More women are stretching salon budget with 'recession hair.' What is it?

The country is not in a recession, but "recession hair" and "recession-proof hair" have become trending topics on social media.

The term describes a cost-saving trend where, especially during harder economic times, women opt for lower-maintenance colors, cuts, styles and services to stretch out their trips to the hair salon.

There's no consensus on whether a recession is around the corner though some economists have said the odds are "very high." Still, consumers have been battling with higher prices for groceries, including record egg prices, and the threat of more spikes as tariffs take effect.

How can women save money on their hair?

Women spend $1,064 a year on their appearance, according to a 2024 survey by Advanced Dermatology. That includes $277 per year on haircuts and hair coloring. One in 6 women surveyed admit to spending more on beauty and wellness than they can afford and nearly 1 in 10 Americans have gone into debt to pay for appearance-related products or services.

Jordan Baird, a master stylist at 6th and Big Salon in Acworth, Georgia, has seen clients pull back on visits to the salon during hard economic times and look for lower-maintenance styles and colors.

“During hard times, I’ve noticed that clients need an open conversation where they can say 'I cannot afford this. ...this many weeks. I can afford this three times a year,' " Baird said.

"As an artist, I have to figure out a way that is going to make them feel beautiful, along with last (longer), that they're not having to stress over having to see me every couple of weeks," she told USA TODAY.

Some women are embracing their gray hair, which Baird said she loves. For those women, Baird said she can put in dark color "lowlights," which are a few shades darker than a woman's natural hair color, to extend a visit to the salon from every four to six weeks to three to four months.

For women with dyed blonde hair, which needs a lot of maintenance, Baird said a lot of women are opting for a "balayage" technique of hand-painting highlights into hair to create a more "lived-in and organic look," which can extend visits to the salon. A color melt, which blends natural hair color with highlights in between full balayage treatments can also save money and "still look refreshed," she said.

Consumers aren't as willing to give up some parts of their budget

Beauty tends to be a relatively recession-proof category, Katie Thomas said. She leads the Kearney Consumer Institute, an internal think tank at global strategy and management consulting firm, Kearney. Each quarter, Thomas' team publishes a Consumer Stress index, which provides insights into how consumers are feeling.

"From the work we've done, it's actually the bigger stuff people are less willing to let go of than the smaller stuff," Thomas told USA TODAY. "More people think of their annual vacation as a must-have than like their favorite type of chips because chips are easy to give up and try a private label brand."

"You're trying to funnel money aside for that and essentially that's what we see with hair" and beauty treatments, said Thomas.

Beauty and hair are similar priorities, she said. People may try to cover up their own roots or grays at home to stretch their budgets, but ultimately they'll still end up at their hair stylist, Thomas said.

People want to look good and feel good, especially in times of strain and stress, she said.

Thomas acknowledged that it is a certain demographic – the middle and upper class ‒ that can afford the expense of going to the salon in the first place. These folks may be a little more protected from economic hits than other segments of the population, she said.

Another term that comes up is the "lipstick effect," Thomas said. That term is used to describe a trend that during economic downturns, instead of cutting back on all spending, some people may still indulge in some smaller, affordable luxuries, like lipstick, to make themselves feel better.

Maintenance of Black women's hair can be costly

Kimberly Erinkitola had already started pulling back on the amount of money she spent getting her hair professionally done last fall due to concerns about the rising costs of groceries and other expenses for her family of three, including a 2-year-old son in diapers.

Since she had to buy food, even with rising costs, she started looking for ways to save in other parts of her budget. Instead of getting her nails done professionally, for instance, she has moved to press-on nails.

What exactly is a recession? Economists say odds of one in the US are 'very high.'

Erinkitola, who is Black, said everyday hair care and maintenance for Black women can take longer depending on the style or treatment and may not as easily be done at home. But because she is being budget-conscious, she has started stretching the time between her visits to the hair salon and using a professional-grade relaxer to chemically straighten her hair at home. But not all Black women are comfortable doing that.

She used to head to the salon every three weeks and spend between $100 and $120 on a shampoo, condition, deep condition, a braid down (or wearing her hair breaded underneath her wig) and sewn in wig known as a U-part unit. Sometimes the salon visit would cost another $65 if she got her hair relaxed. But now she spends $10 on the same product and does her hair at home, she said.

She has friends who have standing appointments at a salon every one to two weeks. But now, Erinkitola has been going to the hairdresser every four weeks instead of every three. It stretches the budget a little, but she won't give up her salon visits entirely.

"A lot of times it's better to go unless you really know what you're doing because you can damage your hair," she told USA TODAY. "There's so many women who have those stories where it's 'I'm going to let my friend do this' or 'I'm going to try to save some money and do it all at home' and it ended up being a disaster."

"I think in a recession, Black women will absolutely spend less money in the salon," she said. That may include moving to a hairstyle that can last longer or getting a style that can be done at home.

But Erinkitola, who is a professional matchmaker, said she might look for another stylist who is knowledgeable and could be cheaper than her current salon, if she needs to stretch her budget further.

"Women will keep getting their hair done because it affects our mental health and feeling good about ourselves, and I think that affects all women, not just Black women," she said. "You have got to look presentable."

"If you look in the mirror and you're not happy with yourself in the way you're presenting yourself, that affects your confidence and how you carry yourself," she said. "We've got to keep ourselves up, whether we spend it in a salon or we learn to do it ourselves to get our hair done. It's a must."

Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook, or Instagram @blinfisher and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is 'recession hair' and how are women stretching salon budgets?