Lets talk about transforming my hair at Samantha Cusick London
At the beginning of this month, I had one of my two yearly appointments at the Samantha Cusick Salon in London. I discovered the Samantha Cusick salon about three years ago, as Samantha herself is the hairdresser to YouTubers Zoella and Tanya Burr (plus many others now). I may not be a huge fan of either of their creative content but I am definitely a fan of their hair transformations.
I’ve had a lot of trouble with my hair colour over the years. Hairdressers just didn’t get it right, ever. I wasted so much time and money. The
I have to be honest and say that I did, in the 3 years, relapse once. I relapsed into getting my hair done at a local salon. It was a sad and disappointing time. I spent the best part of a year going back and forth for one disaster after another. I pretty much felt like they had to fix what they’d done and that they’d have to top up my roots because yet again it was too dark and the growth was horrid. Eventually, I pulled myself out of this stupid cycle and went back to the mothership.
But now (and normally!), twice a year I visit the Samantha Cusick Salon and I always book in with my hairstylist of choice, Konstantinos. He’s literally a hair wizard.
The above image is the result of my latest visit. My hair, since cutting 8 inches off in December, has grown a fair amount and is almost what I’d considered to be ‘mid-length’. The colour had faded in the last 7 months (guilty for not using any products to care for the small amount of blonde I had last time) and I was desperate to brighten it up.
I showed my hairdresser a photo of Alix from I Covet Thee (such a fangirl haha) and said I wanted to aim for my version of her hair. The end result is beautiful if I do say so myself! The speed Konstantinos works doesn’t affect his quality. He knows people want amazing hair but also not to be sat in a salon for an entire day. I was in and out within 3 hours which meant I got to spend the rest of my Saturday out in the sunshine.
I wasn’t kidding when I said he was a hair wizard because the above photo is
What we did…
The reason my hair is so easy to maintain throughout the year is because I don’t dye my roots any more. The growth of roots for me is non-existent because the colour is natural. I used to ask Konstantinos to dye my roots “darker but basically my natural colour” because of growth. But as the semi-permanent dies washed out over time, I’ve decided that natural roots are best.
So, leaving my roots untouched all Konstantinos did was a blonde balayage. I went blonder this time round because Summer is coming and I fancied a change. Balayage took about an hour and after that, I had toner for 10 minutes, Olaplex for 10 minutes then a wash, cut and blow-dry. I had less than 1cm off my hair because I am trying to grow it out. I know what you’re thinking “but you cut it off in December Hayley?”. Short was cool, but I just want a proper mid-length hairstyle because I miss a top knot. I really do.
How much it cost…
I twitch whenever I spend anything over £100 – it’s just how I am. My visit at the beginning of this month cost me £365 – so imagine the twitch I had at that! To some people, that’s a lot of money and a ridiculous spend on hair. But you pay for the quality you get. So, before you (and my mother) have a heart attack at the price of my hair appointment. Let me just explain my justification. Not because I have to but because I want to. I’m not exactly “well off” but after a lot of bad experiences with hair salons – I am happy to pay that price. Good hair isn’t cheap.
Say I spend (for example) £365 twice a year. Not each appointment is the same price, sometimes it’s less dependant on stylist levels for hair cuts etc. But let’s roll with 365 and round down in our calculations. Rounding down is much nicer.
365 x 2 (for twice a year) = 730
Then divide that by each month of the year (because a lot of people get their hair done monthly)
703 ÷ 12 = 60
So that’s £60 per month on your hair
or if you did it by 8 weeks (because a lot of people also get their hair done every 8 weeks)
365 x 2 = 730
Then divide that by 52, because there are 52 weeks in a year
730 ÷ 52 = 14
So that’s £14 a week.
Times that by 8 (for 8 weeks)
14 x 8 = 112
That’s £112 every 8 weeks.
That’s how I breakdown my hair costs for a significantly less twitchy life. I used to pay more than that per month and per 8 weeks at local salons. I may be spending a lump sum in one go but throughout the year – frankly, I am making a saving with my money and with my time. Twice a year in the hot seat is plenty for me.
Could I go 3 times a year? Yeah, maybe. But I look after my hair to make the
You’re paying for the experience and free gin. I spend my entire appointment drinking gin, eating popcorn and chatting to Konstantinos. When I sit by myself, I have my phone or magazine in one hand and a gin in the other. It’s a really lovely experience. Plus the decor is very
I know you’re also thinking “what about hair cuts in between?”.
Well, between all the vitamins, my (quite) healthy diet and hair treatments – I rarely cut my hair. Sometimes I only cut it twice a year at my appointments or sometimes I might pay for a cut locally in between. It’s all up to how I feel about my hair. I used to be very strict with the ‘must cut my hair every 6-8 weeks’ but actually, I don’t see the point in that. My hair is great condition and I cut it when it needs it.
The cost breakdown
If you look at the price list of the salon
When I first started going to the salon, I always ended up being booked in with Konstantinos by chance. I kind of accidentally became his regular but it was a very happy accident! I’m totally comfortable with him and in no way shape or form awkward. I’ll boomerang him for my
That’s a hairdresser and client relationship you need.
I may have broken down my justification for you but let’s break down
All out balayage with Konstantinos – £205
Toner – £40
Olaplex treatment – £40
Cut and blow-dry with Konstantinos – £80
My hair is my comfort blanket so I was chuffed at the reception my latest uploads to Twitter and Instagram had. I had a few discussions about the pricing/colouring for my hair salon which I addressed as best I could 280 characters. So that’s why I decided to write a blog post. I hope it answers any questions anyone may have about my trip to the
