A cheap haircut in London is pretty hard to come by- unless you know where to look! So if you want to find out how to get a cheap haircut in London, you’ve come to the right place.
Haircuts at top salons can set you back well over £100, with colour coming in at hundreds more. It’s hard to justify spending that much on your hair if you are on a budget. And even if you’re not on a budget, it’s a lot of money to spend on your hair multiple times a year.
But before you get those scissors out for a home styling session, remember that you can get haircuts at London salons for next to nothing. With trainee haircuts starting from £3, you can certainly find a haircut for a snip (if you’ll pardon the pun!) of the usual price.
When getting a cheap haircut in London, you will usually be seen by a trainee, or a senior tutor who is demonstrating a certain cut of technique to a trainee (or trainees). This means that the haircut is likely to take between 3-4 hours, depending on the cut and or treatment that you are having. So make sure you have the time to dedicate to the cut before putting yourself forward to be a model.
WILL I GET A BAD HAIRCUT FROM A TRAINEE?
The key thing to remember is that trainees are always supervised whilst they are cutting hair. The reason that trainee haircuts can take 3-4 hours is because they must check every layer with their senior stylist before moving on. And if there is a wrong snip made? You can be sure that the supervisor will fix it.
The trainee is also likely to be on their absolute best behaviour if they are having their work checked by their boss. Remember, they will have observed countless haircuts and trained on fake hair before being deemed fit to work on a real head of hair.
HOW TO GET A CHEAP HAIRCUT IN LONDON
So without further ado, here are 8 salons that offer very cheap haircuts and colours. You may recognise some of the names!
TONI AND GUY ACADEMY- ST GILES
Toni and Guy has got to be one of the biggest names in hairdressing- and luckily, you can get a haircut at their academy for a super cheap price. Cuts and colours are completed by trainees from Monday to Friday at 9.30am and 1.45pm. Haircuts cost £5, and colour from £20, which is just to cover the costs. Head to their website or call them on 020 7836 0606 to get a trainee appointment.
VIDAL SASSOON ACADEMY- VICTORIA
The Vidal Sassoon Academy has been training the best of the best for decades- it’s possibly one of the most well-known academies in London. Trainee haircuts are between Mondays and Fridays at 9.15am and 1.15pm. You can pay from just £3 for a cut if you are a student nurse, and from £13 for anyone else.
If you were to go to a Vidal Sassoon salon, you could expect to pay between £66 and £150 for a haircut and finish. So to pay £13 is a serious saving! Head to their models wanted page to sign up.
JO HANSFORD- MAYFAIR
Jo Hansford has a reputation for being one of the best colourists in London- she hosts training school two nights a week. With colours on Wednesday nights, and cuts on Thursdays. A colour will cost around £20-35, and a cut will be around £10. Head to the website to make an enquiry.
LONDON SCHOOL OF BARBERING- FARRINGDON & LIVERPOOL STREET
One for the boys, The London School of Barbering actually has slots for FREE haircuts with a Junior Barber Trainee, with Senior Barber Trainee cuts costing £3, and Master Barber Trainee cuts costing £3-6. Go to their website to book online at either of their two London barber schools.
LONDON HAIRDRESSING APPRENTICESHIP ACADEMY- CAMDEN, CHISWICK, CROYDON
The London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy (LHAA) has several locations throughout London. To make an appointment, call the salons on the numbers listed on their website. A Level 2 cut and finish will be £10, and a Level 3 cut and finish will be £18.
HOB ACADEMY- CAMDEN TOWN
The Hob Academy is a training school based in Camden Town that offers model slots for their apprentice academy and their graduate academy. The model slots are available throughout the week from Monday-Friday, and you can head to their website to register your interest. Cuts are free and colour from just £15.
You will have a full consultation as though you are heading to a normal salon, but if you model for a seminar, remember that you will be required to have a big change or something creative done to your hair- so if that’s not for you, go for the apprentice or graduate options instead.
RUSH ACADEMY- COVENT GARDEN
Rush Academy haircuts for women start at just £5, and haircuts for men are free! Colour is also available at this salon which is around £25 to cover the costs. Go to their website to fill out the form for models and someone will get back to you.
BLUE TIT LONDON- CLAPTON
Blue Tit has model appointments available from Monday to Thursday- Haircuts are from £10 and colours from £20. Head to the model contact page on their website to book an appointment.
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MORE IDEAS ON HOW TO GET A CHEAP HAIRCUT IN LONDON
- Ditch the big names- go for an independent salon, who are more likely to have lower prices. You could even head a little further out of town to get a cheaper haircuts as cuts in more central London locations are likely to be more expensive than out of town.
- Check whether your regular salon has cheaper prices if a junior stylist cuts your hair instead of someone more senior- doesn’t hurt to ask!
- Take advantage of getting your haircut on a weekday if possible- often salons will have ‘stand by’ slots available which can be cheaper than usual.
- If you’re a student in London? Check out which salons offer a student discount and use this to your advantage!
- Switch up your salons to take advantage of ‘first-time-customer’ discounts, you could end up getting a great deal by switching your hairdresser every time you need a new cut.
- Check sites like Groupon for deals on haircuts and blow dries- there are usually tons of them!
