Hair Raising Experience

I'm disturbed about the price of a haircut.  For my latest haircut, I paid $60 plus a $12 tip.  For $72, I should be happy with the results, but as usual, I'm not.  Allow me to backtrack.

Up until about 3 years ago, I used the same hair stylist at the same salon every month, without fail, with very good results.  It was relatively inexpensive for a trendy salon, about $40 plus tip.  The beautician was a young gal with pinkish hair and we got to know each other very well.  I loved seeing her and hearing about her single-lifestyle and the reflection in the mirror was of 2 rather smiling people.  And then what happens?  I get an email from the salon that Amanda is no longer employed there.  I try connecting with Amanda through phone and facebook, but with no luck.  She and my happy haircuts are no longer.

I've run through a very long string of hairdressers since, some with recommendations, some  just because they're cheap and/or local.  I've paid premium moolah (up to $80, pleased don't tell Broccoli Rob) because the salon was supposedly some feng shui place, but discover that the person cutting my hair is actually just an apprentice who needs experience.  I don't return.  Other places have similar situations, but one thing is for sure, no one ever cut my hair like Amanda.  I have short hair that I like to keep spiky, but don't want to put much bother into styling it in the morning.  I think it should be easy to get the right haircut but it's not.  And to boot, I'm somehow paying for privilege without getting any reward.

Which brings me to the question.  Why are we paying so much money for a haircut?  (I take poetic license with the "we").  To go to beautician school, you don't need a college degree.  Okay, I for one would never wash someone else's hair and I don't trust myself with scissors or razor blades.  But for heaven's sake, how much time does it take to get a beautician's license?  I could look that up, but I'm pretty sure it's 2 years or less.  And then you work at a hair salon, starting with sweeping up the floor and washing hair and move up.  So, to put things into perspective, I am paying about triple my hourly wage to someone with very little education and whose said education cost, I don't know, about 5% about what I just spent on my daughter's college education.  I'm not happy about this and now that I think about it, I'm not a huge fan of giving tips after already paying a significant amount for dinner, haircut, manicure and other stuff.  But I'll keep those thoughts under safe keeping for another chapter.

So I guess it all comes down to value.  I have just an okay haircut, but one that I don't think is worth $72.  I would expect that a more expensive haircut would give me the haircut that I'm pleased with but #1) I don't want to pay more and #2) I've given this a try without success.  My daughter with the expensive education is presently unemployed despite having scholastic achievements.  I have a reasonable education with modest compensation, certainly nowhere near the exalted hairdresser.  All I can say is...Mothers:  let your children grow up to be beauticians.  And Amanda, if you're out there, call me!