I think when I get too gray for my liking, I will shave off all hair and change my first name to Sinead. 
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I fantasize about shaving my head and having a bunch of fun wigs for whenever I care to have hair. I have a couple that I travel with as bad hair day insurance. One looks almost exactly like my hair style, the other is just fun. It’s amazing how lightweight and comfortable wigs are now.
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I pay $400 all in, highlights, glaze, 2 washes, cut blowout, tips. It’s a 2 minute drive from my house, plenty of paid parking, it’s higher than other places but not by much. It takes close to 3 hours and I don’t like going, so just 3 - 4 times a year. It starts a little past shoulder length and layered, so I can make it work, and in the summer I don’t even blow it out much (wavy/curly). High COL area. I defected a couple of times and went a town over in a different county with significantly lower property taxes, so cheaper, had to run out and feed the meter, but prices crept up so I decided to return to my local salon. Good news it’s easy to get cheap mani-pedi’s here, around $23 for both (but not at my salon).
Never colored my hair; I’ve earned and embrace the ‘seasoning’.
DIL cuts my short wavy/curly hair every 5-6 weeks. She doesn’t charge me but the cut only fees where she works are $45-90. I Venmo her a ‘tip’ and tip the shampoo assistant for a total of $55 each visit. During the pandemic we did cuts at a park or on my balcony.
I have been going to the same stylist for almost 20 years, during which time a haircut has gone from $30 to $45 (pandemic spike). I had planned to stop coloring my hair in 2020, and the pandemic ensured I had no second thoughts. I was pleasantly surprised to find I’m only about 25% gray. My stylist says I couldn’t ask for better “highlights” for my dark strawberry blonde hair. Instead of the wedged bob I wore for years, my hair is now shoulder length, and sometimes I just go with my natural waves. I get a cut every 8 weeks or so. During lockdown, I trimmed my own bangs and did a terrible job cutting my husband’s cowlicky hair. I am frugal about most things except haircuts, skin care, locally grown vegetables, and shoes.
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@BunsenBurner , I went to Gene Juarez before we lived near Seattle, when my husband was at a conference. I was pregnant, and my hair was growing like crazy. It was a great experience! My stylist was a student there, but he was already cutting like a pro, and I paid the student stylist rate.
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I’m also someone who doesn’t like getting my haircut (just hate the time and process and honestly I often can’t wait to get home and re-do it myself!) but I have short, thick,very curly hair which I embrace so need to get a cut every 6 weeks. $55 for the cut here in Ohio. I don’t have her dry it (a no-no with curly hair, much better to let it air dry). So she is just washing, cutting and putting a little leave in product in.
I have a little grey around my temples which I’ve solved with Root Touch Up for several years. One package at $7.99 lasts me 3 touch ups or so.
The salon I used to go to starts at $65 for a haircut and goes up to $115, depending on the stylist.
I had my sister start cutting my hair during the pandemic and haven’t stopped. I don’t know what I’ll do when I go all gray. I’m 45 and the few I have are not obvious.
I still get manicures though ($45 every 2-3 weeks for gel). Worth every penny.
Great Clips: $18-20 + a very good tip. I try to find a stylist I like, and always ask for them. It is a decent cut about 80% of the time. I’ve never had a cut I loved, even with a pricey salon. I’ll occasionally trim the ends, and since wavy, does not show, especially in humid weather. Length varies but hovers above shoulder length, and grows VERY slowly, so I can wait 4-6 months between cuts.
Quit coloring about 8 years ago. Mostly white now, with grey ‘low lights’ (It used to be very dark brown).
EASY and inexpensive.
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And Great Clips often has coupons/promotions for things like haircuts for under $10.
I gave up color a little over a year ago. My cuts are about $80; a toner is $20 if I opt for one. My daughter with long, thick hair just paid $295 for a full foil and trim. The bayalage last year was almost $400!!
I do agree with @deb922 above - I can be pretty frugal but a good haircut that pleases me, is one thing I’ll pay for. I don’t care/do manicures-pedicure (except my own at home) and I do minimal other “beauty” treatments (little make up, simple skin care, no facials or that type thing - nothing against it just not a priority for me) but I find satisfaction from decent hair!
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how fast does your hair grow?
I have very thin hair (actually, I hate my hair) and it is shoulder length or a bit longer than that. I’d be happy to grow it a lot longer, but it looks worse and ratty when I do. I’d say it grows at an average rate. Due to the significant cost to “do” my hair (even though it is such a fast basic, all one length cut with very little hair), I tend to go to the salon 3-4 times per year. A visit typically runs me $310 + $60 tip.
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Raises 
Other than having very little gray, I’ve long hated my hair.
Mine is thin and fine and pretty straight. One reason why I used to perm it. When I wore it longer, I always had trouble with pony tails, because it was hard to find a hair clip or tie that was small enough so that it wouldn’t just slide off!
I’ve worn it short (think 2" max) in various layered or feathered or spikey styles for many years now. It actually has a bit of a wave and more body when it’s shorter. My current stylist (~15 yrs now) is so good I can just say “I want something different” and she’ll change it up and it comes out looking great. A great stylist is a real treasure!
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@lettiriggi Sounds like you have a good thing going with your hair. I have had long hair, all one length pretty much my entire life. It is not as long now (just past shoulders) ONLY because it doesn’t look good as it grows even longer. I guess I am not daring enough to get a “styled” hairdo. I do have side swept bangs. I have NEVER had short hair and I don’t think I would like it on myself. I blow dry my hair which is VERY quick since I have such thin hair, to straighten it, even though it naturally is wavy.
If I did nothing to my hair, I don’t think it would totally turn grey, as when my hair grows in, my roots are NOT grey. However, there are isolated strands of grey hairs and the more noticeable thing is some grey at the temples. I don’t have a lot of grey hair at all. However, I don’t like that tiny bit showing. So, in recent years, I do get my natural hair color put on to cover those spots, and then I get highlights because I think it adds texture, but also would make any random grey hairs less noticeable. Thus, while I have a simple haircut, this procedure adds $ and is why I only do it about 3 times per year. Thin hair runs on my father’s side of the family (my dad and brothers all went bald on top and the women had thin hair). Luckily, so far, my daughters don’t have this issue!
Lol, I have indeed found great options for my hair. I’m a bit worried about what I’ll do when my stylist finally retires.
I did spend a lot of years with mediocre haircuts, dissatisfied with the many stylists I tried. When I was younger I had longer hairstyles, but as I’ve aged I’m one of those who looks better with short hair. We all tend to settle into what works for us.
Probably those with thick curly hair can list all the reasons they’ve hated their hair!
I have very thick hair but it’s still thinning at the top. What I don’t like about thick hair is it makes me hot. So for years I always have short to shoulder length hair style. Lately, I get a very short hair to start out in the back, slightly longer in the front, then when it grows out, it’s just right, when it gets ridiculous is when I go get a hair cut. My hair and nails grow very fast, same for my husband, it must be something in our diet.
My grey is not bad now, slightly around the temple, but it’s like a raccoon effect a few months back, not so much now. I just looked at the picture of my real ID, the photo shows my picture hasn’t significantly changed much since my early 30s, which I’m really glad, I contributed that to 35+plus lbs weight lost since the pandemic.
I’ve kind of come full circle with my hair. Very long and straight as a teen, ponytail as a young mom, very short before the pandemic and back to ponytail now.
I went to Great Clips a couple weeks before my son’s May wedding to just get a trim and some advice. I wanted a chignon low bun for the wedding. He took about 1 1/2 inches off and told me that I’d come out looking like I never had a haircut but it would end up being the best cut for my wedding goals. He was absolutely right and it was one of the best 10 bucks I’ve ever spent! I did give him a very nice tip!
The first thing he told me when I sat down was how healthy my hair was. I think he left off “for your age” since I’m in my 60’s. I’ve never dyed or permed my hair, genetics probably play a part also. I don’t wear makeup either, or do manicures, etc. so I’ve done my part to save our family money over the years! 
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On the subject of coloring one’s hair, I never have and can’t see that I ever will. But like some of you, I don’t have much gray. I’m pretty sure if I had started graying early, I would have colored it.
My best friend had substantial gray in her 30s and has been coloring it for decades. She’s frugal, so does it herself. It always looks nice. She must do it often, or touch up, because I don’t recall ever noticing roots. She recently remarked to me “I have no idea what color my hair actually is”. 
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