out of their catalog. Models get their hair done for free and Toni & Guy's salon prices are just a little cheaper than Fekkai. If you're like me and your last luxury left standing is the salon, save up money for the trip by refreshing your wardrobe for free through clothing swaps in place of shopping for new clothes, swear off Starbucks and get your coffee at home, and, hopefully if your hair can handle it, try going three months between cuts/colors. (The farthest I've stretched it, in recent years, is 3.5 months. You can especially get away with the root/shaggy look now because its beach-going season).

Now, another option is cutting your hair yourself. If you've got the steady surgeon hands of Sanjay Gupta, the eye for style like Valerie Jarrett, and cojones of steel like Wanda Sykes, this could be a good option. Marc Acito, for WalletPop, spoke with a couple of professional stylists about the best ways for men and women to cut their hair at home. Marc, an acclaimed novelist living in Portland, Oregon and regular NPR commentator, will be writing The Upside for Walletpop and looking for the silver lining in how we're living now. He thought hair was a good one because, if you can cut it yourself, that's quite an accomplishment and money saver. To read Marc's self-grooming tips, check out Walletpop. Happy shearing!

Comments

[Karla Zens - Huffpost Blogger]

I always get my hair cut as a hair model at Cowboys & Angels, an upscale salon in San Francisco's Union Square. The "student" hairdressers have already graduated from beauty school, and have embarked on a multi-year apprenticeship at the salon. Every single snip is scrutinized, first by the stylist, and then by their supervisor. It takes longer than usual, but I get the most wonderful cuts....And it's something like $15/$20....I can't remember. You just have to show up on the night they take models and be flexible with your schedule.

[timezone]

I actually did something I've always wanted to do, learned to cut my own hair! Sounds really daunting at first, but started about a week after getting it professionally cut. I would just lightly trim it. At best, you can just cut your own hair from then on, at worst, if you've messed it up, you haven't taken much off yet, and can go back in for a trim. It saves not only money, but time.

[gfk]

I go to Super Cuts and have my hair trimmed for $16. The highlights are $40. I cannot tell the difference between Super Cuts and the expensive salons I have been to. The main difference is the time and money involved, not the results.

[lindsea]

how about just going to a less expensive salon? the only options you give are either a friend at home for next to nothing or frederick fekkai which is one of the most expensive salons there is or doing it yourself. i have been a hairstylist for 7 years and i can't cut my own hair. no stylist i know can cut their own hair and we are trained to cut hair. it might take a while, but going to different salons and trying out new stylists makes more sense. you'll eventually find one you like. the toni and guy thing is not smart if you don't want super funky hair. they tend to go more emo than office-appropriate. and leaving it to students if you are picky about your hair is scary too. we all start somewhere, but if you have expectations of perfection you should avoid students. most schools do charge anyway, so that girl may have been a student herself or she was a model for the teacher.

[Cynth]

I'm with you -- great advice. Having your hair done by students isn't for everyone, but shopping around for a great stylist is. After some time kissing a few frogs (one even instructed me to "kees" him twice on the cheeks after a cut so that everyone in the salon can see how admired he is) and paying top dollar at high end salons, I landed with my current stylist who is simply among the best (award winning, highly-regarded in the industry, worked on celebrity hair, an instructor, etc.) and very down to earth and modest. He loves what he does and he charges 1/2-1/3 of what the other salons do, since he keeps his overhead down and respects his clients by not gouging them or imposing attitude. These guys actually exist -- and they're refreshing to be around, too. People whom I've referred also love him and I can see why some clients fly into to see him. I will, too, when I move soon.

It's important to ask around when you see people with great cuts and not make the mistake of equating high prices with talent or quality.