Written by Becky Lima-Matthews
If you’ve ever tried cutting your own hair, you’ll know the value of a decent hairdresser. But, a trip to a hair salon in London can cost upwards of £100.00, especially if you’re having any kind of additional treatments or colours. But before you reach for the clippers and YouTube hair tutorials – check our guide to cheap haircuts in London.
Hair modelling opportunities
The best way to get a top-salon hair without the top tier price tag is to sign up to be a hair model. That doesn’t mean you’ll have to stand up and show off your new do in front of an audience (although some people still do live hair modelling). These days, you just need to put your head in the hands of a newbie.
Several top salons have training academies or hair model schemes which will save you a lot of money. And if you’re nervous about trusting your locks to a trainee, don’t be. Hair modelling cuts are always checked and supervised by senior stylists.
But there are a couple of pointers to bear in mind before you book a slot. Hair model cuts can take a little longer than a regular haircut with an experienced hairdresser. Allow around 2-3 hours, or potentially longer if you’re getting colours too. So, it’s a good thing to do on a day off.
The salon may ask for you to share a headshot in advance, and they might also ask to take a photo of the finished haircut for their website or socials. Another thing to consider is whether you’d be open to trying a different or new style.
Salons that offer cheap haircuts in London include:
Toni & Guy Hair Academy, New Oxford Street
Hair appointments at international hairdressing salon Toni & Guy cost from £70.00 for a cut and finish. But, if you sign up to be a hair model at its London hair academy, you can get a haircut for as little as £10.00 and full highlights £40.00.
The most expensive service is tint and balayage (a technique of free-hand painting the highlights on the hair so it looks graduated and blends more naturally with your hair) which costs £55.00.
Appointments are available Monday to Fridays at either 9:45 or 1:45, and you can arrange a 48 hr allergy test in advance if you’re having a colour treatment. Book an appointment on the Tony & Guy website.
Vidal Sassoon Academy, Soho
Another of the major London hair academies, Vidal Sasoon also offers cuts and colours at a fraction of its regular prices. It costs over £100.00 for a Sassoon cut & finish with one of its top stylists, so it’s worth taking a punt at Sassoon Salon Soho if you have a few hours to spare on a weekday. Like Toni & Guy, times are also 9:45 or 1:34, the price list starts from as low as £3.00 (for men, possibly because they’re looking for more male hair models). Otherwise it offers concessions for students or nurses with valid ID at a cost of £5.00, then it’s upwards of £15.00, but highlights and lowlight (half head) will only set you back £40.00.
Hob Academy, Camden
Hob Academy has two training schools with model slots. The apprentice academy offers a more pared down menu, but it’s ideal if you just want a basic tidy up, root touch up or overall colour treatment. For anything else including balayage, bleach, ombre, highlights etc then it’s better to book in with the Hob Graduate Appointment.
It’s also currently the cheapest place in London to be a hair model. Haircuts cost £10.00, and only £25.00 for colours. Prices are the same for both training schools. Hob Apprentice Academy appointments are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9:30am or 1:30pm, and Hob Graduate Academy appointments on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9:30am, 11:30am or 1:30 pm. Visit the website for more information and to book an appointment.
Jo Hansford, Mayfair
Expert colourist Jo Hansford has a very spenny price list, with a full head of highlights starting from £285.00 up to an eyewatering £600.00. Given its Mayfair location, that’s not too surprising. But, luckily for the rest of us, the salon has model appointments every other week.
Colour appointments can be booked every other Monday, starting from £0.00 for a tint and £60.00 for a full head of highlights. And if you’re after a simple cut and blow dry, those can be booked on Wednesdays for £20.00. Booking is via email only.
Hari’s, Chelsea
Small-chain Hari’s (named after owner Hari Salem), has been running since 1976, and the King’s Road salon is home to its training academy.
If you’re arranging a colour appointment for the first time, or booking after more than six months, you’ll need to book a consultation first (or face the wrath of the website’s all-caps warning!)
All caps aside, the prices are a snip for a chelsea salon, and you can get a cut a blow dry for £10.00. Men’s cut without a blow dry cost £8.00 and colours cost between £25.00 for a tint and refresh and £60.00 for a full head balayage treatment.
Try a barber instead of a hair salon
Aside from the incredibly frustrating cost difference between men and women’s haircuts, hair salons are typically more expensive than barber shops. But, depending on the hair style you’re after, choosing a barber could save you a few quid. You’re more likely to be able to have a dry cut at a barber’s too, so you can save money (and time) by skipping the wash and blowdry part. They’re better suited to shorter, simple cuts, but it’s not all just men’s short-back-and sides and a lathery shave. London has a growing number of gender neutral barbers, including these:
Barber Streisand, Farringdon
As well as razor-sharp pun skills, unisex barbers offer up dry cuts for affordable prices. That said, the Farringdon barber is only really cheap if you’re going for a buzz cut, which can be done in 15 minutes for £13.00. Standard, traditional cuts will set you back £29.00 and a ‘hefty haircut’ – defined as skin fades, longer hair cuts or a restyle costs £38.00.
Open Barbers, Islington
Open Barbers offers a good range of hair services, is queer and trans friendly and has a decent pricing structure. It offers a lot of the same services as a traditional hair salon, including colours and Afro-textured hair styling.
As it’s also a social enterprise, costs are available on two main price bands, the cost price of £9.00 for a 15 minute hair cut with a charge of £55.00 for a 90 minute cut. Subsidised prices range from £5.00 to £33.00, and for those who can afford it, solidarity donations are warmly welcomed. Donations of £5.00 upwards can help cover some of the running costs like rent or laundry or more subsidised haircuts.
Barbarette, Hackney
Gender neutral Barbaberette is a little closer to a hair salon, than a traditional barbers in that you can get a wash and blow dry and see a stylist. The price list is rather extensive, but broken down by hair length and styling requirements i.e long to short, past the shoulders, mid length. The cheaper options are for Junior stylists, but senior appointments are around £40.00–£50.00, which is still less than most salons.
Deal and voucher websites
Another way to get cheap haircuts in London is to check out online deal and voucher sites like LivingSocial, Groupon or Treatwell. Treatwell is more tailored to hair and beauty treatments as opposed to general deals and vouchers. The easiest way to find a low-cost hair appointment is by downloading the app, and you can filter by location, date, price and discounts. There are lots of deals in central London, but you should be able to find deals in your local area too. Vouchers can save you between 15% and 75% of the standard salon price depending on the deal.
Change up your hair salon for new customer offers
This one can be tricky, if you find a hairdresser you like, it’s hard to go elsewhere. But, if you’re willing to mix things up every now and then, you may be rewarded. Many salons offer a new customer (or new client) discount, where you can save between 10% and 50% off on your first visit.
